One Month in D.C. Already!

Hey all,

It's been a while since my last post, but I've unfortunately been sick with bronchitis for the last 2 weeks or so! I finally got antibiotics last Tuesday, and it took a while for them to kick in but I'm finally feeling better. So far I'm loving my job at Kinkeads, and I'm meeting a ton of great people! I missed all of last week at CBS because of the bronchitis, but I'm back at work today and helping out the evening news crew since my boss Christina is out of town.  My manager at Kinkeads asked me to help out for a few hours after I get done at CBS, so it's going to be a long night!  I'm pretty much tired all the time now that I work 7 days a week, but coffee and Diet Coke get me through the day.

I had a great 22nd birthday but it definitely made me miss all of my friends from Oregon and San Diego so much! I pretty much call my parents every day so I don't give them much of a chance to miss me, but it's hard keeping in touch with all my friends on the west coast because of conflicting work schedules and the time difference.  Anyways, my 22nd birthday was definitely more low key than my 21st, but I think that's only appropriate, and my roommates out here made it a good time.

I ordered some new oxford booties for work that I think will be fun for the fall and winter out here in D.C.  I got them in black, and had to have my mom send them to me from my house in San Diego after mixing up my shipping and billing address.  They should get here tomorrow, and I hope they fit!

New job!

So after searching Craigslist like a mad woman, I lined up some part-time job interviews and today I got offered a job at a restaurant named Kinkeads! From what I know of it so far, it's a very high end, well known, award winning seafood restaurant, so I'm excited for my first day tomorrow!  I'm going to be a hostess, and will be working there Monday through Wednesday when I'm not at CBS...which means I'll be working every day of the week! I'm tired already just thinking about it, but I think it will be good for me to stay busy, and hopefully I can make some new friends at work!  The restaurant is across the street from the World Bank, so I'm sure I will be meeting a lot of successful people from all over the world!  It's also located near George Washington University, so it will be nice to be surrounded by so many young people!

I'm currently fighting a cold so I'm going to try to get to bed early so I can get better ASAP.  No one likes a sick hostess!

Proud to be an American

So it's my 3rd day on the internship and it's going well so far! It was definitely a struggle coming into work on the weekend, but I didn't have to come in till 11:30 AM today and have been getting off early, so I can't really complain about my shifts! The most exciting part of the internship so far was probably yesterday when my boss and I went to Capitol Hill for an interview with Congressman Michael Grimm.  I'd never met a politician before, and it was a really awesome experience to meet him and see his office.  So far everyone I've met at the internship is really nice, and my boss seems to genuinely care about making sure I'm getting a good experience here.  It's definitely been slow so far when it comes to my specific intern duties, but it's really interesting being in a national news room when big events like the anniversary of 9/11 are coming up.

Speaking of 9/11, my boss told me not to take the metro today or tomorrow because of the terror threats.  I can't say I like paying for the taxi rides to and from my apartment, but it is nice not having to walk to and from the metro every day and I'd rather play it safe.  I'm praying the terror threats don't actually come true--not because I'm worried about my safety in the nation's capitol, but because I can't even fathom our nation and our people suffering through such a tragic event again.  All of the coverage on the news lately of individuals who lost family members 10 years ago makes me extremely thankful for my parents, family, and all of my friends.  I'm hoping everyone stays safe this weekend and as always, I'm proud to be an American.

Public transportation, I've got you down

So I have to say, after being in D.C. for 9 days, I'm feeling very confident in my metro skills and navigating my way around the city.  I've been having a blast here so far, and as of today all of my roommates have moved in! So it's me, Teressa, Danielle and Lauren sharing one room, and Jevonna and Meera in another room.  Everyone has really different personalities and career goals, but we all get along really well and I'm excited to get to know everyone even better.

I got dinner with a girl earlier last week who is friends with one of my closest friends from high school, and I had a lot of fun hanging out with someone who understands the California lifestyle but is still looking to start a new life in D.C.  I also got coffee and did some shopping today with a girl from my sorority, Lindsey, and it was fun catching up with an old friend.  Since I don't know very many people out here, I really have to take advantage of getting together with the few people I do know and friends of my friends. This weekend, some of my roommates and some other new friends went out in Chinatown for a fun dinner, and then Lauren, Jevonna and I explored the nightlife in D.C. together.  It's definitely different than Eugene and San Diego, but I had a lot of fun and am eager to explore more as the weeks go on! We also went to the D.C. Zoo this weekend which didn't even come close to the World Famous San Diego Zoo, but it was free and we still got to see a few cool animal exhibits!

I start work this Thursday and am so excited to get started and meet all of the other interns! I'm so eager to finally have a weekly routine and am looking forward to being more productive with my life! Until then, I'm forcing myself to work out, clean, grocery shop, and make sure I'm completely ready for my new internship! I'm also still brainstorming ways to survive the humidity here...the west coast definitely did not prepare me for this, and I'm missing my car with air conditioning more than ever!