We The People

Right, so for the last few weeks I've been majorly distant on anything blog related: mainly due to the fact that for two weeks I was in the United States of America, and the week before the holiday was 'panic-to-do-everything-we-should-have-done-before' week.

Where did you go? I hear you wonderful imaginary people ask.
Well, little ones, firstly I went to Washington DC.

BOOM. Lincoln, bitches.

Now, I have to admit, I was a complete and utter tourist.

Visit the White House? Check.

See the Lincoln Memorial? Check.

And the Washington Memorial?

And the World War I Memorial?

And the World War II  Memorial?
And the Jefferson Memorial?
And the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial?
And the Korean War Memorial?

Check check check check check check.
Hell'uva lot of memorials in one day.
And I've got to say, my favourite was the Korean War Memorial.

The memorial consists of statues of soldiers. The men emerge from trees and tread through fern-like plants as some look behind and some look to the side, all keeping an eye out for the enemy.

The statues are placed in a triangle shape; five or six along the back line, which diminishes to just one lone leader at the front. This placement creates for an incredibly powerful memorial when you stand at the tip of the triangle looking across at the cautious squadron of soldiers, all from diverse backgrounds - something which the artist(s) thought to consider when sculpting each individual piece.

I was lucky enough to be at the memorial at sunset, which made it all the more stunning to see.
Although I love the iconic nature of both the Washington Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, the powerful and raw nature of this memorial just made the realities of war hit home, which is why I would definitely say it was my own personal favourite.


Though the World War I Memorial was mighty stunning too...

And the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial was epic...

Just look at his sass.

And the Jefferson Memorial was just beautiful...

The day following my memorial escapade, I toured the Capitol building. For those of you who don't know much about DC or American politics, the Capitol building is the dome-roofed white building where Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) meet. If you ever see Congressmen on the news looking all angry and stating their case to a guy they call 'Mr. President' (not Obama), then you're either looking at the House or the Senate.

The building itself is pretty epic in size, though the interior design is freaking incredible.

Just look at that ceiling.

Seriously. You'd think it was some Cathedral it's so darn ornate.

That ceiling is underneath the dome, and the room which the ceiling is in is filled with statues.

The Capitol has got two statues from each state (each depicting famous people from the individual states) filling up all nooks and crannies in the building, and this room is lined with them.

Oh, hey look, it's Lincoln again.

One of the most interesting things about this room is the statues of Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 18th and 34th Presidents of the United States respectively. Of course the statues themselves are interesting, but the key point is what they're wearing: they're both in their General's uniform.

Ulysses S. Grant (left) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (right)

There is nearly one hundred years difference between the presidencies of these two men, as Grant held office from 1869-77 and Eisenhower from 1953-61. The differences in the wardrobe of the two men really helps to convey how much the country has change over just a century - I mean, Grant is holding a freaking sword.

Anyway, I learnt a couple of interesting things during my tour which amused me, so I thought I would share it with you guys:

1. Abraham Lincoln received a letter from a young girl saying that beards where all the trend for men and that the ladies would love him if he grew one. So he thought about it and decided to go with it.

High-five, random citizen, because he sure doesn't look right without one.

2. Andrew Jackson (7th President of the US) was a Democrat, though not the type of democrat we know of today, as back then the Democrats were the more like today's Republican party.

Although he was majorly popular in his time (basically because he was like 'lets move all the natives of this land over to this other place so we can live here instead' and all the Americans went 'yay!'), there were those that opposed him - i.e. the Republicans/republican supporters.

So, as well as politically opposing him, they also rebelled through smaller things, such as cartoons in a newspaper. Jackson's opposition took his last name and used it against him by creating a play-on-words through portraying him as a 'jackass', i.e. a donkey.

Now, remember how I said he was a Democrat?

Yup, you got it. The reason why today's Democrat party in the USA is shown as a donkey is because a Democratic President was a total jerk and the opposing party wanted to belittle him.

The More You Know.

Photo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DemocraticLogo.png

So, what can I say about my trip to Washington DC?

Well, it was kinda how I expected it to be, only more grand, and everyone was so unbelievably nice (though that may just be because Americans have a thing about the British...weirdos).

I mean, the White House was exactly how I expected it to be: white.

Don't let what I've just said fool you though, I had an incredible few days in the city and majorly enjoyed myself (I even went round the International Spy Museum and found out - through tests - that I am a awesome candidate for a spy. Hell yeah.) - I think I'm just a bit heartbroken that I wasn't able to get a fist-bump from Obama.

