Oh, The Places You Will Go

On the weekends I usually pick a place to go tour and lately I have been trying to go museums.

Last weekend I decided I would try to make my way down to the Newseum which is a museum all about news—clever huh.

In order to go to the Newseum I had to get off at the Gallery Pi- Chinatown stop of the train. So I hoped on the orange line and rode 8 stops and transferred to the red line for one stop. If anything, this whole trip is teaching me how to read a map. As I walked I noticed blue historical signs pointing the direction of the places to tour; however, the Newseum is new to the location and had not made the signs yet so I walked in the direction of places located close to it that were on the signs.

I knew the Navy Memorial way close, but I didn’t know it was that close. Since it was right across the street I decided to make it a two for one day and stop to get a few pictures. My favorite picture was a single flower in one of the fountains. The memorial also had amazing art work to describe the life of one in the Navy.

I started to find the Newseum again and I headed towards the street. Pennsylvania St! I knew I was close. But did I go left or right? So I stood there for a few minutes looking at the map and the buildings around me.

If only they made a map to scale decisions would be a lot easier to make.

I guess I stood there too long because a girl who looked about my age comes up to me and goes, “excuse me.” My first thought was Uh Oh… As she proceeded to ask her question my mind kept thinking. She wanted to know the direction of the Newseum and I wanted to know why people tend to ask me directions and I have no idea!

I told her I was headed that way and that I knew I was on the right street but I was unsure to make a left or a right. She decided right… Wrong. It was a left. But we made it and we went our separate ways. She used me for my map. But that’s ok, I love to tour by myself.

I made it to the Newseum and as much as I want to write about all the things there I know it will be impossible so I will touch on the points that really got me. The Newseum is a 6 story building and was the only museum I have had to pay for (but well worth it). Touring note: start from the top.

On the main floor they had a special two month display of Pulitzer Prize winners. Many pictures I had never seen before, but was amazing and had great stories. The pictures were from like 1950’s to present. One from each year was blown up and hung up on another wall with a short story of how the photographer got the photo.

One impacting story: I was looking around and I heard this lady go, “oh my..” and walk away. I wanted to know so I read the story. I can’t remember the country but the photo was of a little girl. All skin and bone so tiny she looked like a baby. It’s hard to describe how she was laying but she was hunched over and you couldn’t see her face. The photographer said she was trying to get to the feeding station but was too weak to walk. He also said he only took a few pictures and then left. When he got home many of his friends and family kept asking why he didn’t just pick the girl up and carry her to the feeding station. He said he thought about it but he was told before he went over there that females carried a disease and was told not to touch them. So with that in mind he didn’t touch her. The photographer took it hard because his family and friends said they would of anyway that he could no longer live with himself for not helping her. He killed himself.

There were many photos you just thought to yourself how could anyone shoot this? But in fact many of the photographers think the same thing and their amazing pictures were captured in shooting a few frames.

There was a special section in the museum that was dedicated to the Berlin Wall. A section of the Berlin Wall was actually in the museum on display. It was neat to see history face to face.

September 11, had its’ own special section as well. There was a wall that held every newspaper that ran with a story on 9/11. Either other states or even other countries. In the center of the display was a big metal structure—also known as the news antenna that sat on top of the North Twin Towner before the terrorist hit. The antenna was bent up, but again reality set in.

The museum was full of other things that I highly recommend to go visit if someone was ever to come to D.C. to visit.

This weekend, don’t get me wrong I enjoyed it but I think I would have had more fun if it wouldn’t of taken me 2 hours to get there and if I wouldn’t of missed all the things I wanted to see.

I went to The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Dulles. There is another smaller one downtown on The Mall, but the one in Dulles was going to have the “Candy Bomber” the plan that dropped chocolate candy bars to children in Berlin and the man who flew and dropped them. However, it was only there for the weekend.

I learned that I could actually use public transportation to get there even though it was about 30 minutes out.

It was raining so I almost didn’t go, but I thought this was a once in a lifetime thing. So I packed up my bag and headed for the bus stop. The bus took me to the train stop and I rode the train to Rosslyn. From Rosslyn I waited an hour for the next bus to Dulles Air Port (they run every hour—tour note: RESEARCH THAT!) From the Airport I got on another bus to the museum. A lot of bus riding and it literally was 2 hours.

I enjoyed it though. I saw a lot of planes I didn’t know existed. Planes big and small. Planes you wondered how they could fly they were so big and other planes you wondered how anyone could get in them they were so small.

