So as I'm writing this I'm sitting in the Baltimore airport waiting for my flight (I'm early, and it's been delayed...joy). Yesterday was a bittersweet day. It's nice to be heading back to school and my friends, but I loved my experience here, so I'm sad to be leaving. My last day wasn't really anything abnormal. I manned the front desk in Congressman Conyers' office for the last time. His staff all thanked me, hugged me, and told me to stay in touch. They said if I ever need anything, I should contact them and they'd be willing to do anything they can to help. They offered up recommendation letters, which I'll surely take them up on at some point. They asked me to come back this summer, and I would love to, but I'd have to find someone to get cheap housing, which will most likely be problematic. But that's a problem for another time.
All in all, I greatly enjoyed my experience in DC. The Fetter-Degges family was extremely kind to me, and I'll always be thankful for that. I can't wait to come back to DC and visit :)
But now...off to start another semester at Oberlin!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sorry for the delay!
Wow, I haven't written in my blog in a while. Sorry about that. It's been quite hectic here (to say the least). Let's see...where to begin...?
Well, I've stayed in Congressman Conyers' personal office ever since I was moved up there. They love me and have actually asked me to come back and intern this summer. I don't know if that will happen, but it's nice to feel so welcome and appreciated. I've had quite a bit of face time with the Congressman as well. He's great. I've become somewhat of a cult follower of his. I don't agree with everything that he believes in, but I've come to love working for him and being able to present a professional face to all those who choose to visit his DC office. It has been a pleasure working for him. He's pretty much awesome.
The week before the inauguration was complete chaos in the office. Phones ringing off the hook, people trying to get last-minute tickets that didn't exist, people trying to claim tickets that weren't theirs, etc. It was a madhouse, to say the very least. We managed to survive, and I did get a four-day weekend out of it! Woot.
On the Sunday before the inauguration, I went to the We Are Once concert held at the Lincoln memorial. The following people either sang, performed, or gave speeches: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renée Fleming, Mstr. Sgt. Caleb Green, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, Bettye Lavette, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Pete Peeger, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, U2, Usher, will.i.am, Stevie Wonder, Jack Black, Steve Carell, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah, Laura Linney, and Denzel Washington. The Obama family and Joe and Jill Biden were also in attendance. It was pretty awesome. I went with my friend who's interning in Speaker Pelosi's office. We had to wait in the cold (20 degree weather) for 6 and a half hours before the concert, but it was totally worth it. The concert itself was a little over two hours, I believe. Getting out after was a nightmare, but I survived. I ended up walking to Dupont Circle to hop on the metro, which, at the time, didn't seem to far, but apparently it's over a 2 mile walk. Oh well. It was faster than trying to get on at a closer metro station. I made it home fine. It was totally worth it too. The concert was amazing. :)
So, on Tuesday (inauguration day), I was not one of the millions of people you saw braving the cold on TV. Rather, I was in the Rayburn House Office Building at an inauguration-watching reception held by Congressman Conyers. I got to be inside and warm and watch the inauguration and get to see everything (unlike people outside who practically froze and couldn't really see that much). So worth it. It was an incredible experience and I can't even describe the atmosphere in DC that day.
So I finished up the last three work days of this past week in my normal phone-answering, desk-manning duties, but the volume of phone calls has decreased drastically. Despite this, it seems that the percentage of calls by crazy people have increased. The Congressman is a sponser of many controversial bills (not all of which I support, but while on the phone I uphold the Congressman's position as I'm supposed to), and thus we receive a lot of angry phone calls. I was told I could hang up on these people or put them on hold, but I've found it's just better to let them yell for a few minutes. I've actually had people apologize to me after yelling at me for a while. It's pretty funny when that happens.
