Happy new year! As you can tell by the title this is a life update from me! I’ve been more than a little incognito (for good reasons I will cover in another post lol) these past couple years about my personal life and have chosen to mainly use the blog for highlighting other travelers like myself! I’m getting a lot of questions now just like I did before when I studied abroad about what life is like in the city, so I’m choosing to share now that I lived there for a year. Let me share my reflections with you.

Let me start by saying that even though I’m not unfamiliar with cities, I’m really not a “city girl”. This was my very first time living in a metropolitan city in the United States. It’s very hectic and busy here as you can imagine with all that the city has to offer. It’s officially called the District of Columbia, and it is currently not a state. D. C. has 8 wards and they’re split into Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest. Fun fact: I lived in every single region of the city in one year.

Crazy story time! I arrived in DC January 2023 and unfortunately got into a housing scam which is very common, and it led to me moving around for the first 6 months of my time here. The positive side to that is I really got a chance to get to know the area and get to know how each region operates.

Now for the reason I was there: I’m in graduate school, currently studying International Education at George Washington University. I want to start by saying that was not really the original plan lol. I came here for work with City Year Americorps, and I planned to do a completely different degree program with GWU. I wanted to enroll for Organizational Leadership and Learning, but I got recruited for my program through my involvement with Americorps. Americorps is essentially the same as Peace Corps except you are working state-side only.

So now back to the story of DC!

Since it is Black History Month, I will share the following information:

1. Washington, DC has a rich history of African American culture and contributions, including a large African American population, historic sites, and notable Black leaders. 
   Population
   DC has a large African American population. 
   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 44.4% of the population of DC is Black. 
2. DC Georgetown Black History
3. Eleanor Holmes Norton, now in her sixteenth term as the Congresswoman for the District of Columbia, has been named one of the 100 most important American women in one survey and one of the most powerful women in Washington in another.
   
   The Congresswoman’s work for full congressional voting representation and for full democracy for the people of the District of Columbia continues her lifelong struggle for universal human and civil rights.

I have worked with the National Council of Negro Women and the National Urban League Thursday Network within the past year as well. This has taught me the importance of the work that’s done on Capitol Hill for people all across the country.

1. Benjamin Banneker: The first Black presidential appointee in the United States, serving as a surveyor on the team that designed the blueprints for DC  Benjamin Banneker
   Marion Barry: The first former Black Power activist elected as mayor of a big city and he created many projects for DC youth like the Summer Youth Project which is active today. Summer Youth Program

Speaking of programs, The City Year DC program led to many opportunities for me to grow in DC as a professional within the community.

City Year DC

Within my time at City Year, I managed to tackle many aspects of education, including literacy and SEL(social-emotional learning). I was a tutor and mentor to fourth grade students in math and reading.

I created an after school literacy program for the students as well, and helped them to discover books that they could understand and relate to .

I also helped to plan and lead in yoga, DEI and SEL sessions with relation to arts and reading. We planned Smithsonian educational field trip experiences for the elementary students.

I also worked as a bookseller at a community staple cafe and bookstore, known famously as Busboys and Poets on K Street.

I even got to see my name in lights on the commute to the bookstore!

This also allowed me to create community connections. It inspired me to create a book club community to celebrate Black women authors.

Busboys and Poets also has open mic nights and I found myself in a unique situation of ASL, French, and Spanish translation between customers and employees for the mic night events.

At one event, I discovered Vanessa Bee who is an author from Cameroon. She grew up in France.

This is her book:Homebound

Our stories are very similar as well.

This was one of my favorite things about living in DC. It allowed me to connect with other individuals like myself who had similar life experiences and it’s why it’s unique.

There is no place like DC in the USA.

It shares the best of who we are.

Lastly, as DC is experiencing a lot of changes and these spaces may never look the same, I want to share about my favorite DC cultural spots to visit.

Spaces like these have allowed me to engage with the culture of DC , and see and experience a representation of the the art and educational spaces that symbolize work of many amazing individuals across the country. It’s also given me the chance to hike in spaces like Rock Creek Park and see the natural environments that exist that protect natural life.

1. The Kennedy Center

2. The African American Museum

3. The African and Asian Art Museum

4. The National Botanical Garden

5. The National Portrait Gallery

6. The National Art Museum

7. The Library of Congress

8. The Women in the Arts Museum

9. Rock Creek Trail National Park

10. The Museum of the Bible

11. The Washington DC Metro

12. Washington Dulles Intl Airport

13. The National Urban League

14. Busboys and Poets Cafe

15. MLK Washington Public Library

16. Eaton House in DC

17. HBCUs in District of Columbia

18. National Council of Negro Women

19. The Planet Word Museum

20. Arena Stage DC

21. Lincoln Theatre

22. Dance Institute of Washington

23. Shakespeare Theatre Company

24. Martin Luther King Memorial

25. Art Museum of the Americas

This is a true representation of DC.

This is a true reflection of the USA.

All of these spaces, are important.

All of these spaces, create opportunity to connect with communities from across the nation and from all across the world.

I’m hoping that even as things change, the impact of these spaces, and also the amazing work that they are doing, will continue on and will never change. This is DC’s legacy.

In the midst of change, may we never forget that.

Thank you for reflecting with me!

Until the next adventure,