We're almost done, but not quite yet.

After Monday's commencement ceremony, it really started to hit me that this semester was almost over. Today we had a Farewell BBQ put on by Residents Life which only made it worse!

The BBQ was a lot of fun, they made hot dogs, hamburgers and even some veggie burgers for myself and my fellow vegetarians! We had music and played corn hole and just hung out and took it all in. As I stood there, I really noticed just how international TWC is. I had noticed it before but for some reason it really stuck out because of all the different types of music that they were playing and all the languages that I could hear just standing in the middle of the crowd. So, I decided to talk to our adoptive fifth roommate, Monica, from Mexico about what it's like being an international student at TWC.

Monica lives in Tijuana and goes to school in Puebla. She's a Marketing major at Universidad de las Americas Puebla where she'll be graduating this December. Because Tijuana is so close to San Diego, this was not her first time in the US but it was the longest that she's spent here. She's interns at the Consumer Goods Forum.

I asked Monica what the hardest part was while adjusting to living here and she said that getting used to the way that her boss worked. It was interesting to hear that her biggest concern had nothing to do with the culture shift or the language but the same exact thing that I had worried about. She did say, however, that the adjustment to the culture here was a big adjustment but that was made better by the fact that everyone welcomed her with open arms. I would definitely have to agree that everyone at TWC is very open with each other and are eager to learn about everyone else's backgrounds and cultures. In my apartment alone I have been exposed to three different cultures, all of which I had never extensively been exposed to.

When I asked her about her favorite part about this semester, she said the friendships that she has made here and all the people that she got to meet. It's crazy how close you can get to people in just a few months. She practically lives in our apartment and I can't imagine not meeting her! I know I can speak for Anna, Stephanie and Loris in saying that we all feel like this.

I asked Loris similar quetsions and she said that her favorite part was observing all the different cultures and seeing how they blend. I have to agree that the massive amount of different types of people and their backgrounds is definitely my favorite part of being here at TWC and in Washington, DC in general. It has absolutely been one of the most amazing and educational parts of this semester.

Here's a little picture of Monica, Loris, Stephanie and I before our Commencement!

It will be crazy to go home next week and not see them whenever I want!

Last Friday was the best day of my life.

The reason being I got to staff the Womens Leadership Forum Conference put on by Women for Obama. At the Conference Lilly Ledbetter of the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay for Equal Work act, Jim Messina President Obama's campaign manager, Cecile Richards president of Planned Parenthood, and even President Obama himself spoke to a crowd of over 400 women leaders.

We got to listen to the inspirational words of Cicile Richards as she spoke about the importance of Planned Parenthood to thousands fo women accross the US, got pumped up about the election by Jim Messina and I felt personally inspired by the introductory speech made by Senator Barbara Mikulski before President Obama's speech. It was surreal seeing all these people in one day. I got to talk to Lilly Ledbetter for about 20 minutes about what I wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to go career-wise.

Lilly Ledbetter is one of my idols for all the things that she has done for women in the work force so it was really cool being able to meet her. I felt like such a political nerd getting so excited about seeing these people, but I just couldn't help it! The most exciting part of the day, though, was the fact that I shook President Obama's hand TWICE! I even got this great picture that shows just how close I was to him!

It was taken on my phone so it's not the best quality.

I still haven't gotten over the fact that I really saw these people in person. These are the kinds of opportunities that you can get being an intern in Washington, DC. Next weekend, Loris, Anna and I are all going to the Ball on the Mall, the biggest fundraiser for the Trust for the National Mall. The kinds of people who will be there are on the same level as the kinds of speakers at the Women's Conference. Congressmen, various embassadors and even the Bush sisters will be in attendence. These are the kinds of events that you can only attend in DC and they are the kinds of things that I pictured myself going to during my time here at TWC. I think that these events are evidence enough that TWC is worth every penny. It is the most valuable experience I could ask for in my college career.

