Posted on

Georgetown Day: A Retrospective

TD_DrakeNWTS_4-639x420Hello, and welcome to the other side of Georgetown Day. I am happy to report that I made it through my first Georgetown Day alive and with my dignity (mostly) intact.

SUCCESS

In fact, my biggest Georgetown Day fail was ordering a Chicken Madness without cheese or mayo, which is probably considered a sin in almost every world religion. In addition to a lifetime of memories, I also gained two unidentified pairs of sunglasses, got a sunburn, took a nap on Copley Lawn and harassed someone into giving me a bite of their Burger Madness.

Although my Georgetown Day was fairly standard and uneventful, there are many things that could have happened that would have made the day a legendary mess. Here are a few things that could have turned Georgetown Day from fun to frightening:

  1. I did not fall off of a Vil A rooftop, end up hopelessly lost and wandering in the ICC, or jump into anyone’s Uber.

  1. I did not end up lost and confused in Bethesda or New Carrollton. My obsession with the Metro could very easily have resulted in disastrous consequences.
Where am I?
  1. I did not end up on the bottom of the Tidal Basin. Side note: I am somewhat surprised that this has never happened to someone on Georgetown Day.

I’m glad you made it out of Georgetown Day in one piece. If you’re conscious and reading this, your life isn’t totally ruined beyond repair, so congratulations! Go forth and prosper with your new memories and stories from everyone’s favorite day of the year.

Gifs/Photos: reactiongifs.com, giphy.com, acclaimmag.com

Posted on

The Tinder of Cherry Blossoms?

tinder

It’s that time of year again. Spring is in the air, the birds are singing and millions of 8th graders and tourists descend upon DC like college students to free food and random puppies.

Me when I see a puppy on campus

Unfortunately, all these tourists go to one of two places: the line at Georgetown Cupcakes, or around the Tidal Basin, looking to take pictures of the beautiful cherry blossoms during peak bloom.

Although the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin are world famous, and rightfully so, the hassle of being trampled by wanna-be-photographers and people of all ages wielding selfie sticks makes it hard to enjoy the beauty.

Luckily, a new web app, called Cherrypicker, has come up with the solution to your flower-related woes. Cherrypicker will take your location and direct you to the nearest cherry tree, allowing you to have a personal photo op in your own neighborhood, without the risk of being aggressively shoved into the Potomac.
 For some strange reason, dcist has labeled the app as “the Tinder of cherry trees.” The only thing the web app has in common with Tinder is that you swipe right to find directions to the nearest tree, but the comparison has left 4E with some important questions: how would a Tinder with cherry trees actually work?

1. There would probably be lots of profile pictures of the cherry trees reflected in the Tidal Basin. It’s the next best thing to mirror selfies.

2. Some birch trees will masquerade as cherry trees in an attempt to lure you to their location.

3. The ugliest tree in the picture of five trees will be the tree whose profile you’re looking at.

4. You’ll probably be forced to send several messages in a row and become irrationally angry since cherry trees don’t have thumbs to type responses.

5. You finally match with a cherry tree that you eventually realize was the same one you matched with during last year’s peak bloom. Awkward.

While having a cherry tree Tinder is probably not a great idea, you should try to see as many cherry trees as you can during DC’s most beautiful few weeks. Whether you brave the crowds at the Tidal Basin, or check out some of the more underrated spots for cherry trees, like Dumbarton Oaks, take the time to enjoy one of DC’s most unique and beautiful features- just please leave the selfie stick at home.

Photos/Gifs: giphy.com, tumblr, famousdc.com, https://washington.org/, wikimedia.org

Posted on

Walking for a Cause: BCAN 2013

bcan

On May 4, 2013, the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) – the first national organization dedicated to advocating bladder cancer research, support and education – will be holding a series of nationwide walks to raise awareness for the disease, its fighters, survivors and their families. One of these walks will take place in Washington, D.C., and has a special significance to Georgetown student Sarah Sharp (NHS, ’15). Sharp is this year’s official organizer of the 2013 BCAN National Capital Area Walk in DC, and she has personally had her life affected by bladder cancer. To learn more about the event, BCAN and how Georgetown students can get involved, we sat down with Sarah for a special interview:

What is BCAN and what is the BCAN Walk?
BCAN stands for the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network and, for the past few years, they have held an annual walk across the country to raise money and awareness for the cause. The National Capital Area Walk in DC is this Saturday, May 4 at 10am at the FDR Memorial.  It is a 1.5 to 2 mile walk that continues around the Tidal Basin. Hopefully it will be a beautiful day to walk!

How did you become involved with BCAN?
During my senior year of high school, my dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer, which came as a shock to my family. It has been a hard battle, but he is doing very well as of now. Unfortunately, bladder cancer has a very high recurrence rate, so it is something that requires lifelong maintenance. My family became involved in the organization about a year ago, participating in the walk in our local area. BCAN noticed my involvement last year and asked me to be this year’s walk organizer for DC. I am really excited about being a part of such a great organization.

How can Georgetown students help the initiative? 
As of now, anyone can still register for the walk here or on the day of the event at the Walk. We have a Georgetown Team Fundraising page that students have joined to help raise money for the cause!

What do you expect the event to be like?
I am really excited about the walk this year and am hoping for a good turnout! We have about 200 walkers at this point and it will be a great way to see survivors, family members and those still fighting the battle. Since bladder cancer does not always get the attention it deserves, it will be a really effective way to raise awareness.

Why are BCAN and events like the BCAN Walk so important – for you personally – and also for the survivors and the community in general?
BCAN and events like the BCAN Walk are so important to me personally because it is absolutely terrifying for a child, no matter how old, to hear that her dad, and hero, has cancer. This is an unfortunate reality that so many people have to face everyday, and if I can make even a small difference in raising money and awareness for this cause, less people will have to hear those words. As I mentioned, bladder cancer does not receive much attention, which makes this event even more important. Getting the word out and walking for the cause can really help to make strides in treatment and support all those families affected.