Washington, D.C
I lived in rural Pennsylvania for 23 years before moving to a big city. The culture shock was real.
- I moved to Washington, DC, after living in rural Pennsylvania for 23 years.
- Learning how to commute was difficult at first, but it opened up so many options for me.
- The work culture was a bit intense, but I loved how much there was to do after work and on weekends.
I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, tucked away in a stretch of the Appalachian Mountains known as the Endless Mountains. It was beautiful and quiet there, and I spent many of my days reading in sunny patches of grass.
But right after college, I moved to the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Washington, DC, for work and traded mountains for monuments.
Transitioning from Amish country to hill-staffer-tech-bro culture led to immense culture shock. But in DC, I learned how to navigate city life and experienced a lot of firsts.
Here are the three biggest surprises I encountered when I moved.
Learning how to commute was difficult at first
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The fast-paced nature of the city surprised me. I grew up in a one-stoplight town, and the transition to DC traffic was jarring.
In the part of Pennsylvania where I grew up, driving was my only mode of transportation. In fact, I could anticipate a nearly hourlong drive to access the nearest chain stores.
However, learning about the different ways to use public transportation in the city was exciting. On my first day of work, I figured out how to ride the bus and use the metro system. I also started riding a bike consistently for the first time since I was 12 and walked more than I ever had before.
I also discovered new challenges, like surrendering to the mercy of public transit delays and struggling to carry my groceries home. However, I gained something I didn’t previously have access to — options.
The work culture in DC was intense
My first full-time job was in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, so right out of college, I felt like I was thrown into the most competitive work culture. For better or worse, every moment felt like a networking event.
One of the most “DC experiences” I had was joining a community pickleball group and discovering that the group was made up of people who worked for ESPN, the ACLU, and the Peace Corps.
Although I loved discovering what people do for a living, work culture is often prioritized over everything else. This was a part of life in DC that I had a hard time reckoning with.
I’m still trying to ditch the habit of asking, “So what do you do?” when I meet a stranger.
I had so many more opportunities for after-work activities
Olivia Bardo
After work, I rode my bike to the library and picked out brightly colored books. At night, I danced to live music at the 9:30 Club.
On Saturday mornings, I wove my way through places like the Hirshhorn Museum and Renwick Gallery, then wandered around to find a new coffee shop. Food was everywhere, and it was delicious. I indulged in tahini lattes, ube waffles, and bowls of spicy ramen.
Being in a big city also meant I could discover more of my interests, which had been patiently waiting to be found.
Although my time living in DC has concluded, I’m grateful for the many ways it has shaped me and directed my next steps.
Former Washington Commanders wide receiver Santana Moss spent Saturday morning running drills, greeting families and encouraging young athletes at a clinic for children with special needs.
(WTOP / Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP / Jimmy Alexander
(WTOP / Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP / Jimmy Alexander
(WTOP / Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP / Jimmy Alexander
(WTOP / Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP / Jimmy Alexander
Former Washington Commanders wide receiver Santana Moss spent Saturday morning running drills, greeting families and encouraging young athletes at a clinic for children with special needs.
The event held at Ballou High School in Southeast D.C. was hosted by Moss’ 89 Ways to Give Foundation in partnership with Health Services for Children with Special Needs.
“We’ve got a bunch of kids out here going through drills,” Moss said. “I’m here to make sure they have a great time.”
Between stations, Moss stopped to shake hands, pose for selfies and talk with participants and their families.
“You can come out and make a difference. Make an impact with just your presence,” he said.
Organizers said the clinic was designed to give children a chance to learn the basics, build confidence and have fun in a supportive environment.
Ashley Young, who helped plan the event, said creating opportunities for children with disabilities is personal to her.
“Even though my child doesn’t have a disability, being able to work with kids who do and put on events like this means a lot to me,” Young said.
Moss said the clinic was about more than football fundamentals. He said he wants kids to leave believing they can succeed well beyond the field.