I learned that the outside display of planes closed at 3. It was 3:30 when I asked that question. And I learned that the “Candy Bomber” was only on display at noon. At noon I was still waiting on a bus! Oh well, again it’s all part of touring. At least I tried and I don’t have to live with I could of seen … if I would of went. Now I can just say I could of seen.. if it wasn’t for public transportation. The good thing though is I saved a grand total of $20 yesterday by taking public transportation.. maybe more if you count gas.

Both were adventures well worth telling. I am really looking forward to the next few weekends. My parents will be here Friday till Tuesday. My best friend comes in the next Friday until Monday and then I head home for the weekend the following Thursday. I am excited and I feel like it has been forever.

Someone asked the other day at work if this was the longest I have been without seeing my parents. It hasn’t been but it is completely different. When I went the longest I was surrounded by people I knew, friends I had at school and I knew I was in driving distance home if I wanted to just pick up and leave for a weekend. Out here I know no one and I can’t just drive home. One, I don’t have a car and two I would have to turn around once I got there to make it back on time.

I am excited to see everyone and although it’s been a little over a month it feels like forever!

The Navy Memorial

The Berlin Wall

Newpapers on 9/11

Antenna from North Twin Tower

Unthinkable becomes Real

In my down time at work I always keep pentagonchannel.mil up to keep me updated with news going on in each branch of the military and in the Pentagon. Wandering around the site I came across a page where soldiers who were seriously injured during war were returning to active duty. Inspired, I decided to read a few of their stories only to be extremely pissed off at the first story I read.

A soldier’s truck was struck with an IED the first few months of war and after the IED shattered, instead of exploding, sending pieces all through his body the soldier’s left eye was destroyed and top of his mouth, and there was no bone between his knee and ankle.

This soldier stated that he “spent 27 years looking the other way from the same population that I was now a part of -- the disabled population.”

We all know that I am not disabled… well noticeably disabled. I do not have to face people judging me on looks or staring at me because I am different. Looking at me, a person cannot tell that I have many things wrong that qualify me to be disabled. Comments and jokes are just as harmful as staring.

I have asthma, a heart condition (low blood pressure), brain damage and now seizures from the nerve damage. I am fortunate that people cannot see that there is anything wrong with me. But think about when people make jokes about people having seizures. It is hard to explain but I am sure we all know someone who thinks it is funny when they make a joke about seizures. Sure people laugh and they became the comedian of the group--- but what about the person who is sitting there not laughing because they do have seizures. How does one stand up and say stop because I have seizures? How does one say I would love to defend the country but I can’t?

Many times I have expressed to people that I would love to join the military but I can’t. When the question is asked why I reply I have asthma. In response I get, “well I have several friends who have asthma and got in.” That may be true, but I am not going to lie to the country I want to defend. People who have asthma and are enlisting are stating on paper work that they do not have asthma. Yes, I could to that too but secretly I am hiding that I have a heart condition and a brain injury and seizures. How could I lie about all of that just to enlist? Sure I wanted to sacrifice my life for my country, but it is not worth sacrificing my life to try to join. Doing that would make me completely useless to in life.

So why was I so mad at the soldier who tried avoiding the disabled population?

What the soldier failed to realize his whole life was that a lot of people who are disabled do not pick to be disabled. He enlisted in the military knowing the chances of going to war. He knew the chances of something going wrong. The chances of getting hurt. I respect him for defending his country and I feel sorry for him for the struggles and obstacles he has had to overcome, but in a way deep inside he basically picked a chance to be disabled. He never realized that not all people pick to be.

I didn’t pick to have my blood pressure drop and pass out hitting head on a concrete floor. I didn’t pick to go through testing to find out why ending up being diagnosed with asthma. I didn’t pick to live with severe headaches or to receive shots in my head to relieve them. I didn’t pick to have seizures or to continue to pass out if I do not take medicine everyday for the rest of my life.

No one picks to be disabled. No one should be avoided because of something they cannot change. People do not realize how fast your life can change and how quick you can go from the person avoiding or laughing at those who are different to a person who is different just by doing daily things like: driving a car, working (in this case fighting a war), getting hit in the head etc. Big or small—it is still a disability and someone has to learn to live with it.

The soldier I read about is lucky. After all his struggles and fight for his life he gets to return to active duty. Of course he will not get to be on the front line, but he will still get to serve his country by staying with the Army. He also gained a new perspective for people who have disabilities now that he has suffered one himself.

Jealous but Proud: I am jealous that he gets to still serve. Since his injuries all happened after he enlisted he is allowed to. But, since all mine occurred before I signed the papers, I am not allowed to. I am proud that he has learned that although people are different we are still people. And I hope one day he will realize that at least he still gets to fulfill his dreams (Army) without and with a disability; whereas, others will always have those dreams but have to find other ways to fill them.