The Final Blog

I had decided to do some reflecting over the adjustment period of returning to my “normal” life, so that I could really write an honest reflection of my time in DC. It took me many attempts to sit down and finish it, as every time I tried to, I just got more and more upset! Here goes nothing...

It was without a doubt the craziest, weirdest, strangest, most exciting time of my life. I had the opportunity to work with, live with, and become friends with people I would have never met otherwise. I can’t imagine what my life is going to be like without them.

For those who didn’t read from the beginning, I was an intern with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and I miss it every single day! I worked in Human Resources (HR) and had the opportunity to see the “other side” of what happens in the federal government. I am grateful for interning in HR, as I would have never really had an understanding of the behind-the-scenes work. Administrative and HR work definitely isn’t taught in textbooks.

My class that I took was Essentials for Aspiring Leaders with Dr. Keaton. It was a great class to take because it was relatively small (just eight people,) but it was extremely interesting! I learned all about leadership theories, types of personalities, working across generations, and more. I was able to develop better study habits to bring back in the fall for my senior year. I managed to actively participate in class every single week, and was able to interact with other people who I might have never talked to in the first place.

I was able to develop and perfect leadership skills that I had not previously possessed. My class was a direct link into my development of said skills. I was able to to observe leaders in the news and compared their application of leadership to the factual knowledge that I was picking up from the classroom. I believe that I was successful in using the class to become a leader myself. I have developed more confidence as a result of the class in one semester, more than I have ever before in my life. I am certain that I will be able to take the leadership skills with me across other facets as I prepare to enter my last year of college.

I grew as an individual more in this semester than I have during any other experience so far in my life. I became far more assertive, productive, and positive seemingly overnight. By keeping myself motivated throughout the day, I was able to cut back on somewhat bad habits that I had, and this stemmed from my academic and leadership pursuits. Keeping positive throughout the day and being productive are two ways I was able to keep myself motivated to wake up every day and do work throughout the semester.

Originally I had planned to complete my civic engagement with the DC Veteran’s Medical Center. Unfortunately, I was not able to meet this goal due to the location of the facility and the hours concerned with it in addition to my work schedule. I don’t regret this happening, as everything does seemingly happen for a reason. I do feel very passionately about youth programs, and was able to volunteer at Metro TeenAIDS, which caters to DC teenagers in the city and provides them a safe place to hang out, activities, and free testing and contraceptives. I also assisted at the Carpenter’s Shelter, a shelter for in transition homeless families, by watching children while their parents were able to take parenting classes to work on their parenting skills.

I had the greatest time at my internship. I had the time of my life, as corny as that may seem. USMS was great to me. I worked with and learned from some of the most compassionate, funny, and smart people I have ever met. I am grateful that I was able to have such a fun semester. I end this blog with a few of my favorite pictures from the semester: me and my roommates, me in front of my favorite president at my favorite memorial, and the street sign near a particularly famous white house. My final bit of advice about this semester that I can offer is enjoy every single day, work as hard as possible, and meet as many people as time allows. You never know where life’s crazy journey is going to take you, especially down in DC, but rest assured, the ride is worth it.

Reflections

This is it. The end is here. I figured this would be a good opportunity for me to bestow part one of my words of wisdom upon any prospective or future TWC students. Part two will follow as my last post.

1. The Metro is your friend. Buy a Smartcard as quickly as possible. It is extremely convenient for when you go out and have to use the Metro. Read the maps. Don’t stand on the left side of the escalator - you will get plowed out of the way by an angry rider or two. Don’t take it personal. It’s just the way it is.

2. READ THE NEWSPAPER! The Express is handed out for free every single weekday morning. Read it and know it!! All current local, national, and international events are in there. All sorts of gossip, showtimes, and similar things are as well. You’ll be the only person who is out of the loop when your coworkers and friends are talking about the day’s hot topics.

3. Use Peapod.com for grocery delivery when you have to buy a ton of food. They bring it to you and sometimes you can use coupons. It’s a pain to try to carry a ton of food around, so having someone do all the work for you is a plus.

