Sorry for disappearing for a few weeks! With my move back home, the holidays, and my birthday, I've been a bit distracted. Anyways, time to update about the rest of my sister's visit.
The next day we decided to hit up some more monuments and museums. It was still rather cold outside, so we took the Metro to the National Mall and walked down to the Lincoln Memorial. We started out by the Washington Monument, and stopped by the World War II memorial on the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Then we began the long trek to see Mr. Lincoln. Despite being chilly, it was a beautiful blue-sky day outside. After our stop at the Lincoln Memorial we walked all the way back down the Mall to the Smithsonian Museums.
Megan wanted to see the American flag, so we stopped at the American History Museum to see the Star Spangled Banner. We also saw the exhibit of the First Ladies and their fashions, which includes a bunch of gorgeous inaugural gowns. Then we went to the Natural History Museum, which I had been waiting to do for quite awhile. It was amazing! We spent quite a bit of time there, and saw most of the exhibits and the Hope Diamond. The exhibits there are wonderful, and I was really impressed and wanted to back at some point (sadly, I never made it back...) Then we headed back towards my apartment. Down by Union Station is the National Postal Museum, and we decided to stop there quickly. From the exterior, I wasn't expecting much. However, once we went inside I was surprised! The museum was larger than I expected, and the exhibits were awesome! We spent awhile there and looked at nearly everything. Then we headed back to the apartment.
That night we wanted to go eat in Chinatown, to get some great Chinese food. However, we wound up at Hard Rock Cafe near Chinatown. I'd never eaten at a Hard Rock before, and it was a sweet experience. Talk about a great hamburger! We then did some souvenir shopping near Chinatown, which is a great place to go for souvenirs. Around F and 11th streets, if you are wondering, I believe. :)
The next morning my sister left at around 4am in the morning. I don't really remember that because I only woke up to say bye and then fell back asleep. ;)
Jen
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Megan's Visit Part 1
Ok, I'm really not doing well with keeping up this month-Sorry! Time to post about my sister's visit....over Thanksgiving weekend.
Megan decided to visit me during Thanksgiving break, rather than going home. Pretty awesome, although she had to leave her little dog Cooper home. :( However, we had a TON of fun, although she darn near walked my legs off!
I picked Meg up from Reagan National Airport the day before Thanksgiving, and her first DC adventure was the Metro. She wasn't too enthused by the public transportation, but it's so much cheaper than a taxi, and very possibly faster. We stopped by the Pentagon City mall to grab some food before heading to my apartment, then headed onto my home-away-from-home.
We decided we were going to do a full-scale Thanksgiving dinner, and since 2 of my roommates also stayed in DC, we ended up making a bit more food than intended! My apartment came equipped with 4 pans and 4 pyrex dishes. We soon found out that we did NOT have enough dishes. We actually had to use a vase to serve the noodles. It looked more like a Beta fish bowl, but it worked pretty well as a serving dish! :) We ended up having turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato pie. I feel like there was another dish, but I can't remember. Anyways, it was AMAZING! Boy were we full...
That afternoon, Megan wanted to go somewhere, but she didn't know where. So I took her to the Metro and we went on a mystery ride. I wouldn't tell her where we were going, but we ended up going to the Wheaton station, in Maryland. At the Wheaton Metro station is the longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere. We went up it, and if I remember correctly, it took 2 minutes and 45 seconds to come back down. A looooooong ride!
The next day was devoted to some serious site-seeing. We started the day off by taking the bus to Georgetown to buy some delicious cupcakes. I got a lava fudge, chocolate hazelnut, and chocolate ganache. We also got a free maple chocolate chip one. Meg got a chocolate and vanilla, peanut butter fudge, and a pumpkin cupcake. YUM! We stopped back at the apartment to drop off the cupcakes so we could go to museums and whatnot. Then we headed to the National mall. We visited the Holocaust Museum, which was packed. The museum was interesting, but there were so many people there that we couldn't even see some of the exhibits. So we didn't stay there long.
Next we walked to the White House for some pictures. It was a rather cold and WINDY day out, or as Winnie the Pooh said, it was a rather blustery day! We then headed up to the Washington Monument because we had tickets to go up to the top! We were there about an hour early, and the wind was crazy! My feet kept getting blown off-track when I was walking. We about froze, but we actually go to go up a bit early, which was nice. Luckily, there is an elevator to go the 500 feet to the top. Of course, Meg is scared of long elevator rides and heights, so she was freaking out a bit. But the views from the top were incredible! Out of one of the windows you can see DC, Maryland, and Virginia. I shall have to upload photos.
Ok, that's a long enough post for now. I will update the rest later tonight or tomorrow.
Jen
Megan decided to visit me during Thanksgiving break, rather than going home. Pretty awesome, although she had to leave her little dog Cooper home. :( However, we had a TON of fun, although she darn near walked my legs off!
I picked Meg up from Reagan National Airport the day before Thanksgiving, and her first DC adventure was the Metro. She wasn't too enthused by the public transportation, but it's so much cheaper than a taxi, and very possibly faster. We stopped by the Pentagon City mall to grab some food before heading to my apartment, then headed onto my home-away-from-home.
We decided we were going to do a full-scale Thanksgiving dinner, and since 2 of my roommates also stayed in DC, we ended up making a bit more food than intended! My apartment came equipped with 4 pans and 4 pyrex dishes. We soon found out that we did NOT have enough dishes. We actually had to use a vase to serve the noodles. It looked more like a Beta fish bowl, but it worked pretty well as a serving dish! :) We ended up having turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato pie. I feel like there was another dish, but I can't remember. Anyways, it was AMAZING! Boy were we full...
That afternoon, Megan wanted to go somewhere, but she didn't know where. So I took her to the Metro and we went on a mystery ride. I wouldn't tell her where we were going, but we ended up going to the Wheaton station, in Maryland. At the Wheaton Metro station is the longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere. We went up it, and if I remember correctly, it took 2 minutes and 45 seconds to come back down. A looooooong ride!
The next day was devoted to some serious site-seeing. We started the day off by taking the bus to Georgetown to buy some delicious cupcakes. I got a lava fudge, chocolate hazelnut, and chocolate ganache. We also got a free maple chocolate chip one. Meg got a chocolate and vanilla, peanut butter fudge, and a pumpkin cupcake. YUM! We stopped back at the apartment to drop off the cupcakes so we could go to museums and whatnot. Then we headed to the National mall. We visited the Holocaust Museum, which was packed. The museum was interesting, but there were so many people there that we couldn't even see some of the exhibits. So we didn't stay there long.
Next we walked to the White House for some pictures. It was a rather cold and WINDY day out, or as Winnie the Pooh said, it was a rather blustery day! We then headed up to the Washington Monument because we had tickets to go up to the top! We were there about an hour early, and the wind was crazy! My feet kept getting blown off-track when I was walking. We about froze, but we actually go to go up a bit early, which was nice. Luckily, there is an elevator to go the 500 feet to the top. Of course, Meg is scared of long elevator rides and heights, so she was freaking out a bit. But the views from the top were incredible! Out of one of the windows you can see DC, Maryland, and Virginia. I shall have to upload photos.
Ok, that's a long enough post for now. I will update the rest later tonight or tomorrow.
Jen
Monday, November 29, 2010
Time for an Update :)
Hello again everyone!
Yes, I am alive. I have just not updated for awhile. Sorry!
So...the last few weeks have been incredibly busy, and rather unpredictable. I've been to Iowa, New York, and alllll over DC. To be completely correct, I have been to Maryland, Kentucky, Iowa, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and back to DC. Why? Here goes:
I ended up heading back home to Iowa the week before Thanksgiving for my Grandma's funeral. Not a fun reason to go back, but it was great to see my family and get back home for a few days. And to see my little doggies, who were very excited by the surprise visit.
The day after returning from a whirlwind trip to Iowa, my TWC program went on a day trip to NYC. I've never been to New York, and I was pretty excited to go. However, a 4 hour trip one way is quite a bit of travel for one day. The trip there was uneventful, just long. Once we got there, we had an hour to grab lunch- I got some pizza. You know, New York and pizza just kinda go together. Then we heard from a speaker at the US Mission to the UN. Pretty cool stuff! Then we had a tour of the UN Headquarters, which was pretty cool. We even got to go in the room where they actually hold the UN meetings. :) Then we had an hour to grab dinner then headed out. Literally, our time in NYC was about 4 hours. Then began the horrid bus ride home!
We were riding along when, bang thump thump...apparently the tire blew. We drove around trying to find a tire repair shop, but sadly none were open/could help. So we drove on to Baltimore (on a bum tire) and switched buses. However, we had to wait about an hour for the new bus to arrive. A few of us were a bit hungry, and saw a McDonald's in the distance. So we walked there, and only the drive thru was open. So, we knocked on the drive thru window and ordered while standing there in the drive thru. :) Those fries were delicious!
Finally, the new bus came and we drove the hour-ish trip back to DC. Talk about exhausted! After about 10 hours of travel back from Iowa the day before (including by car, 2 flights, train, and taxi) I spent about 10.5 hours on a bus to and from NYC the next day. I am a bit traveled out right now!