Commencement

Today was TWC commencement. It was both sad and exciting. It was exciting in that we were able to reflect on the fact that we had come so far since the beginning of the semester; sad in the fact that we were almost done. I can't believe that we've only got a week left! I feel like we just moved in, that I was just worried that I wouldn't like my roommates or that my internship wouldn't be what I wanted it to be. It's unbelievable that we are already leaving at the end of the week. I know my parents are excited to have me home and I have to admit that I'm excited to be home for the summer, but I could have used a few more weeks here!

So these past two weeks have been incredible but also jam packed so I'm going to have to give you the rundown in two posts, otherwise it would be way too long and you wouldn't want to read it all.

Last weekend the DNC had a bunch of tickets to the White House Garden Tour. It's a free event that happens every spring, the President and First Lady invite the public to come and see their gardens in full bloom and enjoy the warm weather that we've been deprived of all winter. Stephanie and I decided to go on Saturday and it's a good thing we did because Sunday it poured all day. We got to see the Rose Garden, the Kitchen Garden, the south lawn and take some amazing pictures right up next to the White House. Here's a picture to show just how close we were!

The Kitchen Garden was probably my favorite part of the tour. First Lady Michelle Obama decided to put in the garden in 2009 and broke ground with a few school children from the area. She often tends to the garden herself.

We also decided to go over to one of the Smithsonian museums that we hadn't been to yet because they had a really cool sensory exhibit. They had all these optical illusions and really cool things with light and mirrors. They had a room full of pillows where music was playing and pictures were being shown. There was also this area where you were supposed to walk through a whole hall of just hanging rope from ceiling to floor. It was definitely one of my favorite things I've seen at any of the Smithsonians.

For right now, that's all. Be sure to check back in a few days to hear about the rest of my week! As a sneak peek, it includes Obama and Lilly Ledbetter.

It's been a while! I've been busy, busy as the end of the semester draws near but fortunately it's given me a whole lot to talk about so I hope you're all ready!

I'm Coming Home

Over Easter weekend I got to go home! It was a short trip but definitely nice to sleep in my own bed for the first time in months. It was weird because when my parents picked me up from the airport I realized it was the first time I had been in a car in months!

I also realized that DC has really become my home now. Like I said, it was nice to go home, but by Monday morning I was definitely ready to be back in the city and working again. I've gotten so used to work and class and living on my own that I didn't really know how to react when my mom offered to cook me food or I woke up on Monday at 10:00. I felt like something was wrong because I wasn't at work! I think that this is probably the best sign that we've all sort of become something close to locals, we're definitely not tourists anymore.

Let's Talk Food

It's been a while since I've talked about food, and since a city is probably the best place to experience all different types of cultures and cuisines, it doesn't seem right for me to ignore it!

This weekend Loris, Stephanie and some of Loris' fellow Media and Communications interns went to an Ethiopian restaurant. Washington DC has the largest Ethiopian community in the US so if you're going to have Ethiopian food, I'd say this is the place to do it! It was definitely an interesting experience. The food is served family style like with one or two plates in the middle of the table. Each plate has a bunch of different types of things like chickpeas, lentils cooked a bunch of different ways, and then you can order meat if you want. They give you this bread that's very spongey and almost mushy and you rip pieces of the bread off and use it to eat the different things on the communal plate. It's just as much a cultural experience as it is a culinary one. I'm sure I probably didn't explain that at all clearly so here's a video showing how to eat Ethiopian food properly. It was definitely a cool experience!

Sunday Afternoon Picnic

This Sunday, a bunch of us decided to go over to the National Mall and have a picnic and hang out. We all brought a little something but most of the time we just hung out, listened to music and played around with a soccer ball and frisbees. We sat right in front of the Capitol building overlooking the Capitol Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument. As we sat there it was hard to come to terms with the fact that it was real! We all just kept commenting on the fact that there we were, just hanging out on the grass in front of the US Capitol Building!

