Thanksgiving break :D

Today, I met Amy after her Spanish class, because I didn't have any classes on Wednesday. I had packed up my blue suitcase, so I was ready to go. Clothes... Check! Homework...Check! Electronic devices and other necessities...Check! It was rather cold this morning compared to the other fall weather I had experienced here and it was 44 degrees. I feel a little sorry for everyone back in Montana where it is in the negative range already, but I guess that is the price you pay for being able to see the beautiful mountains and country views all the time.

After Amy's Spanish class, we went to the Library and did some homework. I read and read for my Sociology class, and she did some reading and work for Spanish. After we had all we could take of the homework, (we were getting quite excited for leaving DC on the break), we went and got a grab and go lunch and ate it in her room. It was the first time that we had had a Chicken Caesar wrap and it was pretty good. We usually have the "Hoya Wrap" which has chicken, lettuce, tomato, and some spicyish tangy sauce, but they were out of them, so we obviously got something else. After lunch, we studied in her room for a while and she got all packed and ready to go to Virginia. We did some more homework, but soon got bored with it and then just decided to leave Georgetown at 5:15.

We caught the GUTS bus (Georgetown University Transportation System) and it took us through some narrow streets to the Dupont Circle Metro Stop. On the drive, we squeezed closely between cars, but everyone was safe in the end, so all was well. We carried our 4 bags onto the Metro, which wasn't crowded, because it was rush hour and therefore the trains come quite often, and sat down for the short, 3 stop, ride to Gallery Place-Chinatown. From that stop, we made our way through the maze of escalators, it reminded me somewhat of those pictures with stairs going every which direction, and arrived on H and 7th streets. There was a huge Chinatown Archway there, which was quite elaborate and Chinese looking.

A more intense adventure awaits... To be continued... Tomorrow.

From there, we walked to the McDonalds, because Amy had been craving a Big Mac ever since I had eaten one that night. We arrived there and we felt like the minority for once, because Chinatown had a lot more black, Asian, and Hispanic people than the other parts of the Northwest. We were still technically in the NW as far as addresses went, but were were almost in the NE. (we were on 5th st and counts down going towards the center of town)

I ordered the food and Amy stayed at the table to watch the stuff, and she said some guy that said he was getting water and got lemonade instead, she didn't think he was too smart, because they tried to explain it to him, tried to sit down in my seat without asking her. He was in a fancy suit, but we weren't sure how he got it. After we got our food, we were eating, and this scruffy guy with frizzy hair and crazy intense blue/green eyes, looked at Amy as he was walking by and mumbled something, and she said, "Excuse me," and he gave her this weird look. Then he got some caramel syrup from the little dispenser thing and was drinking it from one of those little cups. He then walked by me and mumbled something and I asked what he had said, and he mentioned that he was related to me. I was pretty sure he wasn't, but he insisted a second time, but I then ignored him. I felt badly for the guy even though he really creeped me out, by talking in such a way that I could hardly understand him, and looking at me with those intense crazy eyes. I then went and got a chicken sandwich and a "McDouble." I was going to give him one, but I was pretty scared so I texted Amy which I should give him, because I wanted to give the other one to someone else. I gave him the double cheese burger, and he was very grateful.

After a little bit, some other lady that seemed a little better off sat down next to him and Amy thought that we should maybe move because there was a lack of seats that forced her to sit by him, but as it turned out they knew eachother. They didn't talk to eachother, but then this other lady came by and sat across from them and she had a backpack and a bag and did talk to the first lady. They were arguing and bickering over the dinner at a church that they didn't get that day as it would usually have been, because the church people said that they were instead going to have a Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. She had a bunch of newspaper clippings that I think were ads and coupons, but I couldn't tell. A little time later, this rather large lady walked in and she was looking unhappy, so Amy smiled at her, and she scowled back! She sat at the last remaining seat at the table of four.

A little later, this other black guy with a basketball cap on came in and stood by that group. Then a little later, he came over to us and introduced himself as Enzel, like Denzel without the D. He said we may have seen him on TV. He liked to joke around a lot as he later told us. He then asked to sit by me and I let him, so he could talk to us. It was quite the experience. It almost smelled as though he had alcohol on his breath, but it may just have been the lack of teeth brushing for a long time. He didn't have one of his rows of teeth, though now I forget which one it was, and I think that was one thing that made me think he hadn't brushed in a while. He was from New Jersey supposedly, and then he said it with the Jersey accent just to be funny. He asked if I balled after he noticed Amy was from Georgetown. He talked to us about basketball for a little bit. I said I didn't ball, and he said, oh yeah, cause your white... We laughed at that. Then he tried to get us to sing some songs, be we could barely understand what he was saying or the artists he was mentioning. He was hooked on this one song by Cat Stevens, he kept saying, "Cats in the cradle with the .. .. ..... We couldn't really hear what he said after a while, but he kept saying that over and over. He tried to get me to sing Billy Jean, but I didn't remember how it started or I would have humored him a little. Then he asked us if we heard the poet, but he said it really strangely and we couldn't really understand what he was saying until he mentioned rhythm and blues and rap. Then I figured out what he was talking about. He then tried to start a rhyme and wanted us to continue it, but it was such as silly rhyme and I could never think of anything that made sense or rhymed. Then he tried to rap... Anyway, He kept telling us to for quite a while and offered to get us something to eat several times, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have. He may actually have done it, but I don't see why he would have been hanging out with the rest of that group if he had actually had enough money to buy things. Anyway, we had to leave to go meet John, so we left and said good bye to him. I asked if he wanted the Chicken Sandwich I had and he said something like, I'm black aren't I? The words that I have somewhat remembered don't do him justice, because he actually was really nice and not too sarcastic, he was just trying to be funny.

After that whole homeless people encounter, we walked 6 blocks or so to the bus stop, and then met John. He got dropped of around the corner though while lots of them waited for the bus to pull around front, so when we were watching the bus for him, he showed up right there. Amy and he were glad to see each other, and I was glad to see him too, though I had never seen him before. We then walked back to the McDonalds, because he had just been on a bus for a long time and was really hungry. After that we walked back towards where his stop was and we met George there. We drove for an hour or so and them made a stop to grab some beverages and food.

We then made it out to their house by 11:15 and went inside and met Moira and Mary and Moira's boyfriend Steve. We were all sitting around the kitchen counter and there was some awkward silence and George said, "Does anyone want to have a knife fight?!" It was really funny anyway. They have a nice house, but everyone was pretty tired after we had gotten there, so we went to bed. I got to sleep on a cot, which was fine, but I got really cold in the middle of the night and had to steal another blanket. That was the end of yesterday, but I will leave today for another blog post.