Half the Fun

In my first post, I said that orientations make me fidget…and they do. But commencements and goodbyes can really get to me…especially if I haven’t adequately prepared myself. My internship, which can be intense at times, kept me quite busy towards the end, so much so that I never really saw the end coming. Now, granted, I have quite the easy experience, having to move all of twenty minutes in order to get home, while other people are flying to Chicago, and California, and Canada.

But still, I was surprised at how much I began missing this experience, even though, now after my internship has ended, I still frequent the same places that I did when I was working. It’s not the same though. Because although I got to do some pretty cool stuff as part of this program, and had an amazing and intense internship, I also got pretty close with some great people, and this city feels a little empty without them.

I only recently realized that I hadn’t much mentioned the friends I’ve made since starting TWC. As far as coworkers go, I got reeeally lucky, because we all formed a really tight bond, and not only did four of us spend at least eight hours a day, five days a week crammed into the same tiny office, but we also spent most of our weekends together too.

We even developed a neat little ritual: Friday evening happy hours at Hawk and Dove (it's on Capitol Hill, check it out). Without any prior planning, we would all just sort of wander there, my three coworkers, the folks that made up our larger group and I. Without fail, we would spend hours drinking and having ridiculous conversations/storytelling sessions. And then the party would continue at someone’s apartment. As much as I enjoyed my internship, what really made it great was being able to hang with a great group of folk after work everyday.

And not only were my co-workers great, but my roommates were too. They are some of the funniest people I’ve met, and we always had a great time doing ridiculous things…sometimes at the Washington Monument…sometimes at the Department of Agriculture >_>

Spending my days with Jingles, Legs, Ketchup (okay, I’ve coined that one since the program ended) and Jo (yeah, just don’t ask) made the slow times go by faster, and the frantic times…well, that was actually harder, because I knew if I had work to do, I was gonna miss out on some hilarious stories.

I have learned more than I could have hoped this summer. I feel like it went by so fast that I’m only beginning to realize the ways that I’ve grown and matured since I started this program in May, but I know it was absolutely more than worth it. Most importantly, I’ve developed a confidence in my ability to contribute to the political realm. But the experience was made that much sweeter by being able to share it with some awesome folks.

It’s been a pleasure, and I hope anyone reading this sends in their TWC application immediately. You won’t regret it. So I’m gonna hit the old dusty trail, and if all goes well, you’ll hear my name in the future. Peace.

Until next time…

Hehe…I’m such a creeper in this pic -_-