I shall update about Thanksgiving later on in the week!
Jen
Yes, I am alive. I have just not updated for awhile. Sorry!
So...the last few weeks have been incredibly busy, and rather unpredictable. I've been to Iowa, New York, and alllll over DC. To be completely correct, I have been to Maryland, Kentucky, Iowa, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and back to DC. Why? Here goes:
I ended up heading back home to Iowa the week before Thanksgiving for my Grandma's funeral. Not a fun reason to go back, but it was great to see my family and get back home for a few days. And to see my little doggies, who were very excited by the surprise visit.
The day after returning from a whirlwind trip to Iowa, my TWC program went on a day trip to NYC. I've never been to New York, and I was pretty excited to go. However, a 4 hour trip one way is quite a bit of travel for one day. The trip there was uneventful, just long. Once we got there, we had an hour to grab lunch- I got some pizza. You know, New York and pizza just kinda go together. Then we heard from a speaker at the US Mission to the UN. Pretty cool stuff! Then we had a tour of the UN Headquarters, which was pretty cool. We even got to go in the room where they actually hold the UN meetings. :) Then we had an hour to grab dinner then headed out. Literally, our time in NYC was about 4 hours. Then began the horrid bus ride home!
We were riding along when, bang thump thump...apparently the tire blew. We drove around trying to find a tire repair shop, but sadly none were open/could help. So we drove on to Baltimore (on a bum tire) and switched buses. However, we had to wait about an hour for the new bus to arrive. A few of us were a bit hungry, and saw a McDonald's in the distance. So we walked there, and only the drive thru was open. So, we knocked on the drive thru window and ordered while standing there in the drive thru. :) Those fries were delicious!
Finally, the new bus came and we drove the hour-ish trip back to DC. Talk about exhausted! After about 10 hours of travel back from Iowa the day before (including by car, 2 flights, train, and taxi) I spent about 10.5 hours on a bus to and from NYC the next day. I am a bit traveled out right now!
I shall update about Thanksgiving later on in the week!
Jen
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
NEON Workshop
Last weekend I spent the whole weekend (Thursday-Sunday) working! Sounds dreadful, right? It was actually pretty awesome! The ESA was organizing a workshop for about 25 college and graduate students. It has been my main project at my internship for the past few weeks, so it was great to see it happen!
We held the conference in Chevy Chase, Maryland (incidentally the first time I've been to Maryland since I was about 8 years old) and it was nice to get out of the downtown part of DC. I saw many trees and forested areas, which was absolutely beautiful since it was fall. Don't get me wrong-the city of DC has tons of trees, just not forests. And being out of downtown was nice for a bit. However, we weren't really out of the metro area, and a few blocks away awaited crazy traffic, huge buildings, and the city atmosphere. :)
The workshop was entitled "The Future of Environmental Decisions" and was designed as an introduction to GIS (geographic information systems), which is a technology used in environmental sciences. Meghan, the other intern, and I actually got to be full participants in the workshop, and I learned a lot (I'm sure Meghan did too)! I hadn't had any GIS experience, and it was nice to have an intro since I must take a GIS class with Dr. Anya next semester, and it's rumored to be a very difficult course. My group explored whether land cover and urbanization had any effect on stream temperatures in the Chesapeake Watershed. We were unable to determine any correlation, mainly due to the fact that we had about 24 hours to put the project together. If you've done GIS, you realize how crazy a time restraint that is! :D
The students who came to the workshop came from all over the US- Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, Arizona, Virginia, Hawaii, etc. Literally, all over. They were an AWESOME group of people! They made working all weekend a fun experience, and helped me to learn more about GIS.
On Saturday night the students were set free to explore the city! Teresa, Meghan, and I went with a group of students to a Vegan restaurant near Dupont Circle, and the food was incredible! I have no plans to become vegan (or even vegetarian) but the mac and cheese-yes vegan cheese-was wonderful, as were the dumplings, miso soup, and chocolate cupcake. You would NOT know any of it was vegan. Not even the chili-cheese fries. It was definitely a great experience!
Sunday was not the happiest day- I woke up first at 4:45am to see people off on a shuttle, then again at 5:40 and 6:35 (multiple departures). Considering I didn't go to bed til nearly 1am, I was TIRED! I came back to my apartment and slept for a few more hours.
Jen
We held the conference in Chevy Chase, Maryland (incidentally the first time I've been to Maryland since I was about 8 years old) and it was nice to get out of the downtown part of DC. I saw many trees and forested areas, which was absolutely beautiful since it was fall. Don't get me wrong-the city of DC has tons of trees, just not forests. And being out of downtown was nice for a bit. However, we weren't really out of the metro area, and a few blocks away awaited crazy traffic, huge buildings, and the city atmosphere. :)
The workshop was entitled "The Future of Environmental Decisions" and was designed as an introduction to GIS (geographic information systems), which is a technology used in environmental sciences. Meghan, the other intern, and I actually got to be full participants in the workshop, and I learned a lot (I'm sure Meghan did too)! I hadn't had any GIS experience, and it was nice to have an intro since I must take a GIS class with Dr. Anya next semester, and it's rumored to be a very difficult course. My group explored whether land cover and urbanization had any effect on stream temperatures in the Chesapeake Watershed. We were unable to determine any correlation, mainly due to the fact that we had about 24 hours to put the project together. If you've done GIS, you realize how crazy a time restraint that is! :D
The students who came to the workshop came from all over the US- Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, Arizona, Virginia, Hawaii, etc. Literally, all over. They were an AWESOME group of people! They made working all weekend a fun experience, and helped me to learn more about GIS.
On Saturday night the students were set free to explore the city! Teresa, Meghan, and I went with a group of students to a Vegan restaurant near Dupont Circle, and the food was incredible! I have no plans to become vegan (or even vegetarian) but the mac and cheese-yes vegan cheese-was wonderful, as were the dumplings, miso soup, and chocolate cupcake. You would NOT know any of it was vegan. Not even the chili-cheese fries. It was definitely a great experience!
Sunday was not the happiest day- I woke up first at 4:45am to see people off on a shuttle, then again at 5:40 and 6:35 (multiple departures). Considering I didn't go to bed til nearly 1am, I was TIRED! I came back to my apartment and slept for a few more hours.
Jen
Monday, November 1, 2010
Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
On Saturday, in between committee sessions at Model UN (they gave us a convenient four hour break) I was able to attend the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. It was an experience, that's for sure! I personally think it might have been the very definition of insanity, due to INSANE amount of people!! Estimates say that anywhere from 200,000-250,000 people came. To put that into perspective, the total population of DC (not the Metro area, just the District of Columbia) is a bit less than 600,000. Also, the ridership of the Metro system on Saturday was a record-breaking 825,000, compared to the average Saturday total of about 350,000.
We actually rode Metro to the Rally, which was difficult. The trains were packed, and by packed I mean we ran along 3-4 cars before we found 1 where I could fit in. My roomie couldn't squeeze in and had to wait for the next one. I was plastered against the door...literally. A very interesting experience! I couldn't hold onto anything, but as there was no room to move, I couldn't fall down!
As we walked up to the Rally, we heard the National Anthem being sung, and the roar of the masses. No matter what the cause, those sounds are inspiring! We couldn't see the crowd at that point, due to huge governmental buildings, but we could hear the size of it. Then we turned the corner and were shocked! I think the crowd was larger than I or my roommate imagined.
If you've ever been to the mall, actually walked even a part of it, you can appreciate how big it is. Photos cannot do the size justice. The crowd stretched from the stage near the Capitol to almost near the Washington Monument. We tried to move closer to the stage, and got pretty close. However, only people with tickets could get into the area closest to the stage. We also couldn't hear much, but going and checking things out was a pretty neat experience! I felt bad for kids and babies who were brought along, because that just wasn't the right place for kids (crowds waaaay too big). And seeing the signs was pretty funny, for the most part. I took some pictures of signs, and will post later.
Being in DC during the time of this rally was pretty awesome, and I'm glad I had the chance to go. How many times in your life do you get to join 200,000+ people on that National Mall?
Jen
We actually rode Metro to the Rally, which was difficult. The trains were packed, and by packed I mean we ran along 3-4 cars before we found 1 where I could fit in. My roomie couldn't squeeze in and had to wait for the next one. I was plastered against the door...literally. A very interesting experience! I couldn't hold onto anything, but as there was no room to move, I couldn't fall down!
As we walked up to the Rally, we heard the National Anthem being sung, and the roar of the masses. No matter what the cause, those sounds are inspiring! We couldn't see the crowd at that point, due to huge governmental buildings, but we could hear the size of it. Then we turned the corner and were shocked! I think the crowd was larger than I or my roommate imagined.
If you've ever been to the mall, actually walked even a part of it, you can appreciate how big it is. Photos cannot do the size justice. The crowd stretched from the stage near the Capitol to almost near the Washington Monument. We tried to move closer to the stage, and got pretty close. However, only people with tickets could get into the area closest to the stage. We also couldn't hear much, but going and checking things out was a pretty neat experience! I felt bad for kids and babies who were brought along, because that just wasn't the right place for kids (crowds waaaay too big). And seeing the signs was pretty funny, for the most part. I took some pictures of signs, and will post later.
