My First Weekend of Flurries!

Hi again!

Friday was a great day at work! My boss was actually out of the office all day, so I held the fort down like the young professional I am trying to be! :)

I was EXHAUSTED after a week of work, but the housemates had made big plans for the weekend! We spent Friday night at Dupont Circle at one of my favorites spots-Mad Hatter! To make the night even more memorable it was snowing! I've never been out and about during the snow and it was quite an experience! Only one housemate took a tumble due to the

weather and it wasn't me! I was SO proud of myself! Below is me just hanging out in the snow-like a champ!

It pretty much flurried all weekend, and I loved it. The stairs in front of my house are quite the challenge and it takes me a good five minutes to get down all four of them. :)

Saturday morning, one of my housemates and I went to brunch at a great little spot called Beach Bar and Grill. They had a delicious brunch buffet!

On Saturday afternoon, a CofC friend came to visit. He was in his hometown of Richmond before he departs on his semester adventure to Amsterdam! We bundled up and explored the city, once again in the snow! The things I get to see on a daily basis are postcard worthy! This city looks just beautiful dusted in snow!

Saturday night we spent a bit more time celebrating the birthday of one of the housemates. We had a blast!

Sunday we cleaned up the house--it doesn't take too long to make a disaster of this place with 15 of us here. I did my laundry, cleaned my room, and prepared for the week.

It is an exciting week here in the house! We start class this week. Tuesday nights are "Debating Issues in Washington" classes while Thursdays are "Theatre in Washington, DC." We are all hardly adjusted to the 9-5 day schedule so it will certainly be interested to add a 7-9pm commitment on top of that! I think we are all excited though!

Tomorrow is the State of the Union address. We are having pizza and watching it all together. A presidential party if you will!

We have an assignment due on Friday so I am off to do that! Love and miss you all!

3 days in....

Hi again everybody!

I feel like so much has happened since Tuesday morning! My first few days of work have been incredible! This is my first experience at a 9-5 desk job, so it is certainly different than what I am used to, but I find myself smiling all during the day.

Though I can't share specific details of my job, I can tell you a bit about my internship. I get to spend the first hour of my day drinking coffee and catching up on the news of the morning and the evening before. My supervisor stresses the importance of being up to date on all news since I am working in a climate that is politics, politics, politics! I love this part of my day! It is a nice transition from sleepy morning metro rides to the hype of the work day!

Other than that, I spend my days putting together newsletters and email blasts to go out to members of NWPC. I even got to write my own "Intern Spotlight" for my upcoming feature in the newsletter! :)

My main duty for now is to identify women running for office in 2012, contact their campaigns, and get them the appropriate materials for potential NWPC endorsement! I keep a running list of our currently endorsed candidates and track their campaigns!

Alongside of that, I do basic secretarial work, answering phones, taking messages, taking notes on conference calls, etc.

I LOVE MY JOB!

I have nothing else too exciting to share! I've been exhausted after getting home so I haven't done too much else.

Last night was a meet and greet with Washington Semester Program Alum. They say that a large percentage of students that come through this program end up back in DC. A few of the alum were lawyers, a few were staffers on the Hill, and a few worked in careers completely separate from politics! It was so exciting to see where their careers headed after their semester in Washington! They all said it was their best semester and that it was a life-changing experience!

I've also started practicing yoga again with a few housemates! Its an amazing way to unwind after work and stretch after being in a chair all day!

I am SO excited for the weekend! I need to get my nails done, go grocery shopping, sleep, and have a bit of fun!

Goodnight everyone! Sleep sweet!

Early Morning

Good morning everyone!

This is an incredibly exciting for me and a few a of my housemates! It is our first day of work!

Just to catch you up-I spent my Sunday with a group of housemates that went to church together. We found an AMAZING church less than a mile from our house! It was so great to find fellowship right in my own house and neighborhood! Made me feel just right! Afterwards, our group had brunch and then ventured to explore Chinatown a little further.