This weekend has been filled with an inordinate amount of sleep. I've been fighting off a bad cold (most likely due to the 10ish hours I spent outside last Sunday) and I've mostly recovered. I made it out to Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday. It was pretty intense. I did try to look up if Holloway Halstead Frost was buried there, but I accidentally switched his first and middle names, so they couldn't find the record. I just realized that I made that error, so it's possible that he is buried there. I doubt I'll get a chance to go back, but if for some reason I do, then I'll be sure to ask again. While I was there, I spend a decent amount of time walking around. I made sure to stop at the JFK burial site and the Tomb of the Unknowns, but other than that I didn't really have any goals of places to go in mind. Like I said, I just walked around. I was there for about an hour and a half, and then the 15-20 degree weather got the better of me and I left. I met my friend for dinner and then we saw the abismal mall cop movie that just came out. It was funny, but only because it was poorly made. Not surprising, but still somewhat of a waste of my time. I spent most of the day sleeping today (again, mainly to fight off my cold), but because I've gotten over 24 hours of sleep in the past two days, I am having difficulty falling asleep tonight. I'm sure I'll fall asleep soon enough. This week will by my last in DC, and I'm looking forward to ending it well.
The Fetter-Degges contine to be an amazing host family, and I have thanked them numerous times. I'm planning on getting them a gift, but I haven't figured out what, yet. I may order something and have it arrive shortly after I leave. I fear that any gift I try to give them in person may be rejected.
I fly back to Oberlin Saturday morning. I have a super shuttle reservation to pick me up and take me to Cleveland, where my friend Kelsey has kindly agreed to pick me up and drive me back to school. Classes start a week from Monday, so I'll have to get back into the swing of things quickly. I'm looking forward to seeing all my friends and getting back to Oberlin. I am not excited for the weather there, though. It's been horribly cold. I can only hope that it will warm up.
Hope everyone is doing well! :) I'll try to update at least once more before I leave DC. Thanks for reading!
Well, I've stayed in Congressman Conyers' personal office ever since I was moved up there. They love me and have actually asked me to come back and intern this summer. I don't know if that will happen, but it's nice to feel so welcome and appreciated. I've had quite a bit of face time with the Congressman as well. He's great. I've become somewhat of a cult follower of his. I don't agree with everything that he believes in, but I've come to love working for him and being able to present a professional face to all those who choose to visit his DC office. It has been a pleasure working for him. He's pretty much awesome.
The week before the inauguration was complete chaos in the office. Phones ringing off the hook, people trying to get last-minute tickets that didn't exist, people trying to claim tickets that weren't theirs, etc. It was a madhouse, to say the very least. We managed to survive, and I did get a four-day weekend out of it! Woot.
On the Sunday before the inauguration, I went to the We Are Once concert held at the Lincoln memorial. The following people either sang, performed, or gave speeches: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renée Fleming, Mstr. Sgt. Caleb Green, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, Bettye Lavette, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Pete Peeger, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, U2, Usher, will.i.am, Stevie Wonder, Jack Black, Steve Carell, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah, Laura Linney, and Denzel Washington. The Obama family and Joe and Jill Biden were also in attendance. It was pretty awesome. I went with my friend who's interning in Speaker Pelosi's office. We had to wait in the cold (20 degree weather) for 6 and a half hours before the concert, but it was totally worth it. The concert itself was a little over two hours, I believe. Getting out after was a nightmare, but I survived. I ended up walking to Dupont Circle to hop on the metro, which, at the time, didn't seem to far, but apparently it's over a 2 mile walk. Oh well. It was faster than trying to get on at a closer metro station. I made it home fine. It was totally worth it too. The concert was amazing. :)
So, on Tuesday (inauguration day), I was not one of the millions of people you saw braving the cold on TV. Rather, I was in the Rayburn House Office Building at an inauguration-watching reception held by Congressman Conyers. I got to be inside and warm and watch the inauguration and get to see everything (unlike people outside who practically froze and couldn't really see that much). So worth it. It was an incredible experience and I can't even describe the atmosphere in DC that day.
So I finished up the last three work days of this past week in my normal phone-answering, desk-manning duties, but the volume of phone calls has decreased drastically. Despite this, it seems that the percentage of calls by crazy people have increased. The Congressman is a sponser of many controversial bills (not all of which I support, but while on the phone I uphold the Congressman's position as I'm supposed to), and thus we receive a lot of angry phone calls. I was told I could hang up on these people or put them on hold, but I've found it's just better to let them yell for a few minutes. I've actually had people apologize to me after yelling at me for a while. It's pretty funny when that happens.