4. SIGHTSEE! Go check out all the free stuff! You never know what you’re gonna find. The Smithsonian Museums are all free, there are monuments, and oodles more to do. Go to random Metro stops and just wander around! Check out the following spots: Eastern Market (on Saturdays and Sundays), Gallery Place-Chinatown, King Street, Adams Morgan. These are just a few of the many places that are awesome down here

5. DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND YOUR PORTFOLIO. Repeat. Read that again. The portfolio is a sneaky little monster that will creep up on you your last weekend here while you are trying to do some last minute sight seeing and going out with your friends. Seriously work on everything early so it doesn’t ruin your fun later.

6. Have fun! Life is short and so is your internship experience. It’s what you make of it. If you spend your time just laying around and not sightseeing, then you are wasting precious moments! Go out and experience as much as you can. This is an area that is practically drenched in history.

For now.

EPIC!

So basically, my life has been made. Okay, okay. I’m kidding. But seriously, the greatest thing ever  happened this past weekend and I really just have to share all of my joy and dedicate this blog to it (well part of this blog that is).... I got to go to the set of America’s Most Wanted. Yes....America’s Most Wanted!

Unfortunately John Walsh was not there. We found out that his pieces for the show are taped during the week. The average cost of a profiled case costs about $250,000! Evidently, however, more calls come in for the cases that get the “15 Seconds of Shame,” which always show a picture of the wanted person, tells a little about the case, and gives some information that can be critical (i.e. identifying marks, weird habits, etc). We even were allowed to listen in on hotline telephone calls! It is amazing to hear the power of the media and listen to people who truly in their hearts believe that they saw a fugitive. The detectives whose cases were profiled were even in the studio with us, and after each of their cases aired, were walking around, listening to calls, and reading tip sheets as they were printed off.

Not to sound like a total nerd, but it was probably the coolest thing ever. Here’s some pictures of the set which is actually a lot smaller than it looks! Filming takes place in the basement of the National Museum of Crime and Punishment off the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop. We did a (literal) run through of the museum and it looked pretty neat. Check it out if you ever can! They have tons of information throughout the entire building. 

The end is almost here, can you believe it? I feel as though the semester should have been six months! There is so much more I want to see, and do, and experience, and it just seems pretty unfair that this chapter of my life is coming to a close. On the other hand, I do miss home and can’t wait to see my friends and family.

I have been working on finishing up my portfolio relatively early, which is pretty unlike me as I tend to wait until the last minute to finish assignments. Fellow TWC students, pay attention to these words! The portfolio is a BIG DEAL. My suggestion, and a word to the wise, would be start these things during your last month here! You’ll have a good idea of what you should and should not wait to complete. Pay particular attention to the development of your IDP Draft, as it is a pretty big deal. If you follow the syllabus, you should be fine. Just a piece of advice for now...

Until next time!

Approaching the End

Another precious week has flown by here in Washington. This week was especially AWESOME because my birthday was Wednesday! This week I got my midterm back for my class and I got an A, so I was pretty pleased about that. Wednesday we went out after work to Happy Hour and that was pretty much it. Thursday I had an event sponsored by TWC/Stockton Alumni and got to meet people who live down in the metro area who either are alumni of my college, or alumni of my college who also were Washington Center interns at one time. It was really nice to talk to people that are from my (general) area and went through the same (general) thing that I did. It definitely reinforces the idea that going through TWC is one of the best decisions I have made so far concerning my education and my future career choices..

Friday and Saturday I went out to a couple places. Friday we headed to King Street and Saturday we made the long and arduous journey to Adams Morgan. Check out both places!! They are crawling with restaurants, bars, clubs, shops, and the like. It’s probably swamped with people in the summer. Adams Morgan is pretty comparable to South Street in Philadelphia if you’re familiar with the area.

Today was the day of all days. I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into the draft of my final defense letter for my portfolio with TWC. The portfolio is basically the sum of my entire semester down here, with the final defense letter being my formal request for accreditation from my college. It’s a daunting task. It’s pretty scary. If it were a horror movie, I wouldn’t be able to sit through it. Fortunately for me, I was able to persevere and see it out. Hopefully it goes over well! (Hint, hint)

This upcoming week is going to be filled to the brim with work for the portfolio.. And hopefully some sight seeing. :)

Until next time..

