If I tried to contact any of my friends at Wake Forest, I could be trying in vain because they are living in Z. Smith Reynolds library. Final exams are the first priority of almost every college student right now. But here in D.C. it works a little differently.
Maybe because this program does not have intense final exams, the end of the semester has honestly snuck up on me. I now have about a week and a half left with the Quebec Government Office and it is bittersweet- as much as I have enjoyed my time here, I am ready for flip flops and summer. So, because this week I have a final paper due in my WFU independent study class, an exam and a paper due in my TWC academic course, and a portfolio due to TWC, this is my final blog entry.
In my family, we have a tradition after a vacation to list the four worst activities and the four best activities of our trip. So to carry on that tradition, first I will tell you what I saw to be the pitfalls of the semester:
4) Missing Wake Forest- As much as I love that my WFU friends sincerely tried to keep in touch with me, it was hard to hear of them doing the typical spring semester events without me. But in order to spend a semester in D.C., obviously I had to leave Wake. So all in all, it was a good trade off, but just something I did not expect to feel when I arrived here.
3) My Apartment- I actually have no great complaint here. My apartment had everything that the four of us needed, but I do know that others lived in more upgraded apartments than mine. However, the apartment complex is going to renovate our particular apt unit so the next group will be good to go!
2) Mount Vernon- I never got a chance to go here. The weekends were always busy with something going on in the city, so I never wanted to leave for a full day. Same with the Newseum- I know that it takes about 2 days to go through that museum, and I never wanted to set aside that much time from the other events of D.C. to be in just one museum. Oh well….
1) The Snow- Oh. My. Goodness. I still am reeling from how much snow we got. But it was record breaking amounts, so I don’t think this will be a huge problem for others in the future.
As you might have noticed, I have very few legitimate complaints from the semester, because I had with the semester because realistically everything ran very smoothly. So, playing off of that and to leave it on a positive note, I want to include list of the top four things from my experience here:
4) My Roommate- After living with someone for a semester, you naturally know the other person better than most. I think that personally I lucked out with my roommate, but living with Anne was nothing short of a pleasure- she is now one of my best friends, and I will not be able to think back on this semester in D.C. without having her in my memory (sorry if that sounds cheesy, but its true).
3) The Internship- Obviously this was the reason I came to D.C. so it’s a good thing it ended up on the list. But the people in the office were great, and the work experience was invaluable. Now when I go back to college next year and continue to avoid the real world, I have a better idea what to expect when I get out of the University atmosphere.
2) The Undies Run- Yes, I think that this experience, although bizarre and possibly embarrassing to my family name, was one of the best things that I did. Having the opportunity to get involved in some of the local, young single life was enjoyable and it gave me the opportunity to see the city in a completely new light!
1) The Supreme Court- I am totally and completely a nerd, but the two hours I spent in that court room were inexplicably unlike anything else I have ever done. It was absolutely worth my time in D.C. just to see that.
And so, just as every great actress does as she wins her Oscar, I feel the need to thank all those people who kept reading this blog: Mom and Dad; Aunt Barbara and Tom; Aunt Becky; Anne’s family; Connor; Sarah W; Sara C.; Corey; all my other WFU friends; Mr. Bryant; my mom’s friends; Mr. McCarthy, and all those people that consistently read this without my knowledge. Knowing that you are reading about my experience has made it enjoyable to consistently write about my time here.
And as usual, I will end my blog humming to:
Que Sera Sera.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
“All the World’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” So if Shakespeare was right, then what’s your part in the play??
Personally, I couldn’t tell you mine. Not because of wanting to keep some sort of secret, but because of really having absolutely no clue. I mean none. That’s part of the reason I came to D.C. and wanted the internship was to figure out my life goals. And while I am maybe a half step closer to that, as of now I still have no idea about my role. Zip – zero – nada.
But luckily, Monday evening it was not my time to figure out my role. Rather, I got to watch a play take place!!! As part of my Christmas present, I had received a gift certificate from my father to use at the Kennedy Center. So, Anne and I put our heads together and decided how we wanted to use this gift.
Since Anne is a thespian and can understand artistry, we went to see Shear Madness which is a satire play about a murder that took place within a hair salon. This play is one of the longest running plays in the United States, so we thought it was a worthy choice.
