Visiting Washington, DC as a left-leaning Canadian during the Trump administration was an interesting experience. While I’m not unaware of US politics, my knowledge of American history is definitely lacking. Because of this I can’t say I was particularly interested in the various monuments around The Capitol. What intrigued me more was the tourists (a surprise number in MAGA hats) flocking from across the country to take their photo next to this or that. Clearly these buildings and statues signify a lot to many Americans, but to me they were often just pretty architecture or artwork.

View of the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial

Don’t get me wrong, the monuments were beautiful and some of them honoured the lives of innocent lives lost, like those of the 9/11 plane crash at the Pentagon, but the significance of many others didn’t sit as heavy in my heart as a foreigner. Even the World War II memorial, which is obviously important, didn’t hold as much weight as it would had it been in Canada. It’s interesting how that happens when lives are still lives, no matter their nationality.

9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. Each bench represents a life lost at this site; those facing towards the building were passengers on the plane while those facing away were on the ground.

I was in DC to visit my aunt and uncle who live in Arlington, VA. My uncle is a Major in the Canadian military and his wife, though newly Canadian, grew up as an American army kid. Her perspective is unique, however, as she is vocal about her liberal beliefs in a more traditionally conservative environment. Her favourite monument in the area is the US Marine Corps War Memorial. Though I appreciate the more human element of this piece, the image of the planting of an American flag (I’m assuming on foreign soil) doesn’t stir up many positive feelings in me.

My favourite stop of the day was at the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. While there’s something to be said about putting a minority culture on display in a museum, I felt this building was a beautiful celebration of African American people and their resilience while reminding every patron of America’s terrible history of slavery and encouraging you to think about its current state of systemic racism. Though the museum is free to visit, you must reserve an entry time during peak visitor hours. However, as my uncle is in the military he is able to visit with guests at any time.

National Museum of American History and Culture

Another interesting experience I had took place later that evening while I was at a MLB game with my uncle. Earlier in the day we had walked past the White House and I stopped to take a couple photos of it. I decided to be a little cheeky and take one of me flashing the middle finger for my Instagram story (I had done the same in front of the Trump Tower in Vegas a couple years ago). My dislike for President Trump and everything he stands for is no secret and though I respect the fact that he is still a human who deserves to be treated like one, that’s not going to stop me from flipping him off.

I opened Instagram while at the baseball game to find that the photo had elicited a lot of responses from my followers - probably more than anything else I’ve ever put on my story. Most contained lol’s and clapping or laughing emoji’s expressing approval of my small act of rebellion against a world leader I genuinely detest. One woman expressed her surprise that I would do such a thing and suggested I keep my page more professional. That was fine with me, she’s allowed to think that something I’ve done is rude, but I didn’t respond because to be honest I could care less about how professional my instagram appears.

One man decided to take it a step further, however. He was so upset by my photograph that he felt the need to attack my own intelligence, emotional strength, and general ability to contribute to bettering the lives of people in the world. This rattled me for a bit, especially because he was someone with whom I have had pleasant interactions with in the past and is somewhat well known in my city, but eventually I opted to believe that his dm revealed more about his character than my middle finger selfie with the White House ever would. I blocked him so he would no longer find himself subject to my emotionally weak content and continued on with my day.

While in DC I was able to visit a friend of mine I hadn’t seen since 2012 when we were both living in Madrid. She was celebrating her birthday at a salsa club and it was a blast getting to see her again and experience a bit of the night life in the city. While Washington may be a government town, it’s still a big city like any other with lots of restaurants, pubs, bars, and clubs to keep you entertained on a Saturday night.

The last thing I did in Washington was spend a few hours exploring Georgetown with my now friend Alicia Bruce. I hired her to take the beautiful brand photos you see all over my website and we had a lovely morning trying to hide from the sweltering sun. Georgetown quickly became my favourite area in DC and I could have easily spent a day there canoeing, biking, and wandering in and out of shops. You can see more of the photos Alicia took of me here.

Overall it was wonderful visiting my relatives in DC and I would not hesitate to return. There are many museums I’d like to spend time exploring and the city is beautiful in the summer when everything is so green. If I went back though, I would forgo spending time with the tourists in the National Mall and experience other areas of Washington instead.

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Washington, DC

October 22, 2019Katee Pederson