Campus Culture Shock

I’ve made two weekend mini-pilgrimages back to campus since I arrived in Washington DC, the first for a cappella auditions and the second to haggle with advisors, the registrar, and the financial aid office. Without being Captain Obvious, I’d like to make it very clear that Williamsburg and Washington DC, two capitals in their own regard, should not be paralleled more than necessary.

The most obvious distinction is the urban lifestyle. Life is faster in the city. Walk, train, walk, work, eat, walk, train, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat! It’s an entirely different atmosphere, heightened emotions can easily compare to Swem during finals week. The pace is professional, everyone is constantly efficient. While it might be threatening and intimidating at times, it is always interesting to be in the hustle and bustle of it all.

Public transportation is very much a “thing.” Living on campus, I generally avoided using the Williamsburg bus system, as it is unreliable, slow, and not cost efficient. I’d only take the trolley to New Town in a desperate search for Sweet Frog frozen yogurt. In DC, public transportation is an absolute must-use. The cost of gas alone is a sufficient deterrent from traveling independently. The Metro is cheap and comes frequently during peak hours (traveling at night can sometimes take a little longer, and in some parts of town is not particularly safe), and there is a public bus stop literally on every street corner.

Dress for the weather. I think this might be specific to college-aged people, but we often tend to under dress for the weather, especially in Williamsburg, monsoon season aside. No self-respecting adult walks around in only a North Face jacket or goes out with friends on the weekends wearing only a micro-skirt and tank top when it’s practically snowing. There is a time and a place for everything, age appropriate attire!

Speaking as a true food junkie, Williamsburg is not known for having great dining. In the city, the options are endless. You can eat empanadas and Korean BBQ and Chipotle all on the same block. Wawa is not the only dining option open past 8pm. I took advantage of DC Restaurant Week and treated myself twice to three-course meals that would normally cost me a month’s savings.

There is no such thing as weekend boredom. In the ‘Burg, once you’ve explored Colonial Williamsburg, there is nothing to do “off campus” on the weekends. DC is the Disney World of free things to do on the weekend. I’ve been to all of the Smithsonian museums in addition to countless art galleries.  I’ve toured the Capitol and will be touring the White House in March. I have every intention of walking around the Mall and seeing the Cherry Blossoms once spring is in season. Every weekend there is some sort of cultural activity, fair, festival, or parade worth enjoying, and it’s only a short metro ride away!

And then there are the frequent moments that just take your breath away. Surprises as simple as getting a phone call at work from a high-profile opera star, to attempting to cross the street in the middle of the Presidential motorcade, to turning the corner and bam! There’s the Capitol, or the White House, or one of the most important buildings in the free world. I even saw John Boehner walking into a bar when I was on the Hill and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Washington National Opera – how’s that for a casual encounter! Sure, the Sunken Garden is beautiful at the height of fall foliage, and it’s always hysterical running into a man wearing a tri-cornered hat and full colonial garb at Food Lion, but it’s hard to predict what is going to happen next in this concrete jungle.