Unexpected Pleasures

I  believe that while traveling, it is best to be open to new people, unexpected adventures and public transportation. This policy led to some unexpected activities this week:

• I and a fellow intern was sent to wander the Capitol Building for about two hours on Tuesday (I should clarify-this was not meaningless wandering. We just had to check in at a number of different offices to get accredited) to obtain press accreditation for the Capitol Building. Then, we received a text from our supervisor, who told us to get Library of Congress cards. This enabled me to peruse Thomas Jefferson's library collection, an exhibit on Persian books and the Middle East/Africa reading room at the Library of Congress. I am pleased to report that the reading room is a beautiful library with shelves of books and stepladders that reminded me of "Beauty and the Beast."
  
  
  
• On Friday, I had an adventure that was too fortuitous to keep to myself: I finished up at my internship and decided to see the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts before taking the Metro home. As I left the building, a woman with a teenage daughter stopped me. She asked me if I wanted to go to the Bolshoi Ballet. I was somewhat confused. She explained that she had three tickets to the ballet in 20 minutes, but her husband was out of town and her other daughter was too sick to come. She decided to look for someone there alone who looked like a pleasant ballet-goer, and I fit the bill!                                                                                                       The ballet was crisp and magnificent, the costumes and set were magical, and the music was gorgeous. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with the woman and her daughter besides. My ticket, I discovered, cost $99, and all showings had been sold out for weeks. And so, friends, I saw the Bolshoi Ballet--Russia's premiere touring group--perform "Giselle" at the Kennedy Center, sitting on the fourth row on the floor, at no charge!
• On Saturday, I decided to try and reach the Washington, D.C. Temple (which is actually a good way out of the city, in Maryland, no less) via public transportation (on weekdays there's a shuttle from the Metro stop). I had been warned that this was unwise, but sometimes I like to learn from experience. In this case, my experience involved almost three hours of negotiating two trains, two buses, asking for directions four times, and walking the last quarter mile. I have never before been so glad to spot the tell-tale Angel Moroni as I approached!                        The Lord was with me, though, as I arrived precisely on time for my appointment at the baptistry. Afterward, I spent a lovely evening with some friends who are here for graduate school. (They also gave me a ride home.)
  
• Attendance was sparse in church today because of the holiday, but all the new members had a chance for introductions in Sunday School. One man stood up and explained that he was from Cairo, Egypt, and this was his first time at church. Naturally, I introduced myself after the meeting, and he told me he had been trying to learn about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a year now. He said that the missionaries had not been able to find him any Arabic materials, which was a challenge. I had brought my Arabic copy of the Book of Mormon to church, so I offered to let him borrow it. He enthusiastically accepted, promising not to move my bookmark. The sister missionaries excitedly told me that they had been trying to find Arabic materials for weeks, and that this was a thrilling development. My roommate and I are tentatively planning to have him and missionaries over for dinner on Saturday, and we'll see how much progress he has made with the Book of Mormon!