DAY 2 EXPLORE WASHINGTON, D.C.

July 2, 2015: 

The highlights of my second day in Washington D.C. are:

• Enjoying the Washington Monument
• Visiting Arlington National Cemetery and paying tribute to the fallen soldiers, visiting John F. Kennedy's gravesite and seeing the Eternal Flame, and witnessing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
• Going to the Lincoln Memorial and standing where MLK Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech
• Sharing thoughts about the day’s events at the leadership meeting.

I found the following facts in my People to People program guide. I thought you would like to see what I'm learning about the places I'll be visiting on my second day.

-Andrew

THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT is the tallest building in Washington, D.C.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Ø  Born in 1732 and died in 1799

Ø  First President of the United States (1789–1797)

Ø  Revolutionary War hero 

GEORGE WASHINGTON MONUMENT

Ø  In 1833, the Washington National Monument Society began to raise funds for the Monument

Ø  On July 4, 1848, the first cornerstone was laid using the same trowel George Washington used to lay the cornerstone for the Capitol in 1793

Ø  Height is 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches, stands 50 stories tall,  and weighs 90.854 tons

Ø  Took 25 years to complete due to delays and resulted in a discoloration in the stone used

Ø  Completed on December 6, 1884

Ø  Surrounded by Flags representing the 50 states and six U.S. territories

Ø  Interior walls are finished with 193 commemorative stones

Sources:

wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument

nps.gov/wamo/index.htm

nps.gov/wamo/faqs.htm

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY honors those who fought for our country.

Arlington National Cemetery

Ø  Pays tribute to the fallen soldiers.  

Ø  Site of John F. Kennedy's grave

Ø  Site of The Tomb of the Unknowns

Ø  Memorializes than 240,000 American military men and women and their dependents

Ø  Is on same land that once belonged to members of George Washington and Robert E. Lee’s families

Ø  Began as a burial ground for Union dead

Sources:

arlingtoncemetery.org

THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL is the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Ø   Born in 1809 and died in 1865

Ø  16th President of the United States, 1861–1865

Ø  His legacy of social justice, freedom for all, and national unity live on

The LINCOLN MEMORIAL

Ø  Looks out on the Reflecting Pool with a view up the Mall toward the Washington Monument

Ø  Construction began on February 12, 1915

Ø  Height is 99 feet above the ground, 80 feet above foundation

Ø  Weight of the statue is 120 tons

Ø  Lincoln’s statue was doubled from its original size so it would not be dwarfed by the building itself

Ø  Is carved from 28 blocks of marble because no single block was large enough

Ø  The Gettysburg Address is inscribed on the wall of the southern section

Ø  Was dedicated on May 30, 1922

Ø  Citizens come here to draw attention to causes and issues that divide as well as unite us

Sources:

nps.gov/linc/index.htm

My First Day in Washington D.C. as a People to People U.S. Ambassador

The purpose of this post is to give an overview of my first day in Washington D.C. I'll be arriving in between noon and five p.m. on July 1st.  My thanks to my Aunt Patty and Uncle Jake for arranging my airline tickets this week. 

I'm very interested in being able to meet other People to People ambassadors from the U.S. and from around the world! I always like to see and experience new cultures whether it's meeting people from somewhere else or actually visiting a new place.

When I first arrive, I will go through registration and then get to meet some of the other ambassadors in welcoming activities. We also get to meet the teachers and staff that will be guiding us through the week's activities.

Once we get situated, we will go to a well anticipated banquet where we'll meet a guest speaker. After that,  my fellow group members and I will learn more about what the week has in store for us.

For the record...

Before I show up, of course, there are some some assignments I should complete.

Assignment 1: I'd Like to Know
This is basically just a chart where I fill out what I know already, want to know, and then after the trip what I learned. We do these all the time at school before beginning a new unit.

Assignment 2: Think it Through
My second pre-travel assignment is to think about what qualities a good leader possesses. It also asks me who I look up to as a leader and what character traits I would like to improve on as a leader.

Assignment 3: Civics Worksheet
This one is, in my opinion, the easiest worksheet even though I only know the answer to the first question. It's a fill in the blank about who's who in the federal, state, and local levels of government. The easy thing is I can just look up all the answers.


I'll probably have to start these worksheets now, because I'm a big procrastinator. My grandma shut down my original plan to do them the day before. Besides, I need to study up for the trip, probably 'cause the only thing I know I know about the Capitol right now is that Obama's the president and lives in the White House.