We decided to play a little kickball but unfortunately we were informed that organized games weren't allowed in that area of the Mall. We took team pictures at least though!

It was an amazing ending to the weekend. We're all sort of in denial that there's an end to TWC. Whenever the end of the semester is brought up, everyone just kind of ignores it. We don't talk about the end. It's going to be very weird to go home for the summer and know that I won't be coming back here or to my internship.

What a hectic 2 weeks!

Last weekend my parents and Stephanie's sister came to visit and this weekend three of Anna's sisters and a friend came down to visit her. It was really nice to see everyone. I love playing hostess! I also loved being able to show my parents around the city. I feel like I've finally been living in DC long enough to show them not only the usual stuff like the monuments and museums, but some cool stuff that most tourists don't get to see.

I took my parents to the National Mall and we walked around the Tidal Basin. It was good timing for them to come because that was the peak of the cherry blossoms! I had never seen the blossoms but they were gorgeous! We also went to see the Dropkick Murphy's at Shamrock Fest. It was a little cold and rainy but so much fun. I felt like I was home again since they're the official band of my favorite team, the Red Sox.

Last weekend was also Stephanie's 21st birthday, so we went out to eat at the Melting Pot. It's a fondue restaurant that's all over the country. I don't think I've ever eaten so much food in one sitting! It was so delicious. After dinner, they went out to a few bars and made sure we found ones that I could go to as well since I'm still underage. It's not that difficult to find places that we can all go which is good because it means that even if you're not 21 you can still go out and have fun with everyone else!

The Russians

We affectionately refer to Anna's family as "The Russians" because, as I've mentioned before, almost her whole family was born in Russia! We were all chatting on Saturday night with a few of our other friends and for the first time I fully realized just how diverse everyone at TWC is.

Loris and some of her friends from Mexico were speaking in Spanish, there were a few girls from Quebec speaking in French, Anna and her sisters were speaking Russian and obviously there was some English sprinkled in there too. It was crazy to hear about all these different cultures and backgrounds that I had never really thought about before. There are so many opportunities to get to know other ways of life through TWC, whether it be through the intern abroad opportunities or just meeting people from all over the world in DC.

Midterm Reflection

I can't believe we're more than half way done with our semeseter here at TWC. I feel like I just moved in! Next weekend is already Easter and then we only have about a month left at our internships before we head home for the summer. I don't know what I'm going to do without all my new friends and my roommates, but it's definitely been one of the best experiences of my life and I wouldn't change it for the world!

I'm so thankful for all the opportunities that I've gotten through my time here and I know for sure that I would not have been able to do the things I've done if I hadn't applied for and enrolled in TWC. I would highly recommend TWC to anyone interested in getting some real life experience along with some school credit in a city full of opportunity. It may seem like DC is just a political hot spot, but there is so much that you can do here. I have friends interning with all different kinds of organizations and they are getting just as much out of this experience as I am!

I can't wait to see what this last stretch of the semester will hold for me. I wish we could just stay here for another few months; unfortuantely, work calls as do those mountains I miss so much! But I'm so glad to say that I'm almsot a TWC alumna and will treasure these memories forever!

Wow! This week has made up for the past 2 weeks being so slow!

I went to the White House UK Welcoming Ceremony, the TWC International festival, and the National Zoo.

The US-UK Relationship

On Wednesday I got up at six o'clock, dressed in my business professional garb and made my way with my fellow TWC DNC intern Sarah to the White House. I felt pretty special walking through the crowds to get to security. We had to go through two rounds of Secret Service before we even got to the metal detectors (as if someone would have gotten through the first but not the second). Once we got inside they gave us programs and little American and UK flags and then we made our way to the South Lawn.

Sarah and I met up with David and Greta and another intern also named David who just happens to also be from the UK. It was cool to be there with two British people because that was the whole ceremony was about, the relationship between the UK and the US. The five of us stood around, took pictures and listened to the Air Force band for a while and troops from each branch of the armed forces marched in for the 16 gun solute. There was also a troop of British soldiers dressed in traditional uniforms.

