Thursday, July 27, 2006

Posted 1 year, 9 months, 2 weeks, 1 day, 11 hours, 47 minutes ago

During the summer, I attend Presidential Lecture Series, but today I attended my first and only Congressional Speaker Series. I was grouped into the 10th District and had the privilege of listening to Congressman Melvin Watt, a Democrat for NC, speak. He did show up late hence the clock:

I thought this was such a weird clock, and I still do not know what the lights are for.

The lecture was held at the Rayburn House Office Building. We were supposed to arrive at 3:00 p.m., which I did, but he was voting on a bill that passed and was in between voting and the after-voting party.

I was really impressed with Congressman Watt. He has a good head on his shoulders and is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in. I am glad that he is representing our state. When he served his term in the North Carolina Senate (1985-86), he was called “the conscience of the Senate.”

I just had to take a picture sitting at the desks:

On our way to the metro, we stopped at a fountain:

and met a new friend, Boa, a bomb-sniffing German Shepherd:

The group of cops that were with him explained to us that it takes 4 months to train them to sniff out bombs or explosives, and that they train them in DC with real, live explosive devices!

I went to FedEx Kinko’s (my second home) for the third night in a row, and had my 128-page portfolio rebound. I have to turn it in after work on my way to the TWC Closing Ceremony.

I am so glad that this summer is coming to an end! I am not alone, either. There are plenty of other different interns (probably the majority of the 600) who have told me the same thing. My roommate left for Atlanta today and will be flying to Indonesia tomorrow for her Fulbright Scholarship.

Have a good flight Christine!

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Posted 1 year, 9 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 19 hours, 34 minutes ago

I just got back from volunteering with Simple Changes, a therapeutic horseback riding program.  We went 30 minutes south of DC into Virginia where the most beautiful land was.  I was extremely impressed with the stables, the arenas, and the trails they owned.  I started out early this morning and got back at 1 p.m.  It was extremely hot even though it was cloudy and overcast.  It was good that we stayed inside.

I was glad to be able to volunteer with the program and work with the children.  They get so much out of riding.  I have worked with children with special needs a lot but with school and work I have not been able to in a long time.  It is such a rewarding experience that not many people are exposed to. 

Here are some photos of my experience:

Friday, July 14, 2006

Posted 1 year, 9 months, 4 weeks, 13 hours, 56 minutes ago

Today was extremely emotional for me. Every month, wounded soldiers from all around the world who have been sent to Walter Reed Medical Army Center tour the Pentagon and have a luncheon in their honor. And today I saw them and clapped as they entered the Pentagon. It was so sad and horrifying. And then think of all of the ones who did not make it! Even more depressing.

You can read an older 2004 article on the Defenselink website: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2004/n07302004_2004073006.html

My boss took us out to eat at Pentagon Row. We went to Champs and discussed work and leisure. It was pretty relaxing. Then he had to leave to attend a meeting, and we got to stay and hang out. Pretty cool way to end the long week. The office has been super busy with a bunch of briefings lately, so it’s been a pretty heavy week for all of us.

I am eager for the weekend because my boyfriend is coming up and we are staying in Arlington. My roommates have two different guests staying at our apartment and it would be pretty crowded if I were staying with my guest, too! We are going to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2, which I have been anxious to see, and going to DC Improv Comedy Club to see Kevin Pollack.

On Monday, I am showing him the Pentagon and then we are going to a huge Department of Defense Career Fair. There will be at least 40 different agencies representing the DoD among other federal agencies. So who knows what may happen!? I might just find a job!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Posted 1 year, 10 months, 6 days, 2 hours, 44 minutes ago

1. Interns are here for the experience. I love hearing about how all these interns don’t do anything but sit in front of their computers. I believe it! Sad but true, a lot of these government agencies that actually pay for interns don’t have much time or work for them. On the other hand, some lobbyist firms really work their interns to the bone! I, for one, love the DoD. I have even heard of horror stories about interns crawling under their desks to go to sleep! Wild!

2. Most of these interns are trying to hook up with each other for the summer. This is the dumbest thing I have witnessed. One of my three roommates found her soul-mate for the summer and he is now our fifth roommate, which totally sucks for us. Just think about it, over 600 interns and only 8 housing facilities. That’s 75 interns to one housing complex/area. The odds are in their favor.

3. Casual Fridays at the Pentagon do not mean (except for me) dress casually, it means you officially - this is actually written somewhere as a policy, have a beer (if you are over 21 of course).  In all of my fellow interns’ offices’ fridges there are six-packs of beer, coronas, bottles of wine… that was quite a culture shock all of us!

