This time last week I was in an airplane. It's unbelievable how much our lives change with every passing day. To see my three suitcases, backpack and purse sitting on the hotel floor, made me realize that those were what my life was; they represented my most important material items and somehow that was what defined me. It was hard to come to the realization that I would only be able to live my life with these possessions and not my loved ones, which I would rather have any day. When I met my roommates I actually did feel more comfortable with the idea of spending the next few months of my life here. Amanda is from Missouri and she's blond, very outgoing and one of the most friendly and approachable people that I've come across which is why she's my best friend . Hannah is from northern California, and I haven't gotten to know her as well but she's very nice and she's very driven. The first night I got a very good impression of the program especially by the director, Mr. Brown, he was funny, organized, and made me feel like this was going to be an amazing experience. The next morning was the swearing in ceremony which took place in the most beautiful building that was absolutely stunning on the inside and out. When I had to say good bye to my mom I did get teary eyed just to see the look on her face and to know that we were about to begin the longest period of time that we've ever spent apart from her and the rest of my family. What's working really well for me is being distracted through being busy and having fun. Also, it's such an incredible opportunity to be able to say that I go to school in the largest library in the United States, the Library of Congress, and that I work at our nation's capitol. The courses that I'm taking are: U.S. History, American Literature, Energy and Public Policy, Intermediate Spanish and PreCalc with Trigonometry. The style of teaching is phenomenal, where what we are learning about is entirely based and related to lessons that we can use in our lives. With anything that I do in life, I hope that it will be meaningful and will help me expand my horizons. Knowledge is something that I value greatly because I truly believe that there is power in it. What knowledge provides for me is the ability to be the carrier of information that could potentially contribute to making a difference in the world. As for my job, I work on the democratic side of the House of Representatives, the congressmen will be starting next week, so that is when the most challenges will arise. I really enjoy this job because it requires a lot of walking, makes me always occupied, jobs change, and we always have the chance to work with others giving me the chance to have fun while working. It's really a great feeling to go to work and enjoy it and I can't wait until the "real work" begins. Of course, there's also a lot of fun activities to do, I've been to a four story shopping mall where I bought myself a pink Washington DC sweatshirt, and all of the national mall with the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, and the White House. I've also had the opportunity to go to the Botanical Garden and museums like the Newseum and the Holocaust Memorial Museum where I learned a lot about traumatic events that are important to learn about to not repeat the same mistakes.
