I was Given a Free Trip to DC, Here’s how it went…

The Monuments, the Museums, the People, the Events, all amazing.

If you have not read on the article on how I got a free trip then please go here:

Getting to the Actual Event

T​here I am, on my way to Atlanta for the first meeting of the entire trip. I would be meeting delegates from around Georgia, so the pressure was on me to be social and make an excellent first impression.

M​y parents and I arrived at a decently large hotel that was quite nice because they had a Valet service with a VIP parking lot. We did not indulge in either of these because it ended up being easier for us to get everything together once parked.

Eventually, we entered the hotel, and I changed into my suit. We were going to take press photos, and I needed to look decent.

A​fter the pictures were taken, I hesitantly followed markers around the hotel’s ground level in hopes of finding some area to relax in. I found myself in a lounge where other delegates were hanging out, so I promptly started a conversation. Soon enough, there was a group of 20 guys in a circle asking each other all the same questions.

W​here are you from?

W​hich EMC(Electric Membership Corporation) do you represent?

W​hat was your application process like?

I​’ll spare you the details, but this was enough conversation to push us into the first event of the evening.

Now for the Week to Start

A​ large introduction with food, speeches, and more speeches.

E​very delegate was introduced to everyone in the room. There were around 70 delegates, all with parents and other employees, so there were 200–300 people in this room.

T​his introduction was long, but eventually, the night ended, and it was time to say bye to the parents and start this weeklong journey.

T​he following day was filled with icebreakers and team-building activities to get to know each other. We took a personality test and examined those results this day as well.

S​oon enough were off to the airport. Two charter buses full of people ready to go to DC. We unloaded and, as a group of 70, walked through the entrance and proceeded to wait a few hours for everyone to check luggage, go through security, and finally get to our gate.

I​t was hilarious walking in such a large group through the airport. People would often come up and ask what was going on. Stares from everyone everywhere. We felt like superstars.

S​adly, putting 70 people on the same plane requires good planning in advance and the reliance that no delays occur.

Well, guess what?

Delays took place.

We were 7–8 hours behind schedules by the time we landed in DC, so we had to scratch that entire day’s worth of plans.

Every day for a week, we had a schedule that was planned to the minute. We were booked from 7am to 11pm, so there was no time for wiggle room.

At all.

T​his also means that there is way too much to talk about in one article, so only my most memorable moments will be shared, along with some of the pictures I was able to take.

What I loved During the Trip

T​his week’s schedule allowed us to visit almost every memorial that DC had to offer.

O​ne of my favorites was the World War 2 memorial because it displayed a structure for all 50 states, so of course, I had to get a picture next to the Georgia one with my friends.

The architecture of the entrances, along with the large oval design, was mesmerizing. The Washington monument was also in the background, so the obligatory photo was taken with that.

I​ loved it.

L​ater on, we walked through the entire Arlington National Cemetary. The care taken to preserve each grave with the landscape should be acknowledged.

Everything looked so well taken care of, and the cemetery’s rules were stringent. It was almost inspiring to walk next to the graves of soldiers, generals, and other well-known leaders who served and gave their lives to this country.

W​e got to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we were awed at the mechanical movement of the guard and got to see the exchange of the guards and changing of the wreath.

I’d go as far as to say that I felt pretty patriotic during the ceremonies.

T​he respect shown by everyone in the crowd and the soldiers’ dedication to protecting the tomb is to be admired.

W​e visited the MLK and Korean War monuments, both of which were beautiful.

W​e were given a measly 3 hours to walk around the Smithsonian Museums, which, in my opinion, is barely long enough for one museum. So we did our best to hop from one to the other and get a good essence of each museum.

T​he one museum that shook me to my core was the Holocaust museum.

Holocaust Museum

T​here are levels you walk through that explain every aspect of what went on. Every level became progressively more graphic.

The walls were filled with clips, newspapers, and thousands upon thousands of words explaining every step along the way of this atrocious event.

T​o walk through that museum and not cry is difficult.

You had to walk through a train car that the Jews were packed and transported in. You saw the doors of the gas chambers, models of the camps, and replicas of the Jews moving inside the gas chambers. Every single detail was put out on display. Their shoes were placed along the side of a room you had to walk through. Millions of people were tortured wearing the shoes you are now looking at.

The reality of the entire event hits you harder at each level.

T​he museum was done right. That is why it is still so prevalent in my mind. So many details stuck with me. I am glad I got to walk through and gain a new understanding of what went on.

Party Time

T​owards the end of the week, we slowed down on the monuments. We spent time at other events, like an Aerospace museum, and then we spent the evening on a riverboat cruise.

T​he riverboat cruise was filled was great food, 100–200 people with a single dance floor run by a single DJ.

Needless to say, it was wild.

T​his was my favorite night of the entire trip.

Time to go or not?

A​t the end of the week, it was time to pack up and go.

But wait.

Do you remember what I said about fitting 70 people on a single plane from the same group?

Yeah, well, let’s take that and really think about it.

We could not leave the hotel because we did not have a plane to get on because the weather turned REALLY BAD. So we had to be separated into groups of 5 and 6.

This meant that goodbyes were short, filled with tears, and a little heartbreaking.

I had just spent every waking hour with these people for an entire week. It’s hard to walk away from that.

On the road again

T​he trip home was crazy. From DC, my tiny group was the first to leave, and we had to take a detour up to New York, so I got to see the Statue of Liberty from the airplane window. Bonus view! Then we flew back down to Atlanta, where I was picked up.

S​ome of my friends were the last to leave and had to wait another day before making it home.

T​his was one of the most informative, emotional, enthusiastic, astounding, and shocking social trips I had ever been on.

M​y only regret was not reaching into more friend groups to meet more people. But you live and learn, and this trip will never be forgotten.

Thank you for the read!

I will be writing more about DC and going more in depth to aspects talked about and not talked about in this article. If you would like to read those then please become a member through the link down below! That way you get access to all the stories across all of Medium and I get a portion of your monthly membership. Thank you again!