Students get to the heart of Congress

Students and faculty from the National Capital Region took a field trip recently to the U.S. Capitol, the home of  Congress and the seat of the legislative branch of the federal government. Read what they had to say about their trip.

Alhumaid Abdulhamid                                                               

One of the most exciting field trips hosted by Virginia Tech since I enrolled was the visit to the Capitol Building. There, we saw many interesting things, such as the many statues, the Capitol Rotunda, and the great dome.

The trip began at the school, where we met before we walked to the Metro station. There we took the train that was going to Capitol South Station. The trip took almost half an hour. Then we walked for ten minutes to the Capitol Building. We took a group picture with my classmates and my teachers in front of the building. Then we went to the main entrance, where we went through security check. After that, we got our tickets and waited for the tour to begin. While we were waiting, we looked around the main hall that had many statues. Then the tour began, first we entered a theater where we saw a 15-minute film about the history of the Capitol. Then we met a tour guide named Norah, who showed as around the building.

The first stop was the base of the Capitol Rotunda. There, we saw the many pillars holding it. Also, the guide told us about the center point of the District of Columbia and that there is no mailing address for the building because it was the central of the capital and all the streets lead to it. 

The next stop was the Capitol Dome. I was amazed by the beautiful paintings and how high it is. The guide told us that the Statue of Liberty can fit under it. Below the dome, on the walls of the Rotunda, there were large paintings, and each one of them represents a time in the American history. Also, in the Rotunda and in many places of the building there were statues that represent each state of America. These statues are either presidents or people who the states wanted to honor for their good deeds. 

In conclusion, we enjoyed our time during the tour, and we learned about the history of the Capitol Building. The Rotunda, the dome and the many statues were fascinating. I would like to visit The Capitol Building again with my family someday.

Gufran Alyati

One of my greatest field trips was yesterday. I have never thought that I would visit the United States Capitol until I joined the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute.

The first thing we did when we gathered at Virginia Tech meeting room took the Metro from West Falls Church station to Capitol south station. Second, when we arrived at the Capitol we took some pictures of the building from outside. Then, we got our tour passes and entered the center of the hall where there many statues. There were two unique statues to me. One of them was the enormous white statute where I took a selfie with it. Also, I liked the golden statuette for the first king of Hawaii who united the island chiefdoms into a peaceful kingdom. The statue was amazing with unique golden clothe. Third, we went to the theater for a 15-minute movie. It was about how the presidents started to build the Capitol and then how they rebuild the dome after the British war. Fourth, we saw the breathtaking dome. It was vast and incredible. The dome was built from cast iron and painted by Roman painters. One of the most famous statues in the dome hall was for Dr.Norman Eborlaug. His nickname is “ The Father of The Green Revolution." This doctor brought the corn and oatmeal to the USA, South Africa, and the middle east. Fifth, we went to the Supreme Court galleria room. The design was fantastic and historical with the red sofa in the middle and dark brown wood furniture. There were many candles around in the place. Finally, the journey was ending.

It was one of my best field trips. The United States Capitol building was beautiful and full of history which I liked end enjoyed it a lot.

Anonymous Student

Today I visited the US Capitol Building. It is a very important place. The Senate and the House of Representatives come together to discuss, debate and deliberate national policy and craft the country’s lows. It is a very enormous place. it’s over 1.5 million square feet. It has more than 600 rooms and a lot of corridors. Also, this capitol building has a huge white dome. The construction of this dome took more than 11 years. It is overlooking the city of Washington D.C. and it has become an icon of the Americans people and the government. People started to be building this building in 1793. Then it was burnt and rebuild again. The capitol building is divided into five levels. Each floor is dedicated to something different. The interesting thing is that the capitol building is not only for the use of congress, also, it is a museum for the Americans arts and histories. It is open to the public. Each year the building welcomed a million of people from around the world. If you have not visited this place yet, I highly recommend it for you to know the history about the US laws.

Washington field trip report

The following report was written by student Hamad Al Zaabi.

Last Wednesday the Virginia Tech Language and Cultural Institute organized a field trip for us to witness the cherry blossoms in the National Mall area. The trip was more than perfect due to the outstanding weather.

At the beginning we visited the World War II monument. The structure was wonderful as it showed all the states together between the Pacific and the Atlantic with the water fountains in the middle. The monument honored all the soldiers who were killed in World War II.

Then we walked across the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which reflected both the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, toward the Lincoln Memorial, where the statue of Abraham Lincoln is sitting on its chair watching his beloved city, Washington, D.C.

After that we walked back toward the Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Memorial. I was amazed by how the place was set between Jefferson’s Memorial, who wrote the Declaration of Independence that all men are free, and Abraham Lincoln’s Memorial who led the free states in the Civil War.

Through this field trip I learned that many people sacrificed their lives and freedom in order to build a better future for their children.

In short, Washington, D.C., is a very rich place with all the history the city hides between its corners, yet the cherry blossom is another story you should see for yourself.

Photo essays: U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Botanic Garden

Students in the National Capital Region recently toured the U.S. Capitol and the Botanic Garden. Talah AlSecait and Shahad Nagoor, two students in professor Christine Bobal's RW500 class, took photos during the trip and later added captions.
 

