Wrapping Up + Closing Remarks

Wow...I don't know where the summer went for the past several weeks. I've been in constant motion and everything just became a mashed up blur of activity. Congress went into their August Recess and so the last weeks of my internship were a little slower with fewer things to do. They did keep us busy, however, and I very rarely had time to get bored before I got assigned some research or a project. On one of the days, an office organized a scavenger hunt for all the interns in the House. It was fun letting go for a little bit and running around the Capitol Building taking pictures and finding answers to questions.

Capitol Hill Scavenger Hunt

With the Congresswoman before Recess

My dad came up one weekend to visit me and it was nice being able to show him around (and I actually knew where to go without a hitch)! We went to the Newseum which was definitely one of my favorite museums in DC so far. The Newseum is basically as the name implies-- a museum about the history of news and journalism. We also visited the National Gallery of Art which is another favorite of mine. I loved the collection of Impressionist paintings they had there. In the evening we went to Georgetown and went to an Italian restaurant called Paper Moon for dinner and Paul Bakery for these delicious French desserts.

The following week I found myself in Georgetown again for an SEC party with some of my friends from LSU. It was so neat meeting other Gators and SEC'ers up in DC. It thought it was crazy how many people are in DC from Gainesville. I found out later that DC has one of the biggest Gator alumni organizations in the nation! Definitely felt like I was right back at home in Florida.

As for the nightlife in DC, I was happy to discover Adams Morgan. Adams Morgan is an area in Northwest DC where you can find a bunch of bars, pubs and clubs. It's a very diverse area and you can start off in a salsa lounge and end up at a sports bar all on the same street. While we were there, my friend and I went to this place called Julia's Empanadas which had some of the best empanadas I've ever tried. It's literally a hole in the wall with no seating (we sat at a bus stop outside), but they make their food fresh and it's a famous eatery in the area. 

A few weeks ago, I found out where all the DC natives are on a Sunday morning: Eastern Market. Eastern Market has a huge flea market during the weekends and they have delicious fruit and vegetables, art, jewelry, vintage bags, handmade soaps, and so much more. I loved browsing the stalls in Eastern Market the past few Sundays and getting brunch (another big "DC" thing to do) in the area afterwards.

I could keep going on about all the great places I've found here, but that would take all day and I have a White House tour to get ready for (so excited!!) so I should start wrapping it up. 

These past few months have been incredible for me. No life-changing event occurred nor did I have some major revelation about the world. But I do feel changed. I have a new confidence that I don't think I really had all the time before. I now know more clearly the direction I want to go with my career (at least for the time being). I also learned so much more about my strengths and how to more properly hone them for the future. At the same time, I've also discovered my weaknesses and have tried to overcome some of them. I am very used to taking every tiny thing to heart and letting what other people do and outside events get the better of me. But I think I've improved in that I realized the importance I give to those events is temporary and fleeting, and I'd be better off dwelling on something more meaningful. I don't know if it's DC that did this for me exactly, or the fact that I've been around so many new people and in a different working environment. Whatever it is, I'll take what I can get from the experience! 

Today is my last day in this town and I'm going to miss it so much. At the same time, I don't think my story in DC is over at all and that makes me just as happy to leave so I can come back sooner! However, I really do miss home and my family so much. I'm incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to come here, go through this experience and meet the people I did. In the short amount of time I was here, I know I made some friends for life. But now it's on to senior year of college (SO wild!) and taking everything I was able to gain up here down to Florida with me. I'm excited and feel so lucky that I'm leaving such a marvelous place to go back to something equally just as great.