Once the national anthems were played, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife stepped on stage, then Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha, followed by President Obama and Michelle. The President and Prime Minister walked around the lawn and at one point were only feet away from us! Both men spoke about the relationship between the countries now and in the past. Both made jokes about the burning of the Capitol in 1814, Mr. Cameron noting that there was a bit of a higher level of security "this time around."

Here's Greta, David and I before the ceremony.

(I also got a hair cut last week!)

International Festival

On Friday we had an International Festival in the RAF. I had no idea there were so many countries represented at TWC this semester!

Each country had it's own table with food, informational packets and little knick-knacks. I don't think I've ever been so full! I love Indian food so that was probably my favorite table, followed by the waffles at the Belgium table! We also learned a lot, each group had at least one person in their countries traditional outfits.

This is what Mexico's table looked like.

Of course we spent a lot of time at their table since Loris helped with it!

After everyone was full, each group did an informational presentation about their countries. I liked hearing both the historical and cultural aspects from natives of each country. This was followed by a talent show. Many groups danced, showing both traditional and current culture of each country.

Take Me to the Zoo!

Yesterday, on a beautiful St. Patrick's day, Stephanie, Anna and my fellow blogger, Anna, went to the National Zoo! It was gorgeous sunny day, how could we not have done something outside?!

I love elephants so I was so excited that at least one of them was outside! They're doing a ton of construction before the busy summer season on the elephant exhibits so I wasn't sure if I would get to see one. It was nice to walk around and take advantage of the warm day, I'm not used to it being so warm so early in the year but I think I could get used to it.

Stephanie, Anna and I by the Red Panda exhibit!

Well, I can't imagine I'll have many more weeks like this, but it was amazing, tiring and exciting while it lasted!

Well, March Madness is upon us and St. Patrick's day is next weekend. Two of my favorite holidays (yes, I count March Madness as a holiday).

This past week has been realitively slow, nothing too exciting at work or programing but this upcoming week should be really good!

We found out last weekend that all the interns at the DNC are going to get to go to the UK Arrival Ceremony. We'll get to stand on the White House lawn as the President and the Frist Lady welcome UK Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife to the US. I'm so excited it's hard to contain myself! Greta, David and I have already planned who is going to bring their camera and what we're going to wear so that we coordinate for pictures. This is the first opportunity that we've had to go to an event through the DNC so I can't wait to take advantage of it.

This past Tuesday was Super Tuesday, for those of you who are not particularly aware of the political world. It was a little bit crazy of a day at work since there was so much information coming and so much media to monitor on the results. It was my first taste of what the office might be like after the primaries are over and we move into campaign mode. If it's anything like Tuesday, I can't wait until then!

I did get to see our Chiarwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, do a remote interview for a few local TV stations. It was pretty cool getting to see her being briefed and then watching her pull out statistics at the exact moment she needed them. I don't know that I would ever be able to do TV interviews, I don't think I would be able to remember all that information and recall it perfectly.

Right around now is when most universities have their Spring Break. Unfortunately, we Washington Center students are workaholics so we don't take a Spring Break. I've been all alone most of the week as David had his break this past week and this coming week is Greta's. It's been hectic because I've been getting more work than usual since we're one intern short. Thankfully I just have to get through next week and then the three of us will be back to our usual schedule!

Today my roommates and I went down to Constitution Ave to watch the DC St. Patrick's day parade. It was definitely one of the better parades I've been to. I had no idea there were so many Traditional Irish Dance schools in the DC area! St. Patrick's day is one of my favorite holidays, coming from a very Irish family. I cannot wait until next weekend to be able to wear a ridiculous amount of green.

Here's Loris, Stephanie and I at the parade.

Loris was particularly excited about the beads we bought for $1!

We watched the parade from the steps of the Archives,

it was a prime spot since we got a surprise visit from the National's mascot decked out in green!