After all our Monday programming activities we rushed home to get ready for our big night out. We got all fancy- dresses worn, hair done, heels on. Too bad no one else in the room was as well dressed as us. Apparently the middle school groups with matching hooded sweatshirts can look like they are at a slumber party when they go to a play. But whatever- GIRL’S NIGHT OUT!
Anyway, the Kennedy Center building was surprisingly large! Look how high the ceiling is!
Because I refuse to give up the ending to the play, I will include these pictures in the blog. Technically I got yelled at when I took them, but after giving the doe-eyed look, the security people did not make me delete them. So here’s the stage!!!
So for a night, I was able to put aside my portfolio, my Wake Forest independent study, and my TWC class to watch a play. And instead of trying to figure out my particular role in the world, I was able to watch others take on a well-acted personality.
As Shakespeare said, “and so he plays his part.”
Que Sera Sera.
Personally, I couldn’t tell you mine. Not because of wanting to keep some sort of secret, but because of really having absolutely no clue. I mean none. That’s part of the reason I came to D.C. and wanted the internship was to figure out my life goals. And while I am maybe a half step closer to that, as of now I still have no idea about my role. Zip – zero – nada.
But luckily, Monday evening it was not my time to figure out my role. Rather, I got to watch a play take place!!! As part of my Christmas present, I had received a gift certificate from my father to use at the Kennedy Center. So, Anne and I put our heads together and decided how we wanted to use this gift.
Since Anne is a thespian and can understand artistry, we went to see Shear Madness which is a satire play about a murder that took place within a hair salon. This play is one of the longest running plays in the United States, so we thought it was a worthy choice.
After all our Monday programming activities we rushed home to get ready for our big night out. We got all fancy- dresses worn, hair done, heels on. Too bad no one else in the room was as well dressed as us. Apparently the middle school groups with matching hooded sweatshirts can look like they are at a slumber party when they go to a play. But whatever- GIRL’S NIGHT OUT!
Proof for my family and friends who know all too well that I enjoy jeans and tee-shirts more than heels and makeup. Anne’s family is probably not surprised at her fancy appearance as she is always put together!
Anyway, the Kennedy Center building was surprisingly large! Look how high the ceiling is!
Anne found her favorite Argentinian flag
So the play- I don’t actually want to give away the ending because obviously is a murder mystery. And sorry mom, I know you like to skip to the end of the book to know what happens, but I’m not giving this one away. But I will recommend this play to EVERYONE. It is about a male hairdresser, his flaky yet flirty assistant, a surly businessman, and a certifiably nuts cougar of an old woman who are all murder suspects. While much of the play is rehearsed, there are ad-libbed references to popular culture and D.C. references throughout the play- the witty banter really keeps the audience on their toes.Because I refuse to give up the ending to the play, I will include these pictures in the blog. Technically I got yelled at when I took them, but after giving the doe-eyed look, the security people did not make me delete them. So here’s the stage!!!
So for a night, I was able to put aside my portfolio, my Wake Forest independent study, and my TWC class to watch a play. And instead of trying to figure out my particular role in the world, I was able to watch others take on a well-acted personality.
As Shakespeare said, “and so he plays his part.”
Que Sera Sera.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
One Potato, Two Potato
Three Potato, Four!
Five Potato, Six Potato
Seven Potato, MORE!
That’s the rhyme that’s been stuck in my head the past few days. Except that my version goes slightly differently.
One Motorcade, Two Motorcade,
Three Motorcade, Four!
Five Motorcade, Six Motorcade,
Seven Motorcade, MORE!
The nuclear summit took place here in D.C. the past few days. Remember when I said that D.C. has a one track mind? Well, this summit was literally all anyone could talk about. Because everyone in the metropolitan area of D.C. has been affected by this summit in one way or another, story after story is being told about how the summit affected so-and-so. Well here’s my story:
On one rainy Tuesday afternoon at the corner of 13th and H, I was abruptly stopped by a man in camo. I needed to get on the Metro to go to my class, but he wasn’t letting anyone cross the street until the streets were “clear.” So I waited there between two temporary barricades and waited for the man in camo to let me cross.
A few minutes pass. I still haven’t crossed the street. A few more minutes go by. A motorcade goes through. I still haven’t crossed the street. A few more minutes go by. Another motorcade goes through. I still haven’t crossed the street.
