Tag: Washington DC
Wonders of life as a Foreign Service Family – Random Thoughts on Home Leave
Well, we’re back in Washington, DC – the last part of our ‘transitional’ Home Leave, surviving thru the perks of living out of our suitcases since May 19… but you know, not bad at all! 😮 No complaints on hauling our three children around, departing La Paz, Bolivia, heading to California for some family catch up… taking the kiddos to Disneyland and Legoland, surviving the long lines, the screaming, the cries for attention and for over-priced popcorn… picking up a few family members along the way, driving all of us to witness in loco the magnificent views offered by the Grand Canyon… and flying back to the East Coast… much has happened, and definitely, no time to spare… not even for blogging!
Need to do a better job trying to catch up with our lives… Haven’t had much free time, I must admit – the little ones keep me on my toes, and as any parent around here must know, Summer Break has all of us [parents] pulling our hair trying to find educational, recreational, interesting and fun activities for our lovies, during this time… it’s work, people… and we’ve been doing this for some 5 weeks already.. again… living out of suitcases, staying with family, long car rides… a few car sicknesses along the way… always fun! 😮
Now, it’s home stretch – a few days in the DC area, and we head out to our newest work and life adventure – Brasília, the capital of Brazil [yeap, the beautiful country that just put out the most unbelievable performance during the recent World Soccer Cup – don’t even get me started on that… as a Brazilian-born soccer-passionate soccer-mom-wife, I’m still recovering from the ‘bad dream’ many of us witnessed these past weeks…] Our family will be in Brasília for the next 3 years. Husband’s duty, as many wives/spouses here would relate and sympathize... 😮
Presently writing from a government-per-diem-acceptpleasant hotel room, packed with my noisy and restless adorable and very understanding little children, enjoying some quite time while I gather my blogging thoughts together [who am I kidding?? And why do we need to have both TVs on, and so loud??] But, all in all, I guess we’re ready for what’s in store for us… let’s wait and see! 😮
Learning about Culture and Presidents at the National Museum of American History, Washington DC.
George Washington Statue at National Museum of American History – Washington, D.C.
This is the last post of a series – images and stories from our experiences during the US Home Leave. Before we arrived to our newest work and life adventure, we got to spend some time with family back in the US, sharing our stories and experiences of the past two years living and working in Brazil; do a bit of traveling, spend some great quality time with our kids at parks in Delaware and Virginia… and visit the National Mall in Washington, DC. A lot done during our ‘home leave’, now, being shared with our friends, family and curious readers! :All of that will be presented here… one at a time, though! 😮
Sixth stop: The Presidents Hall, at the National Museum of American History, Washington DC: Link to the exhibit is here.
Related articles
- Snapshots from Home Leave: A visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Snapshots from Home Leave: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem [National Museum of American History, Washington DC]. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Images from an exciting visit to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo, in Washington, DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Snapshots from Home Leave: An afternoon at the Clemyjontri Park in McLean, Virginia. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Google Maps the Smithsonian (androidtravels.com)
Snapshots of The Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Washington DC.
Well, we’re in La Paz, Bolivia, now. But before we arrived to our newest work and life adventure, we got to spend some time with family back in the US, sharing our stories and experiences of the past two years living and working in Brazil; do a bit of traveling, spend some great quality time with our kids at parks in Delaware and Virginia… and visit the National Mall in Washington, DC. A lot done during our ‘home leave’, now, being shared with our friends, family and curious readers! :All of that will be presented here… one at a time, though! 😮
Fifth stop: Halls at the Museum of Natural History, Washington DC: Link to the exhibit is here.
As a Biologist, mom/teacher and former volunteer at the Natural History Museum (2004), I can say the visit, the explanations, and the teaching/learning combinations are well worthy a day trip with your own children, class students, friends, or simply, a ‘curious soul’… Related articles
- Snapshots from Home Leave: A visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Images from an exciting visit to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo, in Washington, DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Snapshots from Home Leave: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem [National Museum of American History, Washington DC]. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Snapshots from Home Leave: An afternoon at the Clemyjontri Park in McLean, Virginia. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Google Maps the Smithsonian (androidtravels.com)
Images from an exciting visit to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo, in Washington, DC.
