Week 5

This week has been less eventful than others, but there are some really exciting things on the horizon.

My roommates and I put on our best suits and got on the Metro this weekend to take a tour of The White House that one of my roommates graciously set up for us. Unfortunately, about two stops from our destination we got a call informing us that our tour would have to be canceled because our security badges did not go through. I think we are all upstanding citizens, but I suppose I have only known these guys for a little over a month now...haha. Everything worked out fine because we were promised that it would be made up to us in the future; perhaps a meeting with the president or one of his advisors. I certainty won’t hold my breath on that prospect, but if it does happen, I'll bring my resume just in case!

Instead of heading to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, we just got of the Metro and had some coffee. Because it was a Sunday, suits did not blend in the way they do during the work week; we were even accused of being senators by someone on the streets. I don’t think they were particularly politically-informed. According to some in my family, I look like a twelve-year-old who had an overnight growth spurt, so I am not sure why there would be any confusion that I could be a senator.

Everyday it seems I see the city in a new way or find a new part of town. After attending a meeting for a group that helps refugee to adapt to life here in the U.S., some of my friends and I got a ride home from another woman at the meeting who lived close by our apartment. I finally got to travel on top of the ground instead down under it. The views of the skyline and even the views of the other cars was a welcomed change of pace. Plus I got to ride on the Beltway that I have heard so much about (more exciting in concept than practice, but I am glade to have done it). It made me realize how disoriented my sense of direction is here in DC from being in a tunnel everywhere I go. The woman that drove us home was French and eager to point out the irony in the fact that she was teaching us about navigating our own nation’s capital.

Thursday is when a lot of the excitement will take place. I will be attending (more like intruding on) a meeting with some of the nation's top scientists, The Science Advisory Board. Then in the afternoon I have the opportunity to crash a House Hearing on asbestos. I am really excited to get to see the process of lawmaking first hand and maybe even to rub shoulders with some members of Congress. This is exactly the type of thing that I came to Washington for--to see policy being made, and to see how science and government interacts. I can't wait.

Week 4

The EPA is a great place to learn about environmental policy issues, but it is also educating me about the professional world and the way it operates. As a relatively naive student, I didn't always realize all the logistics and grunt work that are involved in the day-to-day functioning of any office. A great deal of preparation goes into projects, meetings and conferences--and for the first time I am observing it and even participating. At the EPA we sometimes even conduct meetings designed to prepare for a future meeting--the purpose being to gather various representatives’ administrators’ offices together in order to anticipate any potential problems and discuss topics on the agenda in a preliminary manner. Essentially, the goal is to work out any kinks or resolve minor issues to expedite the administrators' meeting.

Beyond holding "mock-meetings,” I help prepare my supervisor for his meetings as well. I research topics, highlight pertinent information in papers, print out copies of documents, or provide summaries for him in order to ensure that he has everything he might need. In fact, the simple act of finding a window of time in which a busy group of people can meet is quite a challenge in some circumstances, and even when that has been achieved, you then have to find a room to accommodate the meeting!

All in all I am finding that an office is run by an army of people working on all cylinders at all levels. I may not always like everything that I need to do, but I am realizing the importance of it. If setting upa given meeting is a hassle, at least I get to learn from the discussion it entails. It's almost as if I am gathering a bunch of people who are well versed on a topic and putting them together so I can hear what they have to say...it's like my own experiential education classroom.

As a side note, I am received a confirmation this week that I am a bit of a walking disaster. In an effort to cross the threshold from wrinkled intern with a deer in the headlights look to mildly professional, knowledgeable intern, I was ironing my pants. P.S. I should not be left alone with objects possessing the power to wield extreme heat. I let it get just hot enough to give a good scorch to the skin, and of course when I went to use it I knocked the iron over onto my hand. I realize this sounds like a scene from a Chevy Chase movie, but in fact it is my life. At this point, I'm icing my still sprained ankle for about 20 minute increments and on the breaks from that I am icing my burnt hand. Someone needs to protect me from myself.

This weekend my roommates and I decided to celebrate the reason for our day off--Presidents’ Day--by traveling to Mount Vernon to see George Washington’s estate. Because it was his birthday we got in for free, which was also a deciding factor in making our plans. Mount Vernon was very nice, although I think it is a still more impressive site in the spring, when the gardens and landscape reach their full grandeur.

George's House

For Washington's birthday, Mount Vernon hosts the nation’s smallest hometown parade. This is not just a title--the parade consisted of about 12 people walking around what I think qualifies as a cul-de-sac. The parade was modest, but entertaining nonetheless. The festivities were hosted by none other than General George Washington himself, accompanied by his wife Martha of course. Old George told a story of how is wife had surprised him one birthday by commissioning a band and a group of soldiers to serenade him in the very front lawn upon which we were celebrating.