This week was probably one of my best yet!! At work, we got to tour the FBI Training Academy that is at Quantico Marine Corps Base. Read that again. FBI TRAINING ACADEMY! It was without a doubt one of the coolest places I have ever been to. So many big names have been there, celebrities touring for background on movies, movies being SHOT there, famous FBI agents, etc! We also got to see the famous Hogan’s Alley -- which is basically a “fake town” that the agents in training simulate and role play different scenarios in: entering houses, doing traffic pull-overs, going into hotels, etc. All in all I was really thrilled to be able to go see such a well-known facility and appreciated the opportunity. It didn’t hurt that I scored myself some FBI swag...

We have been fortunate to continue with the streak of gorgeous weather. With the exception of some rain this past week, every day has been basically picture perfect. This weekend, my cousin came down to see me! We were able to go to a few places, and eat at some DELICIOUS restaurants of which I will now give play-by-plays for all you foodies... Keep in mind I am biased since these are some of my favorite restaurants down here :)

Saturday night we ate at La Tasca on King Street in Alexandria. Yes, La Tasca is a chain. A small one. Don’t let that fool you!! It is absolutely OUTSTANDING. We started off with appetizer style tapas (small plates) that consisted of: fried eggplant; fried onion, red pepper, and green pepper straws; chicken croquettes; and scallops in a white wine sauce. They were all AMAZING! The fried eggplant came with a delicious warm cheese dip, the straws were fresh, the croquettes were soft and practically melted like butter! The scallops were good as well! I was surprised because I never had them before but they were really good. Next as our “entree” we had a paella of chicken and chorizo, which is spanish sausage. This paella was amazing, it had mixed vegetables, cheesy rice, chicken, and the chorizo. It was so rich! I would definitely have it again. We finished out with two deserts: one was fried and had bananas, and the other had truffle of some sort and was chocolate with ice cream. Both were amazing! This particular location had live music playing at 9pm which was a great way to end the day. I’d give it 5/5 stars.  

This morning we went to Le Pain Quotidien off of the Eastern Market Metro. YUM YUM YUM! It is actually an international chain, but again, don’t let it fool you! The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, including a huge indoor communal table, and has the feel of a country open-air kitchen. Pretty much everything on the menu is organic. Organic can actually be DELICIOUS! I had a parmesan and basil pesto omelette that came with organic mesclun (which is basically mixed greens), and two types of French bread. Mmmmm! One of the best omelets I have ever had! It was super tasty. They also have various jams and spreads that go with your bread. I used mainly a chocolate hazelnut spread which was pretty thick, and it was definitely amazing. There is also a location on King Street and one somewhere on P street in DC. Stop by there if you can!! They serve eggs/omelets until 3 pm on the weekends. Their food is fresh and you can definitely taste the quality of the ingredients. This one is also 5/5 stars.

Today we had dinner at Matchbox located off the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro. This small chain is known for their delicious pizzas, infamous sliders, and creative cocktails. I took the opportunity to do a half and half small pizza: half was the “q” special which came with chicken, peppers, mushrooms; and the other half was veggies with fingerling potato crisps. I had been to this restaurant before and I wasn’t disappointed! It is flatbread style pizza so it is thinner, and wood oven cooked so it has a darker crust. I love flatbread style! It is so filling without all the poofy crust. I definitely would say to check this place out! It is on 4 floors and the building is skinny and long like a matchbox. Look for the big bowl of fire out front! 5/5 stars, obviously... :)

Today we saw the Washington Monument, Reflection Pool, World War II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. 

I would definitely recommend checking these out! The memorials are all unique and beautiful in their own way. You can’t help but feel grateful and feel immense pride when visiting each one. The World War II Memorial was especially gorgeous. 

It was a great day to take in the sights. I would make it a point to see the Lincoln Memorial at night, as I heard it’s the best time to be there...

Ever single time I sit down to write a blog, the same thought keeps crossing my mind: “Wow, the weeks are going by way too fast.” This is definitely true! I have had the same routine for awhile now: wake up, work, home, dinner, shower, sleep, repeat. It may sound dull, but it’s the truth. Working a “9-to-5” (or whatever hours it may be) like an adult is probably the most exhausting thing I have ever had to do.

