It is weird finally being home. Now that TWC is over, there are so many things that I wished I did in DC, such as go to the Spy Museum and the Newseum. I definitely took my time there for granted and put off doing a lot of things thinking that I could do them “next week.” As nice as it is being home, I wish I could have spent a few more weeks in the city. I am going to miss being able to take the Metro everywhere and the city atmosphere. It is much more exciting than the small town I am from.

Before I left DC, I promised my friends back home that I would bring them all Krispy Kreme donuts since the closest one to us is over an hour away. So, on the Friday afternoon before we left I picked up a dozen assorted donuts. Somehow, I was able to carry all the donuts, 75 pounds of luggage, a laptop, a backpack, and a purse all the way from the RAF to my house back in Massachusetts without squishing one donut. When I got home, I quickly threw the donuts on the counter and went to get the rest of my luggage. When I got back inside, my dog was enjoying eight of the donuts I just worked so hard to bring back!

I hope that all of you new, incoming TWC interns enjoy your time in the city!

Sorry I have not written anything in a while. Things have been crazy as TWC and my time in DC is coming to an end. Most of last week was spent working on my portfolio, finishing up my report for work, and working on a written assignment for class.  In between all of my hard work, I went to the pool and worked out as much as possible. I found a great pool in the Dupont Circle area (the Francis Pool). It is free if you are a DC resident, if not its $4. Most of the time I can get away with saying I am a resident by showing my government ID. The pool is located on 15th and N Streets, NW, and I would definitely recommend hitting it up if you are looking for a relaxing place to spend a day. 

Last week, one of my best friends from school called and said she was in DC for an afternoon which was a great surprise. She and her boyfriend were at the end of a cross country road trip and he had never been to DC.  I walked around the National Mall with them for a while looking at all the monuments. It was great catching up and being able to show her where I was living for the summer! I know this is a short post, but I will be sure to write soon with pictures and more exciting news!

At my job, I have noticed that there is a lack of strong, women leaders in the federal government. I work with all guys and just one other girl. With this realization, I had started to become a little disheartened. A lot of the time I get the feeling that the other guy interns think that girls are inferior to them and that we don’t deserve, or are not smart enough, for our internship. Then, our boss sent us to a brown bag lunch at the Fish and Wildlife Service in Alexandria, Virginia. One of the people leading the lunch was Kim Lambert, an environmental justice coordinator for FWS and a strong woman leader. Kim had no problem stating her mind and asserting her authority, even over the guys at the meeting. Kim has a lot of qualities that I would love to work on in myself, such as her outspokenness.

For TWC, you are required to do an “informational interview,” which just consists of finding someone in a leadership position and interviewing them to find out what they do, how they got there, their background, etc. I decided to e-mail Kim and see if she would be willing to be interviewed and she said yes! So, last week Erica and I went over to the FWS in Alexandria to speak with Kim. It was great getting a woman’s perspective on her path to success because it is very different from the men I have spoken with (Erica and I also interviewed our boss’s boss at the DOI). Kim is an extremely motivated, work-driven, outspoken, strong, and vibrant individual who brings a lot of enthusiasm to what she does. Interviewing her gave me a whole new outlook on working for the government.   

This past weekend was one of the most enjoyable ones since I have gotten to DC. Rather than sit on the couch and think about how bored I was since I could not play volleyball, I got out an explored the city. On Saturday, I went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum with Eve, a girl from my international law class. It is really easy to get there since it is one block away from the Smithsonian metro stop. We only planned to stay there for a few hours. However, I ended up staying there from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. While we waited to go into the main exhibition, which comprises 80% of the whole museum (make sure to get a ticket, which is free, for the exhibit when you first get there) we looked at a smaller temporary exhibit on propaganda and at Daniel’s Story, the children’s exhibit.  Just the two smaller exhibits took about two hours to go through. The Holocaust Museum does a great job of making each part of their exhibits connect well with the other sections. I especially like how the end of the temporary exhibit addressed recent and current genocides to make people aware of how these terrible events are still happening.

Saturday night I actually made myself dinner and dessert! For anyone that knows me this is a huge deal since I don’t cook. I made a really simple chicken salad that was so delicious

and blonde brownies from scratch. Even the guys at my office liked the brownies!

Sunday, Eve and I went to the National Zoo.

   

It was really hot and sunny out, so most of the animals were hiding inside. We walked around for a while and managed to see lots of trees but not so many animals! Finally, we made it to the Panda House and saw both of the pandas inside. One of them was napping and looked so cuddly...

  

and the other was eating some bamboo. 

I also was able to see gorillas, a komodo dragon, elephants, coral, golden lion tamarins, and lions!