To clarify:

Some potential donors are asking about how to contribute. If you're having trouble with the directions below, contact me via Gmail.

My Gmail address:Andrew B. Buehler

                               abbuehler1@gmail.com

TWO CONVENIENT AND EASY PAYMENT OPTIONS

INCLUDE both of these:

My delegate ID: 10228087

Last name: Buehler

1. Make a payment online at:

    Click here to get to the People to People donation page

OR

2. Pay by Check: include the delegate name and ID number on check and remit to:

PEOPLE TO PEOPLE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS

PO BOX 34902
SEATTLE WA 98124 98124-1902 USA


Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest in my journey.  I appreciate everybody's support. I have been doing some small jobs too like shoveling snow and raking leaves. I'm putting together a garage sale during my Spring break, and writing an update every Sunday on my blog.  

Please follow my twitter account too: ABBuehler1

Sincerely,
Andrew

Overview of World Leadership Forum: Independence Day/ Donation Options

Hello. First I want to express how excited I am that 54 people viewed my first post. In this blog, I'll tell you about the overview of my upcoming trip. The program I'm scheduled to participate in is called People to People World Leadership Forum: Independence Day.  Experiences for participants are planned in both Washington D.C. and Philadelphia  from July 1st through the 7th. On my trip, my group will get to explore history firsthand.  We'll also meet people from around the world and visit monuments that celebrate events that helped shape our country such as the Washington monument and Arlington National Cemetery. The fourth of July fireworks display will have unforgettable views of Washington D.C. In fact, on the morning of the fourth, we take a breakfast cruise to Mount Vernon! There are lots more cool things we'll be doing. At first I was skeptical about why the program was so much money.  However, the link below details the many opportunities that are planned in the span of seven days:

Overview of World Leadership Forum: Independence Day

Before I continue, I want to say that any contribution on my behalf is greatly appreciated. I have had several people asking questions about donation options. The information and the link below will take you to a People to People website where you can make a donation to my account. When you click on the website link, enter in the delegate ID #10228087 and my last name and it will take you to a payment page where you can manage the rest. The total cost of the program is $2,753, but members of my family have already pledged airfare and about $1,000 towards my tuition.

I signed up for three projects to help raise the rest of the money ($1725) for my trip.

1. Hold garage sales.

2. Do yardwork and small jobs.  Get volunteers to help as needed.   (Contact me on my Gmail to get on my calendar:   abbuehler1@gmail.com)

3. Write a blog about the upcoming experience (ABOUT two entries a week) to keep my sponsors informed about the program and what I'm learning.

TWO CONVENIENT AND EASY PAYMENT OPTIONS

My delegate ID: 10228087

Last name: Buehler

1. Make a payment online at: Link to donation page
2. Pay by Check: include the delegate name and ID number on check and remit to:
   PEOPLE TO PEOPLE OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS
   PO BOX 34902
   SEATTLE WA 98124 98124-1902 USA

In addition to the People to People website, I've also been looking at other websites related to Washington D.C. Those links would include things that any one would enjoy doing in the capitol and the surrounding area.

Please follow me on twitter: ABBuehler1

Leadership Ambassador Nominee

Hello everyone, my name is Andrew and I'm in the seventh grade.   I'm not really sure how to introduce myself but this account is more about my trip than me myself. I made this blog so I could tell you guys about my trip. I started my plans for taking this trip by being nominated by my science teacher for a program titled the "Leadership Ambassador Forum".  I didn't think much of it at first, but I decided to look into it a little more and enlist the help of my Grandma Cindy. She and her friend Geri have been a big help in getting me started on my fundraising. Anyway, I had gotten the letter and it caught my attention.   I thought it looked really fancy and  truthfully, I fancy fancy things. It told me about how I could go on a trip of a lifetime and visit the nation's capitol in which I previously thought was in the state of Washington (you'll learn I'm bad with geography eventually). It said that I would gain life skills and be able to meet people from around the world. It had seemed pretty cool so I thought it might be a nice experience for me.

People to People Independence Day Trip to D.C. and Philadelphia

At my school, I see a lot of people who "live in the now", I have nothing wrong with that, but they take it to the extreme.  I always try to consider my future and do anything that might help me get into a good college when I'm older. The letter also mentioned that over 80% of people who participate in a People to People Program get into their college of choice. I have always tried to do things that might help me on a college resume but nothing to this extent has been available to me until now. I made this blog so that I could tell about my upcoming trip and get people like you to help sponsor me so that's what I'll be doing on this blog.

 Please follow me on Twitter too at ABBuehler1 (my twitter account)