I'd love to tell you I'm writing this blog from the steps of the Library of Congress or a cute little coffee shop on H Street. I'm not going to lie... I'm curled up in bed in a hotel room in Baltimore, Maryland, about a one-hour train ride away from the apartment I call home in D.C. See, despite spending my semester away from my home institution this spring, I still serve as the captain of Monmouth University's Mock Trial team. This weekend is our regional tournament. One of the challenging parts of being at TWC is definitely attempting to balance life and participation at your home institution and the workload and location change of being in Washington. Curled up in bed munching on popcorn and watching Twilight (Don't judge! Rooting for Team Jacob is my guilty pleasure!), I suddenly realized just how exhausted I am. While the intellectual stresses of my tournament obviously contributed to this, I also realized I've been doing a lot of things for Monmouth on top of living a crazy everyday life I live in D.C. Like, whoa did I not see this coming! D.C. has brought with it an array of moments in which I continue to find myself thinking, "whoa!"

A Day in the Life

Up at 7 a.m. and out the door by 7:55 every day to catch the 8:03 Metro from NoMa. Transfer at Metro Center and hop on the orange line towards Vienna. Travel 6 stops to Clarendon where I'll get off and walk about a half mile to the building where my internship is located. Arrive by 8:42 if all goes right. Make a pot of coffee - NOT because my internship requires me to, but because I'm usually the first one in the office and upon arrival I need to consume a quick 8 oz. coffee in order to think about beginning to function. Chug that coffee (like, whoa!) and pour another. Smile and greet my boss, usually around 9:05 a.m. Then my day really begins.

The Internship Site

For the first few days of my internship, my supervisor Dr. Stanton taught us all about genocide. Working at Genocide Watch, we had to know all the basics: the steps of genocide, warning signs, countries at risk, relevant legislation from various countries and groups across the world, affiliate organizations, genocide prevention, and more. It was A LOT of information to learn and I took over 13 pages of double-sided handwritten notes and 9 pages of typed notes during the 4 days of training.... like, whoa!

Once we were adequately prepared, it was time to start the real work. Dr. Stanton gave us a list of 28 countries that are currently facing polarization, preparation for genocide, or extermination (stages 5-7 of the 8 Stages of Genocide). The 4 of us interns had to choose the countries we wished to take on. Taking on a country meant that we would maintain an up-to-date profile on the status of genocide in the country, post relevant articles, and be responsible for composing and distributing any genocide emergencies or warnings for the country. That level of responsibility... like, whoa! If you can't tell already, we are not the typical make-me-coffee-and-file-my-papers interns at Genocide Watch. We're going to be doing real, hands-on, professional-level work.

In fact, Dr. Stanton then proceeded to tell us his goals for the semester, and put us in charge of those goals. Some of them included a successful conference with Act for Sudan, fundraising, and social media & outreach. Knowing my extensive background in social media and communication (I'm a communication major and I wrote my thesis on the impact of social media on a person's ability to participate in offline activism), Dr. Stanton announced he thought it was "only natural" for me to take on the position of social media & outreach. So, it was official... I now had two titles at Genocide Watch: Director of Social Media & Outreach and Research Coordinator for Africa. Like, whoa! Not one, but two titles at my internship! I can't even begin to tell you my level of excitement. I'll post a picture of my fancy business card once it comes in the mail!

They Have Rules for a Reason

So, you know that rule about not eating or drinking on the Metro here in D.C.? Well, if you didn't, don't ever EVER take a drink on the Metro. Not even your morning coffee. Not only is a possibility that you could be fined, but there's also the possibility that all y'all klutzes out there can wind up like me, spilling it on the guy next you. Actually, let's be honest... you don't even need to be a klutz. You simply have to be on a crowded train that's shaky and moving at high speeds. Weird! That's everything that the Metro is! And the person you spill your coffee on will be NONE too happy with you! I can tell you that the guys I spilt my coffee on, he gave me that "like, whoa! Did you seriously just do that?!" look, and my day was downhill from there. Never again.

Stay Tuned!

In the near future, this Television and Radio Production major plans on posting some fun videos and pictures of more of her D.C. adventures!