THREE more motorcades later I still haven’t crossed the street. As a general rule of thumb, I try not to mess with huge guys in camo, but I finally asked the man if he would ever let us cross. Answer: no. Perfect. Why he couldn’t have told me this earlier I don’t know. After maneuvering my way around the rest of the city to open streets, I finally made it to my Metro stop. So thank you to the diplomats at the summit for making me 5 minutes late to my class session.
Although, venting aside, I did see the president’s motorcade. You ever seen a big black SUV? Ever seen three of them driving behind each other on the highway? Well, that was about what it was like – times 10 – with sirens. But just knowing that Obama was somewhere squeezed in between the secret service guys made it way more exciting.
On a different note, I had my public policy dialogue today. This is the part of TWC experience where you talk to your senator or congressman (or in my case, his aide). I met with the aid of Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia. The point of this meeting is to get to either ask questions of or suggest policies to your representative. Since I’ve been focusing so much on energy for the Quebec Government Office, most of my questions revolved around the policy area of energy within the state of Georgia. But despite my knowledge on the subject, I’m not about to presume that I know enough to suggest energy policy to a senator.
Other than that, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My semester with The Washington Center is quickly coming to an end, which means that I have more than enough work to do with the final portfolio, finishing up my independent study, and doing the last minute sight-seeing opportunities.
This past weekend, Anne and our friend, Colleen, did some sightseeing of our own. With the trees trying to hold their last blooms of the season, it was quite a sight to walk around the memorials and Arlington National Cemetery (I went back to see it without snow). So the following are pictures of that. Plus, I’ve added a few pictures from the silent drill team competition outside the Lincoln memorial. You never know what you’ll run across when you’re on the Mall!
So please excuse the frequency of my posts these last few weeks (or the lack thereof), but there is so much to do in so little time!
Que sera sera.
Three Potato, Four!
Five Potato, Six Potato
Seven Potato, MORE!
That’s the rhyme that’s been stuck in my head the past few days. Except that my version goes slightly differently.
One Motorcade, Two Motorcade,
Three Motorcade, Four!
Five Motorcade, Six Motorcade,
Seven Motorcade, MORE!
The nuclear summit took place here in D.C. the past few days. Remember when I said that D.C. has a one track mind? Well, this summit was literally all anyone could talk about. Because everyone in the metropolitan area of D.C. has been affected by this summit in one way or another, story after story is being told about how the summit affected so-and-so. Well here’s my story:
On one rainy Tuesday afternoon at the corner of 13th and H, I was abruptly stopped by a man in camo. I needed to get on the Metro to go to my class, but he wasn’t letting anyone cross the street until the streets were “clear.” So I waited there between two temporary barricades and waited for the man in camo to let me cross.
A few minutes pass. I still haven’t crossed the street. A few more minutes go by. A motorcade goes through. I still haven’t crossed the street. A few more minutes go by. Another motorcade goes through. I still haven’t crossed the street.
THREE more motorcades later I still haven’t crossed the street. As a general rule of thumb, I try not to mess with huge guys in camo, but I finally asked the man if he would ever let us cross. Answer: no. Perfect. Why he couldn’t have told me this earlier I don’t know. After maneuvering my way around the rest of the city to open streets, I finally made it to my Metro stop. So thank you to the diplomats at the summit for making me 5 minutes late to my class session.
Although, venting aside, I did see the president’s motorcade. You ever seen a big black SUV? Ever seen three of them driving behind each other on the highway? Well, that was about what it was like – times 10 – with sirens. But just knowing that Obama was somewhere squeezed in between the secret service guys made it way more exciting.
On a different note, I had my public policy dialogue today. This is the part of TWC experience where you talk to your senator or congressman (or in my case, his aide). I met with the aid of Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia. The point of this meeting is to get to either ask questions of or suggest policies to your representative. Since I’ve been focusing so much on energy for the Quebec Government Office, most of my questions revolved around the policy area of energy within the state of Georgia. But despite my knowledge on the subject, I’m not about to presume that I know enough to suggest energy policy to a senator.
Other than that, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My semester with The Washington Center is quickly coming to an end, which means that I have more than enough work to do with the final portfolio, finishing up my independent study, and doing the last minute sight-seeing opportunities.