Being in DC during the time of this rally was pretty awesome, and I'm glad I had the chance to go. How many times in your life do you get to join 200,000+ people on that National Mall?
Jen
Model UN
This past weekend was the National Model UN Simulation in DC. As part of my program, I had the chance to participate. Our program represented the USA, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Sierra Leone, and Bosnia/Herzegovina. The other class from TWC represented Iran and Israel. It was quite an interesting array of countries to choose from! I ended up representing the USA on the General Assembly 2nd Committee, which dealt with globalization and development.
There were around 500 or so participants in NMUN (National Model UN) at the DC conference, from all over the USA and around the world! Our committee had 50 delegations (countries) represented, which was large for a committee. However, considering the topic, being the USA was pretty awesome, but stressful. There was the potential to be under attack for the USA's trade and development policies, but that only happened a few times. The large majority of delegations wanted the USA's support, so they were willing to work along with us. Overall, NMUN was an awesome, stressful, fun weekend. Long days, as we didn't get done until 10pm or so on Friday and Saturday.
Our committee ended up passing 8 resolutions on a wide variety of topics. The USA sponsored 2 of them, and was a signatory on 4. But we voted for all 8 of them. :)
The simulation was actually done very seriously. The rules were followed pretty much perfectly, which are pretty much the rules of the UN, in terms of the procedures and such. We had to be very specific about our wording and such. It was pretty interesting view of how the UN works. Some delegations also acted the part perfectly, reflecting the actual wording and attitudes of the real UN delegations of the country. As the USA, I had a bit more leeway in how I interacted with other nations.
We had a nice surprise at the end of the simulation. The USA delegation got an honorable mention for the best delegations at the simulation! It's awesome because nearly all of us were first timers for NMUN. Pretty good overall! I also had several people say they were surprised I had never done it before, and one person said I was like Hillary Clinton. Considering she's the Secretary of State, I thought that was a great compliment!
There were around 500 or so participants in NMUN (National Model UN) at the DC conference, from all over the USA and around the world! Our committee had 50 delegations (countries) represented, which was large for a committee. However, considering the topic, being the USA was pretty awesome, but stressful. There was the potential to be under attack for the USA's trade and development policies, but that only happened a few times. The large majority of delegations wanted the USA's support, so they were willing to work along with us. Overall, NMUN was an awesome, stressful, fun weekend. Long days, as we didn't get done until 10pm or so on Friday and Saturday.
Our committee ended up passing 8 resolutions on a wide variety of topics. The USA sponsored 2 of them, and was a signatory on 4. But we voted for all 8 of them. :)
The simulation was actually done very seriously. The rules were followed pretty much perfectly, which are pretty much the rules of the UN, in terms of the procedures and such. We had to be very specific about our wording and such. It was pretty interesting view of how the UN works. Some delegations also acted the part perfectly, reflecting the actual wording and attitudes of the real UN delegations of the country. As the USA, I had a bit more leeway in how I interacted with other nations.
We had a nice surprise at the end of the simulation. The USA delegation got an honorable mention for the best delegations at the simulation! It's awesome because nearly all of us were first timers for NMUN. Pretty good overall! I also had several people say they were surprised I had never done it before, and one person said I was like Hillary Clinton. Considering she's the Secretary of State, I thought that was a great compliment!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Observations About DC
Well, I have survived my test, which I had Monday night. I have no clue when I'll get my grade, but I feel I did pretty well. I ended up hand-writing 6 pages...man did my hand hurt afterwords!
I've decided to chronicle a few odd things and funny anecdotes that I've seen since coming to DC. Enjoy!
1. Pigeons will hit you in the face. So you best duck out of their way, because they won't move out of yours. That wasn't a pleasant experience.
2. People are typically somewhat friendly on the bus.
3. Someone will always smell on public transportation. You just get used to it.
4. Don't tell a longtime DC resident that you can't parallel park. They will laugh and think you are joking.
5. The city of DC is a sissy when it comes to weather. If it's not beautiful and sunny out, expect a much longer bus ride. Even if it's just raining.
6. Drivers like to use their horns.
7. 911 vehicles do not seem to have courtesy hours. They will blare at all times of the night.
8. Bikers are brave.
9. Grocery shopping is not fun when you have to carry it back to your apartment. And you don't realize how much you have purchased until you're halfway home.
10. You cannot get tired of seeing the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, or any other monuments while riding around the city.
11. Parking prices are insane. As such, people who own cars are insane. ;)
12. Tourists stick out like a sore thumb, even those who are trying to blend in. How? They are the only ones wearing jeans in DC because everyone who lives here dresses nicely, even on weekends.
13. Don't breathe too deeply. Random sewer smells frequently overtake you as you walk along the sidewalk.
14. Drivers are pretty courteous to pedestrians. But if you do cross at the wrong time, expect to get honked at.
15. Nobody says pop (for soda) here. Weirdos.
16. Nobody who lives in DC grew up here. Everyone who lives/works here has moved from somewhere else.
17. The Metro runs above ground in some areas. FYI. It feels odd when you come above ground though.
18. The National Mall is HUGE. You do not realize this until you start to walk it, then reality sets in. :)
19. The sidewalks here are well equipped to make one fall. Fall count-4 times.
20. The weather here is freakishly warm. It was a high of 78 today!
If I think of any others, I'll post them in another post.
Jen
I've decided to chronicle a few odd things and funny anecdotes that I've seen since coming to DC. Enjoy!
1. Pigeons will hit you in the face. So you best duck out of their way, because they won't move out of yours. That wasn't a pleasant experience.
2. People are typically somewhat friendly on the bus.
3. Someone will always smell on public transportation. You just get used to it.
4. Don't tell a longtime DC resident that you can't parallel park. They will laugh and think you are joking.
5. The city of DC is a sissy when it comes to weather. If it's not beautiful and sunny out, expect a much longer bus ride. Even if it's just raining.
6. Drivers like to use their horns.
7. 911 vehicles do not seem to have courtesy hours. They will blare at all times of the night.
8. Bikers are brave.
9. Grocery shopping is not fun when you have to carry it back to your apartment. And you don't realize how much you have purchased until you're halfway home.
10. You cannot get tired of seeing the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, or any other monuments while riding around the city.
11. Parking prices are insane. As such, people who own cars are insane. ;)
12. Tourists stick out like a sore thumb, even those who are trying to blend in. How? They are the only ones wearing jeans in DC because everyone who lives here dresses nicely, even on weekends.
13. Don't breathe too deeply. Random sewer smells frequently overtake you as you walk along the sidewalk.
14. Drivers are pretty courteous to pedestrians. But if you do cross at the wrong time, expect to get honked at.
15. Nobody says pop (for soda) here. Weirdos.
16. Nobody who lives in DC grew up here. Everyone who lives/works here has moved from somewhere else.
17. The Metro runs above ground in some areas. FYI. It feels odd when you come above ground though.
18. The National Mall is HUGE. You do not realize this until you start to walk it, then reality sets in. :)
19. The sidewalks here are well equipped to make one fall. Fall count-4 times.
20. The weather here is freakishly warm. It was a high of 78 today!
If I think of any others, I'll post them in another post.
Jen
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The National Zoo
In lieu of studying for a test, I shall post again!
Yesterday I went to the National Zoo. The great thing about Washington DC is that many attractions are free, including the Zoo. Great for a poor college student's budget! :)
All three of my roommates had visitors this weekend (sigh....nobody visits me) and they all had plans to do stuff with their friends. So I decided I would visit the Zoo by myself. It was actually pretty nice. The weather was beautiful, and I went early on in the day, so not a whole lot of people were there. I saw Giant Pandas, Lions, Fishing Cats (they dive into water), crazy apes, tigers, bears...oh my! ;)
The only problem was...the Zoo is built on a hill. Now, I did not initially realize this. Since they are doing construction on parts of the Zoo, some of the paths were closed off. So I walked all the way from one side of the Zoo to another, then realized I had to walk back the way I came...all 8/10 of a mile. Then I realized I was at the bottom of a HUGE hill. So I trudged up the hill and grabbed some lunch and rode the Metro back to my apartment, where I promptly took a nap. I was exhausted!
To get to the Zoo, the Metro stop is the Woodly Park/Zoo stop, which hosts the 3rd longest continuous escalator in DC, which is 204 feet long. It's a long ride. Oddly enough, that station uses THREE escalators to get you to the surface-it's really deep. Actually, DC hosts the longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere, at the Wheaton Station. And yes, I plan to visit that station at some point. If you are ever on a game show and that question is asked, you owe me dinner or something. :D
Jen
Yesterday I went to the National Zoo. The great thing about Washington DC is that many attractions are free, including the Zoo. Great for a poor college student's budget! :)
All three of my roommates had visitors this weekend (sigh....nobody visits me) and they all had plans to do stuff with their friends. So I decided I would visit the Zoo by myself. It was actually pretty nice. The weather was beautiful, and I went early on in the day, so not a whole lot of people were there. I saw Giant Pandas, Lions, Fishing Cats (they dive into water), crazy apes, tigers, bears...oh my! ;)
The only problem was...the Zoo is built on a hill. Now, I did not initially realize this. Since they are doing construction on parts of the Zoo, some of the paths were closed off. So I walked all the way from one side of the Zoo to another, then realized I had to walk back the way I came...all 8/10 of a mile. Then I realized I was at the bottom of a HUGE hill. So I trudged up the hill and grabbed some lunch and rode the Metro back to my apartment, where I promptly took a nap. I was exhausted!
