UPIKE international students travel to Washington, D.C.
0By Jorge Escobar
Last Wednesday, April 2 the Global Education Office (GEO) took a group of eight international students to Washington, D.C. The group was led by the Global Education Coordinator Diann Whittier and adjunct instructor of English, Kenneth McAlpine, who went with the international students to visit the capital of the United States.
“I adore Washington, D.C. It is truly lovely. This is a city you can walk across, with wide-open avenues, front porches, old neighborhoods and river views. There are more than two dozen free museums, so you can absorb culture the way it was meant to be experienced,” Whittier said.
On Thursday, April 3, the international students visited the Capitol, the meeting place of the United States Congress that is made with lovely neoclassical architecture located at the eastern end of the National Mall. The students also visited the Library of Congress, the oldest federal cultural institution, located near the Capitol and both Natural History and Air Space Museums.
“My favorite museum was the Air and Space because they had a flight simulator that felt very real,” junior Diego Rivas said.
On Friday, April 4, the students visited the Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery was a big shock to the students because it holds more than 400,000 graves with all the war heroes that fought for freedom. The students saw how the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknowns is done, a tomb that honors the unknown soldiers from World War I, II, Korean War, Vietnam War and others.
“I find very impressive that there is a guard at any time even if it snows, rains or if it’s the end of the world,” sophomore Mateus Meira said.
On Saturday, April 5, the international students went to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
“It was my second time visiting the Washington Memorial, and it was very impressive as the first time,” junior Rodrigo Galdamez said.
All of these monuments and memorials were surrounded by beautiful cherry blossoms and many tourists.
“Every spring, the cherry trees continue to fulfill their role as a symbol and as an agent of friendship,” Whittier said.
At night the students visited the Robert. F. Kennedy Memorial stadium and watched a MLS soccer game between the clubs DC United and New England Revolution.
The international students headed back to Pikeville on Sunday, April 6.