Before assuming post at our newest work/life assignment in La Paz, Bolivia, like many other foreign service families, we spent our four weeks of home leave in the US. We visited with family in Virginia and Delaware. We reconnected with friends from the past and from the present. We had fun at parks, public libraries, museums and galleries. We learned and shared experiences about history, culture, nature and life, with our kids. A very intense period – and totally worthy! A lot done during our ‘home leave’, now, being shared with our friends, family and curious readers! All of that will be presented here… one at a time! 😮
Fourth stop: The O. Orkin Insect Zoo, part of the Museum of Natural History [Smithsonian], in Washington, DC: Link to the exhibit is here.
At a Glance
- Tarantula feedings Tuesdays-Sundays!
- Educators’ Guide available
- Bring your students to the Insect Zoo
The O. Orkin Insect Zoo is a special exhibit hall on the 2nd Floor of the Museum where visitors can observe live insects and their many-legged relatives. Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.
As a Biologist, mom/teacher and former volunteer at the Natural History Museum, I can say the visit, the explanations, and the teaching/learning combinations are well worthy a day trip with your own children, class students, friends, or simply, a ‘curious soul’…
Related articles
- Snapshots from Home Leave: A visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Snapshots from Home Leave: An afternoon at the Clemyjontri Park in McLean, Virginia. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- New insect species identified through Flickr (theverge.com)
- Washington DC Holidays (ebookers.com)
- D.C.’s Smithsonian museums get new phone app (washingtontimes.com)
- Google Maps the Smithsonian (androidtravels.com)
- New Insect Species Discovered on Flickr (treehugger.com)
Snapshots from Home Leave: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem [National Museum of American History, Washington DC].
Well, we’re in La Paz, Bolivia, now. But before we arrived to our newest work and life adventure, we got to spend some time with family back in the US, sharing our stories and experiences of the past two years living and working in Brazil; do a bit of traveling, spend some great quality time with our kids at parks in Delaware and Virginia… and visit the National Mall in Washington, DC. A lot done during our ‘home leave’, now, being shared with our friends, family and curious readers! :All of that will be presented here… one at a time, though! 😮
Third stop: The Star-Spangled Banner Exhibit, Washington DC: Link to the exhibit is here.
Next time, our fourth stop, where we’ll share images and comments of our visits to several halls at the Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian). Children’s curiosity is endless! 😮 We had the pleasure of being joined by a dear friend, whose patience and care for my children are priceless… Thank you very much, Cherise! ♥
Related articles
- Snapshots from Home Leave: A visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- On The Star Spangled Banner (flamingdarts.wordpress.com)
- Washington DC Holidays (ebookers.com)
Snapshots from Home Leave: A visit to the Butterfly Garden at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC.
Well, we’re in La Paz, Bolivia, now. But before we arrived to our newest work and life adventure, we got to spend some time with family back in the US, sharing our stories and experiences of the past two years living and working in Brazil; do a bit of traveling, spend some great quality time with our kids at parks in Delaware and Virginia… and visit the National Mall in Washington, DC. A lot done during our ‘home leave’, now, being shared with our friends, family and curious readers! :All of that will be presented here… one at a time, though! 😮 
First stop: The Butterfly Garden, Washington DC: Link to the exhibit is here.
We had the pleasure to visit the $3million butterfly exhibit at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. The exhibit “Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution” features a 1,200 square foot tropical butterfly garden with approximately 400 butterflies. In the exhibit’s main hall, visitors learn about the co-evolution of butterflies and plants.
The butterfly garden at the Smithsonian is located on the Ninth Street side of the National Museum of Natural History building.
Four distinct habitats — wetland, meadow, wood’s edge and urban garden — encourage visitors to observe the partnerships between plants and butterflies.
The garden is a joint project of the Horticulture Services Division and the Museum with partial funding from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
The garden, on view at all times, is a perfect complement to a visit to the O. Orkin Insect Zoo on the second floor of the Museum. [Stay tuned for upcoming posts on other visits to the Smithsonian wonders!] 😮
As a Biologist, mom/teacher and former volunteer at the Natural History Museum (2004), I can say the visit, the explanations, and the teaching/learning combinations are well worthy a day trip with your own children, class students, friends, or simply, a ‘curious soul’… We had the pleasure of being joined by a dear friend, whose patience and care for my children are priceless… Thank you very much, Cherise! ♥
Related articles
- Butterfly Place and Garden (idlamit.wordpress.com)
- Butterfly Struggle (bridgingthegapblog.wordpress.com)
- Butterfly (littlemuddyboots.co.uk)
- How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden (proflowers.com)
- Butterfly Garden: What You Need to Attract Butterflies (fox4kc.com)
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