This past weekend, Anne and our friend, Colleen, did some sightseeing of our own. With the trees trying to hold their last blooms of the season, it was quite a sight to walk around the memorials and Arlington National Cemetery (I went back to see it without snow). So the following are pictures of that. Plus, I’ve added a few pictures from the silent drill team competition outside the Lincoln memorial. You never know what you’ll run across when you’re on the Mall!
Que sera sera.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Zyrtec. Singluair. Benadryl. Claratin. Are you catching a pattern here? It's officially pollen season.
According to studies online, the leading pollen cities are as follows:
1) Lexington, KY
2) Greensboro, NC
3) Johnson City, TN
4) Augusta, GA
5) Jackson, MS
6) Knoxville, TN
7) Birmingham, AL
8) New Orleans, LA
9) Little Rock, AR
10) San Diego, CA
Why D.C. is not high on this list I am not sure. They are 51st on the list. FIFTY FIRST. Are you kidding? My nose, eyes, and throat all beg to differ.
Yes, the cherry blossom trees here are gorgeous. And the tulip magnolias are so amazingly underrated. But apparently the pollen is underrated too.
A man this morning on the Metro thought that I was emotionally distraught. I kid you not. He even offered me his handkerchief. I simply explained to him that pollen season is usually a rough time of year for me.
So with swollen eyes, I continue my daily routine. Wake up at 6:45 am, pull myself out of bed by 7:15 am, Metro at 8:00 am, work 9-5, home by 6:00 pm, and then stay awake for as long as I can (and yes Connor, 9:00 pm is late these days).
The past few days I stayed particularly busy as I was able to attend a prestigious energy conference for my office. The Canadians have a strong interest in clean energy, and therefore my supervisor encouraged me to go to the 2010 Energy Conference hosted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Johns Hopkins University.
I saw speakers such as the Dr. Steven Chu (Secretary of Energy), Joseph E. Aldy (National Economic Council/Office of Energy and Climate Change, The White House), Dr. Lawrence H. Summers (Director of the National Economic Council), and others who are well known in their field. If you are interested in energy, then this conference would have been heaven. But now that the conference is over, I am officially on energy overload. I see everything in terms of how energy is being used and how it could be used once plans like smart grid takes effect.
After the conference, I even feel guilty for turning up my air-conditioning at night! Although I will say that it is absolutely necessary. I do not pity you summer Washington-Center kids because it is going to be hot as Hades here. Today it was 90 degrees and since I am originally from Atlanta I thought it felt great. But if it is already 90 degrees in early April, I do not want to think of what it will be like in July. Especially when the humidity builds up. D.C. is, afterall, a swamp. Yeah, enjoy that.
I only have about 5 weeks left with the program, so the weather should be perfect from here on out. The semester has been so busy that I have honestly lost track of time. It’s bittersweet. And I have so much left that I want to do! The pollen will not stand in my way.
Que Sera Sera.
According to studies online, the leading pollen cities are as follows:
1) Lexington, KY
2) Greensboro, NC
3) Johnson City, TN
4) Augusta, GA
5) Jackson, MS
6) Knoxville, TN
7) Birmingham, AL
8) New Orleans, LA
9) Little Rock, AR
10) San Diego, CA
Why D.C. is not high on this list I am not sure. They are 51st on the list. FIFTY FIRST. Are you kidding? My nose, eyes, and throat all beg to differ.
Yes, the cherry blossom trees here are gorgeous. And the tulip magnolias are so amazingly underrated. But apparently the pollen is underrated too.
So with swollen eyes, I continue my daily routine. Wake up at 6:45 am, pull myself out of bed by 7:15 am, Metro at 8:00 am, work 9-5, home by 6:00 pm, and then stay awake for as long as I can (and yes Connor, 9:00 pm is late these days).
The past few days I stayed particularly busy as I was able to attend a prestigious energy conference for my office. The Canadians have a strong interest in clean energy, and therefore my supervisor encouraged me to go to the 2010 Energy Conference hosted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Johns Hopkins University.
I saw speakers such as the Dr. Steven Chu (Secretary of Energy), Joseph E. Aldy (National Economic Council/Office of Energy and Climate Change, The White House), Dr. Lawrence H. Summers (Director of the National Economic Council), and others who are well known in their field. If you are interested in energy, then this conference would have been heaven. But now that the conference is over, I am officially on energy overload. I see everything in terms of how energy is being used and how it could be used once plans like smart grid takes effect.
