He is 49 years old and a graduate of Harvard Law School.
He is the most powerful man in the world.
Today, I shook his hand!
Between these two pictures is when I stretched out my hand and grasp his
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Big One
Barack H. Obama is the 44th President of the United States, the first African American to hold this position.
He is 49 years old and a graduate of Harvard Law School.
He is the most powerful man in the world.
Today, I shook his hand!
He is 49 years old and a graduate of Harvard Law School.
He is the most powerful man in the world.
Today, I shook his hand!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
A Narrative
Home is only twenty blocks away.
Bullets of ice snow pelt me from above, quickly permeating my black wool coat. The streets are silent and unmoving, covered with a thick white blanket. The Capitol Building surveys the city, keeping a watchful eye on justice, never missing an oppurtunity to display greatness.
I pass a Capitol Police Officer, "Are you OK?" He asks, no doubt concerned and a little perplexed about why a young woman would be roaming the streets so alone. "I'm fine, thank you" I reply, "I think the snow is letting up a little." He chuckles and sends me on my way with a sympathetic "Stay safe".
I continue onward and somewhere in the distance, a church bell chimes off the hours. Dong dong dong dong. It's 4 o'clock in the morning.
Twelve hours earlier
The hustle bustle of the Talk Radio News Service keeps moving me from one small room to another, trying to stay out of the way. My fellow interns and I look on as the TRNS staff prepare for one of the most chaotic events of the year: the State of the Union address. Cameras, tripods, voice recorders, microphones, and laptops are strewn about in a display of organized chaos. Twelve people, continuously shift through the tiny office, making phone calls, managing radio stations, and prepping interview notes.
Within twenty minutes I am on my way to the Capitol with the other interns and our handlers, Geoff and Benny. I have a laptop in one hand, a voice recorder in the other, and my press credentials proudly displayed on my jacket. We enter the Capitol and immediately begin setting up our equipment among the sea of cameras in Statuary Hall.
Before long we are summoned to the Members Only Restaurant, a treat from our bureau chief. Once there, we dine among members of Congress from both past and present, and share a table with ex-Congressman Bob Ney. I order Chicken and Mushrooms with Capitol Bean Soup. We are encouraged to ask Congressman Ney questions, and run the gauntlet of intern interrogation with our bureau chief. We are told whoever gets the most interviews tonight will get a $50 gift certificate. As if we needed more incentive to do try an fill the shoes of 'real reporters'.
Once finished, we make our way back through the Capitol to the Senate TV gallery to watch the speech. As I rush through an intersection of two hallways I look to my right, and next to me, wearing a shockingly blue blazer, is Hillary Clinton. The Secretary of State herself. I suppress a grin as we are swept in different directions.
At 9:45, about two-thirds through the speech, we have to make our way back to Statuary Hall, because they cut off access to that side of the building when the President is on the move, no one comes in, no one goes out. Twenty minutes pass before a swarm of representatives and senators comes flooding out of the House chambers.
The next two hours are a haze of interviews, questions, smiles, and congressmen.
When the chaos finally subsides, I reunite with my team to find out the plan for the rest of the night. I am sent to the solitary Senate Press Booth to upload audio, while the rest of the team goes back to the office to do the same thing. We upload until we have nothing left to upload. Each byte must be edited, processed, labelled (correctly) with the interviewees name and title, and published on the Talk Radio News Website.
Hours go by, interns and staff slowly finish their uploads and leave the office. I finish my uploads at the Senate booth (23 interviews!) and walk through the deserted Capitol Building, saying goodnight to the janitors as I go. I walk outside and mother-nature surprises me with a blast of snow. It wasn't even that cold earlier today. I quickly walk the six blocks to the office to drop off my Senate keys, What an awe-inspiring day of activity, excitement, learning, and anxiety. I leave the office and head back out in the snow.
Home is only twenty blocks away.
Bullets of ice snow pelt me from above, quickly permeating my black wool coat. The streets are silent and unmoving, covered with a thick white blanket. The Capitol Building surveys the city, keeping a watchful eye on justice, never missing an oppurtunity to display greatness.
I pass a Capitol Police Officer, "Are you OK?" He asks, no doubt concerned and a little perplexed about why a young woman would be roaming the streets so alone. "I'm fine, thank you" I reply, "I think the snow is letting up a little." He chuckles and sends me on my way with a sympathetic "Stay safe".
I continue onward and somewhere in the distance, a church bell chimes off the hours. Dong dong dong dong. It's 4 o'clock in the morning.
Twelve hours earlier
The hustle bustle of the Talk Radio News Service keeps moving me from one small room to another, trying to stay out of the way. My fellow interns and I look on as the TRNS staff prepare for one of the most chaotic events of the year: the State of the Union address. Cameras, tripods, voice recorders, microphones, and laptops are strewn about in a display of organized chaos. Twelve people, continuously shift through the tiny office, making phone calls, managing radio stations, and prepping interview notes.