Nation's Smallest Parade

This story triggered my roommates and me to follow through on a plan we had to try and sing Happy Birthday to the General, so as soon as the parade dispersed (which took all of 20 seconds), we got in line to greet George Washington. We may have been the oldest people waiting in line, but how many times do you get to talk to George Washington (even if he is an actor)?

When we got to the steps of his house, where George and Martha stood in front of the Crowd, we wished him the traditional birthday blessings while our friends took pictures (as cheesy as this all sounds, it had to be done). Then George asked me where I had traveled. I replied with a proud smirk “New Hampshire, you know one of the originals!?” George’s response still has me slightly puzzled. “Ah, yes, ‘Land of the Fire eaters,’” he said. Not wanting to seem ignorant about my own home state I smiled and nodded, but what Fire eaters have to do with New Hampshire, I have no idea. It doesn’t seem like something that one would associate with the Granite State.

After that exchange, one of my roommates and I began to conduct the crowd in a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.” The entire group of onlookers seemed to join in. It made for a very entertaining moment. Staying true to character George claimed to have never heard the song before and asked my roommate if he wrote it. It made the trip well worth our travel efforts--which I didn’t yet mention included about two hours Metro and bus riding, with our bus getting hit by a renegade mini-van.

Serenading Georgie Boy

Another good week. Until next time…although I am slightly worried about what accident I might inflict upon myself in the next seven days!

Week 3

This week has been a time for adjustment. I am adjusting to waking up early and going to bed late, adjusting to wearing buttondown shirts and ties, and I am adjusting to life within a cubicle. This melodramatic description may imply that I am not enjoying my time, but to the contrary I am--it's just a transition to a new lifestyle. I am also adjusting to the fast-paced, high intensity workplace that the EPA is proving to be. I know many of you may be reading this questioning the integrity of my words, but in fact I find myself running around to keep up most of the time. There are so many important issues that the EPA (even within only a single division) must address--it's a wonder it all gets done.

Already my internship has been rewarding. I came into this program with an interest in environmental policy, but admittedly there was a lot I didn’t know. In my internship I have been given the opportunity to research and listen in on discussions regarding current environmental health issues. In fact, I have learned about issues that I didn’t even realize existed. Certainly I am doing some clerical work, but I really don’t notice. Everything has a purpose, and because my supervisor ensures that I am involved in everything, I get to see the fruits of my labor in setting up meetings and sending out emails. Who knows maybe there will be a Secretary’s Day gift in it for me as well?

My cubic home away from home

With everything going on at the EPA, during the week I can sometimes forget about all the excitement that is taking place beyond our headquarters. As soon as the weekends arrive, however, I'm loaded with opportunities for adventure all over the city. Sadly, this weekend I was somewhat limited by a self-inflicted injury.

Early Saturday morning my roommates and I were all ready to seize the day and explore some of what the capital has to offer. Living on the Red Line of the Metro can cause some delays, on the weekends especially, so when we found out that there was a train coming in as we exited the apartment complex we decided to run. At the time this seemed like a good idea, as I didn’t want to be stuck waiting 30 minutes for the decrepit Red Line train to come teetering in (admitedly, the views expressed here may be an exaggeration of sorts).

As I descended the stairs of the underground segway that crossed the street leading to the Metro Station I quickly realized the error of my judgment. I would like to take this opportunity to note that I have achieved some respectable athletic accomplishments in my life, but I do need to acknowledge that I have only done so despite an at times literally crippling lack of coordination. Being six foot thee since the age of 13, I always had growth spurts as a handy excuse, but now many years have passed and I still have not managed to reign in this abundance of limbs I call a body. To end a painful story, my ankle kind of collapsed and I fell down the stairs.

The damage...kinda looks like a hobbit foot

For some reason I was determined to continue with the day as planned. Thus, I stuck it out and lurched through the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the National Archives, an Ethiopian-inspired dinner (not as exotic a taste as it may sounds), and a trip to one of the local Jazz Clubs. All in all I had a great day and was happy that I pushed through my injury. We got to experience a lot of the culture and history that is housed here in DC. I just hope that my limp did not slow down my roommates too much.

Eating Ethiopian food, everyone eats from the same bowl/pit/blob

It was a long day, a good day though, except for some minor injuries to my ankle and pride

The injury was barely a blemish on my week and overall things were still great! Needless to say I spent Sunday icing and elevating my leg in hopes of a speedy recovery. I will keep my figures crossed that my foot will fit into my shoes on Monday!