To get to the Zoo, the Metro stop is the Woodly Park/Zoo stop, which hosts the 3rd longest continuous escalator in DC, which is 204 feet long. It's a long ride. Oddly enough, that station uses THREE escalators to get you to the surface-it's really deep. Actually, DC hosts the longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere, at the Wheaton Station. And yes, I plan to visit that station at some point. If you are ever on a game show and that question is asked, you owe me dinner or something. :D
Jen
Another week, another conference
Work this past week has been odd. Since the Ecology and Education Summit is now over, I am finally remembering that there are times at work when you aren't frantically running around trying to finish tasks! Things have calmed down a bit, be we are still busy. Why, you may ask? Well in 2 weeks we have a workshop for college students-a 4 day event. Aka my first weekend in November will not exist.
Since the workshop is fast approaching, and I am the main intern in charge for this workshop, my focus immediately changed from Summit to NEON Workshop on Tuesday when I got to work. All those tasks we pushed aside for the Summit caught up to me, and I spent most of the week catching up. Still, much less busy and stressful than pre-Summit era. :D
On Thursday a few of us ESA people went to ANOTHER education conference, which related more directly to Climate Change. The Climate Change Education Workshop was held at the US Department of Commerce. If you are thinking about doing a conference in DC, I wouldn't recommend the Dept of Commerce. The security was insane-full DC federal security: official photo ID, x-ray bag search, metal detector, and even only allow 1 person in the entryway at a time. It was a bit inconvenient as a lot of people came (100 ish?). But the conference was interesting. I was VERY likely the only college student there, and Meghan (the other ESA intern) was likely the only grad student there. Everyone else appeared to be employees at various education/environmental agencies. A lot of the things we talked about were discussed at our EE Summit the week before, and some of the speakers were the same. But it was interesting to hear things from a different viewpoint, and nice to not be an employee (less stressful!) at the conference! ;)
Jen
Since the workshop is fast approaching, and I am the main intern in charge for this workshop, my focus immediately changed from Summit to NEON Workshop on Tuesday when I got to work. All those tasks we pushed aside for the Summit caught up to me, and I spent most of the week catching up. Still, much less busy and stressful than pre-Summit era. :D
On Thursday a few of us ESA people went to ANOTHER education conference, which related more directly to Climate Change. The Climate Change Education Workshop was held at the US Department of Commerce. If you are thinking about doing a conference in DC, I wouldn't recommend the Dept of Commerce. The security was insane-full DC federal security: official photo ID, x-ray bag search, metal detector, and even only allow 1 person in the entryway at a time. It was a bit inconvenient as a lot of people came (100 ish?). But the conference was interesting. I was VERY likely the only college student there, and Meghan (the other ESA intern) was likely the only grad student there. Everyone else appeared to be employees at various education/environmental agencies. A lot of the things we talked about were discussed at our EE Summit the week before, and some of the speakers were the same. But it was interesting to hear things from a different viewpoint, and nice to not be an employee (less stressful!) at the conference! ;)
Jen
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Ecology and Education Summit
The past few weeks have been pretty busy, thus the absence of posts. I shall try to make up for it now! :)
The work I've been doing at my internship has nearly all been related to the Ecology and Education Summit that the ESA was organizing. Well, last week the Summit took place! Wow! Talk about a busy weekend!
It started with me arriving at the National Education Association building at 7am on Thursday the 14th. We were planning on opening registration at 7:30am, since we had over 200 registered participants. However, lots of people showed up early! We had barely started setting up registration when I turned around and there was a line. The whole Thursday I wasn't able to listen to any of the speakers and panels because the other intern (Meghan) and I were busy solving small crises. Little logistical errors that were bound to happen. And sorting out registration, as some people thought they had registered and hadn't, or registered twice, or showed up to register on-site, which we weren't doing. Needless to say, it was an insane day!
Friday I got to show up a bit later-at 7:30am. :) Friday was still busy and crazy, but I was able to participate in the Summit and bit, which was nice. I learned a lot and was able to share a lot too! It was exciting that people looked at Meghan and I like equals, not just interns or students. They valued our ideas and made sure we were heard. It was a great group of people!
Then Saturday I didn't have to be at the NEA until 8:30am, which was nice. By this point I was utterly exhausted, but Saturday was an amazing day! The Summit had ended, and only about 60 people were invited to participate in the Saturday Action Plan workshop. It was neat because Meghan and I were basically just participants at this point, and we didn't have to worry about anything but participating in the Summit. We spent the day discussing ways to improve environmental literacy in the US, and I was actually one of the 2 people working on a legislative action template/plan. I, along with a small group of people, will develop a template for communities to create legislative changes in their communities, states, and even federally. Pretty cool! I'm super excited to work on this project!
Overall the Summit was a great experience, and it was awesome to see the results of my hard labor come to reality, and go off with only a few minor problems. And I learned a TON in the 2 days I was able to participate!
Jen
The work I've been doing at my internship has nearly all been related to the Ecology and Education Summit that the ESA was organizing. Well, last week the Summit took place! Wow! Talk about a busy weekend!
It started with me arriving at the National Education Association building at 7am on Thursday the 14th. We were planning on opening registration at 7:30am, since we had over 200 registered participants. However, lots of people showed up early! We had barely started setting up registration when I turned around and there was a line. The whole Thursday I wasn't able to listen to any of the speakers and panels because the other intern (Meghan) and I were busy solving small crises. Little logistical errors that were bound to happen. And sorting out registration, as some people thought they had registered and hadn't, or registered twice, or showed up to register on-site, which we weren't doing. Needless to say, it was an insane day!
Friday I got to show up a bit later-at 7:30am. :) Friday was still busy and crazy, but I was able to participate in the Summit and bit, which was nice. I learned a lot and was able to share a lot too! It was exciting that people looked at Meghan and I like equals, not just interns or students. They valued our ideas and made sure we were heard. It was a great group of people!
Then Saturday I didn't have to be at the NEA until 8:30am, which was nice. By this point I was utterly exhausted, but Saturday was an amazing day! The Summit had ended, and only about 60 people were invited to participate in the Saturday Action Plan workshop. It was neat because Meghan and I were basically just participants at this point, and we didn't have to worry about anything but participating in the Summit. We spent the day discussing ways to improve environmental literacy in the US, and I was actually one of the 2 people working on a legislative action template/plan. I, along with a small group of people, will develop a template for communities to create legislative changes in their communities, states, and even federally. Pretty cool! I'm super excited to work on this project!
Overall the Summit was a great experience, and it was awesome to see the results of my hard labor come to reality, and go off with only a few minor problems. And I learned a TON in the 2 days I was able to participate!
Jen
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Meeting El Presidente and Volunteering
Did I trick you with this title? :) No, I didn't meet President Obama this week, but I did meet former Presidente de Mexico Vicente Fox!! I love DC, did I mention that?
Through TWC this week I had the chance to meet the former President of Mexico Vicente Fox, who served from 2000 to 20006 (Mexico has 6 year terms). It was pretty neat! He came to TWC and the students from Mexico plus a few others were invited to come. Being in the Ford Global Scholars Program means that I got an offer to go! And of course I responded quickly and managed to secure a spot. President Fox spoke about his program in Mexico, the importance of education, and about leadership. It was really neat, and although her apologized for his poor English, it was nearly impeccable! And we gathered for a picture and afterwords I managed to shake his hand. He didn't stay long, but it was a neat experience!
On another note, I completed stage 1 of my civic engagement project which is a requirement of TWC. My roommate Karlijn and I went to a place called Prevention Works DC, which works with HIV/AIDS prevention/treatment and aids drug uses by providing clean equipment and detox/rehab if they want to go. It's proven that programs like this have a very positive impact on the community of drug uses because it gives them the support they need. I helped to make wound care kits, which they distribute free to people suffering from drug-related wounds. It also had cookers and filter for them to use with their drugs. Kind of odd work for me to get involved in, but it's proven that these programs reduce the rates of drug use. It provides users the opportunity to get help if they want it. Or at least provides them safe equipment so they can be healthier. The rate of HIV infection is 1 in 20 people in DC, which is crazy high! Thus I thought it would be interesting to be involved in an HIV related project since the problem is so serious here.
Now I must write my paper for Model UN. Ugh...good thing it's half done!
Through TWC this week I had the chance to meet the former President of Mexico Vicente Fox, who served from 2000 to 20006 (Mexico has 6 year terms). It was pretty neat! He came to TWC and the students from Mexico plus a few others were invited to come. Being in the Ford Global Scholars Program means that I got an offer to go! And of course I responded quickly and managed to secure a spot. President Fox spoke about his program in Mexico, the importance of education, and about leadership. It was really neat, and although her apologized for his poor English, it was nearly impeccable! And we gathered for a picture and afterwords I managed to shake his hand. He didn't stay long, but it was a neat experience!
