Ask me what I had for lunch today...

Pounded Goat Meat, Mopane Worms, and Animal Digested Coffee.

2011 Around the World Embassy Tour was today! Eight other interns staying at AU and myself went to Dupont Circle to take a stroll down Embassy Row. There were 34 Embassies that had open-houses from 10am-4pm. We agreed last night to meet up at noon (it was a long night in the District) and to hop on the metro for a short ride to Dupont and explore what all the hype was about. Seeing the crowd of people once we arrived, we all regretted sleeping in... it was pretty packed. Nicaragua had a line that wrapped around the whole block, as did Australia. We made it to Embassy of the Republic of Botswana, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Embassy of the Federated States of Micronesia, Embassy of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Botswana had to have been the best host. This is where I had the pleasure of eating pounded goat meat (which was incredible, tasted just like pulled pork) and mopane worms (which made me want to vomit). They had music playing as we waited in line for food, we got to observe displays of art and some really neat baskets that are made from straw and glass. Just as we were about to leave we heard louder music, then what sounded like a Tribal call and these women started dancing away to traditional African Music!

Their love for their Tswana culture was definitely expressed well through-out this Embassy!

After Botswana, we headed over to Indonesia. They had a metal detector that they ran through every individual who entered their vicinity, a little ridiculous I think. It was a beautiful Embassy though, I wish my pictures came out better, but I had to sneak them since there were "No Camera" signs everywhere :-/ In their main room, we all received instruments made of bamboo, an Angklung. They had different designs and sizes and when they all came together, they made an incredible noise! Here is also where we tried this "digested coffee". For you coffee drinkers, today I tried Kopi Luwak; these cat-like beasts called Asian Palm Civets eat the coffee berry beans and it passes through their digestive tract. After they thoroughy clean the beans, then they package it up and serve it. It is known as the most expensive and low-production coffee in the world, and I tried it!

Main foyer to the Indonesian Embassy

Angklung-Traditional Bamboo Instrument

After being frisked to be sure we didn't run out with any Angklungs (like I would ever actually need one) we headed down Massachusetts Avenue to try and make it to the Australian Embassy. Once seeing the line, we went straight passed it to Trinidad and Tobago. They had a steel band performance going on outside which attracted a nice crowd, and inside was some detailed costumes. There is no way this one lady could fit through the doors with her 15 foot wingspan.

Her "Transitional" Costume

Micronesia was next on our list offering free books... about vacationing to Micronesia..? Let's just say they had plenty left over at the end of the day. They had a 6-foot snake in one room which my neighbor at AU had on him for about 10 minutes, and their dining room was rather interesting.

They actually DINE here! 

Kazakhstan was our final stop and THE most boring Embassy. They had about 4 wood-carved arrows on display, pieces of bread, and their Ambassadors office, which looked like my professors assistants office; not impressive.

We all ended the day at a local burger joint which was great, and took the metro back up to Tenleytown. The day was a success, and now I'm off to pack for Richmond!