That's all for this week, but next week I should have quite a bit to write about!!

I have to say, DC is the smallest big city I've ever been to.

Now this sounds like a completely contradictory statement, I mean it's our capital, how could it possibly be small? But when I say small, I don't mean land mass or population, I mean connections. Everyone knows someone who knows someone around here. Sometimes this could be a bad thing, stories get spread quickly and all the sudden your boss knows exactly what you did last Saturday night. But most of the time this is a wonderful thing! Since orientation everyone has been talking about "networking", and networking is to DC as soccer is to the rest of the world (for those of you who are unaware, soccer is the most watched sport everywhere OTHER than the US). It's like a favorite pastime here.

Through my program and my internship I have gotten to meet some pretty amazing people and most of them have been extremely open to networking with me. Last week at programming we had Tom Tauke, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Policy and Communications at Verizon. He is a former congressman and has an extremely valuable relationship with The Washington Center's board. At my internship I have meet tons of people who are key to the organization including Alice Germond (DNC Secretary), Patrick Gaspard (DNC Executive Director) and, as I've mentioned before, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (DNC Chairwoman) among other leaders at the DNC. I would never have been able to interact with these kinds of people and make these important contacts if it weren't for the networking culture of DC.

I have also been able to take advantage of the surrounding universities. Despite the fact that The Washington Center is not affiliated with any of the universities throughout the city, many professors are fully aware of the fact that events at these schools are usually free and open to the public. I have now attended two different events at American University for class and am planning on attending a forum at Georgetown later this month. My professor is an advisor at American University so he is extremely concious of all the opportunities at AU so he gave us the information about a few different lectures that relate to our class, this is one of the events that I attended a few weeks ago that focused on the National Parks and fundraising. I also went with my roommate, Anna, to a panel at AU that was required for her class. It was hosted by their College Republicans club and had a panel of former congressmen and an AU Political Science professor.

DC is so full of opportunities, it's just a matter of taking advantage of them. While the majority of my time here I have taken advantage only of the monuments and recreational opportunities the city has to offer, it's important to keep in mind that there is also a lot to do when it comes to networking and education. I love the fact that there are other schools around because I miss being able to go to lectures just because I'm interested in the topic.

One final thing, for the first time all semester I finally missed having a dining hall. I'm starting to get bored of this whole "cook for yourself" deal, I miss being able to go and have 3+ different meal options all ready for me. I suppose I'll have to get over it though!

Until next time!

Unfortunately my weeks seem to be becoming calmer and calmer as time goes on so I'm struggling to find good blogging content. This week I decided to take some time to talk about my class, Campaigning for a Cause: How Advocacy Groups Change the World.

My Monday Nights

While I've only had 2 classes thus far because of President's Day, I'm finding my class to be wicked interesting. My professor, Dr. SanGeorge, is an advisor at American University but has a long list of amazing things he's done in his life. I feel more enlightened just being around him! He spent part of our first class telling us all about his time with the World Wildlife Fund, as a journalist and in what seemed like hundreds of different countries. I couldn't help being overcome with wanderlust while listening to his adventures.

The first section of the course has focused on social media and how it effects social and revolutionary movements. We've talked about demographic analysis and even looked at the Tipping Point theory. The rest of the semester's schedule includes everything but the kitchen sink, things that I would have even associated with advocacy work but I have no doubt we'll connect it all. Some of these topics include messaging, cyper-campaigning and the online video & podcasting revolution. I'm really excited for the rest of the semester. If it's anything like these first two weeks have been, it should be very interesting.

C-SPAN & You (or my roommate)

My roommate, Anna, is in The Road to the White House, the class broadcasted on C-SPAN. The class takes place right in the RAF and is taped and then shown on Fridays at 5:30. There's a guest speaker invited by the director every week who is interviewed first and then the students are given the opportunity to ask questions. After each recording session they have a break and then they go back for a more traditional lecture-style class with question and answer opportunities. During their break, students have the chance to introduce themselves and get to know the guests on a more personal basis. Some of the guests include Michael Steele, Patrick Buchanan and L. Douglas Wilder. This class is open to George Mason University students as well, although there are not as many as TWC students. They have their own studio set up on campus and participate remotely.

