Dear Mr. President...

Our Washington Summary:

Well, where to start...

Initially, we were all filled with pure joy at having arrived in the land of unlimited possibilities.

Border control and transportation to our hostel went smoothly.

But then, definitely a culture shock for four girls who only know the sheltered life in a rural region of Germany.

We entered a room which is supposed to be the so-called lounge with reception (a desk with a notebook).

Whether we were more shocked by the run-down furnishings or the five older strangers, who at first glance looked very creepy, I cannot say.

At least it was definitely not what we expected and it definitely didn't look like the pictures on the internet.

The tiny 6-bed room (so we're not alone) and the shared bathroom left us wondering how we would survive the next few days here.

A bit intimidated, we each fell asleep in a 90cm bed with another person.

The Hostel & Fellow Guests:

The hostel didn't get any better, but all the other guests and the staff (it was hard to tell the difference between the two groups)

were very friendly and helpful. Our long-term roommate David was very sociable and considerate, and he wasn't the only one who invited us to drink alcohol despite our being underage in America (U21).

Another plus was the free breakfast, which was available from 8-10 am for everyone. However, the options were very limited, so we settled for peanut butter, jam, frozen toast, and something similar to orange juice.

Overall, we spent as little time as possible in the hostel.

On the last day, we left somewhat annoyed by our roommate, who had had a lot to drink the previous night, and flattered by another hostel guest who gave us chocolate and a personalized city map without us knowing who he was.

The City of Washington:

The city doesn't have a subway, but it does have various bus lines, although they don't go everywhere. To see as much of the city as possible (and save as much money as possible), we mostly traveled on foot.

Even if it means covering 13-16 kilometers a day. Good for fitness, bad for already sore feet!

On our walks, we noticed that the city is very clean! We encountered many people who keep the city clean and even exude pure joy!

In general, many people are very friendly, open, and always helpful. You can already tell that there is a slightly different mentality here than in Germany.

During the first few days, we were very diligent and visited almost all the monuments and landmarks (the White House, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol, WW1/WW2-Memorial, etc.).

In the following days, we focused more on museums (National Gallery of Art, National Museum of African American History and Culture, etc.) and visiting different neighborhoods like Chinatown and Georgetown. In Georgetown, we met a friend from Diez, ate one of the famous cupcakes, and went to the open-air cinema at Waterfront Park in the evening.

The Food:

Fat, fattier, food in America!

At least the fast food here.

Unfortunately, our hostel kitchen was not the cleanest... to be more precise, it was absolutely filthy, dirty, and greasy!

So, we had no choice but to try out one fast food chain after another.

Our taste buds were happy because it was damn tasty, but it was all at the expense of our hips and conscience. Especially our wallets suffered!

So, every day, we grew more excited about spending less on food, cooking our own meals, and most importantly, eating healthy.

Because the breakfast at the hostel had very little to do with that.

Since we're already in America and there's no real possibility to cook, we decided to try out typical American fast food! It's part of the experience after all!

So, we devoured various burgers from Shake Shack or Five Guys, a Chinese dish we put together ourselves from Panda Express, or burritos from the Mexican chain Chipotle. We also couldn't miss trying some typical American candy like cookies or Reese's.

All in all, damn delicious, but only for a few days. None of us could enjoy the food for a longer period of time.