Autumn or Fall?

In England, there's not really a full Autumn season like Winter, which lasts forever. It's basically the few weeks between the end of summer, which was never that hot to begin with, and the freezing cold that lasts until about March. Of all the things I miss about home, the climate isn't one of them- although I do appreciate it when it rains every now and then instead of virtually every other day! In America however the season seems much longer and everyone calls it Fall, as in the falling of the leaves. It's an accurate description, as the colour the leaves change into are so much more vivid and warm then at home, so it's fair enough to name the season after the leaves falling. I use it, although I'm beginning to slip into using the wrong words in conversation with Americans, saying "sidewalk" and "elevator". It's a bit worrying to be honest!

The midterms are out of the way. but there's no break in the workload. Fortunately choosing your own

classes means you can study a variety of topics so it never gets to familiar. At the moment I'm working on Roy Lichtenstein's series of Landscapes in the Chinese Style, Muhammad Ali's early career (when he was known as Cassius Clay) and his bouts with Sonny Liston, and the effects of mass media like television and radio through the perspectives of political science and philosophy. It's all really interesting, which makes it unbelievably boring when you turn up to class on U.S Presidents and listen to a man talk for 2 and a half hours about trivia and anecdotes he knows about them. Memorizing 100 years of these facts for each test is tougher still. Thankfully there was at least one day we changed it up a bit, by visiting the Woodrow Wilson house in D.C where he lived the last few years of his life. I found it really interesting, as Wilson had been such an important figure in learning history since year 9, as he was the President during the Progressive era, World War One, and the failed attempt to create and join a strong League of Nations. Learning about such massive events came seem a bit abstract until you find yourself in the rooms where he lived, and where he died. The room pictured here was where we had our opening talk, and it was surreal almost 90 years ago his funeral was in the same spot. to think Although I don't know how useful the experience will be in an exam, it's one I enjoyed and I'm glad I got from this class.

America gets pretty excited about their seasonal holidays, and Fall means only one thing- Halloween! And they take it a lot more seriously over here. People wore their costumes to class, there were Christmas-scale decorations outside the houses and pumpkin patches on lawns on the side of the road. It seems to be much more important than at home, where children will go trick or treating and students use it as an excuse for a night out. It did give us some laughs though, especially surrounding Marwan and the mystery of the missing pumpkin. "Billy" was stolen from the common room, prompting panic, wanted posters, announcements in class, ransom notes from cut-out letters from magazines, and payment of toblerone before his eventual safe return. All I can say is, well played to the thieves! (Sorry Marwan). We also dressed up, although most of us figured it out the night before so we're not on the American-level of Halloween dedication yet. But it was a pretty fun night, although it's a sad walk home at half-4 in the morning and there are no food places open on campus or in Fairfax... then I was really missing Leicester and it's Dominos that delivers until 5!

Although we had a week where the temperature suddenly dropped, it's been quite nice since so I've done a bit more sightseeing in D.C. I loved the hustle and bustle of New York but it can't really compete with D.C in the beauty side, especially at this time of the year. It's nice to start discovering new places that I didn't see the first few times I went in as well. So a quick run-through...

• Washington National Cathedral- I had to visit here, if only to see where that scene from the 'Two Cathedrals' episode of The West Wing. It's an impressive place, huge and grand, with some incredible stained-glass windows. But to be honest it feels a bit too new. It was built in 1900 and doesn't feel like it has the history of Westminster Abbey or St Paul's for obvious reasons. It was worth a visit though and is a stunning building.
• Embassy Row- A long stretch from the Cathedral to Dupont Circle, where most of the international embassies in the U.S are located. You can tell the difference between the status of each nation and their relationship with the U.S quite well from how grand or small each one is.I enjoyed spotting a red telephone box outside the British Embassy, and there were plenty of statues along the route for famous figures like Churchill, Mandela and Gandhi.
  
   

• Jefferson Memorial- Missed this first time round as it is a bit out of the way from the Mall, on the other side of the tidal basin. It's an impressive structure dedicated to the writer of the Declaration of Independence and third President, and there's an area underneath with a mini-exhibit and gift shop. I was surprised that he was eulogized quite so much- in the overall scheme of American History Thomas Jefferson probably deserves a memorial, but the complete lack of any significant mention of being a slave owner was disappointing. I understand its not what you'd like to remember but you have to teach all aspects of the history, and it's a missed opportunity. Still, it is well worth seeing.

In fact, it's worth visiting just to get this view along the way!

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