Week 15: The Final Stretch

My time here is the nation's capital is up, for now. All-in-all it has been very rewarding. I have enjoyed my short spat as a city dweller, but as of this weekend it's back to the woods of NH. Even though I only have a few days left, things are not over yet.

Today I got to go to my first Senate Hearing; the topic was The State of Science at the EPA. George Gray, the Science Advisor/Assistant Administrator of ORD, was the headlining testimony for the hearing. Barbara Boxer was the official chair, being the chairperson of the Environment and Public Works Committee. However, the in situ chair was really Senator Whitehouse from Road Island. The two of them provided a substantial one-two punch to Gray. Boxer, with her enthusiastic, emotionally driven statements and Whitehouse with his cornering precise questions forced Gray to respond very carefully to their inquiries--at one point, in regards to the number of scientists at the EPA that feel their work is obstructed by political influence. Overall it was a very interesting hearing.

Being the tourist that I am at heart, I decided that I needed some pictures to record the event, I was especially excited to have one of Boxer. I tried simply holding my camera over my head and shooting from my angle in the back row of seats. This method was not effective at anything other than earning the painful glares of most of the other observes in the room as my flash lit up the chamber (I stupidly forgot to turn it off). No, I could not wait until the hearing was over, because you never know when the senators will need to leave. I turned off the flash and tried several more times to the dislike of my fellow onlookers, but I am leaving DC in three days anyways. I will share the pictures, however none are really distinguishable except the one of the crest on the wall.

Here is the crap that I took that earned me some of the animosity
that could have been aimed at the issues being discussesd!

This is the only decent photo I managed to get...pretty cool though,
good proof of my presence at the Seante.

We have meetings scheduled and documents to draft all the way up until my last hour; I am glad that I will be busy though. My internship has served me very well during my time here. I came in wanting to see the process of creating environmental policy and contributing factors. I was able to see and/or hear about every step of the process: identifying potential issues, research, synthesizing the research, making recommendations, drafting documents/papers, debating how to create policy, creating policy, then debating how to enforce policy, and maybe even debating if policies that are created are justified or even sometimes legal. I may not have mentioned every step, but there are a lot. I still haven't seen all take place first hand. Additionally, I got to attend meetings, hearings, and conferences that I never imagined I could. Overall, this experience has given me a much clearer perspective of policy from a practical point of view. I think it has been an invaluable experience.

There are still museums that I wish I could explore, monuments I would like to visit, and events that I want to attend. Yet, I feel as though I spent my time well overall. Plus, I am glad to have reasons to come back again someday, besides job hunting (although I am still unsure if the city is where I want to be).

Thanks for sharing the semester with me...I am glad I came out in one piece!

Good-bye, D.C.!

Week 14

I finally got to go to The White House!! And here is the seal for proof:

It was a close call--I almost left D.C. without getting a tour, but my roommate's contact came through and three of us got to visit The White House last Thursday. I put on my blue blazer for the first time, just in case--you never know who you may meet at the White House. I should mention that I didn't meet anyone, but the tour was great. There were four of us in our group, so it was nice to get an intimate tour of the most significant residence in the United States.

We entered through the West Wing entrance, where I am told everyone important enters and exits the building. This entrance takes you right into the basement, so we saw where workers order food. The walls were adorned with many pictures of the President and the Vice President--pictures that made them out to be very normal, regular guys. Apparently George W. Bush is the first president to employ a digital photographer, and in doing so he is able to hang newly updated photos every week. Thus, we saw some great shots of the President with the Pope along the walls.

Here I am in the Rose Garden...well, next to it actually. I was to scared to step onto it.

Of course the Oval Office was something to behold, as was every other room. The White House is meticulously decorated, and since it's a historic building the architecture is incredibly detailed. I have no pictures from inside, as we weren't allowed to take any, but I do have one that I took from the outside looking in. It's almost like the real thing (or like a picture a stalker would take).

This is the creepy one where I tried to get a glimpse into the White House through the window...Peeping Tom

At the office I am able to work very independently now, which I think is a great asset to my supervisor. He has so much going on that the more I can tackle on my own with minimal explanation from him the better. I am happy to be more self-sufficient as well; it makes me feel as though I have really learned some valuable skills from this experience. It has not hit me that I will be flying back to New Hampshire in a little over a week. I still have work to finish. I have scheduled meetings for my supervisor and I right up until my last day, so things will be fairly busy until I walk out the door.

Classic shot of The White House at night

Week 13

This week can only be described as hectic. Even though I am not in the traditional college setting, I am still experiencing the traditional end of the semester overload. I must admit, though, that this is a watered-down version of what I normally go through, so ultimately I am grateful. Many things are coming to a head in these next few weeks--the portfolio, registering for classes in the fall, and final projects for class. The real difference from a normal semester is that I have to learn to deal with all my academic responsibilities while maintaining a regular full-time work schedule. This is "real world" time management--the kind that I will need to utilize if I ever allow myself to enter the "real world."

Washington D.C. has again showed me the unique opportunities that our nation's capital holds. This time I didn't heara high-ranking official speak or sit in on a Congressional hearing, but attended a concert inspiring social change. I have always read about national concerts like Live 8 or Live Earth, but never before have any of these events been close enough for me to enjoy first hand. This time, with the Earth Day Network's collaboration with Green Apple Fest, I was able to see the concert on the National Mall. It was great. I was able to get into the second row of people, granting me a great view of the stage. However, my view was at times blocked by a shield of umbrellas protruding from the dense crowd of listeners. Oh well--what is a music festival without torrential downpour and a crowd of concertgoers running to seek shelter from an electrical storm? The whole things was fun. We got to hear some great bands like OAR, and see some notable celebrities like Chevy Chase (a great honor considering one of my all time favorite holiday movies is Christmas Vacation) and Edward Norton (I don't think he has ever been in a bad movie). I happen to like the rain; it adds some more adventure to the experience.

OAR--one of the headliners for the concert. At this point the rain let up, so people put away their umbrellas and I could actually see.

CHEVY CHASE! When I saw him being blown by heavy wind and staggering on stage I thought it was a gimmick, it wasn't. As soon as he came out the electrical storm that sent us all running into the Smithsonian (which would not let us in) also come out.

Edward Norton, I don't think he has ever made a bad movie. Based on
the aggression he had in his speech I can see where he pulled from to
do Fight Club.

We are loaded with work to do at OAR (the Office of Air and Radiation now, not the band). One of our main focuses is a Global Partnership on Mercury. The technology and innovations in this field are really interesting. Whereas I am very interested in international policy it has been an invaluable lesson in the function, scope, and operation of global environmental partnerships. Right now we are working with people from the UK, India, China, Russia, and South Africa. It has been really interesting seeing how this partnership functions. The only downside is all the international meetings are taking place once I am gone; my supervisor was in Thailand a few weeks before I arrived and next winter he will be in Africa. There are meetings in Geneva and Australia as well. If only I could go to any of theses places with him--but I guess there would probably be no need for a special assistant at these meetings.

Until next week?