A week has gone by since I started my internship and I finally feel truly connected to DC. Up until this point I still felt like a tourist or outsider, but I finally have been able to settle down and actually feel at home here.
Last weekend I went to Ben’s Chili Bowl in Dupont Circle. It is a landmark DC restaurant and is famous for being visited by President Obama and Bill Cosby. While it was cool eating at such a historical place, I was not as big a fan of the (vegetarian) chili as I thought I would be. Nevertheless, it was something I just had to do before leaving!
I am really enjoying my internship so far. It is great to see the legislative activity that goes on and be a small part of it. I have been able to meet some great people and I have already learned so much. I can definitely see myself doing something along these lines in the future. Working from 9:00 to 5:30 every day is what has truly made feel like I’m an actual resident of this city. And although I love it, I do miss having to go to only a few classes a day.
Friday night I was exhausted but still wanted to go out with some new friends I made a few weeks ago. My friend and I got a great dinner at The Chesapeake Room which is in this nice area called Eastern Market. We split a lobster, mango and avocado salad and each got a beet and goat cheese salad. The flavors of the dishes were very delicately combined and in just the right proportions. Although the portions were small, they filled us up perfectly.
After dinner, we went to Molly Malone’s to meet up with my friend’s friend from college. Molly’s is a little pub in Eastern Market and we hung out and talked about life in DC for a few hours. Her friend works at a PR firm in Virginia and she invited us to come stay the weekend at her house in Rockville, Maryland. We left the next evening for Rockville which is about an hour away from Capitol Hill. Saturday night we ate at this delicious seafood place called Dogfish Head Alehouse and I had the best crab cakes of my life. After dinner we went to see The Dark Knight Rises which was obviously epic enough that it needs no explanation.
On Sunday, I woke up to birds chirping and realized I hadn’t heard that sound in about three weeks! Our amazing hostess made us these yummy Creole-influenced scrambled eggs (both girls are from Louisiana and go to LSU) and then her dad took us out to lunch to a place called The Corner Bakery. We went shopping for a little bit before we went back home to Capitol Hill. It was so nice going to the suburbs and getting away from the city for a little bit. I discovered how much I missed seeing so much greenery. I’m really grateful to have met such sweet and open people in this city.
Sunday evening, I found myself in Maryland again. This time I was in Bethesda which is about ten minutes away from Rockville. My aunt was in town and she invited me over to her boyfriend’s family’s place for dinner. They are French and they made me quite a big feast. We had shrimp, salmon, chicken, asparagus, salad, and couscous for dinner. For the next course, we had different breads, cheeses, and fruits. My aunt and her boyfriend brought up some tropical fruits from Miami so we had a little bit of Florida thrown in the mix. I got a chance to meet some Gator alumni and it was great exchanging information about old professors and what was different in Gainesville now in comparison to about thirteen years ago! It was such a pleasant evening to finish up my weekend. It is so refreshing to find such caring and loving people in a town known for being so rough and dirty.
I can honestly say I have had some of the most satisfying weeks of my life. Meeting others, hearing their stories and experiencing such a vibrant and stimulating lifestyle makes me feel like I am really growing. I’m slowly realizing what is actually important to me in life, not to sweat about meaningless things anymore, and I’m getting a grasp on how I would like my future to generally shape out. At the same time, there really is not much that you can plan perfectly. Sometimes life happens and you cannot always have control. Embracing spontaneity is another lesson I’m learning and I’m kind of enjoying it. I’ve also seen the importance of being a “people person” in this type of world. This does not mean sucking up or being overly bubbly or talkative. It is so vital (probably in any work environment) to show that you are willing to learn, you’ll accept your mistakes, and you don’t actually know everything . Being a nice person who is willing to help others can go a long way as long as you maintain your principles and don’t let anyone push you down.
Well here’s to the second week of my internship! I’m looking forward to see where my life takes me!
Last weekend I went to Ben’s Chili Bowl in Dupont Circle. It is a landmark DC restaurant and is famous for being visited by President Obama and Bill Cosby. While it was cool eating at such a historical place, I was not as big a fan of the (vegetarian) chili as I thought I would be. Nevertheless, it was something I just had to do before leaving!
Friday night I was exhausted but still wanted to go out with some new friends I made a few weeks ago. My friend and I got a great dinner at The Chesapeake Room which is in this nice area called Eastern Market. We split a lobster, mango and avocado salad and each got a beet and goat cheese salad. The flavors of the dishes were very delicately combined and in just the right proportions. Although the portions were small, they filled us up perfectly.After dinner, we went to Molly Malone’s to meet up with my friend’s friend from college. Molly’s is a little pub in Eastern Market and we hung out and talked about life in DC for a few hours. Her friend works at a PR firm in Virginia and she invited us to come stay the weekend at her house in Rockville, Maryland. We left the next evening for Rockville which is about an hour away from Capitol Hill. Saturday night we ate at this delicious seafood place called Dogfish Head Alehouse and I had the best crab cakes of my life. After dinner we went to see The Dark Knight Rises which was obviously epic enough that it needs no explanation.
On Sunday, I woke up to birds chirping and realized I hadn’t heard that sound in about three weeks! Our amazing hostess made us these yummy Creole-influenced scrambled eggs (both girls are from Louisiana and go to LSU) and then her dad took us out to lunch to a place called The Corner Bakery. We went shopping for a little bit before we went back home to Capitol Hill. It was so nice going to the suburbs and getting away from the city for a little bit. I discovered how much I missed seeing so much greenery. I’m really grateful to have met such sweet and open people in this city.
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| Cheesy, buttery, Creole eggs with a bagel |
Sunday evening, I found myself in Maryland again. This time I was in Bethesda which is about ten minutes away from Rockville. My aunt was in town and she invited me over to her boyfriend’s family’s place for dinner. They are French and they made me quite a big feast. We had shrimp, salmon, chicken, asparagus, salad, and couscous for dinner. For the next course, we had different breads, cheeses, and fruits. My aunt and her boyfriend brought up some tropical fruits from Miami so we had a little bit of Florida thrown in the mix. I got a chance to meet some Gator alumni and it was great exchanging information about old professors and what was different in Gainesville now in comparison to about thirteen years ago! It was such a pleasant evening to finish up my weekend. It is so refreshing to find such caring and loving people in a town known for being so rough and dirty.
I can honestly say I have had some of the most satisfying weeks of my life. Meeting others, hearing their stories and experiencing such a vibrant and stimulating lifestyle makes me feel like I am really growing. I’m slowly realizing what is actually important to me in life, not to sweat about meaningless things anymore, and I’m getting a grasp on how I would like my future to generally shape out. At the same time, there really is not much that you can plan perfectly. Sometimes life happens and you cannot always have control. Embracing spontaneity is another lesson I’m learning and I’m kind of enjoying it. I’ve also seen the importance of being a “people person” in this type of world. This does not mean sucking up or being overly bubbly or talkative. It is so vital (probably in any work environment) to show that you are willing to learn, you’ll accept your mistakes, and you don’t actually know everything . Being a nice person who is willing to help others can go a long way as long as you maintain your principles and don’t let anyone push you down.
Well here’s to the second week of my internship! I’m looking forward to see where my life takes me!
Such wise words!! :') and yummy food!! =)
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