“I always tell them, if you can touch me, you can be me,” Moss said. “It’s not necessarily about being a football player it’s about being successful in life.”
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Washington, D.C
3 fallen Mississippi officers honored at national law enforcement memorial in Washington, D.C. – SuperTalk Mississippi
Three fallen Mississippi law enforcement officers will be honored in the nation’s capitol.
The names of Hinds County Deputy Martin Shields Jr., Jackson Police Officer Bryan Pippin, and Jackson County Deputy Joshua Brashears, were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The memorial serves as the nation’s monument honoring federal, state, local, and tribal officers who died in the line of duty.
This year, the names of 363 fallen officers were added to the memorial. Of the new additions, 109 officers lost their lives in 2025. Shields and Brashears are among those who died last year.
“As we come together to honor the officers we’ve lost, we reflect not only on their sacrifice, but on the commitment that called them to serve,” William Alexander, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, said.
“Their bravery and dedication leave a lasting mark on our nation and on all who follow in their footsteps. This is a moment to remember their stories, support their loved ones, and carry their legacy forward with enduring respect.”
Shields, who was 37 at the time of his death, was responding to a domestic services call on Midway Road in Terry on the night of Feb. 23 when Eric Brown, 42, shot and killed him. Brown shot two others, confirmed by law enforcement to be his wife and a “female accomplice,” before turning the gun on himself.
Brashears, who was 45 at the time of his passing, was involved in a fatal car wreck on Highway 15 near the Harrison and Stone county line while heading home on Oct. 17. The deputy’s cruiser reportedly collided with a horse at the scene.
Pippin, on the other hand, passed away in 2021 after losing a months long battle with COVID-19. The veteran Jackson police officer was 52 at the time of his passing. Pippin was hospitalized with the virus in July 2021 and died two months later.
All of the officers added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial this year will have their names read aloud during a candlelight vigil on May 13.
President Donald Trump touted plans Thursday to coat the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in an “American flag blue” hue, one of the president’s latest construction efforts to refashion government buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C.
Trump said he was inspired to oversee renovations after a friend visited from Germany and noted its decay.
“He said, ‘it’s filthy, dirty. The water is disgusting looking. It’s not representative of the country,’” Trump recalled during a White House event Thursday on drug prices.
Trump posted a video speaking about the renovation of the over 2,000-foot-long pool on Truth Social, shortly before his White House event with reporters.
“Right now, it’s got no water in it because it was in terrible shape. It was filthy, dirty, and it leaked like a sieve for many years,” Trump said in the video. “So I actually went over, went with Secret Service and a group of people, and I took, took a look at it.”
The president said there were initial plans to remove the granite in the pool and replace the stone, but that process would have cost $300 million and taken more than three years to complete.
Instead, Trump said he contacted his own private contractors to clean the stone and then coat it in a new color, which he described as “American flag blue.”
“We scrubbed the surface of the existing granite that’s been there since 1922. We then grouted all of the granite, fixed it up,” Trump said in the video. “It took about two weeks, and now we have a nice, clean surface on which we’re putting an industrial grade swimming pool topping.”
Trump said the project is expected to cost between $1.5 and 2 million dollars and will be completed “long before July 4” for the country’s 250th celebration.
“In another couple of weeks, we’re going to have the most beautiful reflective pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial that you’ve ever seen,” Trump said at the White House.
Trump has pledged to overhaul the pool in the past. The president said in a post on Truth Social last month that he and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum were “working on fixing the absolutely filthy Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.”
The pool, the site of historical events such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech, had its last major renovation in 2012 in a $34 million project that lasted almost two years.
Trump’s efforts to revamp the reflecting pool come alongside a number of other construction projects spearheaded by the president across Washington, D.C., including his plans to build a $400 million ballroom and military bunker in the East Wing of the White House and a major renovation of Kennedy Center.
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