Museums

I'm a little behind in posting my DC adventures... last Tuesday night, Jay and Eunice were kind enough to drive here to Bethesda and we went to dinner @ RaKu, just down the street from Winnchee's and Bryan's place. Bryan was able to come with us but unfortunately Winnchee had a board meeting, so she couldn't make it. It was great to catch up with these two and hear how life is going for them here. It really made me feel old when I was sitting there listening to them talk about work and church and knowing that they are active members of society but I knew them when they were like in 9th grade... and now, they're adults!!! Ay yay yay!! I'm so glad that they're enjoying their life here and they have adjusted to living in the East Coast. Winnchee did get to see them, even though briefly, before they left for their home.

On Wednesday, Eun and I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I really enjoyed it and loved all the different exhibits. They had a section about America's First Ladies and even had some gowns and personal items that some of these ladies wore and of course their pictures; a section on presidents and those who died in office and died from illness while in office; a section about the secret service and their importance in protecting our presidents and other officials; a section on American life; Julia Child's kitchen and her copper pots/pans collection; a section on inventions; section about science; I'm sure I'm forgetting some things. My most favorite was the exhibit about the American flag and song 'Star Spangled Banner'. It was very touching and it was so neat to see the original flag. I wanted to sing as we were walking through it. Eun and I had a nice time sharing experiences and I'm glad she was able to clear her schedule to spend the day with me. After we finished at the museum, we met up with Winnchee and Rochelle at Dupont Circle. They also have lots of shops and restaurants in this area. We had crepes for dinner and then went to get dessert at this french bakery. Yummy..... yummy... yummy... I had the chocolate mousse cake :-) brings a smile to your face.

Thursday, i couldn't get up coz my foot hurt and I was very tired. So, I stayed home and took it very easy. The only thing I did was go to the grocery store with Winnchee when she got home from work. I must have taken a very long nap coz the last thing I remembered was that I was talking to Ats and then the next thing I knew, Winnchee was there from work already. I'm glad I took a nap coz I was not feeling too well after all that walking.

Today, I decided that I would go back and see another museum. It doesn't seem right that there's all these museums to go to and I don't want to miss the opportunity. So, I ventured out on the Metro again and went to the Air and Space museum. It was very cool. Loved' seeing all the aircrafts, from the Jenny's' they used to transport mail, to the 727s, 737s, 747s, the sea aircrafts and then all the space modules, the Hubble telescope, etc. I watched a movie about Black Holes, which was pretty interesting to me. I also enjoyed reading about the Apollo missions and all the other missions to the moon. I really liked the paintings of Alan Bean, who was also an astronaut himself and when he left NASA decided to paint about his experiences and other astronaut's experiences in space. He gave his paintings a texture surface using imprints from his moon boots, the hammer he used and even moon dust. He's a great artist and I enjoyed seeing the process he used and the reasoning behind it.

At 5, I met Bryan @ the Sculpture Garden, about 2 blocks away and a little later, Winnchee met us there as well. We listened to Jazz and watched the people around us. It was a very nice concert and although the sun was a little hotter today than yesterday, the weather was till perfect for being outside. Alot of people had brought picnics for their supper as well. We decided to head towards home and had dinner at a Malaysian restaurant called Penang. I have always loved Malaysian food, especially roti and curry and this was so delicious. Every dish we got was yummy :-) it hit the spot for me :-) and for dessert? sticky rice and mango. Yes. We took the circulator home. I love this circulator and discovered that DC also has a circulator, but I don't know if that one is free or not. I am so very tired and after taking a shower, Winnchee put some oils on my back... my feet are also hurting...

I am so glad I went today. I am discovering that it's not too bad going to places by myself. I am quite proud of myself venturing out in a new place. I was a little anxious there in the beginning, especially since I still get dizzy once in a while and when I am in pain, it's hard for me to continue. But, I told myself that I can always ask for help and this has helped me quell my fear and anxiety. I have enjoyed it and discovered that it's not so bad at all. I actually love the Metro (train) system here. I believe it is better than Chicago's and maybe even better than New York's. Why you ask? The train system here connects you to city and suburb without having to transfer to different trains (Chicago's El trains are for the city and Metra for the suburbs). There are also maps of the whole train system not only inside the trains but on the platforms, so you can always try to figure out where you're going. It's pretty easy to navigate, even for tourists like me. Tonight, when we got off the Metro, we walked out to Montgomery street and guess what building I saw? The AOTA (American Association of Occupational Therapy) building!!! How cool is that? ...and it's down the street from their house. I am just finding all sorts of interesting things here. And now, I must say good-night because I'm very tired. I hope you enjoy your holiday week-end. We'll see what new adventures we'll have this week-end :-)