“It’s not grey— it’s silver!”
Emily carries with her a gym bag and a camera, nonchalantly slung across her shoulder. When she smiles for the camera, her cheeks nudge her glasses up ever so slightly. Kylie— with her silver hair— wraps her arms into her peacoat as she leans into her friend. The two are sophomores at Boston College and Dartmouth respectively, and stayed close after sharing their high school experiences. Looking to make new memroies, the two came to the National Mall on an extended weekend trip. Emily and Kylie form an unusual pair, coming together in DC from two very distinct backgrounds.
Emily is originally from Jakarta, Indonesia, but she’s been living in the states since her sophomore year of high school. This was her first trip to DC, and she was excited to explore the nation’s capitol.
She eagerly informed me that she had checked off her DC tourism boxes: she got the obligatory White House selfie, paid homage to Lincoln at his Memorial (he did indeed look quite honest), and pushed through child-clad tourists at the Museum of Natural History to catch a glimpse of the Hope diamond (which, she remarked, was marvelously underwhelming).
Emily is studying to be an elementary school teacher. Outside of her studies, she works in a classroom with 3rd graders, teaching them math every week.
Kylie could not be more different from her counterpart; she comes from Bainbridge, Washington, and she’s been to DC countless times. Kylie is a runner, and participated in our local Navy-Air Force Half Marathon (she finished in under two hours).
She recently decided to dye her previously russet-brown hair silver, and to do so she had to bleach her mane three times, passing it once through an fiery, Katy-Perry-Superbowl-costume-esque orange before she reached a delicate silver. Kylie special-ordered her silver hair dye from Russia, because she couldn’t find the particular hue of silver dye in the States.
Kylie is planning on minoring in studio art, but she also studies Arabic and is going abroad to Kuwait in the Spring.
The two have countless reasons to smile: it’s a beautiful day, they’re pursuing their passions in school, and are sharing a friendship that spans miles, meeting for a weekend in a hub of history and activity.
Photo: Caitlin Joelle Cain
