Spy Weekend

This past weekend was exhilarating and memorable. It had been a long time since Robby and I were able to slip away for a mother/son adventure. When I heard about "Espionage weekend" in Washington DC, I knew that it was the perfect opportunity to get away with him. Robby has been taking a spy class for three years and, after reading the flyer, I quickly realized that this opportunity was perfect for him.

Thursday evening my Mom met me to pick up Timmy and Friend. The plan was for her to keep them until Saturday morning, when Scott would pick them up and bring them back home. Unfortunately Scott's car ended up in the repair shop, leaving him without a car and stranded at home. Timmy's quick trip to his Nana's house morphed into a long weekend away. (My Mom was willing to drive Timmy home, but they were having fun and he wanted to stay longer.)

While Timmy was at his Nana's and Scott was stranded at home, Robby and I were spending a weekend away in DC, engrossed in all things spy related. Because of the early morning starts and late afternoons, I decided to turn it into a little vacation by reserving a hotel room. I absolutely hate driving in the city and was happy to avoid it as much as possible.

Thursday evening we settled into our hotel room, went out for dinner and prepared for the class. On Friday morning we woke up early and headed to our first session. The morning session was spent learning techniques and hearing incredible (but true) stories about modern day espionage. In the afternoon we had private access to the Spy Museum. (If you have never visited the Spy Museum, I highly recommend that you add it to your bucket list.)

On Saturday we were paired with current employees of "3 letter agencies" for a surveillance experience. We learned surveillance techniques, both on foot and in a car, before we hit the streets to give it a try. Throughout the day we rotated through all of the agents, ensuring that we all had experiences with various aspects of surveillance. 

We tracked our target through the streets of Georgetown, across the aisles of stores, around the beltway and through the streets of Virginia. Thankfully the agents drove. (Have I mentioned how much I hate driving in DC?) 

On Sunday we had a "debrief" where we analyzed our surveillance results, discussed possibilities and asked questions. My heart jumped when Robby started to ask about educational requirements for various careers. I know that he is coming to that age, but hearing him discuss future careers took me off guard. There is no doubt that my little Koopa is growing up quickly.

The experience was fascinating! Hearing the chatter on the radios (and being able to provide our own tidbits of intel) was an experience that both Robby and I will always remember. Robby, who is drawn to intelligence and espionage activities, was in his element. The agents were so generous with their knowledge (unclassified of course) and happily answered all of Robby's questions. I know that this experience will continue to shape him going forward.