Monday, July 8, 2024
By:
Boy, oh boy, do I have a week for you. Buckle up because we’re going for a ride.
As you may know by now, I am physically incapable of relaxing apparently unless my body physically demands it of me. No, this is probably not healthy, but alas, I was trained for this lifestyle since birth. No joking, my family’s definition of ‘a break’ is getting up at 8 AM, walking a half marathon going to various museums and cultural landmarks, not getting back until 10 PM, watching a movie, and then repeating. ‘Sleeping in’ in my family is approximately 9 AM.
Thus, when I am in my apartment all day doing work and don’t leave the said apartment until the next morning, a force comes over me that says, “Kai, go walk 5 miles at 9 PM after trivia.” No, I didn’t plan to walk 5 miles, but a force of nature compelled me to explore all the monuments at night. Don’t get me wrong, they were beautiful all lit up at night, but it probably isn’t the safest idea to wander around late at night. Lucky for you, I’m here to tell the tale.
Because we had Thursday and Friday off for the holiday, I had to make sure to cram in everything that needed to get done into the front half of the week. Needless to say, I was extremely busy. Monday and Tuesday were primarily me preparing for the various (3) interviews I will be conducting over the next couple of weeks. Surprisingly, researching people, figuring out their life stories, and trying to write approximately 25-30 questions on them (as well as a brief introduction summarizing their life’s work) takes a substantial amount of time. Honestly, it probably shouldn’t be that surprising, but it was to me because I have no concept of time. Thus, I typed away into the night. My first interview with Dr. K. Reneee Horton on Wednesday morning went well, and I managed to complete all my work before the holidays! The break was extremely rejuvenating, even if I barely rested.
I slept in until the late, late hour of 9:30 AM on the 4th of July (30 whole minutes after what is considered ‘late’ in my family!), and Maia and I decided to get these amazing pastries from Rose Ave Bakery near the Zoo. Let me tell you, they were some of the most delicious pastries I’ve ever had. We decided to split four, and here are my rankings: 1) Passion Fruit Donut (a malasada with a passion fruit custard filling), 2) Curry Butternut Squash Tart (a flakey outside similar to a croissant with a creamy butternut squash curry in the middle), 3) Spam Musubi Croissant (a croissant filled with spam, furikake, and unagi sauce), and 4) Mango Sticky Rice Amann. Let me tell you though, all of them were out of this world. Maia and I were speechless; they were soooo good. We continued our day by grilling up some hot dogs to celebrate this nation’s birthday, and I was utterly impressed by how many hot dogs Charlotte and Jenna could consume — actually gobsmacked. We then had the bright idea of going to the National Mall 4 hours early (because it apparently was super crowded last year), and we got a) rained on, b) attacked by gnats, and c) suffocated by the humidity. However, I still had fun, because if you tell yourself anything is an adventure, it makes life so much more enjoyable. The fireworks were cool, but I honestly expected something more, considering that this is the capital of the United States. But hey, they tried, I guess. At least they chose some banger songs.
I think Maia and I enable each other because, on Friday, we had the great idea that we should go peach picking! We hopped in Lola (the love of my life: my family’s blue 2018 Subaru Legacy) and drove to Hartland Orchard. The sun blazing over us, we picked a peck of peaches for only $20 (I’m not even joking, we took home like 45 peaches), and probably consumed another 10 between us at the orchard. They were the best peaches I can remember having. I also got a huge jar of honey for $10, and we picked a quart of blueberries and a quart of blackberries for $5 each! In this economy, that’s a steal and a half. At the farmstead, they also sold peach slushies (so yummy) and apple cider donuts (also the love of my life). We continued on our journey and went to an antique store in Royal Front, and we realized that Shenandoah National Park was only 5 minutes away! Not wanting to pass up this opportunity, we went in, went to the visitor center, and went on a short hike that passed a cemetery (no, I don’t think we wound up taking a ghost hitchhiker back with us). I ended the day by going to bed at the early hour of 9 PM and proceeded to sleep 11 hours.
Saturday, I went to the Air and Space Museum by Dulles with Charlotte and her boyfriend Sky. This museum was HUGE. It was pretty cool, and I spent the majority of the time (surprise surprise) in the Space Hanger. There was a space shuttle, as well as a bunch of space science items. We spent maybe 2.5 or 3 hours there because, after a certain point, there’s a limit to how many planes and helicopters you can see without losing it. I spent that evening at a potluck with some college friends, and once again, had to walk 30+ minutes back to Shenkman at 11:30 PM. The worst part about it was the fact that at basically midnight, it was still over 90ºF.
Sunday wasn’t much of anything because my body finally said enough was enough, and made me stay in my pajamas most of the day (except for a quick trip to the airport to grab another college friend who is here this week and cannot navigate public transportation for the life of them). The week finished out by having pizza with Collins, playing Guno, and watching The Dark Knight.
Recommended Activities: Rose Ave Bakery, 4th of July Fireworks, Hartland Orchards, Shenandoah National Park, Air and Space Museum - Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Kai Hostetter-Habib