After the conference, I even feel guilty for turning up my air-conditioning at night! Although I will say that it is absolutely necessary. I do not pity you summer Washington-Center kids because it is going to be hot as Hades here. Today it was 90 degrees and since I am originally from Atlanta I thought it felt great. But if it is already 90 degrees in early April, I do not want to think of what it will be like in July. Especially when the humidity builds up. D.C. is, afterall, a swamp. Yeah, enjoy that.
I only have about 5 weeks left with the program, so the weather should be perfect from here on out. The semester has been so busy that I have honestly lost track of time. It’s bittersweet. And I have so much left that I want to do! The pollen will not stand in my way.
Que Sera Sera.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
If variety is indeed the spice of life, then I am in good shape. These past few days have been a series of completely random and disconnected events. So welcome to A.D.D. central…
First off, I forgot in my last blog post to discuss the civic engagement portion of TWC program. My fellow Wake Forest students will have no problem with this component, as it is simple pro humanitate. I heard students from other schools complaining about the need to do this portion of the portfolio, and while I find it bizarre that it is required, I understand that some would not participate in this without it being part of their final grade. I have chosen to participate with a group called Greater D.C. Cares that has an extremely wide variety of volunteering opportunities. I am particularly interested in working with special needs children, and this group has a program for teaching sports to special needs children.
The overall program could not have been easier--it was a 20 minute walk from my apartment building, and everyone was extremely welcoming. I played with two autistic boys who were extremely sweet and enjoyed simply exploring the gym. After volunteering with them for a full 3 hours, I was tired out!!
Also, by a stroke of good luck I discovered a local community lacrosse team that was playing outside the Greater D.C. Cares volunteer location. After talking to the head of the program, I suddenly became an assistant coach for a 7th and 8th grade team. So now my schedule is even more complicated since the last blog entry I wrote because Friday evenings I have lacrosse practice and Sunday afternoons I have games. But I could not be any more excited about this opportunity!
So, beyond all the parts of TWC program that keep me busy, I am still finding time to explore the city. This weekend was the Smithsonian’s Kite Festival. And that is exactly what it sounds like--a bunch of kites flying around in the air for hours. This took place on the mall around the Washington Monument, so I went into the city on Saturday with my co-worker, Christine, to fly some kites and watch some of the shows.
As part of the day, they had kite flying competitions that were judged based off of crowd response. I never knew that people could have such control over kites. Personally, my favorite activity was watching the public’s individual kites. There were the traditional kite-shaped kites, but there were also turtles, elephants, Barbies, planes, ships, and more! Very cool:
As another completely random yet very cool event, I went to the Supreme Court on Monday morning. This might have been the coolest experience I have had in D.C. Almost makes me want to be a lawyer (but don’t worry Dad, it's not going to happen)!!! I had received a pass through Justice Thomas’ chambers through my interviewee, and so I got a seat on the floor of the courtroom.
The nutshell of the events: the first five seconds were action packed--someone banged the gavel, the people (including myself) literally jumped to our feet, the curtains folded backwards and the justices all flowed in and took their seats. All within the first 5 seconds (and I swear I am not exaggerating). And the way that the justices entered was almost like a scene from Harry Potter--robes flowing behind them as they seemed to just apparate into the room. Then about 10 people were sworn into the bar for the Supreme Court. Then the arguments started.
For the record, I have no idea why anyone would want to plead a case in front of these justices. After the lawyer got as far as possible through his initial arguments, the justices proceed to interrupt and ask questions for the next 25 minutes. I almost felt badly for the lawyers, but to me it was like watching some sort of tennis match, so I was well amused.
I listened to two oral arguments, and then the justices exited the exact same way they came--within 5 seconds of flowing robes.
So sorry for the disjointed thoughts in the blog. But as always…
Que Sera Sera.
First off, I forgot in my last blog post to discuss the civic engagement portion of TWC program. My fellow Wake Forest students will have no problem with this component, as it is simple pro humanitate. I heard students from other schools complaining about the need to do this portion of the portfolio, and while I find it bizarre that it is required, I understand that some would not participate in this without it being part of their final grade. I have chosen to participate with a group called Greater D.C. Cares that has an extremely wide variety of volunteering opportunities. I am particularly interested in working with special needs children, and this group has a program for teaching sports to special needs children.