A cacao tree with its suspended fruits. It seems that some are more mature than the others. I thought it was a lemon tree when I saw it first. However, it is a wonderful thing that these fruits are the beans from which chocolate is created.

One of America’s symbols of freedom. It seems to be a perfect dome structure. I wish we were able to see some of the parts that need restoration. I wonder if there is any relation between the words freedom and dome?

All scenes in the Botanic Garden are amazing and make you feel comfortable and relaxed. While I was walking, I stopped suddenly when I smelled a special smell -- a scent that is different from the smell of flowers and plants. When I saw this picture, I recognized the source. It came from the homeland!

The crypt room in the Capitol is full of columns. It was built for burying the remains of George Washington. He isn't buried there because he preferred to be buried at his home, according to his will. The crypt room has 13 statues representing the 13 original states.

Out of Many, One: The United States Capitol Building is a place where laws are made, taxes are gathered, and war is declared (if needed). It’s the place where American citizens can find a common ground. The Capitol was designed by Dr. William Thornton in 1793 and was supposed to be completed by 1800, yet it went through three stages: 1800, 1807, and by 1826 all of its wings were completed.

The Beginning: This hall is the where the tour actually begins at the Capitol. In this room, there are many columns to support the dome and the Statue of Freedom, which has been on the top of the Capitol since 1863, while the citizens of United States were struggling from the Civil War. It was also meant to be a resting area for the president back in the 1800s.

The Rotunda: The Rotunda is a very specious hall at the center of the Capitol where most of the funeral/honoring ceremonies have been held since Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. The funeral for Daniel Inouye, a senator from Ohio, and Rosa Parks honoring ceremony were the last two ceremonies held at this hall. In the Rotunda, there are eight different paintings. One of them is about the time when the Americans requested independence from the British.

National Statuary Hall: This hall has a large number of statues of America’s most extraordinary citizens. All statues were contributed by state governments. This big number of statues makes the visitor wonder about the reason behind the statues' colors – brown or white. We were told those colors are determined by a specific committee at the Capitol and can’t be changed. This hall also has the “Whisper Spot,” where you can hear someone’s voice from the other end of the hall but not the middle or anywhere else.

LCI helps train South Korean engineers

Ten engineers from South Korea participating in a six-month civil engineering program at the Virginia Tech Research Center – Arlington began their studies with six weeks of intensive English training at the Language and Culture Institute in the National Capital Region.

For six weeks, the engineers learned strategies for producing intelligible speech, developed classroom presentations, participated in group work, practiced academic writing in the field (journals and citations), and explored Virginia Tech's extensive online resources through their research.

The skills acquired at the LCI provided the engineers with a strong foundation for the seminars, research, and writing they will perform during their training in procurement and projects.

Read more about the engineers and the VT-KPEA Global Engineering Program here.

More photos from Washington

AlJowhara took this photo of the Washington Monument during a boat trip to get a different perspective of the cherry trees.

After the LCI National Capital Region field trip to Washington, D.C., student AlJowhara created a photo essay showing off  the city's famous cherry trees and some of the capital's many monuments.

Click here to see more of AlJowhara's photos from Washington.

The 555-foot-tall Washington Monument, the most prominent structure in the city, is closed for repairs due to an earthquake in 2011.

I picked this shot for Martin Luther King after the park ranger explained it to us, AlJowhara says. His statue is the leap of hope from the two mountains. His status is incomplete because there are still some works to done for the civil rights.

 

I doubt that the grass is doing any kind of camouflage, AlJowhara says of the Korean War Veterans Memorial. I can clearly see the soldiers and so can the plane above.

LCI students witness democracy in action at U.S. Capitol

A docent talks with LCI students in the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

On Wednesday, Feb. 6, the Language and Culture Institute in Falls Church took its 100 students on a field trip to the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Botanic Garden.

After getting off the Metro, our first stop was the Botanic Garden, the oldest continually operating botanic garden in the country. It is home to almost 10,000 living specimens, some of which are more than 165 years old. From roses to orchids, the rain forest to the rare and endangered plants, we found a world of plants and environments in their diversity of form, color, and fragrance that reminded us that plants make our lives possible and enjoyable.

After an hour touring this magnificent place and taking thousands of pictures, we headed toward the Capitol Building.

The Capitol, one of the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world, stands as a monument not only to its builders but also to the American people and their government. After going through the screening process, we went down to Emancipation Hall (PDF), where we got our passes.

The statues and busts in the Rotunda are primarily of presidents.

 The introductory film, "Out of Many, One," was an inspiring kickoff to the tour. It gave us a historical overview of the Capitol and a history of the Congress.

Next, we were split into groups, given headsets, and taken to various areas inside the Capitol by the docents. Of all the areas, the students thought the Rotunda, with its giant paintings and statues of some of the most important characters in U.S. history, was the most impressive.

The final exciting moment was when we got the passes to see the House of Representatives in session. As we watched Republican U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert deliver a speech, we felt like we were witnessing history in the making.

Instructors pose with their passes to see the U.S. House of Representatives chamber.

On this day, we indeed did something extraordinary. We got a glimpse inside the building that symbolizes the greatest representative democracy in the world. We were all very pleased to have this unique and exciting opportunity.