This weekend has been filled with an inordinate amount of sleep. I've been fighting off a bad cold (most likely due to the 10ish hours I spent outside last Sunday) and I've mostly recovered. I made it out to Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday. It was pretty intense. I did try to look up if Holloway Halstead Frost was buried there, but I accidentally switched his first and middle names, so they couldn't find the record. I just realized that I made that error, so it's possible that he is buried there. I doubt I'll get a chance to go back, but if for some reason I do, then I'll be sure to ask again. While I was there, I spend a decent amount of time walking around. I made sure to stop at the JFK burial site and the Tomb of the Unknowns, but other than that I didn't really have any goals of places to go in mind. Like I said, I just walked around. I was there for about an hour and a half, and then the 15-20 degree weather got the better of me and I left. I met my friend for dinner and then we saw the abismal mall cop movie that just came out. It was funny, but only because it was poorly made. Not surprising, but still somewhat of a waste of my time. I spent most of the day sleeping today (again, mainly to fight off my cold), but because I've gotten over 24 hours of sleep in the past two days, I am having difficulty falling asleep tonight. I'm sure I'll fall asleep soon enough. This week will by my last in DC, and I'm looking forward to ending it well.
The Fetter-Degges contine to be an amazing host family, and I have thanked them numerous times. I'm planning on getting them a gift, but I haven't figured out what, yet. I may order something and have it arrive shortly after I leave. I fear that any gift I try to give them in person may be rejected.
I fly back to Oberlin Saturday morning. I have a super shuttle reservation to pick me up and take me to Cleveland, where my friend Kelsey has kindly agreed to pick me up and drive me back to school. Classes start a week from Monday, so I'll have to get back into the swing of things quickly. I'm looking forward to seeing all my friends and getting back to Oberlin. I am not excited for the weather there, though. It's been horribly cold. I can only hope that it will warm up.
Hope everyone is doing well! :) I'll try to update at least once more before I leave DC. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Countdown to Inauguration Day: 6
So it's been a few days since I last posted, and I've done a lot in those last few days. On...Monday? Yes, Monday. On Monday I was moved up to help out in Congressman Conyers' personal office. Mr. Conyers' is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and from Michigan (his district encompasses part of Detroit and the surrounding areas). For the last three days I've been in his office working the front desk, which basically means I'm answering phones all day. It was a lot of responsibility that they threw at me, and everyone seems pleased with the job I'm doing. Mr. Conyers' personal staff is extremely nice and they all love having me up there to help. Oh, I'm saying "up there" because Mr. Conyers' office is 3 floors above the Judiciary Committee's office.
I've been working the front desk in Mr. Conyers' office for three days now. In that time, I've learned quite a bit. Not only have I met a whole new set of staffers, but I've learned who is in charge of what and how the channels of communication work. I've also met the Congressman (again) and have talked to him for a bit. He's amazingly nice and likes to get to know staff and interns alike, so he's spent a decent amount of time in the front part of the office when he has a spare moment (which isn't often, but that's understandable). I was a bit surprised at the personal nature of his involvement, but it's pretty awesome. I think it's part of the reason why all the staff are so nice and easy to work with.
I've talked to lots of crazy people on the phone. It's been pretty intense. I've learned to just let people yell and be polite. I've gotten quite a few crazy people in the last three days. I've been called a...
murderer
war mongerer
racist
bigot
Marxist
Communist
socialist
terrorist
and several other wonderful things.
I love how: a) these people think that they're talking to someone important when I answer the phone and b) that I actually pay attention after about 20 seconds of them yelling. People are just crazy.
Anywho, my internship is going swimmingly. I'm really enjoying it and I'm SO glad that I decided to do it this winter term. I'm thinking about trying to come back next year. It would be pretty sweet.
Hope everyone is doing well! I don't have any more pictures to add, but I plan on taking some more in the near future.
I've been working the front desk in Mr. Conyers' office for three days now. In that time, I've learned quite a bit. Not only have I met a whole new set of staffers, but I've learned who is in charge of what and how the channels of communication work. I've also met the Congressman (again) and have talked to him for a bit. He's amazingly nice and likes to get to know staff and interns alike, so he's spent a decent amount of time in the front part of the office when he has a spare moment (which isn't often, but that's understandable). I was a bit surprised at the personal nature of his involvement, but it's pretty awesome. I think it's part of the reason why all the staff are so nice and easy to work with.