This week was relatively calm. I had my midterm for my class, and the weather became absolutely GORGEOUS. Friday night my roommate Natalie and I went to dinner at Matchbox in Chinatown and to the movies afterward. Yum is the only word that can describe the mouthwatering indulgence that is Matchbox. In summation, they serve delicious flatbread style gourmet pizza and other dishes like salads, seafood, and pasta.  We ordered some sort of magical pizza that had grilled chicken, mushrooms, peppers, and some other things. Now, I am from New Jersey (see blog title) and I have had some pretty delicious pizza in my day, but this pizza was AMAZING. The chicken was real chicken, and the crust was so crispy and delicious it practically melted in my mouth. That is without a doubt one of the best places I have ever eaten at, period. We saw The Last Song afterwards. Yes, I know. I can hear the collective groan from all the people who don’t particularly think it is worth a penny to see. Surprisingly, I liked it.

Saturday I got to see the Franciscan Monastery which is located somewhere off the Brookland/CUA Metro stop. My parents came down with my Grandmother and we toured the building and the grounds. It was beyond gorgeous! My Grandmother was last there in 1939 so I think she was surprised to see it again. It was definitely worth it to see how much she enjoyed it. The building had stained glass windows that were handmade from Germany and even a replica of the catacombs under Rome. Regardless of religion, it is definitely a gorgeous establishment to see. Sunday we had a dinner at our apartment and I successfully made a baked macaroni and cheese that was not runny, nor did it taste like dirt.

I must say I’m proud of myself.

Until next time!

PHEW!

Crunch time is definitely approaching. The past week was a blur as they have come to be. My focus has been on my classwork, as I just completed my midterm for my course. Surprisingly, I have really been enjoying my leadership class. It is definitely a unique, fresh approach to a topic that can come across as stale and forced. I have been thinking about my final leadership project lately, but I’m still not 100% in which direction I want to go in.

During the week, the US Marshals interns got to go to the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms’ (ATF) K-9 facility. It was neat to go and actually see what takes place from when a dog enters the facility, to when they actually are out looking for explosives or traces of arson. Labradors are used because of their high stamina, their energy, their noses (!!!), and their personalities. It definitely made me want a dog.. (HINT, HINT!)

The main draw of my weekend was seeing the Smithsonian American Art Museum on Saturday. We arrived in the afternoon and barely even cleared two floors of the massive buildings! There were two sections: the actual Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. It was definitely AMAZING.

To get things started.. Here’s a canvas of LL Cool J. Nothing says American Art quite like LL Cool J sitting in a big old chair. 

Here’s an Andy Warhol of Marilyn Monroe!! I absolutely loved it. It may look somewhat dull, but it is really bright in person. 

This is a 1953 photograph of Grace Kelly. She was absolutely stunning! 

We also checked out some of the Presidential Portraits. Lincoln’s was one of my favorites. 

Bill Clinton’s was downright funky and really modern! It was definitely a hit to look at. 

And those are just my favorites! The SAAM/NPG are free to visit, although donations are encouraged. It is definitely a sight worth checking out, even if art isn’t really your “thing”. I hope to make it to the Natural History Museum soon.

Until next time!

Spring has Sprung!!

This week was evidence that good things come to those who wait. Pretty much every single intern has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of nice weather to basically do ANYTHING with. Granted, we can go sightseeing and do things when the weather is shoddy, but it just isn’t as enjoyable. This week we had a LCJ lecture about foreign policy in the Middle East, and specifically Afghanistan and Iraq. I do hope that next week, after this upcoming PLS, we go to a more Criminal Justice-oriented program. I just have different expectations of the programming and I can’t wait until we see some more “national” lectures. :)

I received a project involving college CO-OP applicants to the US Marshals throughout the country from my manager at my internship. It is a pretty awesome to be responsible for a (relatively) large group of people, and I’m glad my superiors have enough faith and trust in me in to take care of the job! I am challenging myself to finish it within a month, just to see if I can work within a real deadline. It’s pretty exciting.

This weekend my roommates and I took advantage of this GORGEOUS weather! Friday night we ate out near Dupont Circle, which was nice. Saturday we were able to get out again and head out to the National Mall. We were able to check out the health care bill protest that was going on. Regardless of my views, it was amazing to see the power of the American people. I am extremely proud that I live in this country where if I don’t like something, I can march right to the capital of my nation and protest or celebrate it. It was really intense, and while it was cool to check out, wasn’t exactly my scene. 

