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| Memorial Day in Washington D.C. |
Beginning with Mom and my early departure from Twin Lakes, my journey here was pretty uneventful. I successfully wrangled two giant suitcases (both of which I'm sure were over 50 lbs, but the bag checker outside never weighs), a giant duffle bag, and a purse through Ronald Reagan National Airport and to George Washington University. I'll admit, my first night here was a little lonely in this great, big room all by myself (my roommate arrived Tuesday), but I got over it quickly.
Monday morning I took my first trip on the Metro and ran some errands so I at least had the essentials: hangers, toilet paper, and Trader Joes hummus. That afternoon I wandered down to Constitution Avenue to take in the National Memorial Day Parade and festivities. Let me begin by saying that it was the most well put together, respectful, and LONGEST parade I've ever been to—it lasted two full hours! It was organized historically, with each war and time period represented in some way. I was the idiot who only realized this about an hour in. Most of the wars had their own grand marshals, some of whom included Trace Adkins, Taylor Hicks, and Robert Griffin III. Aside from these pop culture (?) icons, it was truly very moving to be here on Memorial Day to be able to honor, in person, those who fought for our country and for our freedom. Here are a few pictures from the parade:
After my Memorial Day adventures, I woke up bright and early the next morning for my first day of work, which is only about 25 minutes away, walking or three metro stops or six bus stops. The bus requires the least walking distance, which I thankfully discovered today. Believe me, when it's ninety degrees and humid at 9:00 in the morning when you're walking to work, you will find the shortest route!
I'll admit, I was pretty nervous for my first day of work, but I shouldn't have been. The other people in my office are great, I like the two other interns and I think most of the work will be interesting. I like that there are only between five and seven of us there on any given day; it makes it feel like we're all working together and collaborating on everything, which for the most part, we are. I spent most of Monday and Tuesday proofreading fundraising letters, editing a grant proposal, working on the blog, and learning A TON about how things work at an international nonprofit. I especially enjoyed talking with our Executive Director and one of the founders of the organization, Brendan Touhey. But to be honest I enjoyed editing the grant proposal just as much. My inner editor nerd tendencies always come out eventually!
The only other thing worth mentioning that I've done since my arrival is find a new running route. If you follow me on twitter (@jensitton) you already know this, but I've discovered that if I run down 23rd street I run straight into the Lincoln Memorial, then I can continue down the national mall, around the World War II Memorial, back to Lincoln and home. I thought this was pretty epic the first day I ran, in the rain, through the Memorials that most people only get to see online. It wasn't quite so epic today with the 92 degree sun beating down on me...but I'll get the best running hour figured out eventually.
Anyway, with a three-day-weekend coming up, there should be more adventures awaiting me the next few days. For those of you who were worried, I hope I've put you at ease. For those who were curious, I hope I've satisfied your interest. For those who were wondering how I would do on my own, in a great, big city all by myself for 11 weeks, let's just say that 20-year-old Jennifer wouldn't recognize 14-year-old Jennifer who refused to get out of the car and walk into her first open gym because she was too afraid to try new things. Twenty-year-old Jennifer is independent, excited, and ready for whatever adventures await me this summer! Thus begins Summer 2013.
