Part 1:
Growing up in D.C., I think is a very unique experience. D.C. is not quite a big city but is busy and important enough to be called one. It is surrounded by so much natural beauty. Woods. Creeks. Rivers. Ponds. The city itself is beautiful. In both the its abundance in nature and also its architectural layout. The whether there is pretty extreme. Hot and sticky in the summer. So humid you could cut the air with a knife. The sun is always at its highest point. In the winter, the city freezes over. The air is cold and the wind is frigid. All moisture in the air freezes in your lungs. During the “Snowmageddon” it snowed for 4 days straight. Usually there is no transition from season to season. Spring is definitely the most beautiful of the year. The snow melts (if there was any). The sun comes back. The cherry blossoms bloom. D.C. is an amazing city. Its not New York yet it still has the qualities of a city. It is surrounded by nature but is not secluded. It is political but exists within its own culture. Another thing that strikes me about growing up was how diverse the city was. It was home to every type of person out there and growing up I don’t think I realized it. The cultural diversity paired with the amount of free museums available made D.C. a city that meant you were exposed to everything. In a city so small this was incredible. It has shaped every action I make and has made me aware of what the world is and how it is seen, through multiple perspectives.
Part 2:
Friend: (paraphrased)
‘ During my childhood, growing up in DC has taught me that it is the place to experience all types of weather and people. The whether patterns were sporadic and extreme. Winter was pretty and it would usually be one big snow. It wouldn’t usually snow again until the following year or longer. Spring and summer followed with high heat and humidity as well as intense thunderstorms. I suppose the two seasons balanced each other in that way. Over time things definitely got more extreme with the “polar vortexes” and other abnormal whether related phenomena but this was probably tied to global warming. The city’s diversity in, growing up, was also crucial for how i view the world as well. I can’t stress enough how much it has built me as a person, one that can be open to all perspectives, gain a tolerance for problematic people and meet a variety of different people. Overall, growing up in DC you can off the bat say you experience a lot of different things that other states surely will never have the chance to say they do too.’