Within twenty minutes I am on my way to the Capitol with the other interns and our handlers, Geoff and Benny. I have a laptop in one hand, a voice recorder in the other, and my press credentials proudly displayed on my jacket. We enter the Capitol and immediately begin setting up our equipment among the sea of cameras in Statuary Hall.
Before long we are summoned to the Members Only Restaurant, a treat from our bureau chief. Once there, we dine among members of Congress from both past and present, and share a table with ex-Congressman Bob Ney. I order Chicken and Mushrooms with Capitol Bean Soup. We are encouraged to ask Congressman Ney questions, and run the gauntlet of intern interrogation with our bureau chief. We are told whoever gets the most interviews tonight will get a $50 gift certificate. As if we needed more incentive to do try an fill the shoes of 'real reporters'.
Once finished, we make our way back through the Capitol to the Senate TV gallery to watch the speech. As I rush through an intersection of two hallways I look to my right, and next to me, wearing a shockingly blue blazer, is Hillary Clinton. The Secretary of State herself. I suppress a grin as we are swept in different directions.
At 9:45, about two-thirds through the speech, we have to make our way back to Statuary Hall, because they cut off access to that side of the building when the President is on the move, no one comes in, no one goes out. Twenty minutes pass before a swarm of representatives and senators comes flooding out of the House chambers.
The next two hours are a haze of interviews, questions, smiles, and congressmen.
When the chaos finally subsides, I reunite with my team to find out the plan for the rest of the night. I am sent to the solitary Senate Press Booth to upload audio, while the rest of the team goes back to the office to do the same thing. We upload until we have nothing left to upload. Each byte must be edited, processed, labelled (correctly) with the interviewees name and title, and published on the Talk Radio News Website.
Hours go by, interns and staff slowly finish their uploads and leave the office. I finish my uploads at the Senate booth (23 interviews!) and walk through the deserted Capitol Building, saying goodnight to the janitors as I go. I walk outside and mother-nature surprises me with a blast of snow. It wasn't even that cold earlier today. I quickly walk the six blocks to the office to drop off my Senate keys, What an awe-inspiring day of activity, excitement, learning, and anxiety. I leave the office and head back out in the snow.
Home is only twenty blocks away.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
City Social Scenes
Remember when I said I was going to write every two days or so? HA I should be a stand up comedian. I never stopped to consider that after continuously writing for TRNS, I would be tired of the process by the end of the day! Unfortunately that is often the case. BUT I am committed to this blog, and will not let it be another of my two-week-lasting commitments!
Nothing to exciting happened at work this week. I do feel like my writing skills are getting more and more honed and I continue to end the day with a brain chalk full of new information. Since it was a somewhat uneventful week at work, I'm just going to give the headlines and hyper-links to my stories in case you want to go check them out.
This upcoming week is a very exciting one, I'll be at the Sate of the Union Address!!! Not sure yet if I'll actually be in the gallery or not but I'll definitely be waiting in Statuary Hall to interview members of Congress as they leave. WooHoo!
So that's what's been happening here on the East coast! Still a bit cool, but warmer than when I arrived. We are supposed to get a cold front coming through soon though, brrrrrr. If any of you would like to write me, I would love to hear from you! And I love mail!! You can drop me a note at
Nothing to exciting happened at work this week. I do feel like my writing skills are getting more and more honed and I continue to end the day with a brain chalk full of new information. Since it was a somewhat uneventful week at work, I'm just going to give the headlines and hyper-links to my stories in case you want to go check them out.
- GOP Should Ditch Campaign Pledge To Repeal Health Care, Says House Dems
- Pelosi Urges Auto Workers To Denounce Health Care Repeal
- GOP Unveils Plan To Massively Cut Spending
Instead of work, I'd like to focus this post on some of the vibrant cultural experiences I've had in this city. Last Monday was MLK Day and this city pulls out all the stops! There were performances/speeches/shows everywhere from the Lincoln Memorial to the National Cathedral. But there were no parades...point for Portales! My friends and I decided to attend a show at the Kennedy Center cause sounded fun, featured Patti LaBelle...and was free. So three of us waited in line for about two hours to get tickets for the rest of our group (nine total). I'd say we got the short end of the stick wouldn't you? =)
Me, Kaitlyn, and Abby in line at the Kennedy Center
The show was phenomenal, it gave me goosebumps. The Let Freedom Ring Choir sang and the acoustics of the building beautifully amplified their layered voices. At the risk of getting thrown out of the show (not really Mom), I took this video of one of their opening songs. Exclusive content for my wonderful blog followers!
