Jiawei Lu
Running in DC
Jiawei Lu
Summer 2015
For those of you who are enthusiastic about running, studying abroad in DC is your best choice! As an international student, my understanding of DC is only that it is the capital of the U.S., people here are quite professional, and the cherry blossoms in April are fantastic. In Boston, I normally run along the Charles River after class, because the process of running not only makes me healthier, but also offers me a special period of time for me to refresh myself, especially when I am under pressure. Before I went to DC, I had already made a decision that I needed to buy a gym membership because I was not familiar with the running area in DC. However, everything changed when I actually arrive in DC.
The Washington Monument
The first day when I came to the Debonair, our residence hall in DC, my taxi driver told me the community was really great and suggested I run on the track near the Debonair. At that time, I did not think my life in DC would be so closely related to this track near the Debonair. At that moment, I just felt so excited because maybe I could find a perfect running place here in DC.
The track near the Debonair is actually called the Rock Creek Parkway, which is part of the Rock Creek Park in DC. This parkway can lead you all the way down to the Lincoln Memorial. I still remember the first time I ran on the parkway; I did not know where this parkway would lead me. I ran 20 minutes and followed the same way back because I was not familiar with DC area. The views along this parkway are so natural, which is so different from the professional aspect of DC. You can enjoy the cleanest part of the Potomac River. Moreover, there is an exit towards Pennsylvania Ave, which can lead you to Georgetown, a fabulous area you cannot miss if you are in DC. I ran alone for the first week, after I told my friends here about this great exercising track we ran together. It is true, if you have a friend with you when you are running you will have the courage to challenge yourself with extra miles, and you can even become braver when you talk to your friends.
Rock Creek Parkway
My friend, Nichole and I always run together. We shared our life stories, we comforted each other when one of us was in a bad mood, and we also shared our dreams about our future. I still remember I was sort of nervous and in a really bad mood for the first day of my internship. I was lost in my first training session. On that day, I was trained on a lot of terminology about computer science, which I have never taken classes on. Even more, this was my first internship, so I felt even more nervous. To some extent I regretted not taking some computer classes before. After work I ran with Nichole, and I told her how nervous I had been. Nichole comforted me, told me a lot of her stories, and shared some articles she had read. We ran much faster on that day in order to release the stress. I really felt better after that. The Rock Creek Parkway witnessed not only the friendship between Nichole and I, but also how I learned to become better and braver.
Rock Creek Parkway
In addition to running after work, getting up early and running in the morning is also a good choice for those of you prefer a quiet and peaceful surrounding environment. As I mentioned before, this parkway can lead you all the way down to the Lincoln Memorial. The morning view of the Lincoln memorial is even more peaceful.
The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument on a run.
The wonderful thing about running outside is that you cannot predict what kind of view you will see or whom you will meet in front of you. Running outside is surprisingly similar to our lives! You will not know what kind of person you will be in the future, at the same time, you will not know who you will meet and eventually become your friends. Study abroad in DC, become better and braver, and compose your own stories on this fabulous parkway!
Jiawei Lu is a rising senior studying business and interning at the Brookings Institution.
