End of the Semester

Well the semester’s over.  No more finals, no more research papers, no more homework.  I can’t believe how quickly this semester went by and now I only have a few more days until I go home.  It is a little sad that I have to say goodbye to all my friends, but tonight my roommates and I are going to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the White House, so it should be a fun one last get together. 

I’m graduating this semester after all my grades are turned in.  Next semester I am going to grad school at George Washington University in their master’s degree program in Political Management.  I am also interning at the Heritage Foundation.  I am pretty excited, but I’m a little nervous because my internship doesn’t start until after my schooling starts, so I have to find temporary housing for a while.  

In addition to housing, I have to find a place to store my things for a few weeks and figure out how I’m going to move all my things in and out of housing.  Plus look for ways to pay for grad school.  So looks like even though the semester is over I still have a lot of work ahead of me. 

Well, it has been a fun semester and I have learned a lot.  Now, I’m off to grad school.  A few weeks of relaxation, then back to the grindstone for me.  Hope you all enjoyed hearing about my semester in DC.  And I hope it helped you understand DC a little better.  If you are interested and have the chance, I recommend coming out here and see our nation’s Capital for yourself.  Have fun.   

WASSA dance

So, WASSA’s last event was Friday.  We had a dance on the Tenley campus.  It was pretty fun.  It started out kind of slow, but by the end, it wasn’t bad.  A lot of people moved in and out and since everyone was studying for finals, most people didn’t stay too long.

We had a DJ, a chocolate fountain, and lots of food.  The piggy in me loved it.  I’m pretty sure I ate my weight in chocolate.  We also set up a backdrop and had someone taking pictures, so people could have some photos to remember from the night.  Our WASSA group took one big group photo. It was a fun last night memento.   

Before the dance we paired up with Tenley Hall Council and put on a talent show.  It had a really good turnout.  The acts were good to.  It’s surprising to see how good people are and notice talents in those you never thought could belt out those notes or dance that well.  There were even prizes at the end for the top three winners. 

After the talent show, we took a short break and broke down all the chairs and set up for the dance. Taking the break is what kind of deterred more people from coming because once they left, they didn’t think about coming back.  But it was still pretty fun. 

So, now WASSA is over, come Monday my classes will be done, and I will be moving out.  It’s really sad to think I may not see some of these people again.

But at least I was able to have fun while it lasted.  I met some great people, had a great time, and was able to have an experience I’ll never forget.

Now off to study.  Final here I come… 

Leadership Institute

I went to a conference at the Leadership Institute today.  It was really interesting and informative.  The conference was about getting a job on Capitol Hill and had multiple guest speakers, each with a different topic.  They all had a lot of unique ideas about how to make your resume stand out, how to differentiate yourself at an interview, and how to network.

The Leadership Institute is an organization that teaches people how to make it into politics.  The institution holds classes that anyone can attend from college students to experienced workers, but it is conservatively focused.  All the schools they hold have different topics, such as the one I went to about how to get a job on Capitol Hill, but some of the other schools also include how to handle yourself in public speaking, blogging, and campaign managing.  Usually the schools provide meals and some include housing for those who need it. 

The Leadership Schools cost money, but my internship supervisor told me about the school and got me in the program for free.  That is one of the things that I really love about my internship I get to do projects, but my supervisor always informs me of conferences, luncheons, and other socializing events on the hill.  It really is a unique experience.

That is one thing I would say about interning here in DC; make sure you get an internship that works for you.  My internship is working with a woman in a small business she started herself.  But even though I work at a small company I have been able to receive a lot more attention and opportunities than other people do at their internships.  I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I do work in a small company.  So just to let you know, don’t think you have to go to a big company to get a great experience, you can get just as great of an experience at a smaller firm.  Do what you think will be best for you.              

Back in DC

Back in DC and back to school.  Last week was a nice break, but now it’s time to get back to work.  It is really hard to believe, but I only have one week left here.  This semester flew by.  Now one more week to study for finals, finish a research paper, and say goodbye to all the people I met here.  One week is not nearly long enough.

On a fun note, though, WASSA is doing an end of the year dance, which is nice because it allows everyone to have one last bang before we have to go home.  The dance is done every year, so everyone who has gone to the Washington Semester before me experienced it. It is really helpful when organizing the event that it is done every year.  All our other WASSA events we had to figure everything out by ourselves, but this one we have an idea of what to expect, which is very helpful.

So to do list: study, write my paper, plan dance, and ENJOY MY LAST WEEK!

I’m glad I’m back; it’s nice, but now time to get to work.  

Thanksgiving

Home for the holidays.  I took a flight out from Reagan National Airport.  I must say, while I do my far share of complaining about the metro, (the cost, inefficiency, ect.) it is convenient to hop on for a ride at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning.  The flight itself was short.  I hopped on the flight (oh yeah, really peaceful going through airport security) and slept for the hour and forty minutes it took to get home.