On another note, I completed stage 1 of my civic engagement project which is a requirement of TWC. My roommate Karlijn and I went to a place called Prevention Works DC, which works with HIV/AIDS prevention/treatment and aids drug uses by providing clean equipment and detox/rehab if they want to go. It's proven that programs like this have a very positive impact on the community of drug uses because it gives them the support they need. I helped to make wound care kits, which they distribute free to people suffering from drug-related wounds. It also had cookers and filter for them to use with their drugs. Kind of odd work for me to get involved in, but it's proven that these programs reduce the rates of drug use. It provides users the opportunity to get help if they want it. Or at least provides them safe equipment so they can be healthier. The rate of HIV infection is 1 in 20 people in DC, which is crazy high! Thus I thought it would be interesting to be involved in an HIV related project since the problem is so serious here.
Now I must write my paper for Model UN. Ugh...good thing it's half done!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
TWC Gala
On Monday evening was The Washington Center Gala, which is a really nice (black tie optional) fundraising event that TWC has held for years. I was lucky enough to be invited, and it was an amazing experience! There were over 400 people there, many of them long time donors to TWC, including the Ford Motor Company, who funded my scholarships. :) I actually was able to sit at the Ford table, right at the front, with a few of my other Ford Fellows. I was seated next to an incredibly nice lady, and we had a great time chatting during the dinner. Surprisingly, I didn't feel out of place at all! This small-town Iowa girl felt right at home among some of Washington's powerful people!
The Gala was held at the National Building Museum, which is an enormous building near the Capitol. The decor was stunning-TWC went all out! I was told by one of the ladies I talked to during the cocktail hour that only the most prestigious and important events in Washington are able to be held there. Naturally, I felt honored to be there.
It was kind of a late night for a Monday, as we didn't leave until after 10pm. As we were leaving, we were told to take one of the vases of flowers. Let me tell you, if you carry a large vase of beautiful white flowers through the Metro at 10:30...you get a lot of odd looks. :)
Pictures are coming soon!
Oh! I nearly forgot! As part of the Ford Fellows program, we were asked to attend a luncheon with a few Ford executives on Monday, before Gala. We went to a great Italian restaurant downtown, and were served an incredible lunch. I happened to sit in the right seat and sat next to Ziad Ojakli, who is a Group Vice President at Ford! So I was able to talk with him for quite awhile and it was pretty neat.
Monday was a great day overall. 2 three course meals...which both were amazing! And I was able to meet some really nice, amazing people. I love DC.
-Jen
The Gala was held at the National Building Museum, which is an enormous building near the Capitol. The decor was stunning-TWC went all out! I was told by one of the ladies I talked to during the cocktail hour that only the most prestigious and important events in Washington are able to be held there. Naturally, I felt honored to be there.
It was kind of a late night for a Monday, as we didn't leave until after 10pm. As we were leaving, we were told to take one of the vases of flowers. Let me tell you, if you carry a large vase of beautiful white flowers through the Metro at 10:30...you get a lot of odd looks. :)
Pictures are coming soon!
Oh! I nearly forgot! As part of the Ford Fellows program, we were asked to attend a luncheon with a few Ford executives on Monday, before Gala. We went to a great Italian restaurant downtown, and were served an incredible lunch. I happened to sit in the right seat and sat next to Ziad Ojakli, who is a Group Vice President at Ford! So I was able to talk with him for quite awhile and it was pretty neat.
Monday was a great day overall. 2 three course meals...which both were amazing! And I was able to meet some really nice, amazing people. I love DC.
-Jen
Saturday, October 2, 2010
National Mall and Pentagon City
Karlijn and I headed down to the National Mall today to check out a Chinese Culture Festival, which sounded really great. It was actually a bit lame. They had some really good Chinese dancers, but we expected to see some booths and eat really good Chinese food. There were only a few vendors, and some of them weren't even making the food on site. I wanted some Chinese dumplings, but they only had noodles and such. So we decided to walk down the Mall and head over to Pentagon City Mall so I could get a clutch purse to take to Gala.
As we headed down the Mall, we saw other small demonstrations, hard core kickball games, lots of tourists wandering around, and the "One Nation Working Together" rally. It was huge! There were TONS of people at this rally, and it hadn't even started much. They changed the directions of the Smithsonian Metro escalators so they were only heading up, so we had to walk a block to find the other. Crazy! The Metro was SOOOOO full of people coming to the rally. I've never seen anything like it! It was busier than rush hour traffic on Monday morning!
Karlijn and I grabbed some food at the Pentagon City Mall and shopped around. There are some super expensive shops there (who pays $250 for a shirt?!) but I found a really cute clutch for $12. Success! Now I'm all set for Gala and only had to spend $12 on the ensemble...which is pretty great for any girl! Luckily I already had the dress, shoes, and jewelry, which I brought with me "just in case" I had a reason to use it. I'm glad I do!
-Jen
As we headed down the Mall, we saw other small demonstrations, hard core kickball games, lots of tourists wandering around, and the "One Nation Working Together" rally. It was huge! There were TONS of people at this rally, and it hadn't even started much. They changed the directions of the Smithsonian Metro escalators so they were only heading up, so we had to walk a block to find the other. Crazy! The Metro was SOOOOO full of people coming to the rally. I've never seen anything like it! It was busier than rush hour traffic on Monday morning!
Karlijn and I grabbed some food at the Pentagon City Mall and shopped around. There are some super expensive shops there (who pays $250 for a shirt?!) but I found a really cute clutch for $12. Success! Now I'm all set for Gala and only had to spend $12 on the ensemble...which is pretty great for any girl! Luckily I already had the dress, shoes, and jewelry, which I brought with me "just in case" I had a reason to use it. I'm glad I do!
-Jen
Friday, October 1, 2010
A Week in a Post
This week has been pretty busy at work, and has truly flown by! My supervisor was gone Wed, Thurs, and Fri, and we are in the midst of preparing for the Summit coming in less than 2 weeks. Eek! So I've been contacting people left and right, getting bios, logos, hotel confirmations, etc. And we are starting to prepare in earnest for the college workshop in November, so the past day or so I've been contacting students and helping them to arrange flights, among answering all their questions. All of this with my supervisor in California! With the time difference and her schedule, if I had questions I had to be resourceful or wait! :) But over all, it's been a successful week, although I am TIRED!
On Monday we had Career Boot Camp. Sounds impressive-not. They had a speaker (who was so-so) and then we went to 2 sessions. I went to one on Peace Corps (which I'm strongly thinking of doing) and one on making a profit in non-profit. I actually scheduled an informational interview with the guy who did the non-profit one. That means I'll go and talk with him about his job, and how he got their, and more about the company. Just a bit of networking and finding out more about an organization. I'm excited!
The bus rides are always interesting...the benefit of being on the bus versus the Metro is that I can see what's going on. And I like to people watch. I've got the route pretty well memorized now, so I just have to glance up every now and them if I am reading. Or if the police are doing a drug bust in the park on the side of the street. Sirens are noisy, and so are motorcades! There are a TON of noisy, fast motorcades in DC. And it's always fun to see how a person reacts when you sit in the empty seat next to them. A common occurrence in DC, but it's interesting how many people don't like it. Some people don't pay you any attention, some just gather their stuff up when it's sprawled over the seat, some act surprise when you ask them to move their stuff, and some are overly polite and try to make sure nothing of theirs touches you at any point. And some remain asleep.
We've had some interesting weather this week. Well, interesting tropical storm remnants! Thursday was super rainy, and today was crazy windy and chilly. I had to go to a meeting at the Washington Center today (free pizza-yay!) and I was nearly blown over a few times. But it was nice to get out and see what the streets are like during the lunch time period. I don't go out for lunch, as I pack my own, and people are much nicer during lunch than they are in the morning!
I will get to attend the TWC Gala on Monday. This is a pretty big deal, and I'm excited about it! Only 30 students (out of 450ish) are invited, and we'll get to talk to and network with a lot of important people. It's black tie optional, but everyone will be wearing some fancy duds. I have a nice black dress I brought with me that I'm going to wear, along with my (fake) pearl necklace. I'm excited for the chance to use my networking and dining etiquette skills that I've learned the past few years. Don't get me wrong, it's a bit stressful too. The Gala is a fundraising event, so us students are there partially to talk with the donors and show them how beneficial the program is. However, it's also a chance for me to make some important contacts. We do also have to help seat people and other such tasks, but hey, it's an amazing opportunity!
I've thought of many things this week that I should blog about, but lo and behold I have forgotten them. I shall have to write them down in the future...
-Jen
On Monday we had Career Boot Camp. Sounds impressive-not. They had a speaker (who was so-so) and then we went to 2 sessions. I went to one on Peace Corps (which I'm strongly thinking of doing) and one on making a profit in non-profit. I actually scheduled an informational interview with the guy who did the non-profit one. That means I'll go and talk with him about his job, and how he got their, and more about the company. Just a bit of networking and finding out more about an organization. I'm excited!