4. When I come to my air-conditioned office, I turn on my electric heater under my desk. (perfect sense, right?)

5. The HOV lane is ruled by Honda Civic Hybrids. When I ride the bus to work, you’d swear there was a Honda convention ahead of us and we were on tour.

6. Name-dropping runs rampid in DC. Every time I walk past a group, I hear “Joint Chief of Staff...” or “Senator...” It’s all about who you know and how many people you tell.

7. If you are a female intern in DC, you will hear the story of Chandra Levy who was a 2001 summer intern found murdered in Rock Creek Park… google it if you don’t know what I am talking about.

8. Don’t go to Walmart in DC. You will either get shot, robbed, or become disgusted at the unsanitary conditions. Cullowhee sure does have one up on DC. It’s either Target or CVS here.

9. Walk to the left, stand to the right. When you use escalators in DC (usually on the metro) you will learn this un-written rule quickly.

10. Tax is almost non-existent! Unlike NC where there’s a couple of taxes… here in VA/DC the tax is 5% and none at all on any type of first aid/medical products, and who knows what else! So this helps out since the products are so much more expensive.

11. If you have a car here you will pay for parking, be towed, or something terrible will happen to it. Let’s just say if you park in a two-hour zone, come back in two hours because the tow people are good at their jobs (just like the Campus Police are good at theirs). If you aren’t paying for parking, it better be daylight and you had better be in a parking lot at the movies or Target. I don’t have this problem, unfortunately, because I had to leave my car in NC. Traffic sucks and don’t even bother driving to the nightlife.

12. Nightlife: Don’t expect to get into anything open on a Friday/Saturday night if you don’t have an id saying you are over 21. It ain’t happening. With a bouncer at every entrance and a police car at every exit - DC doesn’t mess around. And the darnedest places turn into a club at 9! Whether it be a coffee shop or a bookstore. And they all have an upstairs/VIP type area. I have only been out two nights my whole summer here and I can sum it all up in two words: Adams Morgan. Forget Georgetown, that’s like a mall decided to put all of its stores on the street and made you pay to park. But Adams Morgan has every type of music/entertainment you could want. And Dupont Circle did not impress me.

13. The 4th of July fireworks are supposed to mean more here because you are in the capitol of our great nation. But I would rather be in Cullowhee! (as the bumper sticker says) Even though Sylva postponed their fireworks til...?

14. When you leave NC, Petey Pablo’s song means more to you - and you start defending the most popular saying “there’s nothing to do in Cullowhee.” FYI: Yes, there is.

15. I love my job, I love where I live, but I miss NC! There is no “Northern Hospitality” here, y’all!

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Posted 1 year, 10 months, 1 week, 4 days, 13 hours, 4 minutes ago

I am back in NC! I just can’t stay away. DC is being socked with rain, flooding, and worst of all tourists! Coming home on the train from school late at on a Wednesday night and it is standing room only with children and baby strollers, looking tired and worn out. I am glad that I don’t add tourist activities to my already hectic schedule.

I had my midterm evaluation early so I could fax it in before I left for the airport. I received great marks from my very busy boss. We are going to have an on-sight meeting with TWC advisors and our supervisors in a week. That should be interesting, considering my boss is way too busy for it. He was doing two other things while he was filling out my evaluation. But he is one of the best managers/directors I have seen and heard about through my experiences at the Pentagon. I know he will always try to find time. Talk about hands-on experiences with time management and multi-tasking. The stress levels he sees are off the charts. But he shows us the right ways to handle these situations, calmly, steadily, and thoughtfully. Our program is going on a dinner cruise of the Potomac August 2nd and we are to bring out supervisors. The cruise sounds fun, but I feel like our supervisors have better things to be doing in their precious free time. They have families and kids. But who am I to argue - perhaps they will enjoy it.

So I took off Friday and Monday to come back down to “Last of the Mohicans” territory. I got so homesick, I bought that DVD to reminisce, it is permanently in my laptop! My supervisor said that I could take the days without making up the time, but I insisted to make it up. And it was so much fun coming home! And after a whole month of not having a car, and taking the bus and the metro, let me tell you!!! Cars are the way to go. I really wished that I could take my car back up when I go. But parking is expensive, traffic is ridiculous, and the thievery in that town is amazing. So I guess it’s for the best. It is giving me great practice for going abroad.