Until next week…if I make it…

Week 2

As I look back on my first two weeks here I realize how brief my venture has actually been. Working a full, even just nearly a full week, in a real office can make time truly fly by. I was concerned that I would not be able to keep up with the morning routine of 9-to-5, but so far it hasn't been too much of a challenge. Granted I am tired nearly every night that I go to bed, but that only allows sleep to come easier, so I'm not complaining.

My internship is with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR). I work in the headquarters (HQ), which is located on Pennsylvania Avenue (the same street as the White House!!). Because I work with the Science Advisor I have the opportunity to work on a wide array of projects on many subjects. One hour it may be Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA), or the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee (CAAAC), the next I could be in a meeting concerning National Ambient Air Quality Standards NAAQS (NAAQS). If it sounds like the job involves a many of acronyms and a large amount of jargon then I have effectively expressed my point. I find it all very interesting and have always been someone how enjoys getting his hands dirty working on a wide variety of projects and learning about many subjects. Thus, although my internship is seemingly tailored to me, the fact remains that at this first checkpoint I have found myself overwhelmed with terms with which I am entirely unfamiliar.

Sitting in on my first meeting I didn’t know what to expect. I brought a pad of paper on which to take notes and did so diligently. However, I will admit that although I was writing feverishly and appeared to be on the ball, I had no idea what I was writing. My notes were mostly bullet points consisting of a few verbs and a mess of my best interpretation of how the words composing a particular acronym may be spelled. Luckily, following the meeting my supervisor briefed me on the topic. My supervisor also assured me that I need not worry about the acronyms--no one expects me to know them yet. Either way, I'm still working on decoding those notes.

Working the daily 9-to-5, as interesting as my job is, gets tiring. Waking up in the morning at 7 a.m. and getting home around 6:30 p.m. would be okay if there wasn’t anything outside of work to accomplish. Unfortunately, I do have a life to live; dinner to make, reading to do, calls to place, e-mails to return, and even the occasional trip to the gym to squeeze in if I'm lucky. The late nights of working and 8-9 hour days can start making you feel pretty old. Its sad to say, but I feel myself becoming more and more like my father. Worse things could happen, but it does give me the feeling that a new life chapter has begun.

For our first weekend here in D.C. my roommates and I decided to commemorate our entrance into the workforce by going to one of the local happy hours. The event turned out to be a bit more difficult to pull off then we had anticipated, and when we got to the chosen watering hole we were all much more concerned with eating then taking the edge off after a long work week. As another step into the world of professionalism, we also decide to use the sauna at our apartment complex. Looking back on it, this event may be the one that makes me feel the most aged. To be honest though it was rather relaxing...well, relaxing up until to part where we got out and ran into a few of our neighbors in the elevator. We had our with towels wrapped around our waist and were sweating and they were standing beside us in their business suits. I suppose we are not to old to make fools of ourselves. I joke about feeling like a grown up, but really I am loving the independence and challenges that I am facing while living here in D.C. and working for the EPA.

Until next time…

Week 1

Week one has been exciting and nerve-wracking. From a social perspective things worked out great--all my roommates and I get along really well. Our biggest problem is that we are all overly indecisive, and choosing where we wanted to eat this first week the few times we went out became somewhat difficult. But we have slowly adopted a process through which we just pick at random, either with a numbers game or just by selecting the first thing we see. It's a blessing that having so many options is our only real problem.

As far as adjusting to the fast pace of Washington, it is coming along. I come from a fairly rural but suburban area of New Hampshire, so adjustments were made as I have begun my life here in Washington. Crowds, strict schedules, suits and ties, have all become a part of my daily life. Being a person who packs his day with activity and is consequently habitually late made me nervous going into the first few days. But through the practice of overcompensation I have managed to be about one hour early for the first few scheduled events. I am now in a better in between place, arriving at work about 15 minutes early.

Washington is much different from life back at school. Both have stimulating options, but being in the capital the bar is raised significantly. In my first day about town, I found myself daydreaming about D.C. and my future here, only to find that I had missed my stop. After getting off the Metro I saw a sign that pointed in the direction of The White House. Stumbling upon such a significant symbol may be common for locals, but to me it was huge. I figured there was no better way to acquaint myself with the capital then to go visit "the neighbors." So I just kept walking until I stumbled upon the White House. Its presence was truly something to behold, although it was smaller than I had pictured in my head.

"The Neighbors"

It seems that no matter where you are there is something to see or do--some kind of building of grandeur, or museum of significance, or historic symbol. I could easily get use to this kind of stimulation. Washington D.C. is truly unlike anywhere else I have ever been.

Until next week...