I am definitely going to go back to the zoo after work one day when it is cooler so that hopefully there are more animals outside.

In my never ending quest for good food and coffee, I have finally found a couple good places that I enjoy.

Krispy Kreme

There is one right at Dupont Circle and they have AMAZING donuts and chocolate-flavored iced coffee. It is pretty much just like drinking straight chocolate :) It is so addicting; I am sitting in the Amtrak station now munching on a few donuts I am supposed to bring to my dad!

Cosi

We don’t have Cosi where I am from, but the best way to describe it for north easterners is it is like Panera, except possibly better. Their bread is made right in the store and is always fresh and many times warm right out of the oven.

Potbelly’s

There is a Potbelly’s on my way to The Washington Center from work (at the Department of the Interior) and while they are widely known for their chicken sandwiches, I have found that they have amazingly good salads that are perfect to grab on the way to class.

Foster Brothers Corporation

This is located on right by K and 19th St. NW, right by Farragut North. While the coffee was not amazing, they had a ton of fresh baked goods for breakfast and it had a very cozy feel. It would be a great place to take your laptop and get some work done.

  

McDonald's

Seriously, who would have thought that McDonald's would make the list? Definitely not a girl who rarely, if ever, eats fast food. But I have found that McDonald's has a pretty good and well priced iced coffee. If you are looking for a healthy coffee this is not for you as they only make it with cream. However, it is a great coffee to grab before work as there are a lot of McDonald's around.

I will keep working on this list. Hopefully it will be pretty lengthy by the end of my stay in DC!

Sorry it has been so long since my last blog, but the past two weeks have been hectic and boring at the same time, if that is possible. Now that we have had sufficient time to get settled into our internship I am finally starting to do work, rather than feel like I am wasting a lot of time! Once you get into the swing of a 9-5 ish job (I do work for the federal government so a full work day or week seems to be a rarity) it is not as tedious as one might imagine. There are always meetings to go to, brown bag lunches to attend, and other activities throughout the week that break up the work day. Our boss sent us to a brown bag lunch (where you bring your lunch and light refreshments are served) in Alexandria on Tuesday at the Fish and Wildlife Services. A lot of time was spent discussing the recent oil spill and I was able to learn a lot about what is being done to help those affected, such as providing translators for Vietnamese fishers, and creating handicapped accessible help centers for those with disabilities. One of the main people leading the meeting, Kim Lambert, was a strong leader who not only talked the talk but walked the walk. It was great to see a strong woman in a leadership position, as most of the people I work with are guys.

           

I was also able to get out of the office for a few hours this week to have lunch with one of my friends from Israel. We had lunch at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. I didn’t realize they had a cute courtyard with tables and concerts every day during lunch. It is located right at the Federal Triangle Metro. I would definitely recommend bringing your lunch and sitting outside there one day. It is a very laid back and relaxing atmosphere, which is a great change from most of DC.

           

So, the reason that my week has been so hectic is that there is some conflict going on in my apartment. While I won’t discuss it to risk furthering any problems, I would like to say that if you have any problems at all during your TWC stay remember that your RA is a great resource. My RA has been extremely understanding and is a great person to go talk to about anything. Even if you don’t have roommate issues, I would suggest being friendly with your RA because they really are there to look out for your interests and make sure you have an enjoyable experience. Also, take the roommate agreements seriously. Make sure that you and your roommate are on the same page with any possible scenario that you think could arise. Even if you’re not exactly on the same page, make sure that you will be able to reach a mutual understanding in the event of a disagreement. A fighting apartment is not a happy one!

This past week some other interns at my office and I traveled to West Virginia and Virginia with our boss to visit some of the rural towns we work with. It was a very interesting experience to say the least. Monday night we were lucky enough to stay at a lodge called The Breaks. A short walk away from our rooms was what is called “The Grand Canyon of the South.”  

It was one of the prettiest views that I have seen in a while. Tuesday and Wednesday night we were not as lucky. We stayed at a place referred to as the MOC (Mullins Opportunity Center). It is a former elementary school that is now a community center. At the MOC we had Red Cross cots to sleep on and the showers were in former janitors' closets. To make matters worse, our boss told us we didn’t need anything, so none of us had blankets, pillows, or even towels! I am not a girly girl, and I did live in a tent for two summers, but showering in janitors closets is not something I want to do! At least the mountains around the MOC made for very pretty morning runs. 

One afternoon in West Virginia we visited the largest arch bridge in the Western hemisphere, the New River Gorge Bridge.

Driving across it was nothing special, but going underneath the bridge was a very cool experience!
       
Traveling this past week to the communities we work with made me so grateful for my family and all they do for me!