The Trip of a Lifetime!

Near the end of my junior year last school year, my English teacher assigned a grueling essay about electricity. I wasn’t looking forward to writing the essay, but when I found out that the prize for the contest was a free trip to Washington, D.C., I couldn’t wait to start writing. Lucky for me, I won! A few months later, I boarded the plane to D.C., not knowing what great things were ahead of me.

                At the meeting before we left for Washington, I kept hearing that this would be “the trip of a lifetime.” I was in a group of around ninety teens that I had never met before, so it didn’t seem like this “trip of lifetime” would be that great. Boy was I wrong! That first day in Washington became the beginning of a magnificent adventure. I started meeting tons of people and making several new friends.

Our first stop on the trip was at the Arlington National Cemetery. Being there was a life-changing experience. Seeing row after row of white headstones made me appreciate our soldiers more than ever. I just couldn’t fathom that they died for our country. We also saw the eternal flame, John F. Kennedy’s grave, and Robert E. Lee’s house at the cemetery.

The same day, we went to the Smithsonian Institute. I had no idea how many museums there were! My new friends and I had the chance to see the National Archives and the Museum of American History. I got to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, and so much more! I couldn’t believe after only visiting two museums that our time was up. If I had the chance, I would go back again and visit every single museum.

               The rest of our tour of D.C. was jam-packed with tours. We got to see George Washington’s house at Mount Vernon, go 500 feet in the air to the top of the Washington Monument, and take a cruise on the Potomac.  We also visited several memorials: the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and countless more. We even had the chance to see the famous Ford’s Theater where President Lincoln was killed.

               One day of our fun-filled getaway, we got to see the White House. It was awesome! I was lucky enough to even get a picture of a secret service agent walking the president’s dog! We also got to go to a really cool place in D.C. called the Newseum, which is a museum of journalism. On one night, we even got to see a Baltimore Orioles baseball game.

              The most memorable day of the entire trip was when we got to meet with our Senators and Representatives and take a tour of the Capitol. The same day, we went to the Supreme Court building. It was a rainy day, and for some reason our forefathers had decided to make the stairs out of marble. Coming out of the building, I slipped and fell down the stairs. Although it hurt, it was one of the funniest moments of the whole trip!

             My trip to Washington, D.C. went by so fast that I couldn’t believe it we were already flying home. When we landed, I felt like a new person. I had made so many new friends and learned so much about the great country in which we live. Going to Washington, D.C. truly was the trip of a lifetime. Who knew just taking that pencil to paper would change my life forever.