To be in the moment; to be in the past

As we close week 5 of the EYA internship, it is beginning to dawn on me that my time here in DC will soon end—and just as I am starting to get the hang of things! No, the next 3 blog posts will not be a countdown to the end of the program, but I feel that The End is a reality that I have to at least acknowledge. Now that this acknowledgement has taken place, I can go on about what really matters: the present moment.

If anything, the inevitability of The End has encouraged me to live as much as possible with the moments I have left. This past week has provided especially wonderful moments to enjoy. We enjoyed a meal and an evening at the Capital Building on the 4^th of July, which was followed by the apartment living room overcrowded with friends from all over. My best friend visited me, which led to traveling around the city and visiting all of my bucket list tourist sites. Today, we all got to enjoy an evening together eating and laughing at Neal’s house. The summer night was spent lounging, listening to music, playing ping pong, and talking. These are moments that may not stay fresh in my mind forever, but when I think of them they will be accompanied by all the great emotions that I felt when they happened.

However, some of these moments also brought up questions that have still been unanswered in my mind. As I have learned even more, there has been an uneasiness that is yet to be resolved. Spending 4^th of July in Washington, DC was something I had been looking forward to all summer—Independence Day in the nation’s capital! It turns out, the holiday brought out more patriotism than I could handle. How can people claim the US as the greatest nation in the world while locking up innocent children at the border?

The same feelings came about during my visit to the African-American Museum. The realization that the world we live in would have ceased to exist without the slave trade is a truth that I don’t know how to cope with. Countries and economies would not have been formed, the Revolutionary War would not have been won, life as we know it would not exist. How can we be proud of a country that was built almost completely reliant on the kidnapping and enslavement of millions of people? Although I don’t have answers to these questions, I am willing to work to reverse their consequences. Historical patterns of hatred continue to manifest in new ways, and hopefully reflecting on past resistance can help to do this work in even better ways.  

Nica Sy
Blog Post 5
7/8/18