The bus rides are always interesting...the benefit of being on the bus versus the Metro is that I can see what's going on. And I like to people watch. I've got the route pretty well memorized now, so I just have to glance up every now and them if I am reading. Or if the police are doing a drug bust in the park on the side of the street. Sirens are noisy, and so are motorcades! There are a TON of noisy, fast motorcades in DC. And it's always fun to see how a person reacts when you sit in the empty seat next to them. A common occurrence in DC, but it's interesting how many people don't like it. Some people don't pay you any attention, some just gather their stuff up when it's sprawled over the seat, some act surprise when you ask them to move their stuff, and some are overly polite and try to make sure nothing of theirs touches you at any point. And some remain asleep.
We've had some interesting weather this week. Well, interesting tropical storm remnants! Thursday was super rainy, and today was crazy windy and chilly. I had to go to a meeting at the Washington Center today (free pizza-yay!) and I was nearly blown over a few times. But it was nice to get out and see what the streets are like during the lunch time period. I don't go out for lunch, as I pack my own, and people are much nicer during lunch than they are in the morning!
I will get to attend the TWC Gala on Monday. This is a pretty big deal, and I'm excited about it! Only 30 students (out of 450ish) are invited, and we'll get to talk to and network with a lot of important people. It's black tie optional, but everyone will be wearing some fancy duds. I have a nice black dress I brought with me that I'm going to wear, along with my (fake) pearl necklace. I'm excited for the chance to use my networking and dining etiquette skills that I've learned the past few years. Don't get me wrong, it's a bit stressful too. The Gala is a fundraising event, so us students are there partially to talk with the donors and show them how beneficial the program is. However, it's also a chance for me to make some important contacts. We do also have to help seat people and other such tasks, but hey, it's an amazing opportunity!
I've thought of many things this week that I should blog about, but lo and behold I have forgotten them. I shall have to write them down in the future...
-Jen
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Eastern Market
Today my Belgian roommate Karlijn and I went to the Eastern Market farmers and flea market. This market is huge, and part of it is housed in a large building. But every Sunday they have a flea market along with the farmers market, and it was impressive! There was something for everyone there, to say the least. Dresses, bags, pictures, giraffe sculptures, hats, scarves, yard ornaments, lobster rolls, fresh meats and cheeses, wooden signs, jewelry galore....you get the picture!
I didn't have much cash on me, so I didn't buy anything. But we're going back next weekend because I sampled some amazing salsa and some apples as well. The apples were larger than a softball and absolutely scrumptious! I am looking forward to buying some next week. :)
We also went down to Chinatown and bought some postcards. If anyone sends me mail this semester, I'll be sure to mail you a postcard back! My address is:
Jennifer Daugherty
1005 3rd NE, Apt. 302
Washington, DC 20002
DC is kinda strange because it's divided into quadrants: NE, NW, SE, SW. If you ever visit, be sure you know which quadrant your street is on. Because 19 Street NE is far, far away from 19th Street NW. :) But overall the city is laid out VERY logically, much better than O-Town, Iowa. It's kinda hard to get lost if you have an address. Perfect for me!!
-Jen
I didn't have much cash on me, so I didn't buy anything. But we're going back next weekend because I sampled some amazing salsa and some apples as well. The apples were larger than a softball and absolutely scrumptious! I am looking forward to buying some next week. :)
We also went down to Chinatown and bought some postcards. If anyone sends me mail this semester, I'll be sure to mail you a postcard back! My address is:
Jennifer Daugherty
1005 3rd NE, Apt. 302
Washington, DC 20002
DC is kinda strange because it's divided into quadrants: NE, NW, SE, SW. If you ever visit, be sure you know which quadrant your street is on. Because 19 Street NE is far, far away from 19th Street NW. :) But overall the city is laid out VERY logically, much better than O-Town, Iowa. It's kinda hard to get lost if you have an address. Perfect for me!!
-Jen
Friday, September 24, 2010
Crazy Busy Work and Doctors
This week has been insanely busy at my internship! The Summit is coming closer and closer, so I've been working hard on contacting the speakers, moderators, and sponsor for the event in order to get the information for our Summit program. Ay! There are lots of different people to contact, and I have to tell each group different things. It's enough to make me lose my mind!
On top of that, I've been working with my supervisor on trying to work out the hotel arrangements for more than 30 people. That's a whole other headache in itself...But today is Friday and I can sleep in tomorrow morning! :)
On another note, I've injured my foot somehow (I do not know how). Let me just say, having to walk from the bus stop to work and such has NOT been fun. But I visited the doctor yesterday, and they took x-rays to see if I had broken one of the bones in the arch of my foot. Good news is I didn't break anything, but now I'm stuck icing, resting, elevating, and wrapping my foot. And walking anywhere is pretty hard. Hopefully it'll feel better in a few days.
-Jen
On top of that, I've been working with my supervisor on trying to work out the hotel arrangements for more than 30 people. That's a whole other headache in itself...But today is Friday and I can sleep in tomorrow morning! :)
On another note, I've injured my foot somehow (I do not know how). Let me just say, having to walk from the bus stop to work and such has NOT been fun. But I visited the doctor yesterday, and they took x-rays to see if I had broken one of the bones in the arch of my foot. Good news is I didn't break anything, but now I'm stuck icing, resting, elevating, and wrapping my foot. And walking anywhere is pretty hard. Hopefully it'll feel better in a few days.
-Jen
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Meeting on Capitol Hill
Today I had a meeting up on Capitol Hill with Senator Harkin. The Washington Center incorporates a meeting with a local senator or representative as part of our programming, and a group of 3 other Iowans and I had the chance to meeting with him today. We were told to prepare questions and topics to talk about with him, and that our group would have around 30 minutes to talk with him.
Sounds great, right? Well, the story didn't quite roll out like that. First of all, TWC had us signed up to go to a constituent breakfast. When we arrived, we saw a huge line. Apparently around 50 people were also there. We were able to talk to some of his aides, who were very nice and knowledgeable. I even had the chance to do some good networking. One guy asked what I planned to do after I graduated, and I told him I wasn't sure but asked if he was hiring. :) I got his business card and he told me he might have some jobs opening up.
However, our chat with the actual Senator Harkin was short-lived. We were one of the last groups he talked with, and all he asked was our names and our internships, then talked a bit to the 1 guy in the group about his internship. So we didn't get to talk to him about anything of importance.
Overall it was a good experience, just not the experience we were told to expect. Oh well! You live and you learn!
-Jen
Sounds great, right? Well, the story didn't quite roll out like that. First of all, TWC had us signed up to go to a constituent breakfast. When we arrived, we saw a huge line. Apparently around 50 people were also there. We were able to talk to some of his aides, who were very nice and knowledgeable. I even had the chance to do some good networking. One guy asked what I planned to do after I graduated, and I told him I wasn't sure but asked if he was hiring. :) I got his business card and he told me he might have some jobs opening up.
However, our chat with the actual Senator Harkin was short-lived. We were one of the last groups he talked with, and all he asked was our names and our internships, then talked a bit to the 1 guy in the group about his internship. So we didn't get to talk to him about anything of importance.
Overall it was a good experience, just not the experience we were told to expect. Oh well! You live and you learn!
-Jen
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Photo time!
Here are a few pics of my adventures in DC:
1. This is a picture of our neighborhood. There are a lot of rowhouses, and many are nicely kept. Our block is radically different though as both sides of the street are filled with 2 large apartment buildings (ours-the RAF, and the other fancy apartments across the street).
2. Two of my roomies and I at the Capitol!
3. Edna and I with Georgetown Cupcakes! They were amazing.
4. Steph and I outside the White House.
5. The lounge car of the Amtrak train. It was very comfy.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Capitol Tour
This morning 3 of my roommates (plus about 30 other people) went on a tour of the US Capitol through TWC. It was pretty sweet! We were able to walk there, since our apartment is only about 5-6 blocks from the Capitol. Looking at the neighborhood, you wouldn't guess that. But walk a few blocks and the scenery changes dramatically!
One of the staff members from TWC actually works at the Capitol, so after the normal tour ended, she took us around to her office and let us tour the House Majority Whip. The regular part of the Capitol tour was neat, but short and we didn't see much. Just a few rooms, and we didn't get to go into the House and Senate chambers. But we saw lots of intricate paintings, statues, and fancy rooms. :) Overall it was a neat experience!
One of the staff members from TWC actually works at the Capitol, so after the normal tour ended, she took us around to her office and let us tour the House Majority Whip. The regular part of the Capitol tour was neat, but short and we didn't see much. Just a few rooms, and we didn't get to go into the House and Senate chambers. But we saw lots of intricate paintings, statues, and fancy rooms. :) Overall it was a neat experience!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Workin' Hard!
This week has been pretty busy! I've had a lot of meetings at my internship, and have gotten to do some interesting things.
On Wednesday I went to a press conference. The National Science Foundation was releasing a study of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education practices, and since the Summit I am helping with focuses on environmental education, getting the publication was a good thing to look at. So another coworker and I went down to the National Press Club (a pretty nice place) and got to hear from some of the Heads of the National Science Board and the National Science Foundation. I even had the chance to speak with the Acting Director of NSF, who is a dynamic speaker and really nice! I even managed to wrangle 150 copies of the publication, which we'll distribute at the conference! Mission accomplished.