Sunday night we decided to go out in celebration of one of the two days we have off this semester (MLK)! We spent a bit of time in Dupont Circle when I became tired, and some of us came home! Little did I know, I was missing the real fun at the house! It was a late night so I needed to catch up on sleep!

I got much needed sleep on Monday until about 11am. Our house had tickets to the Wizards (NBA) game at 2pm so I got up, made myself lunch, and prepared to watch the game. I know the Wizards are certainly not the most stellar team in the NBA, but it was a great way to enjoy the city together.

The latter part of my Monday was spent wandering around Georgetown, and yes-we did stop by Georgetown Cupcake. There was about a 15 minute wait to get in the door, AND they had a bouncer outside to keep things under control. What an experience!!!! I had a mint chocolate cupcake that was nothing less than delectable.

I got into bed around 10pm last night to prepare for my early morning. In a house of 15-time and hot water is rather limited so I decided to take first shower at 6am. I'm off to get ready and make myself breakfast! I should be at the metro station by 8:30am so I need to get my day started!

I cannot wait to update the blog with details of my first day! I couldn't be more excited!

Have an incredible day everyone!

Tourist Action

So when I last left you, I was so exhausted from the day long scavenger hunt. I am now rested and recovered so I'll catch you all up on the last few days!

Good news-my team actually WON the scavenger hunt! We won Itunes giftcards, the exemption of one class assignment, and of course, bragging rights! :)

On Wednesday my housemates and I spent the day between touring Library of Congress and the Holocaust Museum. The Library of Congress was absolutely stunning! We saw things like a Guttenburg Bible, the contents of Lincoln's pockets the night he was assassinated, and the remaining books from Thomas Jefferson's library.

The Holocaust Museum was one of the most interesting experiences I have ever encountered. In what seemed just like a few minutes we walked through the museum. After 4 hours in the musuem, we were all emotionally exhausted. I would venture to say this is one of DC's finest museums and a must-experience when you are in the area.

That evening we had an intern reception hosted by our housing company. Putting over 100 interns in the same place was a bonding experience for us all!

The next morning we went as a group to the Smithsonian American History Museum. We met with one of the head curators that gave us some behind the scenes information of the museums. Certainly a perspective I had never considered, but it made me view museum exhibitions a bit differently.

Friday was the first day of work for most of the people in the house. My first day of work is Tuesday the 17th so I used my Friday for R&R (as if I hadn't had enough already) and a bit of exploring! I walked to my work and explored the area a little further. Friday night was my frist real night out in DC! It was fun to say the least! The nightlife here goes later than what I am used to which caused me to be super tired all day today!

Off to watch more football with the housemates.

Enjoy your Saturday evening!

Phew!

Hello!

I am EXHAUSTED to say the least. Today, as a part of orientation, we had a day-long scavenger hunt ALL OVER the DC area! Beginning this morning, myself and two guys from my program, strategized a plan and set out on our adventure. Some highlights from the day are below:

-The Kennedy Center-at the Foggy Bottom metro stop we took a shuttle to the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. The venue was absolutely beautiful. The bust of JFK was a bronze sculpture that was truly overwhelming! Also, there was a roof terrace that was breathtaking. The view of Georgetown from the terrace was probably my favorite of the day.

-We also visited Ford Theater (site of Lincoln's Assassination). Though this was never a place that I had thought about visiting, it was an eerily exciting feeling to be there. This once again reminded me of what a politically charged city that I am living in!

-Embassies of Greece, Cameroon, and Japan were also on the scavenger hunt. The row of embassy after embassy made me think of how important DC is internationally. I live in the capitol of the entire country-WOAH! On our mission to find the embassies, we ran into a statue of Ghandi which was also a highlight! :)

-We ventured through Chinatown, found Mama Ayesha's famous mid-eastern restaurant, strolled through the Church of the Presidents (St. John's Episcopal), sat on the lap of Albert Einstein, visited Monica Lewinsky's favorite bookstore (Kramerbooks & Afterwords), stood on the steps of The Real World DC House (no, not the house that I live in) and so much more!

