On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump became President of the United States. Thirty-seven Mason City students witnessed the events. Four days and three nights in Washington, D.C. for the MCHS students brought them not just the Inauguration, but a comprehensive D.C. experience with museums, memorials, and more.
A 2:00 A.M. departure from Mason City left many half-awake/half-asleep before the trip even started. After a brief bus ride to Des Moines International Airport, about ¼ of the students experienced airport security for the first time. A quick succession of flights through Lambert – St. Louis Airport arrived in Baltimore in the morning.
Ron, our bus driver, was with us from the day we landed in Baltimore to the day we left, and we couldn’t thank him enough. An hour’s drive from the airport brought us to our hotel. Most student trips would cut short on accommodation, but not here. We stayed at the Westin Dulles, which, although, not the top-of-the-line, was considerably better than expected by all of us. Many, including me, were appalled at the sheer size of the bathroom!
The main event was on January 20th, the day after we arrived. We were all in the silver section, which wasn’t the closest, but we weren’t the furthest back! Chilly feet and covered hands surrounded us all, especially earlier in the morning. After what felt like hours of standing still, in the cold, huddled together. One by one, members of the House filled the designated seating area, followed by the Senate. Incumbents then took their seats, albeit to much heckling from the crowd. Our group was appalled that such a large group of adults would lack that respect. Finally, former Presidents Carter, Clinton, Bush, and Obama took their seats, and finally, the President-Elect walked out.
By this time, the sun had come up thoroughly and we could all feel our toes again. After numerous invocations, Trump was sworn in by Justice Thomas at high noon. Trump’s inaugural address followed, being only 15 minutes long (most inaugural addresses are 20+). After the speech, our group quickly hopped on out and back onto Ron’s bus.
The Korean War Memorial? Check. World War II? Check. Vietnam? Check. Even the Civil War memorial got a visit from us. Aside from war memorials were the personal memorials, like those of Jefferson, Lincoln, Kennedy (in Arlington), but not the Washington monument. However, no matter where we went, we could always see the Washington Monument. It felt like it was watching over us; keeping us safe at all times.
There was a brief visit to the Ford’s Theater Museum – but not Ford’s Theater proper, as it was closed the Sunday we went. On our last full day there, we split up and went to Smithsonians. (side note: Smithsonian food is expensive). I had the privilege of going to the Air & Space, but due to time constraints, we only got 50 minutes at the museums.
That night (Sunday, Jan. 22), we headed back to Mason City, and frankly, it was the best trip I’ve ever had in the United States
–Waroon Jalukar, MCHS Junior