Congress is officially on recess until November 15th, so what that means to us pages is that work is extremely slow. Whether purposeful or accidental, our teachers have taken the liberty of taking it up a notch, which is expected but still aggravating at times. Fortunately, since work is slow, we’re able to do homework at that time and it’s really advantageous to have friends with the same classes there to help. I had six tests this week and yesterday we got our first progress report and I feel as though I am doing fine, but I’m still going to try and study just a little more. On Monday there was a guest speaker at school that spoke to us about alternative energies, which is really applicable to me Energy and Public Policy class. On Tuesday we were taken into the room that is devoted to the women of congress, called the reading room. The lady told us a lot about the historical significance of items and the women who have walked through that room, but I must say that the most striking thing to me was that John Adams died on one of the couches in there! It is really remarkable how women throughout history have had the courage to go against the norm and I am thankful to them because they have given me the opportunity to not be limited in any way based on my gender. On Wednesday we got to see the rules and committee room and learn about what a bill has to go through before it gets to the floor.
That night, my sister, Hannah, and godmother, Lee Ann, flew in and I was able to take a break from homework and go out for milkshakes with them and a couple of friends. I found it strange how I didn’t realize how much I missed them until I actually saw them. Hannah got taller and everyone that I introduced her to thought that we looked a lot alike. I really love Hannah and I’ve really missed her. I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of her life even though it’ll only be a few more months. It’s hard to make up all the time that I have and will spend apart from each other because we are both growing up so fast. I trust that although things like where we live may change, that it’s all for a purpose. We didn’t spend a long time together on Wednesday, but we did talk to each other almost the entire time, and I still had a lot to tell her. Luckily, I still had a few more days to spend with her. On Thursday, Lee Ann and Hannah met me after school and they got to see where I work. We began with lunch with congressman Bob Filner where we discussed bills, campaigning and how he came to become a congressman. He is a very outspoken individual that is not afraid to express his opinion and really values creating relationships with people. He is really humorous and encouraging, we all enjoyed having that time to talk to him and I hope that he gets reelected. Then, Amanda and I took Hannah and Lee Ann on a tour where they met a lot of my friends, my amazing supervisor Ms. Keating and took them to all of my favorite parts of the capitol like the Rotunda and of course the House Floor. After they left the pages got to meet the lady that reviewed all of our applications. She talked to us about how privileged we are to be here and also about internships if we’re still interested when we’re older. On Friday, we had to stay after school because we had to have the Model Congress explained to us. It is an event that is happening in January that we get to participate in where we are getting into committees and writing bills that pertain to our specific committee. I’m pretty excited and can’t wait to know what I’ll be writing about. At work we watched a movie in the cloakroom and them I went back to the dorm to get everything together for the weekend.
I had to pack all of my homework for the 12 page paper that’s due Tuesday and then all of the things that I won’t be needing anymore like summer clothes to bring home. We went to dinner and had to get up at 3:00am for our plane ride in the morning. As we hit the ground I looked out the window and although I was well aware that I was there to visit home, it didn’t hit me until that moment; the familiar feeling of dry air enter my system and my dad’s gold Yukon pilling up to take my sister and I home. That day I spent the morning with my family, afternoon with Rey and then the rest of the evening with all of my friends. On Sunday I spent the day with family and we went to Hannah’s soccer game, church then shopping and dinner with my cousins. The message at church was really powerful and I felt like it really related to my life and really made things seem clearer. It was all about what you would do if you had 30 days to live, and just being back home and all made me feel like I only had 2 days to live, so the natural question is how do you live like you’re dying? Well, I think that the answer is simple; you spend it with the people that you love. It was strange to think about who loves you because love doesn’t just happen, you have to work at it, which was my biggest fear of leaving; that the love that I had known with people would slowly disappear. I think that your family will always be there for you no matter what, but what about the other people that voluntarily love you? Nothing in life is guaranteed and we can’t fear change. I guess if changes and challenges arise it’s natural to feel fearful because of the unfamiliarity, but I’m glad to know that my friends and family will always be there for me. I’m tremendously thankful for having such a wonderful family and really fun and compassionate friends that made my visit really special. It means the world to me when someone takes the time to simply spend time with me and make the effort to show me what love truly is. I hope to find joy and excitement back in DC and that everyone else at home finds significance and happiness in their lives as well.
