Maryland & DC

As an avid West Wing Fan DC was a stop that I had always been looking forward to and fitting in with the pattern of this trip this stop did not disappoint. We arrived in DC from Virginia by amtrak which is a really comfy way of travelling especially since you can have your bags checked in at your destination leaving you free to leave you to wander around. We met up with Marlene our host who then took us on a night time tour of DC starting with the world renowned Lincoln Memorial to the less visited but equally impressive Jefferson Memorial. It goes without saying that we paid homage to the White House and Congress.

The next day we met up with Adam Bonnifield a great guy who I had got to know on my Japan Tour and a former Cornell and Cambridge debater. Adam is a funny guy who kept us entertained all day and coming from DC knew a lot about the city. We were later accompanied by Michael Baer someone who I got to know in Turkey and we drank the night away in the Dupont Circle area of DC.

Our final day in DC would feature Mary a I debating against each other on a motion about significantly increasing immigration. I was opp Mary was Prop and this turned out to be one of best events we took part in during our tour. The audience, largely comprised of African Americans were really involved in the discussion and in a close debate – I WON. In reality we were both winners because we both received an excellent welcome at a reception held afterwards with the honour students. Getting to spend a lot of time with the students at Prince George's County was a amazing experience especially since this school was really international.