I've talked to lots of crazy people on the phone. It's been pretty intense. I've learned to just let people yell and be polite. I've gotten quite a few crazy people in the last three days. I've been called a...
murderer
war mongerer
racist
bigot
Marxist
Communist
socialist
terrorist
and several other wonderful things.
I love how: a) these people think that they're talking to someone important when I answer the phone and b) that I actually pay attention after about 20 seconds of them yelling. People are just crazy.
Anywho, my internship is going swimmingly. I'm really enjoying it and I'm SO glad that I decided to do it this winter term. I'm thinking about trying to come back next year. It would be pretty sweet.
Hope everyone is doing well! I don't have any more pictures to add, but I plan on taking some more in the near future.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
End of Week One!
So I've finished my first week (or so) in DC and on the job. So far I'm having an awesome time. My job has been, so far, mainly typical intern work, but with an extra flair of more important things mixed in as well. I finished archiving all the executive communications, petitions, memorials, and bills and amendments to pass through the House Judiciary Committee during the last Congress (2007 and 2008). So far everyone seems to be impressed with how efficiently I work, which is probably a good thing.
I met Congressman Conyers (the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee). He was very friendly and chatted with me for a bit and thanked me for coming to help out. Apparently he mentioned me to some of the staff the next day, so I'm thinking that's probably a good thing. Overall he's a very hands-on sort of person and I enjoy working for him and the committee. All of the staff in the office are absolutely amazing. They're friendly and helpful and create an awesome work atmosphere.
On Wednesday there was a reception on the Hill for all Oberlin interns and Oberlin almuni who currently work on the Hill. I ran into a few people I've had classes with, and set up lunch get-togethers with many of them. From what I can tell, I pretty much have the best internship. It may not look the most impressive, but I'm doing more interesting work than others. One girl from my German History class is interning for Speaker Pelosi, but all she does is spend her time sorting and reading mail and writing letters to constituents. I've actually been asked to read sections of a report the committee staff are working on and edit them. I read two chapters of it (about 100 pages) this week and edited them. I'm really enjoying the opportunities I'm getting.
My intern pass also gives me quite an extensive reach of where I can go in the Capitol Building. The other interns and I plan on going to explore at some point. I carry my camera with me all the time so if picture opportunities come up, I don't miss them. I plan on taking plenty of pictures while exploring the Capitol (and I'll post them on the blog for all of you to see!).
Next Tuesday I'm going to attempt to go to the Senate Committee Hearing on Senator Clinton's nomination to be Secretary of State. I hope I can get in! If I want to go to any hearings on the Houe side of things the office can make some phone calls to get me in, but for the Senate side things are a little trickier. I pretty much have to attend as a member of the public. I plan on getting there around 8:30am (the hearing starts at 9:30am) so I can go. It would be awesome.
Things are continuing to go extremely well with the Fetter-Degges family. Theo continues to be as adorable as ever and Jon and Jan and I enjoy chatting with each other. It's a pretty sweet deal, really. I'm glad it worked out so well.
Today I took the metro out to Rockville, MD and visited my friend from Oberlin, Elissa. She took me out to lunch with a couple of her friends from high school, I met her family, and we hung out for a while. It was a lot of fun and we made plans to go to the zoo and to meet after I get off work one night and go to dinner. It's sweet that she lives so close and that we can hang out. There are several other Obies in the area, so we're going to try to organize a big get-together. Whether or not it happens is questionable, but it's a nice thought.
I'm going to attempt to post some pictures (http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/oo326/patrickindc/?albumview=slideshow). The pictures are of the House Judiciary Committee hearing room and conference room. The committee room is HUGE.
Anyway, I think that's all for now. I'll be sure to continue updating!
I met Congressman Conyers (the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee). He was very friendly and chatted with me for a bit and thanked me for coming to help out. Apparently he mentioned me to some of the staff the next day, so I'm thinking that's probably a good thing. Overall he's a very hands-on sort of person and I enjoy working for him and the committee. All of the staff in the office are absolutely amazing. They're friendly and helpful and create an awesome work atmosphere.
