2023 Interns Storm the Capital

It happens every year. A group of Austrians wander 20 km through Washington DC in one day and, after seeing the White House, the U.S. Capital, the Lincoln Monument, the iconic Washington Monument, they land on the pad of the Reflection Pool. Unlike Forrest Gump, they DO NOT rush in to the water to save Jenny, they do not grab an Abby Hofman bull horn to protest a war, BUT they do peaceful yoga to show what grace, youth and hope can do for the world. Here they are this year with a one-legged prayer pose.

What a great photo of our interns (except Matthias and Eva, the camera team) in front of Maryland’s WWII marker. From left to right, Anna, Felina, Klara, Anja, Sophia, Toby and Eva K. Maryland lost 4,375 soldiers in WWII. My father (Rhode Island) and mother (South Dakota) were enlisted in the WWII War effort but neither gave their lives. They met in Washington, D.C. as part of their employment with the U.S. State Department. They did not marry until 1950, though my father asked my mother to marry him on their first date in 1942. She demurred, and the war intervened. But fate won out and their union resulted in three children :) :) :) and lasted 47 years. The first of these strapping youths was born in Washington, D.C., the other two are Maryland natives. Think I’m a bit competitive? :) Maggie O’Brien