Other than the various meetings all over DC, I've been busy preparing for the Summit and the Workshop coming this November. There's a lot to prepare for! But it keeps life interesting, and I like being busy. I also feel like I'm learning a lot more "office" skills-little things in Word, Excel, etc that I've never used before. After this internship I will feel confident listing computer programs on my resumé! It's really interesting to use things I had never heard of 2 weeks ago...Live and Learn...er...Work and Learn!
One of my roommates and I have the chance to tour the Capitol tomorrow through TWC. We're pretty excited! :)
-Jen
On Wednesday I went to a press conference. The National Science Foundation was releasing a study of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education practices, and since the Summit I am helping with focuses on environmental education, getting the publication was a good thing to look at. So another coworker and I went down to the National Press Club (a pretty nice place) and got to hear from some of the Heads of the National Science Board and the National Science Foundation. I even had the chance to speak with the Acting Director of NSF, who is a dynamic speaker and really nice! I even managed to wrangle 150 copies of the publication, which we'll distribute at the conference! Mission accomplished.
Other than the various meetings all over DC, I've been busy preparing for the Summit and the Workshop coming this November. There's a lot to prepare for! But it keeps life interesting, and I like being busy. I also feel like I'm learning a lot more "office" skills-little things in Word, Excel, etc that I've never used before. After this internship I will feel confident listing computer programs on my resumé! It's really interesting to use things I had never heard of 2 weeks ago...Live and Learn...er...Work and Learn!
One of my roommates and I have the chance to tour the Capitol tomorrow through TWC. We're pretty excited! :)
-Jen
Friday, September 10, 2010
Oh the Things You See...
Life in DC is always interesting! Whether it's tipsy people on the shuttle, creepy people on the metro, or escalators for carts. Yes...carts. We went to Target today to buy a DVD play for our room (cheap entertainment 101) and we discovered that next to the human escalators were cart escalators. Just push your cart in, hop on the escalator, and your cart comes up with you. It was pretty sweet! I shall try to put pictures up of it...I couldn't resist taking a few on my phone!
Life is settling into a nice normal. I am getting used to the morning commute-which is busy, stressful, and just not fun. However, it only takes about 10 minutes to get around on the metro in the morning, which is good because it's incredibly busy in the morning. And I take the bus back home, which is slower buy 1/2 the price of the metro. I hope to take the bus to work next week and back home because it is only $1, versus $2.15 on the metro. Pretty good deal!
The internship is going well. I've been pretty busy, and have learned some new stuff. I learned how to do a mail merge on Word, worked on the ESA website a bit, touched up my Excel skills, done a lot of letter/email writing, and am enjoying it! I get to go to a Press Conference next week, which should be neat. I have a few other meeting, which are for planning the 2 conferences happening this fall. I'm so glad to be working where I am!
I have lots of homework to do this weekend, but I won't think about that until tomorrow... :)
-Jen
Life is settling into a nice normal. I am getting used to the morning commute-which is busy, stressful, and just not fun. However, it only takes about 10 minutes to get around on the metro in the morning, which is good because it's incredibly busy in the morning. And I take the bus back home, which is slower buy 1/2 the price of the metro. I hope to take the bus to work next week and back home because it is only $1, versus $2.15 on the metro. Pretty good deal!
The internship is going well. I've been pretty busy, and have learned some new stuff. I learned how to do a mail merge on Word, worked on the ESA website a bit, touched up my Excel skills, done a lot of letter/email writing, and am enjoying it! I get to go to a Press Conference next week, which should be neat. I have a few other meeting, which are for planning the 2 conferences happening this fall. I'm so glad to be working where I am!
I have lots of homework to do this weekend, but I won't think about that until tomorrow... :)
-Jen
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Starting the Internship
Today was my starting day for the internship at the Ecological Society of America. Today was an unusual day at the office because they were holding a 6 hour conference planning meeting. However, that got me into the thick of things and helped me understand a lot more about the conference I will help to organize. Talk about a learning experience though! There were about 8 people there, from several notable organizations in ecology and education. And they just talked and talked and talked about ideas for the summit, and the resulting Action Plan they hope to craft.
The conference will be in Mid October, and the purpose is to develop a sustainable, achievable plan to create national environmental literacy. AKA making ecology/environmental science/sustainability/etc a part of our nation's curriculum, K-12 and higher education. Pretty lofty goals! But I think they'll be successful.
That's pretty much all I did today. I have my OWN office, not a cubicle, but 4 solid walls. Pretty nice (for an intern, at least). Tomorrow I have a few different tasks to work on, and I think I'll really enjoy this internship. At the very least, I know I'll learn a lot of useful information and skills!
-Jen
The conference will be in Mid October, and the purpose is to develop a sustainable, achievable plan to create national environmental literacy. AKA making ecology/environmental science/sustainability/etc a part of our nation's curriculum, K-12 and higher education. Pretty lofty goals! But I think they'll be successful.
That's pretty much all I did today. I have my OWN office, not a cubicle, but 4 solid walls. Pretty nice (for an intern, at least). Tomorrow I have a few different tasks to work on, and I think I'll really enjoy this internship. At the very least, I know I'll learn a lot of useful information and skills!
-Jen
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Weekend Wanderings
This has been a busy first weekend in DC! On Saturday I decided to check out the neighborhood near my internship. I planned on taking the metro down there, to time out the commute and find my way around. However, in orientation we were advised to know an alternate way back to our apartment, in case the metro ever shuts down (emergency, basically not something that we want to happen...) So my roommate, another girl, and I decided to check out the Circulator bus system. It's one of the bus systems in the metro area, and it runs on big loops. One runs from Union Station (a few blocks away) clear to Georgetown, and by my internship. It only took about 15 minutes to get there, plus a 5 minute walk. The neighborhood of my internship is very nice, and I can't wait to start working!
I then hopped back on the bus and went to Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's is a grocery chain that specializes in natural, organic, local, or "green" foods. I bought a good deal of food for the week, and took the bus back. Overall it was a nice trip, and now I know an alternative mode of transit to my internship.
Today, one of my roommates and I went to a church in the neighborhood. It was a long walk, about a mile, but the weather was beautiful and took us clear into the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The service was nice, and they had a lunch for college students and interns. It was nice to meet some more people my age!
Then my roomie and I went downtown and got some cupcakes at a shop called Hello Cupcake. They were good, but not near as delicious as the cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes last week! Then we stopped by a Whole Foods store, which is a lot like Trader Joe's.
Now I am settling in for a nice night at the apartment. My poor legs are tired after all that walking, but it was fun to explore a bit!
-Jen
I then hopped back on the bus and went to Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's is a grocery chain that specializes in natural, organic, local, or "green" foods. I bought a good deal of food for the week, and took the bus back. Overall it was a nice trip, and now I know an alternative mode of transit to my internship.
Today, one of my roommates and I went to a church in the neighborhood. It was a long walk, about a mile, but the weather was beautiful and took us clear into the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The service was nice, and they had a lunch for college students and interns. It was nice to meet some more people my age!
Then my roomie and I went downtown and got some cupcakes at a shop called Hello Cupcake. They were good, but not near as delicious as the cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes last week! Then we stopped by a Whole Foods store, which is a lot like Trader Joe's.
Now I am settling in for a nice night at the apartment. My poor legs are tired after all that walking, but it was fun to explore a bit!
-Jen
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Settling In
I am loving my new apartment! :)
Our apartment (I share with 3 suitemates) is in a brand new building built by the Washington Center. We are the 2nd batch of students living here, so everything is in amazing condition. We live in an up-and-coming neighborhood, called the Noma (north of Mass. Ave) in east DC. The neighborhood used to be a terrible, dangerous place, but in recent years a lot of development has been happening. One of the TWC employees said that 63 billion dollars worth of industry and development is happening now in the neighborhood! And the residents seem to be taking pride in it, since the houses are nearly all freshly painted and the yards are mostly taken care of. ;) Oh, and across the street is another brand new apartment building that rents our for at least $4,000 a month, for a 1 bedroom apartment. Talk about a nice neighborhood!
The nearest metro stop is only 2 1/2 blocks away, on the same line as the stop for my internship. There are 5 metro lines in DC, and it's nice not to have to switch in the morning rush! A grocery store is 8 blocks away, but a shuttle through TWC goes there, the metro station, and my building starting at 6 am until like 11pm, every 10-20 minutes during the rush hours. It's a nice deal!
I have 3 amazing roommates. One is from Connecticut, one from Texas, and one from Belgium. Our apartment is 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, with a living room, dining area, and beautiful kitchen. We also have our own washer and dryer. Living in an apartment is kinda weird, after dorm living for 3 years. But I really am enjoying it, and I'm not sure how I can return to Central's dorms next semester! I'm feeling very self sufficient. I have to do all my grocery shopping and make all my own food, which is exciting! Again...how can I return to Central Market?
I start my internship on Tuesday, and finish up orientation stuff tomorrow. And a nice 3 day weekend to enjoy the city and finish settling in!
