On the Friday night we went to Tyson's Corner for Ylonde's 21st birthday. I can't remember which restaurant we went to, but that was fun. Marushca was extremely lucky to have such cool Au Pairs in her area, especially because there were so many South Africans in the area.
Afterwards we went to Washington DC, to some night club that was freaking expensive. I had 4 drinks and that cost me about $120 because, every time you swipe your debit card, they charge you $20 for the transaction, which, just by the way, is against the VISA/Mastercard/American Express and all the other credit companies' terms and use of service. You are not allowed to charge money for a transaction if you are a merchant.
Other than that, it was heaps of fun. Vera, another South African, was 20 years old and not allowed to drink in USA, but we sneaked into the bathroom every now and then and gave her a drink to down. Tamarin, another South African, fell off of the stage. Well, between the stage and the wall. I fled, I didn't want her to see me laugh at her.
Ylonde was wasted. She kept on saying "my hare lyk mince", which translated means, my hair looks like ground beef. Hilarious! We, all the Au Pairs, played a game on the subway. You stand by the entrance, and whoever walks in first is your soul mate. The poor passengers were horrified. We also sang songs, it echoed through the train, and the streets, and the subway, and the parking lot. I loved it. We slept over at Ylonde's host parents' house that night. On the way there I saw the first toll gate in USA. There's a big white basket, you through the coins in, and then you can drive. We missed so many times trying to through money into that damn thing. But we made it. Then we drove into the forest where they made "The Blair Witch Project". We almost drove into a deer. Then we almost drove into a raccoon. Then we lost the GPS signal, and all cell phone signal. We could have died. But we didn't.
Not long after waiting, Ylonde and her friend pitched up. Ylonde some how sobered up and was focused. Ylonde had her own part of the house. 2 Bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, livingroom, kitchen, dining area, garage, and a TV room. The house was a mansion, but it would be, her host dad is a person high up in Johnson & Johnson.
The next morning Marushca and I went to Washington DC. We had muffins and coffee for breakfast. We parked the car, and got on the subway and got of at the Wilson Memorial Arch...
Then we bought our Hop-on-Hop-off bus Tickets, yes, you guessed it, the City Sightseeing Tour Bus.
We took the red tour. It was amazing to see all the large buildings, and they really are super sized! Beautiful architecture...
The Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
And now, things you don't see in movies about the Lincoln Memorial, I found this very interesting. The walls are covered with this:
Then of course, WORLD WAR II Memorial. Again, I love this so so so very much!
Next to the Lincoln Memorial, you get the weirdest place in the world. I just hate the fact that I didn't take a photo of the sign that says "Respect the dead, Keep off the grass".
Korean War Veterans Memorial
There was something about the countries that are part of the UN on the sidewalks there...
Marushca and I got back on the tour bus, we spoke in Afrikaans, talking about the idiots in America, and we're so glad that no one could understand us... There was a woman sitting behind us, I remember that we insulted her too, but I can't remember what we said. She stood up at the next stop and said "Julle moet 'n lekker dag hê", which means, enjoy your day. WOOPS! Oh, and then the bus driver started talking to us, he was interested about where we came from, so, I took a photo of him too.
The tour bus recording lied to us. They said that the John Paul Jones Memorial was put up because the guy said "We will not abandon this ship". I just looked it up, the correct story to this memorial was that he actually said: "I have not yet begun to fight!"
John Paul Jones Memorial
Second Division Memorial
I know, I didn't get off to get a closer look or a picture. Uncle Jim could have organised a private tour for me in the White House, and I would have done it if I had known, but this was as close as I got to it.
White House
National Archives Building
Market Square
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Pan American Union Building
Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium
National Gallery of Art
Then, I saw a lot of other things, my camera's battery just died. We had cheese burgers at Johnny Rocket's that were as big as my head at Union Station:
United States Capitol
Peace Monument
James A. Garfield Monument
Lastly, a few weird things...
Rocks...
THE SPY MUSEUM!!!
Indian Tents, for the homeless maybe?!?!
Marushca and I had Dunkin' Doughnuts for breakfast the next day, and then I was back on the train to Durham.
One day I need to go see the rest of DC, because one day was not enough time to see the whole of DC.
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