Afterwards, we went to Eastern Market for lunch. Saturday night my one roommate Melissa and I just hung out at our apartment because...

We went back to Eastern Market on Sunday! For those of you who probably don’t know, Eastern Market is a stop off the Orange/Blue line that is also an open-air farmers and flea market. The market part may sound skeptical, but I can assure you it was fantastic! Before we went shopping we stopped at a french cafe for breakfast which was absolutely mouthwatering. My roommates Natalie, Melissa, and I were able to pick up a ton of fresh produce and goods! I was able to buy delicious fuji apples, navel oranges, watermelon and more. My roommates made out like bandits. We had all fresh food to make an amazing dinner with, and it was just really nice to buy something fresh and cook it right away. I even carved the watermelon to make a bowl to serve our fruit in! :) Farmer’s markets are definitely great ways to stimulate the local economy without breaking the bank! I also purchased a piece of art from a vendor and bought a bar of natural soap that was vanilla and sandalwood scented. My roommates and I also got sets of GORGEOUS wrap around necklaces and earrings. It was just a really neat experience. I didn’t get pictures of the market, but I did get pictures of the “fruits” of our labor. We definitely plan on going back as soon as possible.

Until next time..

HALFWAY THERE?!

EW! I refuse to believe that my semester here in the GLORIOUS nation’s capital is halfway finished! Where has the time gone? The weeks by this point have blurred together into one large blob. I have definitely been enjoying the experience of living, working, taking class, and exploring down here in the DC area..

This week, our President’s Lecture Series, or PLS as I commonly refer to it, was referred to as a Career Boot Camp. We were able to choose from a plethora of workshops to attend and participate in that were created with the mission of assisting us interns with life once we graduate college. Even though I don’t graduate until next year, I am still glad that I could get a piece of the “real world” before it is so rudely thrust upon me! The first of my workshops was “Getting a Job in the Federal Government,” which provided lots of insight into programs such as STEP, SCEP, & FCIP. It also gave lots of tips and pointers into using the website USAJOBS, which is where basically all federal jobs are posted. It was pretty interesting. My second workshop was “From Questions to Clarity: Deciding Whether Graduate, Law or Business School is in your Future.” I didn’t find it as informative as the first but it was still insightful. I am glad that TWC put together an event like this for us, so props to them!

On Thursday, I got to visit the District of Maryland with the other US Marshals interns. It was pretty similar to headquarters. They have lots of offices, lots of people working IN the offices, etc. Everyone who worked there was extremely nice and happy to answer questions and tell us about themselves, which we appreciated. It was a hike from the city to Baltimore, but it was a GORGEOUS day so we were definitely glad to be out. We even got to have lunch at the Inner Harbor on the water. It was nice to get a change of scenery for just a day..

The White House... Finally!

We finally had the chance to attend a President’s Lecture Series presentation. I’d like to think that we got off to a strong start. Selected to present was Dr. Lawrence Korb who has served in the Naval Reserve, published books and over a hundred articles, and made over one thousand television appearances. He is a Senior Fellow at American Progress and a Senior Advisor to the Center for Defense Information. Dr. Korb spoke about foreign policy and the current situation in the middle east. He even answered questions at the end. I really enjoyed hearing his views, and I was really pleased that TWC chose him to kick off the President’s Lecture Series.

The focus of my class this week was on Mission, Vision, and Values for a fictional organization. It was pretty neat, as we got to formulate our own in groups and present them to each other. It’s nice to see a progression in the lessons as my time in the classroom goes on. I haven’t quite thought about what I want my final project to be on, but I am certain that with the way the class is going that I will be more than adequately prepared.

This weekend, I got to see my parents!! We went all around the Metro area: Crystal City, Pentagon City, Federal Triangle, and Chinatown. We made it to the White House which was exciting, because I haven’t had a chance to do any sightseeing yet. The White House is definitely a LOT smaller than I thought it would be. I can’t say that I didn’t feel inspired when I was standing in front of that particular house, because it was just amazing! It was cool to check out the area and pass by some of the monuments. We even waved to the guys on the roof, AND they waved back! Afterwards we went out to lunch in Chinatown and parted ways. It was nice to see my parents and even nicer to finally see the White House.

