Nearing the End
The past couple of days have been utter chaos, not because anything is going wrong, but because we don’t know what is going to happen in the next few days! Today was our first full day in Washington DC, but the relay is not complete yet. Yesterday we ran to the boundaries of the District and stopped there so we could choose a more opportune time to have, more or less, our ceremonial finish! More about that in future blogs, though!
Today turned into a sightseeing day coupled with some meet-and-greets. The first thing we did was suit up for our meeting with the people at the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-NET). These people are amazing and, to a great extent, are the reasons we were able to do this relay in the first place.
Lunch Time at GI-NET!
We had lunch (pizza!) with the wonderful staff at the Genocide Intervention Network. At first it was a bit awkward, as we were all hungry and unsure of what to talk about. However, eventually conversation got rolling; we told GI-NET about our experiences on the relay and they told us more about their organization. Mark Hanis, the Executive Director, gave us a breakdown of how the organization works and even showed us how we fit in!
The most amazing thing about GI-NET is how they manage to operate so effectively and so visibly, yet have a staff of only about 20 people with nobody over the age of 30. Interestingly enough, students at Swarthmore College founded the organization during their senior year. They truly personify our belief that nobody is too young to change the world – hopefully they think the same of us!
A Truly Sobering Experience
A few of us visited the Holocaust Museum after leaving GI-NET. Even though this was probably my fifth or sixth time there, it was just as powerful and sobering for me as it was the first time. I could go on for thousands of words analyzing and connecting what I saw there to the relay, but that is something for another time and place. To put it frankly, the Holocaust Museum defines our efforts completely; in a very concrete manner, it serves as an immutable monument to the idea that genocide should never be forgotten and, through this tribute to the past, it reminds us that we can never ignore genocide when it occurs again.
If you ever visit DC, the Holocaust Museum is one place you cannot leave off your tour stops. Be prepared to feel like your heart is being wrenched out of your body though.
A Thunderstorm Worthy of Kansas
After our small group left to catch up with everybody else, I ran into a truly epic thunderstorm: lightning, thunder, horrifyingly big rain, oh my! I dodged for cover in a lovely coffee shop to avoid getting soaked, while everybody else was dodging for cover in museums, apparently. Although I didn’t witness this personally, I was told that the Museum of Modern Art was quite “interesting.” The guys who went there especially enjoyed the blank canvases worth millions of dollars.
The rest of the night has been rather unremarkable. We ate a nice dinner, worked on some media stuff, and tried to figure out exactly what would happen tomorrow. But, alas, every day is a new adventure for us!
