AND THEN......

LOVE to everyone at home, I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

Here's the thing, I wasn't sure if I would have time to blog everyday, or even once a week while in DC.  I probably have time to write more than I do, but I'm TOO TIRED!!!! Work is wonderful, challenging, tiring and refreshing all at the same time.  My first full week of my internship has come to an end, and I was not disappointed.  At least once a day, I have been out of the office, bouncing around DC (ok, maybe limping around DC because I think I broke a toe...don't ask).  Usually, I'm on the Hill twice a day.  I won't regal you with tales of everything I did, but the most memorable experience of last week was getting to see Hilary Clinton speak on the Hill! Yea, that's right people ;).  I attended a 2008 Democrats summit on the Senate Side of the Capitol and Hilary was the closing speaker.  I was literally 2 feet away from one of the most influential women of our time.  It was surreal.  

She spoke for about 20 minutes.  To say I was impressed, would not do justice to her eloquence and charisma, especially in person.  As I listened, my brain jumped back and forth from trying to let what she was saying sink in.....to trying to figure out what the secret service agent was saying on his stealth little mic thing behind me, to charting Hilary's progression from First Lady to one of the most talked about people in our country's history.  What I took away from listening to Senator Clinton speak (besides trying to keep my mental ADD under control, ha) was that she is someone who was a viable candidate for the Presidency of the United States, who just happens to be a woman.  She is NOT a woman, who just happens to be a viable candidate for the presidency of the United States....An EXTREMELY important distinction. 

DC is abuzz with McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin.  I'm not going to go there.....NOT HERE, NOT NOW!!!  I could write a book on that ridiculous situation (PLEASE SEE THE NEW VIDEO ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY BLOG in regards to Palin, it's truly a 5 minute slice of genius)....You can't get away from the political buzz of this election.  I'm loving every second of it.  Never before have I been so motivated to know every single little detail about this political maelstrom.  I mean, seriously, where else in the world can you live where a homeless person hits on you with the words, "Hey baby, Who are you going to vote for?!!" (This happened to me a block away from the Capitol building.  Normally getting hit on by a guy, slouched over on a bench, sipping on a beverage in an ever-so-inconspicuous brown bag would be extremely off-putting.  But I gotta say, his comment was so unexpected that I laughed right out loud.  It was hilarious.

This probably hasn't been one of my most eloquent posts =) but after the over-stimulating week I had, I refuse to be anywhere near eloquent until 9am Monday morning!  Here are a few pictures I took last weekend of my little jaunt with my roommate, Heather, to see the Washington Monument after I saw the Jim Henson exhibit at the Smithsonian.  The transition from my immersion in "Fraggle Rock" memories to visiting one of the biggest Phallic statues in the world was pretty random....fun, but random. 

A little me "leaning" against the monument

The Lincoln Memorial beyond the Reflecting Pool

Reflecting on our reflections in the Reflecting Pool.... Are you reflecting on us too? ha ;)

SITTING IN A CLASSROOM....TAKING A STAND

My first full working week in Washington DC is done, AND.... SCENCE.  

I've discovered that the first week of an internship can be ridiculously overwhelming, confusing, tiring, educational and most of all rewarding.  After feeling unsure of what my responsibilities were actually going to be after my first day on the job, I quickly forced myself to keep an open mind and an open heart, and just let the cards fall where they may. It paid off.

I decided that whatever they throw at me I'm going to do it better and more uniquely than the person before me.  Time will tell if I actually accomplish this lofty goal.  It's common for me to build up standards and place expectations on myself that are nearly impossible to reach, BUT that's the way I am, and obviously, it's one of the reasons why I'm sitting in a Dupont Circle Starbucks, surrounded by A SEA OF POLITICOS in our nation's Capital.

I'm not gonna lie.  Getting on the metro and going to work every morning, seamlessly intermingling myself with the suit-wearing, high heel strutting, newspaper touting community that is Washington DC's professional public- is thrilling on a number of levels.  It might seem to be a youthful or glamorized take on hauling myself 45 minutes to work every morning (sans my usual cup of coffee) in a crowed train; but it's not that simple.  The difference between being a college student and an intern is ACTION.  At school I'm sitting in a  desk for 2 hours and LEARNING about Nonprofit organizations and women's studies.  As an intern in Washington DC, I'm actually PARTICIPATING in legislation, drafting policy, and literally standing up for the rights of women and girls.  The classroom seems like such a distant memory; all I see now is the glossy shine of the marble outside my building, the blinking lights of the metro, the national landmarks and historical memories around every corner and the American melting pot of opportunities that are just within my grasp.

P.S. I'm really tired =)

3 STATES....NO CAR

This morning I saw the permanent exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial Museum.  I was literally at a loss for words.  I don't have a witty remark or a pithy comment for this one.  I truly think that my generation cannot simply comprehend genocide in any capacity.  My generation tends to be desensitized and over-stimulated at the same time, thanks to overexposure to the media and pop culture.  Spending 3 hours attempting to slip into the stolen shoes of a Holocaust victim left me  exactly that...desensitized and over-stimulated, BUT it had nothing to do with CNN or Britney Spears.  For 3 hours I thought nothing of fashion or if my hair looked okay.  For 3 hours, I appreciated existing in a generation, in a country where ethnic cleansing doesn't exist and where a national tradition of democracy and freedom have made it nearly impossible for me to conceptualize would it would have been like to have been persecuted because of my faith.  

I am being presented with opportunities that millions of children who were immediately terminated with their arrival to concentration camps will NEVER have. Needless to say, my morning definitely put things in perspective for me.  That little exercise in walking through life with a grateful, positive attitude served me well as I had an experience this afternoon that would have normally bothered me ALOT more than I let it today.  We all know my middle name is Mary, NOT PATIENCE.