On Wednesday there was a reception on the Hill for all Oberlin interns and Oberlin almuni who currently work on the Hill. I ran into a few people I've had classes with, and set up lunch get-togethers with many of them. From what I can tell, I pretty much have the best internship. It may not look the most impressive, but I'm doing more interesting work than others. One girl from my German History class is interning for Speaker Pelosi, but all she does is spend her time sorting and reading mail and writing letters to constituents. I've actually been asked to read sections of a report the committee staff are working on and edit them. I read two chapters of it (about 100 pages) this week and edited them. I'm really enjoying the opportunities I'm getting.
My intern pass also gives me quite an extensive reach of where I can go in the Capitol Building. The other interns and I plan on going to explore at some point. I carry my camera with me all the time so if picture opportunities come up, I don't miss them. I plan on taking plenty of pictures while exploring the Capitol (and I'll post them on the blog for all of you to see!).
Next Tuesday I'm going to attempt to go to the Senate Committee Hearing on Senator Clinton's nomination to be Secretary of State. I hope I can get in! If I want to go to any hearings on the Houe side of things the office can make some phone calls to get me in, but for the Senate side things are a little trickier. I pretty much have to attend as a member of the public. I plan on getting there around 8:30am (the hearing starts at 9:30am) so I can go. It would be awesome.
Things are continuing to go extremely well with the Fetter-Degges family. Theo continues to be as adorable as ever and Jon and Jan and I enjoy chatting with each other. It's a pretty sweet deal, really. I'm glad it worked out so well.
Today I took the metro out to Rockville, MD and visited my friend from Oberlin, Elissa. She took me out to lunch with a couple of her friends from high school, I met her family, and we hung out for a while. It was a lot of fun and we made plans to go to the zoo and to meet after I get off work one night and go to dinner. It's sweet that she lives so close and that we can hang out. There are several other Obies in the area, so we're going to try to organize a big get-together. Whether or not it happens is questionable, but it's a nice thought.
I'm going to attempt to post some pictures (http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/oo326/patrickindc/?albumview=slideshow). The pictures are of the House Judiciary Committee hearing room and conference room. The committee room is HUGE.
Anyway, I think that's all for now. I'll be sure to continue updating!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Update #2! My first day on the job!
I had my first day of work today. Travel logistics worked out just fine. I've learned that 9am really means sometime before 9:30, which is slightly frustrating because I like to be punctual, but allows me extra time in case the Metro is delayed for whatever reason. Speaking of the Metro, the ride went fine. Susie was right, it really is almost identical to BART. It's a 6/10 of a mile walk to the Georgia Avenue Metro station and from there I take the Metro to one of the Capitol stations (Capitol SW....I think). I made it with PLENTY of time this morning. I left around 7:50am and arrived at the Judiciary Committee office around quarter to 9 (which meant that I killed 15 minutes of time by exploring the surrounding areas of the building).
Everyone in the office is extremely friendly and fun to work with (at least so far). My work is typical interning work. I'm pretty sure I made more photocopies today than I have in my entire life. I spent nearly 2 and a half hours making copies after lunch. Intense(ly boring) stuff. It's fine though. Everyone seems a bit surprised with how willing I have been to do the most mundane tasks. But that's what I'm there for, so I figure I should try to be enthusiastic about it. I have already learned lots about the inner workings of the committee (and current plans that are going on). I'm not really allowed to talk about any of it (and I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to know all of it), so I won't type it here. I'll just say that it's pretty juicy stuff.
I haven't met any members of the committee yet, but the new Congress gets sworn in tomorrow and I've been told I'll be introduced to the Chairman of the committee is Rep. Conyers (D-Michigan). I don't know if I'll get to meet anyone else who sits on the committee, but I think it would be fun.
I've started formualting stuff to do this weekend. I may go visit a couple museums or monuments. I'm not sure yet. I may also try to meet up with Elissa on Sunday, though I'll have to check to see if she's busy or not.
I had a wonderful first day. I'm really glad that everyone is so friendly. Apparently there are quite a few people from Oberlin who work on the Hill. Everytime someone finds out I go there they end up telling me that "so and so" went to Oberlin and now works in "this" office. There's a reception for Oberlin students (past and present) on Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to meeting some of them.
