Week Two Highlights

It's been a busy week! I spent Saturday afternoon at the National Museum of American History, which was really interesting. If you visit, be sure to check out a) the military history exhibit (I especially loved the WWII propaganda section), b) the First Ladies' dresses and china, and c) the transportation exhibit on the ground floor (there were trains, cars, and ships/PIRATES!). You can see some photos below - definitely look at Lucy Hale's china! I loved it but the ladies behind me were squawking about how hideous it was. Thoughts?



My first time taking the Metrorail!



International Trade Center (right by the Metro station)

First Lady Lucy Hale's china



I ended the day at Crumbs, which is a cupcake place pretty close to the DC center. Their cupcakes were expensive but delicious - I'm ashamed to say I've had three in the last week! I'll take a picture the next time I go there, which I'm sure is inevitable.

 

I spent Sunday at Georgetown Law and the National Book Festival (well, I stopped by at least)! If anyone is interested in law school, definitely check out Georgetown - they have an amazing campus that's right by Capitol Hill! I was disappointed that it's not actually in Georgetown, but there are definitely more connections near its current location in the heart of DC.

 

One of two law libraries

Gorgeous tree-lined courtyard

Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool!

 

Proof that I visited the National Book Festival!

The rest of this week I've either spent at my internship or in class. I haven't had a lot of free time yet except for the weekends, which is the downside of working every day (as opposed to a few of my friends that have two days off per week!). This weekend should be pretty restful, except that I'm visiting Charlottesville tomorrow! I'll definitely be taking pictures.

 

Overall I feel like I'm starting to adjust more. I'm still exhausted by the combination of working full-time and taking two classes, but I'm not lost during my internship anymore and I've been able to take on some interesting projects, ranging from arranging a meeting with an NGO to reporting on UN speeches and drafting Congressional responses. I also do some "typical" intern tasks, like running errands and shopping for an office party we had this evening. It's definitely not the fetching coffee and making copies type of internship though, which I'm grateful for.

Internship Improvements and Shakes

Well, I made it through the first week! I've been so drained lately trying to adjust to my internship (since there's just so much to learn), but I've been feeling less confused/lost every day.  Every free second I have, I've been reading the news and asking questions about the office so I can begin to have an idea of what's actually going on. I'm finally starting to get real projects instead of just small tasks, which is a huge plus since I finally feel like I'm pulling my weight!

I had the first session of my elective yesterday night, Washington Ethics. If you remember one of my earlier posts when I spoke about my difficulty selecting an elective course to take, I'm happy to report that a new elective opened up (Washington Ethics: Crisis, Reform, and Reaction)! It sounded interesting and I wasn't very thrilled with my current elective, so I immediately signed up. When people hear about that class, they inevitably ask, "Washington ethics... isn't that an oxymoron?" The class is actually more about reform in Washington and the "ethics" of why people/organizations make the choices they do. Our first session last night was short and informal, since it was very discussion-oriented and we got out an hour early. The professor talked about the syllabus and gave an overview of the course before going into the nature of politics and theories on what makes a good government.

After class ended I went to Shake Shack with some friends. I was super hungry, since I'd gotten home from my internship only two minutes before class started so I couldn't eat dinner until nearly 9. I tried their vegetarian "Shroom Burger," which was a tiny portobello mushroom filled with greasy cheese. Not that great for $6.75. However, their shakes were amazing! It's actually frozen custard, so it's extremely rich and very tasty! I might go back sometime, but only after having eaten dinner (since I'm not planning to try that burger again anytime soon).

Photo Credit: Inklings

Now that it's the weekend, I can't wait to A) sleep and B) start site-seeing! I'm hoping to visit the National Book Festival and the American History Museum tomorrow, and then Georgetown on Sunday. Should be fun! And I'll bring my camera so I can post some real pictures of the city for once.

Day Two and Still Alive!

I've survived two days of my internship (or one and a half, since we had a UCDC orientation this afternoon)! Things have been pretty hectic so far, both in my internship and the UC Washington Program, and I'm just doing my best to adjust. So many meetings, so many strange phrases and acronyms, and so little sleep!

Life in DC takes some getting used to overall. Today I walked to Safeway and was caught in a freak rainstorm. I'd always been told they existed, but I had thought people were exaggerating when they said that it can be completely clear one second and then pouring the next. Now I know better... I was soaked within two seconds and it took me about four more to pull out my umbrella! I can only hope there aren't any snowstorms before I leave.

Another adjustment for me is cooking. I've had a meal plan the past two years, as well as this summer, so it's strange to start cooking all my own food. I was pretty successful for dinner tonight, despite my relative lack of cooking experience and the not-so-great pots and pans - check out this lovely photo of me making pasta!

I'll try to post some actual photos of DC as soon as the weather gets nicer (since I'm sure you don't need a photo of tomorrow's breakfast). I'm hoping to go site-seeing this weekend, which should be fun!

For everyone who's following this blog (friends, family, or even prospective UCDC participants), thanks for reading! If you have any questions you can post them in the comments section and I'll answer them in my next post.

I'm Here!

After months of waiting, I'm finally in DC! I flew in this afternoon (I'm proud to report that none of my luggage got lost) and spent the evening unpacking and settling in. The bedrooms are huge, which I'm pretty excited about. However, the furniture is placed in awkward locations and covers up the outlets... so I've had to do some moving tonight. As a result, I'm sore and taking a break from the last of my unpacking. The bathroom is also pretty tiny, which is a downer, but at least the general size of the apartment makes up for it.

I journeyed to Target with my suitemate Lauren tonight (about a 20-minute Metro trip) - I had to get sheets and toiletries, and we wanted to grab dinner. I almost got lost just trying to find the Metro stop! It's hard to find your way around at first. Hopefully I don't get lost on the way to my internship tomorrow! I have directions printed out, so that should help.

Later this week I'll post pictures of the room and talk more about how the first week of my internship and classes goes! For now, here's me at the airport (4:30am PST... ouch).