In order to get a textbook for my TWC class that meets for the first time this Thursday my instructor e-mailed instructions to go to the George Mason University bookstore to purchase the book.  It's not as easy as it looks kids.

I went through 3 STATES....NO CAR!  Starting in MD, I used the metro to go through D.C., to VA, got on a bus that eventually took me to the GMU campus, walked across a UCONN size campus, bought my book and attempted to patiently (includes appreciating life, freedom of religion, great opportunities all at the same time) repeat the aforementioned process in reverse.  4 hours people.... 4 hours to buy a book that will probably share the fate of most of the textbooks I have bought over the past four years... I won't read it and I'll get an A in the class anyway (ok so the holocaust museum didn't necessarily teach me humility).

Here's the thing...I'm now extremely confident using almost every mode of transportation available to me throughout the span of 3 states.  I'm also confident that today put a few more notches in the life lesson belt on several levels.  I would like to think that I've put a fair amount of notches on that belt before coming to Washington but.... I have a feeling the belt is going to become a little more 'weathered' over the next 15 weeks.  I'm going to have to keep these lessons with me....Gonna wear that belt nice and tight!

First day of work tomorrow =)

AND.........SCENE

I'M TIRED NOW.... REALLY TIRED.....THAT IS ALL

THE HILL.... NOT "The Hills"

Free concert on the West Lawn of the Capital anyone? Yea.... That's what I thought =)

Tonight I went to the National Symphony Orchestra's Labor Day concert on the lawn.  Free is always a bonus, and it was my first glimpse of Downtown D.C. and THE HILL, where I'll hopefully be spending a lot of my time during the weeks to come.  The music was really great, I haven't been to an orchestra performance since I was IN the orchestra.

One thing that really struck me was that to open the show they, of course, played the National Anthem.  Everyone (easily 2,000+ people) stood up, turned towards the Capital building and the flag, took their hats off, placed their hands over their heart and sang along to the anthem.  It's obvious to me that Patriotism and displaying great pride in being an American is not just a cliche here, it's really heartfelt and a way of life.  I'm not sure why that surprised me, maybe it's that New England Sarcasm and jaded sense of society everyone keeps telling me I have because I'm from CT.  They call it jaded, I call it realistic lol.  Oh well.... The NSO played a variety of songs from cartoon numbers to a huge medley of South Pacific numbers.  It definitely made me miss you MOM, I could literally picture you sitting on the blanket next to me, singing to the orchestra OUT LOUD.... I know, you just can't help yourself sometimes =)

The west lawn tonight..... Click to see the full view!

PARTISAN COCKTAILS

You would think that after being here for almost one week I would be overwhelmed with work and due dates and projects for TWC.  This, however, is not the case!  My first day of work is not until Wednesday, the 3rd so I've just been settling in and lazily exploring my new city.  

Last night My roommate and I, and a few other interns checked out the Adams Morgan district.  It's supposed to be one of the most diverse and exciting neighborhoods in DC.  It definitely did not disappoint.  It took us about an hour and half to figure out where we wanted to eat because we were overwhelmed with all of the not-so-average choices.  We ended up eating at a little Indian place and the food was fantastic... a slight departure from that good 'ole chicken, rice and green beans I'm so found of ;) (Note the sarcasm.... DAD).

Then we hit up the most famous, or should I say infamous joint in Adams Morgan.... Madams Organ.  Yes, you read that right.  Its a ridiculously eclectic bar with live music every night.  The scene was extremely diverse, the music was incredible (bluesy jam session type deal) and the drinks were strong and inexpensive.... HELLO, intern heaven!  TWC interns and I have received some skeptical looks when being carded at the door or trying to order a drink at a bar and getting carded.  There were 7 of us last night, and every single one of us is from a different state or country.... We represented Connecticut, Oregon, Hawaii, Iowa, China, Massachusetts, and Ohio! Here's a little look at the place.

Click on the Pics for a bigger view.  Madam's Organ is the bar with the lovely Redheaded lady on the side.  After the music we stopped at one more place that had a little more upscale, political atmosphere.  I MEAN.... where else can you order a PARTISAN COCKTAIL?  We had the option of enjoying an OBAMA RAMA (colored blue) or a SUGAR MCAIN (which was red).  I wonder what the independents tend to order? Even drinking is political here ha.  

IN THE TWINKLE OF A YOUNG GIRLS EYE

I think I've caught the D.C. fever.....

Last night I watched the DNC with my roommates and sat riveted to the TV while Barack Obama delivered a speech that was truly inspiring.  I can't put into words how exciting it is to be in the city that is literally the epicenter for all of this political buzz.  It's amazing.  With a democratic majority on the Hill and a possible Democratic President, I hope to be in DC to really see the national CHANGE that will likely come about! ANYWAY.....

I went out last night with one of my roomates and ran some errands around the center.  Here's a few twinkley pictures of the town center all lit up and night.  

We had yet another orientation today; I signed up to volunteer for Obama's Campaign.  This weekend I'm free as a bird.  I plan to sleep in (SHOCKER, i know) and hopefully explore the city a little more if this rain will ever stop.  I think maybe I'll go check the White House out, ya know see what Good 'ole George Dubya is up to ;) and then probably scope out my route to work so I won't be all late and confused on my first day Tuesday.  

Also, just a heads up.... One of the speakers today mentioned that if you network with the right people in DC you'll probably be invited to several GALAS that will be happening this fall.... I'm gonna go work on that....In the twinkle of a young girls eye!