So, basically, everything has been going wonderfully. Theo is warming up to me. His shyness now seems to be more of a game than anything else. The Fetter-Degges are awesome and I'm really glad that they're letting me stay with them. I just hope everything continues to go this well!
Everyone in the office is extremely friendly and fun to work with (at least so far). My work is typical interning work. I'm pretty sure I made more photocopies today than I have in my entire life. I spent nearly 2 and a half hours making copies after lunch. Intense(ly boring) stuff. It's fine though. Everyone seems a bit surprised with how willing I have been to do the most mundane tasks. But that's what I'm there for, so I figure I should try to be enthusiastic about it. I have already learned lots about the inner workings of the committee (and current plans that are going on). I'm not really allowed to talk about any of it (and I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to know all of it), so I won't type it here. I'll just say that it's pretty juicy stuff.
I haven't met any members of the committee yet, but the new Congress gets sworn in tomorrow and I've been told I'll be introduced to the Chairman of the committee is Rep. Conyers (D-Michigan). I don't know if I'll get to meet anyone else who sits on the committee, but I think it would be fun.
I've started formualting stuff to do this weekend. I may go visit a couple museums or monuments. I'm not sure yet. I may also try to meet up with Elissa on Sunday, though I'll have to check to see if she's busy or not.
I had a wonderful first day. I'm really glad that everyone is so friendly. Apparently there are quite a few people from Oberlin who work on the Hill. Everytime someone finds out I go there they end up telling me that "so and so" went to Oberlin and now works in "this" office. There's a reception for Oberlin students (past and present) on Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to meeting some of them.
So, basically, everything has been going wonderfully. Theo is warming up to me. His shyness now seems to be more of a game than anything else. The Fetter-Degges are awesome and I'm really glad that they're letting me stay with them. I just hope everything continues to go this well!
Two updates today!
I'm putting up two updates today. The first is something I wrote yesterday (Sunday), but was unable to post because of a lack of internet access. Here it is:
4 January 2009
Right now I’m typing this up into a word document because the internet is down. Once the internet is back up, however, I look forward to making this my first official update on my DC blog!
I have moved in with the Fetter-Degges family in DC: Jon and Jan and their 2-year-old son, Theo. They are a lovely family and Theo is adorable. I think that living them will be an enjoyable experience. Only time will tell, though. I have pretty sweet accommodations. I have my own room and some closet space and I have even been given space for groceries in the kitchen. Theo is allergic to dairy, eggs, wheat, and rye, so if I want any of those (which I will), I have to get them on my own. That shouldn’t be a problem though. Jon and Jan both went to Oberlin (class of 1993, I think). It has been fun chatting with them about the school and the campus and how some things never really change.
I start my first day of work tomorrow! The House Judiciary Committee office is not located in the capitol building, but in the Rayburn House Office Building (essentially across the street, unless I’m mistaken. I’ll figure it out for sure tomorrow). My dress code is pretty lax. Only jeans and a polo shirt or a button-down shirt when Congress isn’t in session or a vote isn’t scheduled. Otherwise, it’s formal business attire, which is what I was anticipating it would be all the time. I’m excited to see what I’ll actually be doing. Once I find out, I’ll be sure to let you all know.
I’m leaving plenty of time to navigate the Metro and find the correct office building tomorrow. It really shouldn’t be that bad, but I’m freakishly paranoid and would rather be safe than sorry. My work hours are 9-6 (blah), which means I’ll be there in PLENTY of time if I leave here around 7:45. It’s about six tenths of a mile to the metro station from the Fetter-Degges’ house, and I plan on walking. It shouldn’t be too bad. Jan recommended getting a smart pas so, if I feel like it, I can take the bus back from the station rather than walking every day. For now I plan on walking. It’ll be good for me.
The weather here has been slightly warmer than normal for this time of year. Low 40s today. It’s supposed to cool down and possibly rain sometime this week, so I’ll keep an eye out for that. I’m not too worried. DC’s winter isn’t as bad as Oberlin’s, or so I’ve been told.
I’ve already made a list of places I want to visit while I’m here. It’s quite long, so I’ll have to narrow it down. I do plan on doing some touristy activities while I’m here, though. It would be a missed opportunity if I didn’t. Plus I’ll need something to do on weekends! :P
My friend Elissa lives in Rockville, MD (not too far outside DC), so we plan on getting together at some point. I also found out that my friend Andrew is also here doing an internship with some governmental organization (I can’t remember which at the moment), so I may get together with him as well. If I find out that anyone else is here that I know, I’ll try to hang out with them, too.