Me at the White House!!

The White House

Intersection of the White House

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is GORGEOUS!!

Civic Engagement and You

The weeks have definitely become a blur! I have become well adjusted to my working life here in the nation’s capital. This past weekend I saw Shutter Island in Chinatown with a couple of my roommates and some friends. It was my first time to Chinatown and hopefully not my last!! The movie theatre is almost connected to the Verizon Center and the complex is MASSIVE. The movie was amazing and it was seriously the highlight of my life. Martin Scorsese is a genius, and I swear with each movie he puts out the quality of each dramatically improves over the last. Leonardo DiCaprio (or as I call him, Leo) was near the top of his game in this film. I can’t say he has ever put out a role that I didn’t enjoy.

This week followed the same pattern as previous weeks. Wake up, work, sleep, repeat. My class continues to be interesting. I love all the different theories and concepts of leadership, and I never realized how diverse the topic was until I started this class. It is a little nerve wracking to still be pushed behind because of all of the snow, and now that there may be MORE coming this upcoming week, it is just horrifying. It makes me wonder why I didn’t come for the summer term...

However, this week I got to devote a large chunk of my time to my civic engagement project. I had decided that I wanted to volunteer at the DC Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, or the DCVAMC. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, as I haven’t really done much volunteering before. I rose rather early on Monday to head out to my interview with Voluntary Services at the DCVAMC. I had to take the yellow to green lines, and then the Metro Bus to reach the facility. That was in and of itself an adventure, as I really don’t recall taking the green line yet so it was pretty unfamiliar territory. When I arrived I had an interview and that was it! I had a couple of options of where I wanted to volunteer, but I ultimately went with Caring Spoons. To follow up, this past Thursday I had my orientation at DCVAMC to learn all about volunteering. After that, I was able to meet with one of the coordinators of the Caring Spoons program to get a better idea of what it is all about. Caring Spoons is a program that allows volunteers to spend time with veterans during meals and assist them if necessary. It seems like something that really is for me so I am super excited to get started.

My only regret is that I didn’t get on the ball with the civic engagement planning sooner, as I could have potentially had an entire month more to volunteer as opposed to the roughly two I am going to have now.

This week we have President’s Lecture Series lecture at the Department of Agriculture which should be pretty cool, as it is our first big PLS event that involves ALL of the TWC interns and not just the Law and Criminal Justice program. I am definitely looking forward to it.

Ciao!

DISCLAIMER: This week was rough. No fun pictures, just banter of a frustrated girl.

Conveniently this week my laptop’s wireless decided to die. I will keep the name of the maker of said laptop anonymous, for their protection, but I was VERY upset. So, on President’s Day, I had the pleasure of going to the Apple store in Pentagon City. Now I’ve gone MAC and probably... will never go back. MacBooks are pretty nifty so I am glad to own one. They come with a slew of programs for all kinds of different things, which is pretty convenient.

The aftermath of PANDASNOWDIUM (Ha...ha) 2010 is seemingly finally settled. Metro Rail and Bus seems to be running back to normal. I went back to work for a whole full week, except for President’s Day. This week has been all about catching up at work: because the government was closed and we couldn’t do any work, we were subsequently pushed back an entire week with the projects we are working on. The scope of my responsibilities at USMS has grown larger, which is fine with me! I really am enjoying administrative work, but at the same time, I know that it’s something that I could not possibly do for the rest of my life. My campus liaison from my college came on Friday and we just went over what’s been going on, how I’ve been doing, and the usual line of questioning concerning my internship and time down here in general.

This week, we also went back to classes for the second time. My class, Essentials for Aspiring Leaders, is great! Professor Keaton is extremely knowledgeable, and pleasant, and is one of the few professors who I have encountered in my college experience that really loves and is passionate about what he teaches. Our class has two main components: a midterm and a final project about a prospective leadership project. The two don’t seem too bad. I would rather complete projects or papers than take any sort of test, so I was relieved we don’t have a “final.”

I feel like the mailman from the Hey Arnold episode who says “I hate the snow, I hate the snow, man I sure do hate the snow.” Day 6 is in full swing of being snowed in. I actually miss working! Leaving early Friday was cool and all, but my roommates and I are definitely falling victim to cabin fever. You can only watch so many movies before your brain turns into soup. This is probably the most uneventful blog entry I have posted yet.