The overall program could not have been easier--it was a 20 minute walk from my apartment building, and everyone was extremely welcoming. I played with two autistic boys who were extremely sweet and enjoyed simply exploring the gym. After volunteering with them for a full 3 hours, I was tired out!!
Also, by a stroke of good luck I discovered a local community lacrosse team that was playing outside the Greater D.C. Cares volunteer location. After talking to the head of the program, I suddenly became an assistant coach for a 7th and 8th grade team. So now my schedule is even more complicated since the last blog entry I wrote because Friday evenings I have lacrosse practice and Sunday afternoons I have games. But I could not be any more excited about this opportunity!
So, beyond all the parts of TWC program that keep me busy, I am still finding time to explore the city. This weekend was the Smithsonian’s Kite Festival. And that is exactly what it sounds like--a bunch of kites flying around in the air for hours. This took place on the mall around the Washington Monument, so I went into the city on Saturday with my co-worker, Christine, to fly some kites and watch some of the shows.
As part of the day, they had kite flying competitions that were judged based off of crowd response. I never knew that people could have such control over kites. Personally, my favorite activity was watching the public’s individual kites. There were the traditional kite-shaped kites, but there were also turtles, elephants, Barbies, planes, ships, and more! Very cool:
A view of the location- with all the kites in the air!
Another view of the kites
Our Kite!
One of the coolest kites there (with the cherry blossoms in the background)
As another completely random yet very cool event, I went to the Supreme Court on Monday morning. This might have been the coolest experience I have had in D.C. Almost makes me want to be a lawyer (but don’t worry Dad, it's not going to happen)!!! I had received a pass through Justice Thomas’ chambers through my interviewee, and so I got a seat on the floor of the courtroom.
The nutshell of the events: the first five seconds were action packed--someone banged the gavel, the people (including myself) literally jumped to our feet, the curtains folded backwards and the justices all flowed in and took their seats. All within the first 5 seconds (and I swear I am not exaggerating). And the way that the justices entered was almost like a scene from Harry Potter--robes flowing behind them as they seemed to just apparate into the room. Then about 10 people were sworn into the bar for the Supreme Court. Then the arguments started.
For the record, I have no idea why anyone would want to plead a case in front of these justices. After the lawyer got as far as possible through his initial arguments, the justices proceed to interrupt and ask questions for the next 25 minutes. I almost felt badly for the lawyers, but to me it was like watching some sort of tennis match, so I was well amused.
I listened to two oral arguments, and then the justices exited the exact same way they came--within 5 seconds of flowing robes.
So sorry for the disjointed thoughts in the blog. But as always…
Que Sera Sera.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
For me, D.C. is the city that never sleeps.
Along with writing this blog and participating in my internship, The Washington Center keeps me plenty busy. Since I have not explained many of the specifics of the program, this post explains more specifically the logistics of what the program entails.
As part of TWC program, we have Monday programming in the afternoons. This is where we will listen to a variety of lectures given by businessmen/politicians in D.C. We usually meet in different parts of the city in different buildings. For example, this past Monday we listened to James Steinberg, the Deputy Secretary of State at the Department of the Interior. After giving the lecture on the topic du jour, the speaker generously takes questions from the students.
Words of Wisdom for participating in Monday programming: Listen carefully because the speakers are usually very important people with a variety of experiences. And also breathe deeply when your long-winded peers stand up to ask a question. Remember that they deserve some respect for standing up in front of a microphone and asking a question in front of a few hundred people...regardless of how long it takes them to ask it.
Also, as part of TWC program the students turn in a portfolio that includes various assignments to be completed throughout the semester. For example, we have an “Individual Development Plan” that outlines our life goals and our goals for our time here. Similarly, we write an updated resume and cover letter for future use which is reviewed by our advisors at The Washington Center. Also as part of this portfolio, we include a summary of an informational interview with someone from D.C. who is of interest. The person I interviewed (who will remain nameless for the sake of privacy) gave me some great life advice over lunch, and he was even so kind as to get me a ticket to see the Supreme Court in action on March 29.
