A Small Case of Potomac Fever

This week has been amazing. Here’s a quick overview:

Monday February 2-

This was the first day of my internship. I work at what is formerly ITAA, but is now known as TechAmerica. Wanting to make a good impression, my roommate Erica (who is working with me, living with me, and taking the same class as me… so we will be attached at the hip this semester) and I arrived about a half hour early, after a brisk 15 minute walk. That’s right, we don’t even have to get onto public transportation to get to work. When our bosses arrived, they decided to go ahead and throw us headfirst into their daily tasks. Within an hour, we were going to a meeting regarding the Buy American clause within the stimulus package. In the afternoon we had a conference call, and the rest of the day, we were pretty much given a short brief of the items in the stimulus package that we were going to be concerned with. After the first day, I was feeling very confident about working with TechAmerica.

Tuesday February 3-

I started the day off early. There was a meeting with the Department of Defense committee, so our company had a cab pick me up from my apartment. We went to the “Tower Club” which is a fancy meeting room in Vienna, VA. If you don’t believe me that it was a sight, then look at the pictures from the bathroom:

These meetings are amazing ways to network in the city. At the beginning of the semester, The Washington Center gives you a set of business cards. By the time I am writing this, I have already almost run out. I have just ordered personal business cards off of Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com). They have sets of free cards in which you just have to pay shipping. When mine come in the mail, I will be sure to post a picture.

Wednesday, February 4-

Wednesdays are going to be long days… I can tell already. I go to work at 9am, and don’t get out of class at night until after 9pm. This day in particular was very long. There was another meeting across town, so a cab picked me up at 7:45 am. This was a meeting with the Department of Homeland Security Committee. I worked until about 5pm, when I went out to a place that had free finger food before my class. Class started at 6:30 across town, and lasted until 9:45. I am extremely excited for my class this semester. It is Women, Politics, and Public Policy, taught by Dr. Sherman—founder of the Women in Public Policy program at UMASS. She is also currently married to former Oklahoma Congressman Mickey Edwards. She is a fascinating woman, and although there will be a lot of work, it will be worth it.
Erica (co-intern) and I went to lunch with our bosses. Thursday and Friday there is a policy retreat in Annapolis, MD. We were not expecting to go, but apparently there were a few last minute cancellations, so there were 3 extra rooms booked. We got to take their place!

Thursday and Friday February 5 &6—

These days were filled with meetings at a gorgeous hotel. See pictures of my room:

Also, we had approximately two hours to ourselves to tour the town. First we went downtown and found several charming little places, as well as a river dock. Also, we made our way to the Naval Academy, which was absolutely gorgeous.


I would love to take another trip out to Annapolis just to tour the city.

After returning home on Friday, I went out with some new friends, and joined up with Erica (the other RSU Blogger from D.C.)

Saturday and Sunday February 7 & 8-

This weekend, I spent some time around the monuments.

This is a view of the Lincoln Memorial at sunset.

Jefferson Memorial at Sunset:

The Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial… enchanting:

My Roomate Emily and me at the Whitehouse:

The back side of the Whitehouse! See the people talking there? That is actually President Obama in the white shirt on the left. See the zoomed in picture below:
On Sunday, I went to the Basilica with two of my roommates. This church is absolutely beautiful.

Monday February 10—

There was programming with The Washington Center today, along with a tour of the Capitol building, so I was only at work for a short period of time. The Capitol tour was interesting, but I would have loved to see more. After that there was a civic engagement fair. After the fair, I went to the Senate chambers with some fellow interns, hoping to see the vote on the stimulus package. Although they postponed the voting, it was a site to see. I have never seen so many important faces in one room. One interesting fact about going to watch the Senate, is that you have to check anything that is electronic or questionable at a desk before you enter. I had a pair of walking shoes in my purse that they made me check in!

Tuesday, February 11—

What a long day! Throughout the day, there were assignments and small projects to be completed. After work, there was a merger reception held in the Capitol. This was a reception for the branding of TechAmerica and a celebration of its roots from ITAA and AeA. It was essentially a 12 hour work day, and I hadn’t yet finished my homework for class on Wednesday.

Wednesday February 12—

I finally did 'intern' work today. I made coffee, and helped to set up a board room for a meeting. I am so glad that my place of employment doesn’t have us doing things like this too terribly often. I hear horror stories of people working for Senators and Representatives who just answer phone calls and respond to emails. I truly feel I am getting a well rounded experience.
One interesting discussion we had tonight in class regarded the role of women in high power positions in America. See this link in the Washington Post for an interesting piece: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/10/AR2009021002398.html?referrer=emailarticle

Thursday, February 13-

Today was one of the first days that I have been able to catch my breath. This city is truly charming, and I find myself developing what is called ‘Potomac Fever’. I can’t wait for the rest of my weeks here.

Happy 200th Birthday to President Lincoln and Charles Darwin!

Candice

P.S. If you want to see more pictures of my adventures, here's a link to my facebook photo album:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30223941&l=841c5&id=92401032v