On Wednesday, one of my roommates, Melissa, and I decided to take a taxi across the bridge to the shopping center is that houses Target, Best Buy, and more. We went relatively early and managed to do all we needed to do in about an hour. We bought and rented some movies, and stocked up on some delicious junk food. The shelves were bare in Target, with only a small amount of groceries, milk, and bread remaining. In Best Buy, there was fortunately a bunch of movies that were still there. We managed to pick up a few, and caught our taxi back here. The rest of my day consisted of sitting around, watching movies, and twiddling my thumbs. Last night we watched The Stepfather, which just came out on DVD, courtesy of RedBox. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, and it was only PG-13.

During the movie the miraculous men of Peapod, our grocery delivery finally arrived! I had been waiting for them since Thursday so I was EXTREMELY pleased to receive all of my food! I almost forgot what real chicken tastes like. They were super nice and brought all of my groceries up to my room. They do this service in a few states, so if you ever have a chance, check it out! It’s really convenient (when there isn’t a blizzard ruining your delivery time).

Also, during our cabin fever induced week/weekend/week, my roommate Natalie baked us all a Valentine’s cake. It was delicious and super cute!

Today (Thursday) the four of us went to see Dear John. While I liked it, it was of course different than the book, which was written by Nicholas Sparks. Afterwards, we did a Target run and ended up back at our apartment. Tomorrow we actually get to go to work! I never thought I would be so excited to do such a thing.

…My apologies for such a dry entry. I wanted to do some sightseeing but Mother Nature planned otherwise. Hopefully this weekend the Metro will be in full swing, just in time for Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day!

Week 2...

At times, I find myself forgetting to breathe. That would be the best way to describe my second week here in the nation’s capital. The sights, the sounds, the smells (good and bad) and the like have been like an overload on my senses and my head. This week in particular has been pretty hectic. At my internship I have started working on a project which really involves people all over the US. It’s interesting to contact people and places all over, most that I haven’t even heard of. I really enjoy my department, Human Resources, and all of the people I work with and my fellow interns on the floor. It really feels like we have some sort of weird family formation going on.

This past weekend it snowed down here in Alexandria and all over the Metro area. It was extremely pretty to see, as the whole area seems to practically hush and become silent instantly. It made our night out a little bit slushier (and messier), but it was definitely nice!

A group of us managed to make it out to Hawk N Dove on Pennsylvania Ave in the city. It’s an 18+ place that caters to everyone. They have a bar, restaurant, and even a dance floor upstairs. On the particular night that we went, the upstairs was rented out by a local school’s fraternity party... So needless to say, we came back downstairs pretty quickly. No offense to any who may have been there, but we all just kind of felt a little “old” for the scene.

Sunday, our RA’s here decided to sponsor a trip to the Melting Pot. Of course, me being the dummy I am, I forgot my camera!!! We just did the appetizer fondue and dessert fondue, but that was enough food to fill me for three days. For appetizer, we chose spinach and artichoke fondue, cheddar with bacon, and a fiesta fondue. We received bread, vegetables, apples, and tortilla chips to dip in the pots. It was so good, and I guess if I had to choose a favorite I would go with the fiesta. It was almost like a hot queso dip, mmm! For dessert, we chose the plain milk chocolate, a chocolate with caramel and pecans, and a bananas foster fondue. The bananas foster was easily the best. For dipping, we got cheesecake, fruit, marshmallows, cake, etc. All in all it was really awesome to see our food “cooked” before us and was good to go out and see some of the city.

This week we had a special speaker from the Secret Service as part of our Law and Criminal Justice programming. He was really a nice guy, and from what he talked to us about it seems like he has really seen a lot of the world. I had never considered Secret Service as a possible career, but from what he said it really seems like a possibility. He even took questions from us, and I had a chance to ask him one. All in all, it was pretty informative and awesome to hear from someone who has actually lived some of the history we have read about. Kudos to TWC for selecting him!