Words of Wisdom: This entire portfolio is what you make of it. So it is probably easy to slack off and make up goals for the Individual Development Plan and to interview the guy on the Metro just because he is sitting next to you. But it is equally easy to approach the portfolio with the attitude that you can use the assignments to sort through what career path truly interests you.
In addition to these aspects of the program, academic courses are offered through TWC as well. Wake requires that its students take one evening course, so mine is on Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. TWC offers a variety of courses, and the courses here are often taught by professionals in their fields who can give great insights to the students. I am taking “Peaceful Solutions” with Colman McCarthy, a former writer for the Washington Post. The class itself is not extremely rigorous (which I appreciate given the amount of time that my internship takes up), but the perspectives in the class are widely varying and different from any perspectives that I would get at WFU.
Words of Wisdom: Pick a topic that interests you, and then your course session will be some of the best 3 hours of your week.
For all you Wake Forest students reading this, we also are required to do an independent study/directed reading with a WFU professor. This can be anything you want it to be--I’m doing a study on the separation of church and state and I’m communicating via email with my professor. I am writing 3 papers and I am writing weekly reflections on readings. Also, I am going to lectures that are related to my topic and writing a summary of the event as a "participation" aspect of the directed reading.
My Words of Wisdom to the Wake kids: pick a professor who understands that this independent study is not your primary focus of your time in D.C. Luckily the professor who is working with me is very understanding of the program and has been very flexible with me, and I really do not know what I would do if I needed to spend extended periods of time on this independent study.
Well, that’s the program in a nutshell. My next blog will be back to more details on my adventures. Until then, I’ll be staying very, very busy. But as my mom says, a busy girl’s a happy girl!
So sorry to those of you who are reading my blog expecting to hear of more of my experiences in D.C., but I wanted to make sure to discuss the nitpicky details of TWC program.
Que Sera Sera.
Along with writing this blog and participating in my internship, The Washington Center keeps me plenty busy. Since I have not explained many of the specifics of the program, this post explains more specifically the logistics of what the program entails.
As part of TWC program, we have Monday programming in the afternoons. This is where we will listen to a variety of lectures given by businessmen/politicians in D.C. We usually meet in different parts of the city in different buildings. For example, this past Monday we listened to James Steinberg, the Deputy Secretary of State at the Department of the Interior. After giving the lecture on the topic du jour, the speaker generously takes questions from the students.
Words of Wisdom for participating in Monday programming: Listen carefully because the speakers are usually very important people with a variety of experiences. And also breathe deeply when your long-winded peers stand up to ask a question. Remember that they deserve some respect for standing up in front of a microphone and asking a question in front of a few hundred people...regardless of how long it takes them to ask it.
Also, as part of TWC program the students turn in a portfolio that includes various assignments to be completed throughout the semester. For example, we have an “Individual Development Plan” that outlines our life goals and our goals for our time here. Similarly, we write an updated resume and cover letter for future use which is reviewed by our advisors at The Washington Center. Also as part of this portfolio, we include a summary of an informational interview with someone from D.C. who is of interest. The person I interviewed (who will remain nameless for the sake of privacy) gave me some great life advice over lunch, and he was even so kind as to get me a ticket to see the Supreme Court in action on March 29.
Words of Wisdom: This entire portfolio is what you make of it. So it is probably easy to slack off and make up goals for the Individual Development Plan and to interview the guy on the Metro just because he is sitting next to you. But it is equally easy to approach the portfolio with the attitude that you can use the assignments to sort through what career path truly interests you.
In addition to these aspects of the program, academic courses are offered through TWC as well. Wake requires that its students take one evening course, so mine is on Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. TWC offers a variety of courses, and the courses here are often taught by professionals in their fields who can give great insights to the students. I am taking “Peaceful Solutions” with Colman McCarthy, a former writer for the Washington Post. The class itself is not extremely rigorous (which I appreciate given the amount of time that my internship takes up), but the perspectives in the class are widely varying and different from any perspectives that I would get at WFU.
Words of Wisdom: Pick a topic that interests you, and then your course session will be some of the best 3 hours of your week.
For all you Wake Forest students reading this, we also are required to do an independent study/directed reading with a WFU professor. This can be anything you want it to be--I’m doing a study on the separation of church and state and I’m communicating via email with my professor. I am writing 3 papers and I am writing weekly reflections on readings. Also, I am going to lectures that are related to my topic and writing a summary of the event as a "participation" aspect of the directed reading.
