We now officially know that our smoke alarm works. After experimenting with different recipes in the kitchen, my roommates and I can attest that the fire alarm will definitely notify you when the food is done. We improved our problem-solving skills by quickly devising an ingenious plan to shut off that ungodly screech. It basically involved waving a towel over the sensor and praying to whatever deity would save us. It was crude, but effective.

When a House Becomes a Home

The above story demonstrates how jarring it can be to relearn your entire daily routine in a new place. This means that even though you may already know how to cook, clean, and maintain yourself, it can still be a challenge to actually refresh one's memory on how to live in a new apartment. You have to get used to your new roommates and your new surroundings. Appliances may appear to be haunted because you haven't gotten used to them yet. Plus, you can become inundated balancing work with household chores.

It can be a struggle to find the right meal to cook, or when to cook it. When in doubt, noodles are always a safe bet. They are cheap and easy to make -- and can be served in almost any meal. It also helps because you cannot burn noodles, even in these semi-challenging pots and pans. (You would have to have no knowledge of how to boil water in order to burn noodles, I promise.)

Another good source of nourishment is events. You may feel like a scavenger when you arrive at the floor brunch or Super Bowl pizza party to just eat, but these events can help you connect with other interns to establish friendships. You get a full stomach and meet a few new people. Never turn down a free lunch as a poor college student.

Settling in and becoming comfortable in your room is also important. Find things that are familiar and unpack your clothes. In fact, unpack everything because otherwise it feels like you're on an extended vacation. Put the suitcase in the closet and forget about it until you need it again. It really helps to establish your space when you lay claim to certain areas of the apartment.

What I Did on Week 3

Week three happened to be quite interesting. I got to participate in my Public Policy Dialogue on Capitol Hill with the Honorable Debbie Stabenow. The meeting took place early in the morning, and I was looking forward to meeting my Senator. Walking to the Capitol Building from the RAF was simple and only took 30 minutes.

Once I arrived at the Senator's office, I strolled around the Hart Senate Office Building because I happened to be early. The Senator was hosting an open house for Michigan residents, and several staff members were there to answer some of our concerns. Since there were only two students from Michigan, we couldn't schedule a one-on-one meeting because of the limited number of people. We did, however, get a chance to meet with the Senator as she was entertaining other constituents. We talked about Caberfea (a ski resort close to where I live) and several issues I cared about. She was very friendly and gave us tickets to tour the House of Representatives and the Senate.

I stepped in a puddle of mud on my way to the meeting. I'm glad you can't even tell!

Our tours of the Senate and House of Representatives were awesome. We happened to be there when they were setting up for the State of the Union Address (it took place that night). The intern giving the tour was very pleasant and showed us the underground metro Congress utilizes. That night was especially great because as I watched the State of the Union Address, I was thinking to myself "I was in that room this morning."