This week I chose to delay my post a bit because of my schedule. I had so many exciting activities to do that I wanted to be able to share all of them with you. This has probably been my most productive/exciting week or ten days in Washington. As I mentioned in my last post, I traveled to Ocean City, NJ for the July 4th weekend, which was an awesome experience. I found myself thinking about how we get too caught up in our day-to-day lives to appreciate our friends and family let alone the historic places in this country. During our trip to O.C., we passed through a very small town in Delaware where they were having an Independence Day parade. This was definitely small town America as the parade consisted of no stoplights, a fire truck, a police car (possibly 20 years old) and some horses. However, [apparently] the whole town turned out for the five-minute trip down Main St. For a moment I honestly forgot what it was like to be from (at least for the summer) a thriving metropolis.
Monday I completed a portion of our TWC requirement by conducting my informational interview. For those of you who are just considering The Washington Center, you will have to do the same. Through a friend of mine (who used to work at the White House), I was put in touch with Margaret Hoover who is the great-granddaughter of President Herbert Hoover. If you wiki Margaret, you will find that she has served as a deputy press secretary for a Florida Congressman, worked for the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and is a Fox News contributor. Margaret was more than kind as she took nearly an hour to speak with me about my potential career and the steps that she has taken to get where she is today. I came away from the interview with a firm understanding of the path I may need to take should I choose a similar career. Needless to say, the interview was extremely beneficial.
Tuesday, I went with Kelly, my boss Swanson Communications to an event in downtown D.C. One of our clients, The Southeast Tennis Learning Center had teamed with World Team Tennis for the inaugural season of The Washington Kastles. The Kastles are the newest franchise in the sport where tennis meets football or soccer. The fans are encouraged to cheer and make noise, which is different from your grandfather’s tennis. Serena Williams is the most notable player for Washington and again, it was quite the experience to stand on the same court as her. While I did not get to meet her, a ball from her hit me. She knocked the ball across the court; the other player missed it, and it bounced off a planter and nailed me in the leg. Of course I kept the ball, I find it to be quite the conversation piece.
Wednesday, I attended a breakfast with my Senator, Max Baucus, on Capitol Hill. You may know that back home I interned for Senator Baucus and while I had met him before, it was definitely an experience to be able to speak one-on-one with him. If you are into politics at all, I would urge you to do the same. It is my understanding that every U.S. Senator has these breakfasts and all you have to do is call their office a few days prior.
Following my breakfast with Senator Baucus, I went on a group tour of the Capitol Building, which was completely captivating. We were not able to go into the chambers because at the time of our visit they were in session, but we were still able to see quite a bit. En route to Capitol Hill, I passed the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. They sort of snuck up on me and I found myself fascinated at their size and design.
Yesterday, I finally was able to take a tour of the White House, which has turned into the highlight of my summer thus far. Again, if you are interested, just contact your Senator’s office but you should do so quickly because often you may have to wait three to six months. While you really do not get to see that much of the White House, it is still quite the experience to walk down the same hallways and through the same rooms as our Presidents, past and present. You are not allowed to take cameras into the White House but cell phones are allowed so of course I had to bend the rules a bit and was able to snap a quick picture on our way out.
Finally, my placement with Swanson Communications has been interesting this week. Our work on Affliction: Banned has been fairly intense and seems to be coming to a head as the event is now less than a week away. Unfortunately I will not be able to go to L.A. for fight week but I have been told that we are about to begin another project. While I am not exactly sure what the new project entails, I am told that a media tour is involved. It looks as if I may be able to go to New York but am still unsure about the other cities. As my time here in D.C. winds down, I am constantly looking for ways to remain as involved and relevant as possible. I want to make the most of the next four weeks and build on the knowledge I have already gained.
While next week does not look as packed, I think it will still be rewarding mostly because I will be participating in my civic engagement. I have decided to volunteer for John McCain headquarters. I do not want to get too into depth about my political beliefs in this post (that post is coming soon), but I consider myself to be an independent and that being said, until recently I was undecided on whom to support. In the past couple of weeks, I have developed some serious concerns and issues with Obama and unless those are resolved before November, I cannot see myself voting for him. But again, more on this soon… now is not the time, although I will give you one tip; you know how they say, politics and office do not mix? Well there is a reason they say that, I would definitely heed those words. I look forward to sharing with you next week and hopefully you are gaining something from my experiences here in Washington. Until next time…
.e
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