Washington, DC – Beside the White House fence, tourists are already crowding in the early morning. They stretch their arms into the air, trying to find the perfect angle for the perfect selfie. I am one of them.
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The sun is shining in DC, the sounds of morning rush hour around me, and I am standing in a long line to get into THE stage of international world politics.
There are few places where political power converges the way it does in Washington. And probably even fewer where it concentrates more than in the White House.
For Americans, organizing a visit is actually quite straightforward. You go to your senator’s or representative’s website, submit your preferred dates, and in many cases, you get the appointment.
For non-Americans it’s not quite so simple: anyone without a U.S. address has to go through their embassy.
Those lucky enough to secure one of the coveted spots must first submit to a multi-stage security check. And then?
Then you’re inside the home of the American president, who greets me right at the entrance with a raised fist and a combative pose. Abraham Lincoln’s portrait fades into a pale background beside him.
The sounds of the crane outside, busy at the time of my visit demolishing the East Wing, feel distant once you realize how many world-changing events have been broadcast from this entrance hall alone.
There is the door from which Obama emerged to announce the killing of Osama bin Laden to the world. There the East Room, where Lincoln lay in state.
I lost track of time somewhere between the Blue Room and the East Room. The view from the Blue Room alone, with the South Lawn stretching out and the Washington Monument in the distance, kept me longer than I planned.
The South Lawn is where helicopters have landed and taken off, and from which Richard Nixon boarded a helicopter in 1974 and left office after his resignation.
As an ordinary tourist you walk through rooms where history was written. It’s a strange thought, that you are stepping across the same floors that many heads of state have walked before you.
It’s crowded inside the White House. The rooms, smaller than I expected, hold few visitors at a time, and that number is constantly at capacity.
In every room stand White House staff who were answering questions, telling stories or pointing out pieces from the extensive painting and china collection that was gathered by different presidents and first ladies.
A day later, I will see one of the rooms I just visited in the news again when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the White House. It feels slightly absurd to have been inside.
My visit was totally worth it.
Lina Marie Schulenkorf is a Correspondent with Youth Journalism International.
