They say time flies when you're having fun... As my first week in Washington D.C. is coming to a close, it’s amazing to think how quickly it passed by. Move-in-day at The Washington Center felt similar to one at college, where the goal is to snag what you feel is the best spot before someone else gets it. I, for example, appreciate a bed near a window. When I walked in the room I felt starry-eyed; the room was so nice that it didn't matter which spot I picked. I looked around and I saw an island for cooking, a dinner table, a leather couch and chair, a television, and a balcony. It gave new meaning to luxury.

Hello readers -- my name is Jackson Schultz and I am from Swampscott, Massachusetts. It’s a small three square mile, on-the-water town located about 20 minutes north of Boston (the North Shore). Coming from Salem State University in Salem, MA (yes… home of The Crucible), to living in Washington D.C. has been a huge change, but I feel like I’ve adjusted well. I credit The Washington Center mostly for the seamless transition. Everything about the move has been smooth sailing, and I’m having a blast.

Meeting my roommates was better than expected. We seem to all hit it off right from the start. My immediate roommate, Christopher is from Panama. Across the room on the other side of the apartment are Jeff, from Pittsburgh, and Jesus (ChuCho by nickname), from Mexico. Luckily for me I get to practica me Espanol. If you have roommates you get along with, you really start to appreciate the little things. We all enjoy the same music, like our room the same temperature, and have the same sleep schedule. Our first night we decided that we needed to go to grocery store and get some supplies, ie: eggs, milk, peanut butter and jelly... we got everything except what we initially went for: eggs, milk, and PB&J. If I had to point out one observation about my experience with TWC thus far, it is that everyone is so friendly. I met friends in the gym, in the computer lounge, just walking around the hall, and even in the elevator. My current mission is to organize a fantasy football league, and I think I'll be able to fill 12 spots already. Everyone has a very gung ho attitude and shares a long array of interests.

Later on in the week, my roommates and I decided to explore Union Station with three young women that we met at the Residential and Academic Facility; Lauren who is another blogger, Emma, and Haley. All of the girls study together at Texas Christian University. Union Station is a great place to go to eat or shop. We went out to get Sushi at an amazing restaurant where the Sushi comes around on a conveyer belt and is priced by the color of the bowl it’s on. Added all together it’s actually very reasonable. Being someone who loves sushi I may actually go there once a week. Sunday we went to brunch and I ordered a delicious Eggs Benedict meal on salmon and potato hash. Brunch is very popular here in Washington.

So far we've managed to visit the Capitol Building, Georgetown, and the National Museum of History. I'm thrilled to be down here exploring the city and learning the culture and history. One of the greatest things about the city is that most of the museums are free and run solely off of fundraising. This means that a financially struggling Washington intern is still able to become more cultured for the price of a donation.

These past couple days have been so action packed it’s impossible for me to list everything I've done, but I've had a blast and made memories that will last a lifetime.  So far I’ll recommend this program until I’m ‘blue in the face’. Luckily I have 14 more weeks to continue having a blast. Thank you for reading -- until next time.