Today we did something not quite touristy. You won't find it in any of the guide books on Washington D.C. We went to a public American middle school. Middle school is grade 7 and 8, and public means that they don't pay any school fees. You would think that means it's not the kind of school you'd want to send your child to, but let me tell you about it.
The children get picked up by a school bus everyday, practically on their doorsteps. When they arrive at school there is breakfast available in the cafeteria. They go on school trips and participate in extra curricular activities free of charge. They have the services of a school nurse and a psychologist at their disposal. At this school they're meant to wear school uniforms, but all that was consistent was the colour of the clothes they were wearing. Some wore bright blue chucktailers with the uniform, most of the girls wore make up and trendy jewellery.
These are not children from poor homes who can't afford to pay school fees, on the contrary they are from upper middle class homes where they grow up thinking that they are entitled to whatever their hearts desire. All the while we were in the school, I couldn't help thinking about the public schools in South Africa. In some of them there aren't even desks or enough books. This is the way of the world. Below is a typical house in the neighbourhood where the majority of the pupils who attend this school live.
After the sober morning, we decided to indulge in some serious retail therapy. We shopped for 8 hours solid. When we eventually left the mall, our arms were sore from the weight of our shopping bags! We were just happy to get home and drink tea. No partying tonight for us.
Tomorrow is our last day in Washington before we leave for Boston. We're planning on going to some museums and galleries. Will let you know all about that...
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