*sigh*

Maybe next time, eh?

The next stop for us was what people call 'Amish Country'.

The place we stayed in was a town in the heart of Amish Country called 'Intercourse' - something which neither of my parents seemed to find as hilarious as me, my sister, and all of our friends.

Come on, you could buy shot glasses with 'I heart Intercourse' on them. That is frickin' hilarious.

Intercourse was nothing like I've ever seen before. Everywhere was just farm after farm after farm, with rows of corn and apples growing by the side of the road. It was absolutely stunning.

And every now and again you'd pass an Amish man or woman in a buggy.

Photo from: http://www.welcome-to-lancaster-county.com/images/amish-wagon-opt.jpg

Due to the fact that the Amish don't like having their picture taken, I don't have many photos from the few days I was in Intercourse, and the ones I do have are just the scenery.

So instead, I'll just give you the highlight of my trip there: having dinner with an Amish family.

The bed and breakfast we were staying at during our stay was run by a vicar, who had many connections in the Amish community. He emailed us to ask whether we'd be interested, and of course we said yes.

We got to the home of the Amish family about seven (if I'm remembering correctly) and were greeted by one of the young boys (about six years old) who wanted to show us the family's goats - who were all incredibly adorable and had names like 'Midnight'.

Afterwards, we headed inside and were greeted by the rest of the family: the mother and father, two young girls, and two more young boys (I say 'greeted' - one of the young boys napped on the sofa for the whole evening and only waved in a tired manner when we arrived).

The group of us, sixteen in total (the family normally entertain about ten), were seated around a long table which was already laid out with homemade ketchup and a blend of pickled vegetables called 'Chow Chow'.

The meal which we received was nothing less than glorious. Mary, the mother, had cooked meatloaf, and chicken, and mash potatoes, and noodles, and oodles more. And every single bit was amazing.

After the main meal, we were given pudding/dessert of peach pie and apple pie - both scrumptious, obviously.

Although the food was indeed excellent, the actual act of getting to know an Amish family was what made the evening so incredible. As well as the fact that every family member was polite and welcoming, they are extraordinarily fascinating people with regards to their way of life and set of beliefs. I mean, their work dedication is something to be admired.

The Amish as a community are amazingly prosperous and just have a knack for farming. However, everyone is seen to be equal and the socially constructed beliefs regarding class and status forced down our throats in today's modern society just doesn't exist in their culture. You could be driving past a millionaire's house and you would never know it.

Also, their beliefs on the division of labour is very interesting. Women work inside the home, and men outside. Children are brought up to appreciate that achievements come from hard work and so don't complain about things like chores, which kids in modern day society do.

And even though the labour division lines between genders cannot be crossed, no one minds.

Yes, women have to do certain jobs. But so do men.

Job allocation is completely fair, and completely logical. A woman is needed to bring up children because they physically depend on her, whereas men are physically stronger than women, and so can fulfill outside tasks much easier.

(And, just to let you know, I'm all for gender equality and hate the whole oppression/separate spheres thing, but even I had to appreciate the logical and fair nature of their way of life.)

Amish people are incredibly fascinating people and I would urge anyone who is given a chance to meet with them to take it because you will not regret it, I promise.

Following our stay in Pennsylvania, we headed down to Williamsburg, Virginia. We stayed for the remaining week of the holiday and the majority of our time was spent shopping, seeing as we weren't able to do any in the first week, and relaxing. Therefore, I can't really tell you much about the area, apart from the fact that it's really historical (as it's the sight of the first landing) and thus very interesting.

Oo, and people wander around the town centre all dressed up in colonial wear.

Photo from: http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/82683851.jpg

Say what?

Also, in the week, I popped over the Blue Ridge Mountains to check out James Madison University (I get a year abroad in the USA with my course and this is where I'll hopefully be going).

Virginia is so goddamn pretty.



Anyway, that about sums it up. My Fortnight in America (2013) - voila!

I have a few more pictures that I might put on the end of my next few posts, so that's something for y'all to look forward to.

All I can say is: America? Thank you, you are wonderful and feel like my second home.

God Bless America

P.S. Just a general update:
I'm now back at uni and have been re-experiencing 'freshers'.
So far my escapades have included drunkenly attempting to construct my bedside table at 5am.
Anyway...

Cheerio til next time!