That's just a brief run down of two courses offered through TWC. There are courses in many other subjects on topics that you probably wouldn't find at your home institution. What's great about these courses is that they're taught by people who have worked in and are experts on the area of the course so they're the best people to be teaching. One of the coolest parts about this is all the professors have great stories. My professor is like a walking novel and my class seems to have an unspoken understanding to take advantage of this so we can live vicariously through him.

It inspires me to do more with my career by hearing the stories of what others have done with theirs and my professor isn't the only person that does this. Today I got to meet the Deputy National Political Director for the Democratic National Committee. Similar to my professor, he has gone through several different careers and has amazing stories about each. He gave us some great advice when it comes to jobs: if you don't love it, find something you do love. After hearing about his work on the 2008 Obama campaign, with past Houston mayors and some work in Public Health I felt a little at ease that I didn't know exactly what I want to do because clearly you have to try things out and see what works best. Hopefully my career will end up as successful as theirs though!

Until next week!

A day in the life of me

Now that I've been in DC for about 3 weeks, I've started to finally get a routine down.

I'm one of those weird people who is a morning person and is talkative from the moment I wake up so the mornings aren't that tough. I've managed to get used to getting up slightly early than I did for classes (and by slightly I mean about 2 hours earlier). Thankfully, TWC offers a shuttle from the RAF to Union Station so I don't have to walk to the Metro every morning.

I take the DC Circulator to work, it's a bus that goes on more convenient and regular schedules. The Circulator comes every 10 minutes at each stop and stops are located all over the city, even in Georgetown where there isn't a close Metro stop. But that's not even the best part! No matter where you go on the Circulator, it's only $1. This has helped a lot in saving money. Living in a city is very expensive so I try to save as much as I can whenever possible.

Another reason I like to take the Circulator is because at my office, everyone eats out for lunch every day. It does get a little tight sometimes, but fortunately there are TONS of food trucks that come to the Navy Yard which is right near my office. Food trucks were a whole new world to me when I came to DC. We have developed a tradition of Food Truck Fridays but sometimes it turns in to Food Truck (Insert Day of the Week Here). A favorite in my department is the Hula Girl truck which has teryaki steak, chicken and tofu that you can get in a variety of dishes.

After work I come home and on Mondays I eat a quick dinner and then have to go to class from 6:30 to 9:30. I am taking "Campaigning for a Cause: How Advocacy Groups Can Change the World" and so far it's been very interesting! Any other day, my roommates and I either make dinner together or have leftovers. Cooking for myself was one of the biggest precieved challenges moving in to the RAF but it has turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. I'm not dead yet so I guess I'm doing alright!

Speaking of food...

My roommates and I really love food. I love to bake, so I tend to make cookies, brownies or muffins almost every week. Loris has brought us authentic Mexican cuisine, who would have thought that sweet chili powder and lime juice would taste so good on potato chips?! (But really, it's addicting...) Anna got us Russian pastries which were SO delicious. And Stephanie is navigating our exploration of the cupcake world in DC. You may not realize this, but cupcake shops are the new thing and there are a TON in DC so we're trying to eat at every one to see which is best.

Here's Anna, Stephanie and me at Sprinkles in Georgetown!

This was our first shop and was just as delicious as we expected.

We've already started a tradition of having a big breakfast together on Saturday morning. Last weekend I made us pancakes but unfortunately, after I finished making them, we realized we didn't have any syrup! So we had to make due with what we had. This weekend Loris made us delicious crepes which we thought ahead to buy syrup for and next weekend Stephanie is going to make us omlettes!

Here are my delicious pancakes.

Now that I've made myself, and you as well I'm sure, extremely hungry, I think it's time for a snack. Until next time!