Well, this is a sufficiently long post. I will post pictures of my apartment during the weekend, and some pictures around DC, once I take them.
Adios!
-Jen
Our apartment (I share with 3 suitemates) is in a brand new building built by the Washington Center. We are the 2nd batch of students living here, so everything is in amazing condition. We live in an up-and-coming neighborhood, called the Noma (north of Mass. Ave) in east DC. The neighborhood used to be a terrible, dangerous place, but in recent years a lot of development has been happening. One of the TWC employees said that 63 billion dollars worth of industry and development is happening now in the neighborhood! And the residents seem to be taking pride in it, since the houses are nearly all freshly painted and the yards are mostly taken care of. ;) Oh, and across the street is another brand new apartment building that rents our for at least $4,000 a month, for a 1 bedroom apartment. Talk about a nice neighborhood!
The nearest metro stop is only 2 1/2 blocks away, on the same line as the stop for my internship. There are 5 metro lines in DC, and it's nice not to have to switch in the morning rush! A grocery store is 8 blocks away, but a shuttle through TWC goes there, the metro station, and my building starting at 6 am until like 11pm, every 10-20 minutes during the rush hours. It's a nice deal!
I have 3 amazing roommates. One is from Connecticut, one from Texas, and one from Belgium. Our apartment is 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, with a living room, dining area, and beautiful kitchen. We also have our own washer and dryer. Living in an apartment is kinda weird, after dorm living for 3 years. But I really am enjoying it, and I'm not sure how I can return to Central's dorms next semester! I'm feeling very self sufficient. I have to do all my grocery shopping and make all my own food, which is exciting! Again...how can I return to Central Market?
I start my internship on Tuesday, and finish up orientation stuff tomorrow. And a nice 3 day weekend to enjoy the city and finish settling in!
Well, this is a sufficiently long post. I will post pictures of my apartment during the weekend, and some pictures around DC, once I take them.
Adios!
-Jen
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Finally Here
I've been in DC a few days, but I've had very limited access to the internet while at the hotel. Mom and I have been happy tourists for the last few days, and boy are we tired! Lots of walking around and seeing the sites.
It's been nice to be here for a few days because I've been able to figure out the metro system, and I feel very comfortable on it. I know my stops to work and we even ventured out during morning rush hour yesterday to see what my commute will be like. I LOVE the metro! It's so easy to get around, and I love not having to drive.
I move into my apartment tomorrow, and I can't wait to see it. The building is very new, and the summer program was the first to use it (I believe). So it should be pretty sweet! I'll update more there when I have permanent internet access.
-Jen
It's been nice to be here for a few days because I've been able to figure out the metro system, and I feel very comfortable on it. I know my stops to work and we even ventured out during morning rush hour yesterday to see what my commute will be like. I LOVE the metro! It's so easy to get around, and I love not having to drive.
I move into my apartment tomorrow, and I can't wait to see it. The building is very new, and the summer program was the first to use it (I believe). So it should be pretty sweet! I'll update more there when I have permanent internet access.
-Jen
Riding The Rails
(This was written a few days ago on the train.)
I’m sitting in the nice, sunny lounge car of the train now, watching endless fields of corn glide by. Traveling by train is incredibly comfortable, but it does take awhile to get your “train legs.” However, the ride is very smooth, and will easily lull me into a deep sleep tonight. The seats are huge, and spread very far apart. I know I’m short, but my feet barely reach to the seat in front of me! And they are very comfortable. We didn’t get a sleeper car, but I suspect Mom and I shall sleep well tonight.
Our train has a dining car, for formal dinners, and a café car. The café car sells snacks, food, and beverages (including the eco-friendly Green Mountain Coffee-YUM!). It also has seats facing the windows on the upper level, which are really comfy. There are booths there as well. The best part of the café car is that there are observations windows that stretch up onto the ceiling. It’s a pretty sweet place to hang out, although finding a seat took awhile!
I honestly don’t know if I can handle air travel again. Trains take awhile, but it is so comfortable and stress-free. And the people are nice, which is a big plus. I know for sure that I am taking the train home in December. It’s so peaceful!
However, if you’ve never been on a train before- be warned! When an oncoming train passes on the track next to you (especially if you have a window seat), it’s a little frightening. Before Mom and I were out of Ottumwa we nearly died of fright when a freight train zoomed past us! Another lesson learned…
Jen
I’m sitting in the nice, sunny lounge car of the train now, watching endless fields of corn glide by. Traveling by train is incredibly comfortable, but it does take awhile to get your “train legs.” However, the ride is very smooth, and will easily lull me into a deep sleep tonight. The seats are huge, and spread very far apart. I know I’m short, but my feet barely reach to the seat in front of me! And they are very comfortable. We didn’t get a sleeper car, but I suspect Mom and I shall sleep well tonight.
Our train has a dining car, for formal dinners, and a café car. The café car sells snacks, food, and beverages (including the eco-friendly Green Mountain Coffee-YUM!). It also has seats facing the windows on the upper level, which are really comfy. There are booths there as well. The best part of the café car is that there are observations windows that stretch up onto the ceiling. It’s a pretty sweet place to hang out, although finding a seat took awhile!
I honestly don’t know if I can handle air travel again. Trains take awhile, but it is so comfortable and stress-free. And the people are nice, which is a big plus. I know for sure that I am taking the train home in December. It’s so peaceful!
However, if you’ve never been on a train before- be warned! When an oncoming train passes on the track next to you (especially if you have a window seat), it’s a little frightening. Before Mom and I were out of Ottumwa we nearly died of fright when a freight train zoomed past us! Another lesson learned…
Jen
Friday, August 27, 2010
T Minus 23 hours
The countdown is almost over, and I'll be leaving for DC tomorrow at about 10 am on the Amtrak. My room is an utter mess, with luggage, clothes, and random stuff strewn around. However, my packing is nearly done. Thank goodness for Space Bags!! Packing the bedding would have been impossible without them!
I'm feeling only excitement now, as my nervousness seems to have disappeared. I can't wait to get there, explore the city with Mom, and get settled in. Oh, and I can't wait for the train ride!
I'm feeling only excitement now, as my nervousness seems to have disappeared. I can't wait to get there, explore the city with Mom, and get settled in. Oh, and I can't wait for the train ride!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Ford Global Scholar Program
I forgot to share some great information in my last post! I found out a few weeks ago that I was accepted into an amazing program through The Washington Center. Each fall, 12 US students and 12 international students are accepted into the Ford Global Scholar Program. And I was one of the 12! As part of the program, I'll be taking a course that focuses on the UN Millennium Development Goals . I will also be participating in a Mock UN session, which should be eye-opening!
I feel very honored to be accepted into this program, and it fits perfectly with my career and major goals. It should be a valuable experience, to say the least.
-Jen
I feel very honored to be accepted into this program, and it fits perfectly with my career and major goals. It should be a valuable experience, to say the least.
-Jen
Ready for D.C.
Hello everyone!
I'll soon be off on another adventure for the semester, this time in Washington, D.C. I will be studying in our nation's capitol through an internship program at The Washington Center. I am beyond excited for the semester!
Last week I received an internship offer, and I'll be working with the Ecological Society of America. I will be working with the Director of Education and Diversity Services. My main project for the first half of the semester will be helping to organize the Ecology and Education Summit. It is a national wide conference that will be held in mid-October. From then on, I'll be working on various other tasks relating to smaller workshops and an online database for college students.
For those of you who are wondering, I decided to study in D.C. for a few different reasons. I wanted to do another internship (I was an intern while studying in Mexico) that related both to my political science major and my environmental studies minor. I also really wanted to spend another semester off campus. I waffled between going to China or to D.C. I know, the two are sooo alike...and finally decided on Washington D.C. I'm hoping to live there after I graduate in the Spring (gulp!), so I view this as my trial for D.C. living!
I'll update as I learn more information and it gets closer to departure time. I am leaving on the Amtrak on August 28th, and be in D.C. the 29th. Why the Amtrak? I've never been on the trains, and I'm sure it'll be better than air travel!
-Jen
I'll soon be off on another adventure for the semester, this time in Washington, D.C. I will be studying in our nation's capitol through an internship program at The Washington Center. I am beyond excited for the semester!
Last week I received an internship offer, and I'll be working with the Ecological Society of America. I will be working with the Director of Education and Diversity Services. My main project for the first half of the semester will be helping to organize the Ecology and Education Summit. It is a national wide conference that will be held in mid-October. From then on, I'll be working on various other tasks relating to smaller workshops and an online database for college students.
For those of you who are wondering, I decided to study in D.C. for a few different reasons. I wanted to do another internship (I was an intern while studying in Mexico) that related both to my political science major and my environmental studies minor. I also really wanted to spend another semester off campus. I waffled between going to China or to D.C. I know, the two are sooo alike...and finally decided on Washington D.C. I'm hoping to live there after I graduate in the Spring (gulp!), so I view this as my trial for D.C. living!
I'll update as I learn more information and it gets closer to departure time. I am leaving on the Amtrak on August 28th, and be in D.C. the 29th. Why the Amtrak? I've never been on the trains, and I'm sure it'll be better than air travel!
-Jen
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