Fall is upon us and everyone is welcoming the brisk mornings and pumpkin-spiced lattes. Experiencing Fall in D.C. is exciting and definitely something new. There's been rumors of trick-or-treating at the embassies for international candies which is bound to be a highlight of this fall season. This weekend I got to take a little getaway to Hillbruck Farm in Maryland to catch up with some alumni from my university. While you're in D.C. it's definitely a prime opportunity to connect with other people from your university. Alumni can offer a lot of insight and advice and serve as great networking connections. Plus, I got to indulge in some fall festivities. We painted pumpkins and ate apple cinnamon dumplings while chatting about the upcoming election and the mood in D.C.

Fall Treats!

Speaking of yummy fall treats, some friends were kind enough to share some of their pumpkin cookies and banana bread with us this weekend. Thanks guys! My roommates and I have celebrated the first days of October with some cute Halloween decorations for our room and we've started putting together a list of costume ideas.

Stephen and his roommate baking some fall treats!

Mmmm.. Pumpkin cookies!

Bonding & Debates

My internship has been going well, too! This week at TechAmerica I'm putting together media press kits to give to reporters after our Big Data Release meeting on Wednesday. I've been learning a lot and am really looking forward to the release. My co-workers and I have been bonding and are getting along great. At lunch we always have debates and awesome political talks.

Lunch time chats are always a great way to catch a break!

Liam and his shades are too cool to be schooled by Stephen!

Speaking of debates, the 2012 Presidential debates have everyone excited. Some interns are watching them with co-workers while others plan on getting together and watching them in our apartments. It's a great way to talk politics with friends and bound to be interesting.

Turkish Festival

This weekend some friends and I scarved up and headed out to the Turkish Festival. My dad was born in Istanbul, Turkey so Mediterranean food and culture is definitely right up my alley.

Me and the girls at the Turkish Festival!

They had authentic music and dancing. I managed to get a quick video in with the crowd. We really enjoyed all the action.

They also had a huge market place with lots of goods. They sold traditional Mediterranean evil eyes among other handmade goods. People were buying jewelry, rugs, and little trinkets all around.

Many people were dressed for the occasion and we even got some history lessons about the Ottoman Empire. Overall, we had a great day and plan on heading to some more international festivals over the semester. Not to mention, the food was AMAZING.