I spent this past Saturday at the Women's March in New York City, carrying a sign and cheering with the huge crowds that we all know were really there (unlike some crowds that we all know weren't really there). It was so inspiring to be in the midst of such a truly gigantic group of people all working toward the same goals. While there is a lot of news coverage on how big the crowds were and on the overall "big picture" of the marches that took place around the world, I want to discuss my own individual experience--my favorite moments and the things I would do differently next time I march. Because there will be a next time.

Exchanging smiles with a stranger on the streets of New York City.

Anyone who grew up in New York City like I did knows that, while I wouldn't describe all New Yorkers as unfriendly, per se, smiling at strangers is not common, and would usually be viewed as pretty odd. Since coming to college, I've discovered that in small towns, you typically give anyone you pass a smile or a wave or a hello. The city isn't like that by any means, so it's always a bit of a culture shock for me traveling between home and school and remembering whether or not to smile. However, on the day of the Women's March, I passed an older woman wearing a pussy hat, while carrying my "Love Wherever and Whenever and However You Can" sign, and was surprised that she smiled knowingly at me. We knew that even though we weren't in the thick of the march, only on a side street, we had the same purpose that day. And so despite my New Yorker brain telling me not to, I smiled back, and I was glad I did.

Watching a couple of young girls calling "Show me what democracy looks like!" and getting a response from the entire crowd.

"Show me what democracy looks like!" "This is what democracy looks like!" was a pretty common cheer at the march in New York, and I would guess at many of the other marches as well, so I wasn't surprised to hear it in this moment. What was surprising and moving to me was seeing two little girls, probably about nine years old, shouting it to the crowd, who actually responded directly to them. It made me understand on a deeper level what I was personally marching for, and what in a larger sense we were all probably protesting that day. It is literally our responsibility to show the younger generations what democracy looks like, just as older women (and men) were doing for me that day, and this was a real-life, right-in-front-of-me representation of that for me.

My cellular data hardly working.

To be fair, this was an annoyance in the moment because I needed to contact the person I was trying to meet up with, and half of my text messages wouldn't send. In retrospect, though, I think it must be a representation of the sheer number of people who were there. I've never had an experience before where, even though I had what should have been great service, my phone just couldn't send or load anything for extended periods of time. I can only think that it was because there were so many thousands of people who were simultaneously using their cell phones in the same small area, that we flooded the cellular data network. (I have no idea if that's really how it works, but it's kind of cool now that it's in the past!)

Next time, I would wear more supportive shoes.

I was wearing very comfortable sneakers, and for most of the day, they were the perfect shoes to be wearing. And I probably would've been sore no matter what, and we never walked much faster than a shuffle because the streets were so packed. But I think next time, I would wear boots with thick socks, because honestly, every part of me was cold by the end of the day, and while my sneakers were comfortable, they didn't come up around my ankles enough to really support my feet.

Next time, I would meet up with people before the march.

This seems like it should be obvious, but I guess I just underestimated just how massive the blockage from the march would be. By the time I got to the start of the march, it was virtually impossible for me to cross its path and meet people anywhere. I had to go back to First Avenue to find a different cross street so many times I lost count. However, if I'd gone to the west side further south near where my house was, I wouldn't have had that problem.

Next time, I would bring water so that I wouldn't get thirsty.

I'm glad that I didn't drink any water the whole time, because I definitely didn't want to have to use the bathroom, and between that and not wanting to carry anything besides my sign, I decided not to bring water. However, in general, if I'm carrying a bottle of water with me, I don't get thirsty at all; and if I don't have anything to drink, I get really thirsty. (Because why should anything ever be simple?) So, I think next time I would bring a small water bottle so that if I feel dehydrated, I have a solution, but for the most part, I won't get thirsty.