Then I stepped back in Illinois.  My parents came, picked me up, and drove me home.  Funny, the drive from the airport to my home took longer than the flight from DC. 

When I got home, I walked into a house full of baked goods.  My mom made chocolate cake, three different types of tarts, and three kinds of muffins.  Yeah, if I was hoping to watch what I was eating, it walked out the door as soon as I got home. 

Being home is really nice though.  It is so relaxing.  What I love the most is being able to drive.  Even if I had a car in DC, driving would have been much different than it is in rural Illinois.  But now, back in Illinois, I can hop in my car, turn on the radio, and just drive.

Thanksgiving was good to.  I went to both my mom’s and my dad’s family, so in one day I had two Thanksgiving dinners.  It was really nice to see my family after so long.  I got to talk to everyone and answer the same question over and over again, “How are things in DC?”  (Just to answer: “it is doing fine, I really love the city.”)       

But, now, it’s time to go back to DC.  It’s my last night at home and I have to wake up super early in the morning, fly back, and get back to school and working.  Well, I guess a relaxing week must end one day, and that day is tomorrow, seven days later, who would have known?  Back to the old grindstone.  

Classes

So my first day of class was so overwhelming.  I received my first syllabus (all eleven pages of it), my nine book booklist, and my first assignment: to come up with and research the topic I want to write a 35-60 page paper on.  Oh, and I had to make up my mind in five days.  I thought, "yeah, I'm hopping on a plane and going back to Illinois, because I can't handle this." And then I remembered that it was my choice to come here and my pride forced me to suck it up.

The research project is optional for a lot of schools, including mine.  (Yeah, I'm one of the fools doing it voluntarily.)  What it asks is for students to conduct original research using resources unique to DC, such as interviewing lobbyist or congressional staff members.  Things that we couldn't do at our home schools.  I thought this sounded like a great opportunity, so I agreed to do it, but its going to be a lot of work.

Anyway, so I found out all the work I had to do and it seemed like a lot.  Then classes started, which I know I run the risk of sounding like a nerd when I say this, but they were actually pretty cool.  Yesterday I had two guest speakers, who were both really awesome.  The coolest part is that everything the speakers say is "off the record" so it really feels like your getting the inside scoop.  It was a pretty good intro to DC living.

And then today was cool to because we went to the newseum.  For class.  The newseum is really awesome and I would totally recommend it.  It is a museum of news.  But wait, before you judge me and think I'm lame, let me explain it.  It has everything.  From history to current events.  And it talks about every event in the US's past.  The best part is this one room lined with old newspapers ranging from before the revolutionary war to today.  And I mean the real newspapers, what they looked like back when they were published.  Ok maybe I am a nerd.  But still, it was a really cool museum and that was what we got to do for class.

So maybe I can handle this.  Maybe class won't be that bad and I can do it.  Well let's see.  I will wait it out and give it a chance.

But if I could give advise to anyone going into this program (at least as much advice as someone's who's been here a week can give) it would be to wait it out.  When you get here, it will be overwhelming and it will seem like a lot to handle, but stick it out.  Don't assume that you can't do it, just make sure you stay on top of everything you have to do.  And have fun.  That's what I'm trying to do.

First Week

Hello everyone.

I am a senior from Monmouth College in Illinois.  I'm interested in political campaigning and I hope to some day run a political campaign of my own.  That is why I choose to come to DC during the midterm elections and participate in the American Politics section at American.

I chose to live in WISH housing, which in near Capitol Hill.  Seriously, the capitol is right outside my door, about a block down.  The idea is pretty cool, jogging to the Washington monument everyday (well, let's see how long that lasts).  It is cool, but I'm from a super small town in rural midwest, so this was a major culture shock.  It's much different from what I'm used to.  The metro, the busses, the traffic lights.  All very different.  (And the stoplights here aren't only for the cars, people have traffic lights to!)

But have no fear small towners, you can adjust.  Just learn how to shift.  It will feel like it takes a long time to get anywhere and the cost of living is higher, but there is a flip side: FREE ENTERTAINMENT!!!  There is so much to see here (at times it can get very overwhelming), but it is super nice to take a walk and decide to go see the original U.S. constitution, to spend a day at ONE of the Smithsonian museums, or just to stop by a Chicago style pizza joint and enjoy a little slice of home.

And in all honestly I can't do much complaining, hey I live in a three story town house (fully stocked from pots and pans to a TV, thank you WISH housing) a block away from the heart of the city, I'm young, and I am in DC during the midterm election season.

That being said, this is a blog, and as I understand it, that means that I get to write about my time here. This includes all the papers, the mishaps (always make sure you get on the right metro, don't think just because you've been riding for a week you're an expert.  They have signs for a reason), and those awesome times when I have to stand back and just say, yeah this is awesome and I'm a part of it.  I get to write about all that.  So here it is, my time in DC at American.

Here we go....