For now I’m just excited about starting my internship. I do need to plan my trip home, soon. The Baltimore airport has cheap flights to Cleveland, so that’s probably what I’ll do. I could also take the train, but I don’t really think a 12-hour train ride is what I’ll want at the end of Winter Term. I’d rather just fly. It’s faster and I’ll get back to Oberlin sooner so I can get readjusted to life there. I won’t have much time between getting back and starting class, so I want to be back as quickly as possible.
I think that’s it for now. I don’t promise to update once I get back from work tomorrow, but I will write again at some point this week so everyone can know how things are working out.
4 January 2009
Right now I’m typing this up into a word document because the internet is down. Once the internet is back up, however, I look forward to making this my first official update on my DC blog!
I have moved in with the Fetter-Degges family in DC: Jon and Jan and their 2-year-old son, Theo. They are a lovely family and Theo is adorable. I think that living them will be an enjoyable experience. Only time will tell, though. I have pretty sweet accommodations. I have my own room and some closet space and I have even been given space for groceries in the kitchen. Theo is allergic to dairy, eggs, wheat, and rye, so if I want any of those (which I will), I have to get them on my own. That shouldn’t be a problem though. Jon and Jan both went to Oberlin (class of 1993, I think). It has been fun chatting with them about the school and the campus and how some things never really change.
I start my first day of work tomorrow! The House Judiciary Committee office is not located in the capitol building, but in the Rayburn House Office Building (essentially across the street, unless I’m mistaken. I’ll figure it out for sure tomorrow). My dress code is pretty lax. Only jeans and a polo shirt or a button-down shirt when Congress isn’t in session or a vote isn’t scheduled. Otherwise, it’s formal business attire, which is what I was anticipating it would be all the time. I’m excited to see what I’ll actually be doing. Once I find out, I’ll be sure to let you all know.
I’m leaving plenty of time to navigate the Metro and find the correct office building tomorrow. It really shouldn’t be that bad, but I’m freakishly paranoid and would rather be safe than sorry. My work hours are 9-6 (blah), which means I’ll be there in PLENTY of time if I leave here around 7:45. It’s about six tenths of a mile to the metro station from the Fetter-Degges’ house, and I plan on walking. It shouldn’t be too bad. Jan recommended getting a smart pas so, if I feel like it, I can take the bus back from the station rather than walking every day. For now I plan on walking. It’ll be good for me.
The weather here has been slightly warmer than normal for this time of year. Low 40s today. It’s supposed to cool down and possibly rain sometime this week, so I’ll keep an eye out for that. I’m not too worried. DC’s winter isn’t as bad as Oberlin’s, or so I’ve been told.
I’ve already made a list of places I want to visit while I’m here. It’s quite long, so I’ll have to narrow it down. I do plan on doing some touristy activities while I’m here, though. It would be a missed opportunity if I didn’t. Plus I’ll need something to do on weekends! :P
My friend Elissa lives in Rockville, MD (not too far outside DC), so we plan on getting together at some point. I also found out that my friend Andrew is also here doing an internship with some governmental organization (I can’t remember which at the moment), so I may get together with him as well. If I find out that anyone else is here that I know, I’ll try to hang out with them, too.
For now I’m just excited about starting my internship. I do need to plan my trip home, soon. The Baltimore airport has cheap flights to Cleveland, so that’s probably what I’ll do. I could also take the train, but I don’t really think a 12-hour train ride is what I’ll want at the end of Winter Term. I’d rather just fly. It’s faster and I’ll get back to Oberlin sooner so I can get readjusted to life there. I won’t have much time between getting back and starting class, so I want to be back as quickly as possible.
I think that’s it for now. I don’t promise to update once I get back from work tomorrow, but I will write again at some point this week so everyone can know how things are working out.
Monday, December 29, 2008
First post!
Well here we are! As you all know, I'm spending Winter Term in DC this January. This blog is designated to keep everyone up to date on all that goes on during the time I'm there. Happy reading!
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