My Words of Wisdom to the Wake kids: pick a professor who understands that this independent study is not your primary focus of your time in D.C. Luckily the professor who is working with me is very understanding of the program and has been very flexible with me, and I really do not know what I would do if I needed to spend extended periods of time on this independent study.
Well, that’s the program in a nutshell. My next blog will be back to more details on my adventures. Until then, I’ll be staying very, very busy. But as my mom says, a busy girl’s a happy girl!
So sorry to those of you who are reading my blog expecting to hear of more of my experiences in D.C., but I wanted to make sure to discuss the nitpicky details of TWC program.
Que Sera Sera.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Did you watch CNN this weekend? If so, then you probably saw me on TV.
I was the little speck in the brown sweater at Obama's health care speech at George Mason University last Thursday. So maybe you didn't see me per se, but I was there!!!
Obviously politics is just humming with talks about the new health care bill. I'm getting emails from senators and congressmen telling me to either help or hinder this bill. The Express newspaper that is free to the public at the Metro stops has headline after headline about the bill. And my supervisor got an email inviting him to the speech that Obama was giving for one last push on the bill.
I will not disclose my political views, but regardless of if I am or am not in favor of the bill, the atmosphere in the GMU basketball arena was very cool. The line to get into the building was 4 blocks long, and although I didn't wait in the line, I quickly realized that there was not a bad seat in the house. Along the giant line, people with signs and coordinating tee-shirts protested the health care bill. But for the most part, everyone was very respectful to Obama during his speech.
I sat, as you can tell from the pictures, not too far up and to the back right of Obama. He waved in my direction a few times.
It is only appropriate that if I spend 3 months in the nation's capital that I see the President of the United States!
On Friday my office had yet another event with the Francophonie festival. This time it was a discotheque. It took place in the National Postal Museum which was really cool to see the museum morph into a club at night. So we had the DJ “make the girl dance” come from Paris to perform for everyone.
The exhibits inside the museum were still open despite the fact that the place had turned into a giant dance party. Because we are too nerdy to pass up a quick tour of the free museum, Anne and I took a look around the exhibits. Seeing the progress of the mail service over time is surprisingly impressive. Although maybe it was just seeing it with the techno beats of the DJ that made it especially unique.
So all in all, a very eventful two days. Who knows what's in stock for the future! Its cheesy, but its true.
Que Sera Sera.
I was the little speck in the brown sweater at Obama's health care speech at George Mason University last Thursday. So maybe you didn't see me per se, but I was there!!!
Obviously politics is just humming with talks about the new health care bill. I'm getting emails from senators and congressmen telling me to either help or hinder this bill. The Express newspaper that is free to the public at the Metro stops has headline after headline about the bill. And my supervisor got an email inviting him to the speech that Obama was giving for one last push on the bill.
I will not disclose my political views, but regardless of if I am or am not in favor of the bill, the atmosphere in the GMU basketball arena was very cool. The line to get into the building was 4 blocks long, and although I didn't wait in the line, I quickly realized that there was not a bad seat in the house. Along the giant line, people with signs and coordinating tee-shirts protested the health care bill. But for the most part, everyone was very respectful to Obama during his speech.
A view of Obama and the crowd
I sat, as you can tell from the pictures, not too far up and to the back right of Obama. He waved in my direction a few times.
Close up on my angle of watching Obama’s speech
It is only appropriate that if I spend 3 months in the nation's capital that I see the President of the United States!
On Friday my office had yet another event with the Francophonie festival. This time it was a discotheque. It took place in the National Postal Museum which was really cool to see the museum morph into a club at night. So we had the DJ “make the girl dance” come from Paris to perform for everyone.
A view of the stage with the DJs
The exhibits inside the museum were still open despite the fact that the place had turned into a giant dance party. Because we are too nerdy to pass up a quick tour of the free museum, Anne and I took a look around the exhibits. Seeing the progress of the mail service over time is surprisingly impressive. Although maybe it was just seeing it with the techno beats of the DJ that made it especially unique.
So all in all, a very eventful two days. Who knows what's in stock for the future! Its cheesy, but its true.
Que Sera Sera.
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