Over half term week, 22 pupils from B.R.A. travelled to Washington DC, the first trip the Academy has ever done to the American capital. Over the next few days, important American political sites and culture surrounded us. Immediately we were impressed with both the city itself as it was beautiful in Autumn, as well as with the local people who were friendly and very interested in our school.
We started out early on the Friday morning with a bus tour of the city, getting our first glimpse of the White House, the National Mall and the infamous Watergate Building. We stopped at the National Cathedral where we saw how the design stained glass windows incorporated American history. The next stop was the National Zoo where we were able to see the new panda cub, Bei Bei, on the ‘PandaCam’, amongst all the other animals.
For lunch it was on to Washington’s impressive Union Station. This was followed by a tour of the US Capitol Building, which was one of the highlights of the trip. Here, we were given an insight into American history and politics and felt very privileged to be given this tour as not many American students would have this opportunity, let alone students from across the Atlantic. In the evening, we were able to relax through some retail therapy at a mall!
On Saturday we had a bit of a lie in (in that we woke at 7.30am!) and got ready to visit the Smithsonian Museum of American History, which houses historical and cultural items like the original Star Spangled Banner and Kermit the Frog. In the afternoon, we walked down the famous Pennsylvania Avenue to visit the National Archives where we saw America’s most famous documents: the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights, the documents American politics is founded on.
On Saturday evening we were able to take part in the American cultural phenomenon that is Halloween trick or treating. Dressing up wasn’t compulsory but nearly everyone in the group did. Amongst others, we had Wednesday Addams, the Mario Brothers, a lobster, the Count and Scooby Doo all in our group! The strange feeling we had walking to the Metro soon disappeared as we got on the train and saw that nearly everyone else was dressed up to!
On Sunday morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed at 6.30am and waited in the usual queue for the waffle machine. The previous two days had been brilliantly sunny, with vividly-coloured trees against a backdrop of blue sky, but on that day there was a scattering of cloud. We caught the Metro to the centre of town, and then walked to the White House, where the obligatory group photo and numerous selfies were taken.
Martin Sieff, a B.R.A. old boy and journalist based in the area, and currently covering the US Presidential Election for a major Russian broadcasting corporation joined the group. We were due to go to the top of the Washington Monument but sadly this had to be cancelled because of its elevator problems. Instead, we walked the short distance to the World War II Memorial, and then along the Reflection Pool to the Vietnam War Memorial. This is a very poignant but striking memorial, as it is just a wall of names of those who died in the conflict – there were no embellishments or beautiful architecture.
Then we went to the Lincoln Memorial, which is grand and impressive, followed by the Korean War Memorial, and stopped for lunch in the Holocaust Museum. We left the National Mall area and walked around the Tidal Basin towards the Jefferson Memorial – a marble palace that commanded the respect of all onlookers, and had a perfect view of the White House across the Potomac River. We continued around the Tidal Basin to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, featuring many inspiring quotes chipped into the walls, then on to the Martin Luther King Memorial.
At each monument and memorial, Martin explained to us about the significance of it and gave us extra insight that made the events and people come alive. It was brilliant to chat with him as we walked and hear his story of how he ended up working in America and listen to his stories his time at our school.
We said farewell to Martin just before 4pm and set about speed-walking to Arlington National Cemetery before it closed at 5pm. Arlington was truly beautiful, with a plethora of sunset-coloured trees drooping over the large lawns. We visited the eternal flame at JFK’s grave. This was particularly interesting to those who had done GCSE History, as the controlled assessment surrounds JFK and his assassination. We made it in time to see the last Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, just as twilight was falling; the respect and thankfulness displayed by all was humbling.
We took the Metro back into Washington, where we split for dinner in the Penn Quarter – a lively, bustling area, featuring some very enthusiastic street performers – and then collapsed back at the hotel.
Monday morning was met with more than a tinge of sadness. We had to be out of our rooms by 8am, so it was an early start. We then took the Metro to the Pentagon, and, after passing the various safety checks, were given a tour of some of the levels by US Navy and Air Force Officers. A lot of the tour centered on the attacks of 9/11, and we were able to spend some time at interior and exterior memorials, which was emotional.
Following that, the group split, with Dr. Springer and Mrs. Stuart taking most of the pupils to the Air and Space Museum, while Miss Barnett took seven of us to the Newseum. Every morning, newspapers from across the world send their front pages to the Newseum, which prints displays of them outside the museum. It also featured fascinating exhibits such as the history of the news, coverage of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs over the last fifty years, coverage on the Vietnam War, the five freedoms outlined in the First Amendment, coverage of 9/11, and a big outdoor terrace with views of the Capitol.
We regrouped back at the hotel, heaved our considerably heavier cases on to a coach and were driven to Dulles International Airport, where we caught our overnight flight to Heathrow, and before long we were back into Belfast City.
We were able to see so many famous sights in such a short space of time and packed in lots of American history, culture and politics. We saw sights that most people only see in movies and on television and had the time of our lives while we saw them! We would like to thank Miss Barnett for organising everything so meticulously and to Dr. Springer and Mrs. Stuart for being such wonderful support and great fun, and to others who helped make the trip so great. We hope this will not be B.R.A.’s last visit to the city.
Mary Cousins and Abby Wallace