Even though I feel like I just ran a marathon, I certainly learned lessons!

-Escalator etiquette is crucial-you will get shoved and probably cursed at!

-The metro just takes practice, but carry hand sanitizer!

-DC WALKS, and they walk FAST! This city is constantly moving!

-Happy Hour starts at 3:30 here.

-Google can help you with almost anything!

-Being in a state beyond the point of exhaustion is certainly a bonding experience!

-I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this city!!!!

I am currently in a room not much larger than my bedroom watching "Storage Wars" with my fellow interns...so I will say goodnight for now! Enjoy the pictures!

Gender Stereotyping in a DC Giftshop

It is no surprise that our nation's capitol has its fair share of gender stereotyping. While in a gift shop at Union Station, I ran across a gift shop that had darling "DC items" for children. In the little boys section I ran across the following:

Wanting to verify what I saw, I took the blue water bottle to the cash register and asked if they carried the "Future President" items in any other colors. The attendant told me no.

What do these types of messages say to our young people? Little boys should aspire to be president and little girls are not encouraged to do the same. While this country has come a long way in regards to women's rights (we will have had the vote for 100 years in just 8 short years), we still have a long way to go.

So what is a progressive parent to do? I say buy their little girl the blue plate and water bottle. Blue doesn't necessarily mean boy! Use it as a teaching moment! Or, write the company to get a "little girl" version of the same!

Though it may seem like just an innocent children's gift, it made me realize even more how "out of place" women can still seem in politics. What a motivator! I certainly have my work cut out for me, and I couldn't be more ready! :)

Hi again!

What a weekend! Today is my first official night with no family in DC! Scary, but I can honestly say that I am feeling at home! My internship starts just a week from tomorrow, and I cannot wait. My weekend was split between moving in, having fun with the family, and getting to know my 14 new housemates. The move in went smoothly. I have one roommate in a fairly large dorm-style room (now I just have to keep it organized and tidy)! My mom, my aunt, my uncle, and I spent our time driving through neighborhoods, finding great new restaurants, and familiarizing ourselves with my neighborhood.

Speaking of my neighborhood--it couldn't get any better! I have a new

favorite bagel shop just across the street called "Bagels and Baguettes!" Also, the pub next door, Union Pub, is an amazing hangout that we have already frequented! Although I was apprehensive to say goodbye to my family (yes, I did shed a few tears), I am adjusting quite nicely, and I know that this time will just fly by!

My housemates are all fantastic. It is so refreshing to be around 14 politically-motivated students from South Carolina. There is never a dull moment. From debating politics to grocery shopping to watching The Kardashians-we have all certainly bonded over the last couple of days.

Tomorrow begins orientation for my program (The South Carolina Honors Washington Semester Program). Our session commences at 10am, so we are all trying to be asleep by midnight.

The pictures you see are of my neighborhood as well as me in front of my place of work (The National Women's Political Caucus!)

I can't wait to share more about the classes I will be taking and tomorrow's adventures!

Night!

The Night Before

Hi everyone-

Just to briefly introduce myself-

I am a student at the College of Charleston studying Political Science and Women's and Gender Studies. I am preparing to embark on quite the exciting adventure. Tomorrow morning at 6am, I am heading to the nation's capitol. Yep, Washington, DC...a rather large city for a girl from South Carolina!

My internship will be with the National Women's Political Caucus. I will be a Political Planning and Action intern. Though I am not certain of all of my responsibilities, I am sure that it will be a challenging and rewarding experience. I could not be more excited, but no lie, the nerves are kicking in! Mostly, I am concerned about the freezing weather among a few other things.

I've got to go continue the late-night, last-minute packing job that is causing a great deal of stress to my mother, but I will update tomorrow upon my arrival.

Night!