We also had classes cancelled for TWC on Tuesday because of the potential snow. We did get more snow, and it was even more gorgeous the second time around. Now we are all anticipating anywhere from 5-36 inches this weekend, YIKES! It seems pretty convenient that all of this snow just happens to come every weekend. Hopefully it doesn’t interfere too much this weekend...

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Christina and I hail from New Jersey. I’m a junior at The Richard Stockton College of NJ majoring in Criminal Justice. This semester is the first time I have been to Washington, D.C. so everything is completely new. I figured I would begin this blog well… at the beginning.

Thursday was move-in day which was pretty hectic. My parents moved me down and we woke up before the sun even rose to head down here. We got here around 9:30 (and got lost once along the way, sorry Dad!) and joined the other interns in the process of standing around and waiting to check-in. Eventually it was my turn and I received a plethora of information along with the essentials: pass key, entrance key, etc. We made our way up to my apartment and checked in. Not too bad! I’ll post pictures of that as soon as possible. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, closets, a living area, sunroom and kitchen. We are on a higher floor so the view outside is awesome. I do wish we had the building that viewed the city though. I met my roommates, Natalie, Sloane, and Melissa, and spent the day unpacking, running to stores, and trying to settle in. Thursday night we had a meeting with all the interns living here and then after that we all just hung out, exhausted, ready to head out to our first orientation on Friday.

Friday morning we woke up BRIGHT and EARLY! Our first orientation was at the National Housing Center in D.C. Since we only had to wear casual attire, I was pretty relieved so I was able to dress comfortably. It wasn’t a really nice day. Two of my other roommates are both in the Law and Criminal Justice Program, so we had orientation together. Our other roommate went to the same building, but a different room for hers. We heard all about TWC and the program from our Program Advisors, Robert Schendle and Amanda Raymond. They were both super nice and really laid out the program in detail for us. The syllabi were especially helpful as they blatantly state what needs to be done and when. After they spoke, we had a time to break for lunch. 

Afterwards, we rushed to the Newseum for a tour courtesy of TWC. The museum was gorgeous! It was 6-7 floors of all sorts of displays ranging from photography throughout the decades to a 9/11 exhibit dedicated to the newspaper covers and media stories about one of the most unforgettable events our country has ever seen. After the tour, I headed out to the bloggers meeting at TWC and was successful in getting myself lost. I met my fellow bloggers who are all super nice and smart, and it was great to know that we were all equally excited to be showing off our blogs.

The weekend was mainly days of exploring the city and trying to understand how the Metro system works. It was definitely confusing at first, but it’s only a few days later and I totally feel like I am a professional at riding it. What people say about keeping to the right and running on the left of the escalators is true! We went and checked out Pentagon City, and their fashion center, which was gorgeous and seems like a really nice place to go on a dreary day as it is 4 stories high! Sunday Natalie and I went in search of a CVS to find the rare and elusive SmarTrip Cards to use for getting around the Metro. A word to the wise: Get these cards and get them early! They are so convenient and really are lifesavers. We also did a run-through to our internship. It's remarkably close to its Metro stop, which is awesome.

Monday we had the opportunity to hear from more speakers. TWC President Mike Smith started off the day, with us hearing from alumnus and staff of The Washington Center. One of the most exciting parts of the day without a doubt was hearing from motivational speaker Josh Sundquist. Josh talked to us about really accepting when we make mistakes in our lives and just LAUGH at them. He is a truly inspiring, energetic, and amazing person to be around. He is a cancer survivor and a Paralympic ski racer and just 25 years old. His words were definitely moving.  Afterwards, I had the opportunity to purchase his new book Just Don’t Fall and snap a picture with him.

 

Tuesday and Wednesday I had my first couple days at my internship. As most of my information is sensitive, I can tell you that my internship is with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and that I am going to be doing administrative work. We heard from various supervisors in the different departments and areas of the USMS, and received pretty awesome photo ID’s. Most of the interns are in some form of administration here. I am in the Human Resources department dealing with classified employee information. We will be doing field trips throughout the semester, so I will have LOADS of information about those and will give you as much detail as possible. I will also try to see as I progress this semester if there is any more information about my specific internship I can tell you.

This past week has been a complete blur and I promise to include more pictures in my next posting. This weekend there is supposed to be some wicked snow, but as soon as I go sight-seeing I will include pictures and LOTS of information about that as well.