This is me at the Lincoln Memorial before heading to the concert
Hall Of Nations at the Kennedy Center
Stage before the performance
Today (1/22) I went with a group from my house (Folger House) to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was by far the most incredible museum experience I've ever had. The presentation, the architecture, the content, everything about the museum was fascinating and informative. If you ever make it to the DC area, that is the one thing that you cannot miss.
We were not allowed to take pictures in the exhibit, but these are a few of the group. They are all interns here in DC and are the people I spend the majority of my non-working time with.
Peter (marketing/comm intern at Development Gateway) and Eric (Intern for S.D. senator)
Me, Claire (from Canada, interning with Canadian Embassy) and Abby (interning at the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation)
The Folger Kids in front of the Holocaust Museum
Peter and me in our unintentionally matching green sweaters
This upcoming week is a very exciting one, I'll be at the Sate of the Union Address!!! Not sure yet if I'll actually be in the gallery or not but I'll definitely be waiting in Statuary Hall to interview members of Congress as they leave. WooHoo!
So that's what's been happening here on the East coast! Still a bit cool, but warmer than when I arrived. We are supposed to get a cold front coming through soon though, brrrrrr. If any of you would like to write me, I would love to hear from you! And I love mail!! You can drop me a note at
411 2nd St. SE
Washington DC 20003
More to come!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
View From The Bottom
Ahhhhhh!!! I know, it's been four days since my last blog. Wayyy too much time. And the more time I spend not writing, the more things pile up for me to say! What an awful quandary.
On the internship front, the remainder of last week went very similar to the beginning. I am beginning to form a routine at the office. It primarily starts with an event of some kind in the morning (Congressional hearing, panel discussion, press conference etc.), at the even I take notes on the topic, perhaps ask some questions, and record the event on my audio recorder. Then I return to the office where I write the news story based off my notes and th initial draft is turned into my editor.
The editing process which my pieces go through is incredibly transforming. Occasionally, I do not recognize the stories as my own work when they return from the editor.I enjoy the editing process, because learning to be a better writer is why I came here. However, it is also a little frustrating. It is frustrating because I don't get to watch them edit, they don't like you watching over their shoulder. Therefore, I cannot watch their thought process play out. By the time I get the piece back, it is completely redone, but I am not learning how they are coming to the think of the revisions.
I have somewhat circumnavigated this by continually refreshing my computer while they are editing, but it is still not the same as discussing the changes they are making. Hopefully as time passes I will become more proficient at not only writing, but also picking apart their edits to learn more about the writing thought process.
I am definitely getting a good look at the hierarchy of journalism.
Here is my story from Thursday, about the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. This story was the funnest I've written so far. Learning about the free trade agreement was intriguing, and I came to the conclusion that I do not agree with it. But that is for another blog =) Surprisingly, this story was relatively unedited, and I was pretty excited about that. I'm coach-able!
This is a short piece I did about a speech Clinton made of Friday. My editor said it was well written, but then proceeded to edit it down quite a bit =P What does that MEAN?!
MLK festivities tomorrow, I'm gonna make a day of it!
More to come!
On the internship front, the remainder of last week went very similar to the beginning. I am beginning to form a routine at the office. It primarily starts with an event of some kind in the morning (Congressional hearing, panel discussion, press conference etc.), at the even I take notes on the topic, perhaps ask some questions, and record the event on my audio recorder. Then I return to the office where I write the news story based off my notes and th initial draft is turned into my editor.
The editing process which my pieces go through is incredibly transforming. Occasionally, I do not recognize the stories as my own work when they return from the editor.I enjoy the editing process, because learning to be a better writer is why I came here. However, it is also a little frustrating. It is frustrating because I don't get to watch them edit, they don't like you watching over their shoulder. Therefore, I cannot watch their thought process play out. By the time I get the piece back, it is completely redone, but I am not learning how they are coming to the think of the revisions.
I have somewhat circumnavigated this by continually refreshing my computer while they are editing, but it is still not the same as discussing the changes they are making. Hopefully as time passes I will become more proficient at not only writing, but also picking apart their edits to learn more about the writing thought process.
I am definitely getting a good look at the hierarchy of journalism.
Here is my story from Thursday, about the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. This story was the funnest I've written so far. Learning about the free trade agreement was intriguing, and I came to the conclusion that I do not agree with it. But that is for another blog =) Surprisingly, this story was relatively unedited, and I was pretty excited about that. I'm coach-able!
This is a short piece I did about a speech Clinton made of Friday. My editor said it was well written, but then proceeded to edit it down quite a bit =P What does that MEAN?!
MLK festivities tomorrow, I'm gonna make a day of it!
More to come!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Gettin My Groove On
Hola amigos! I tried saying that to some friends here in DC and they had no idea what I was doing. Apparently people on the East coast don't speak sporadic Spanish....good to know.
Wednesday! Midweek! Humpday! It has been an insightful couple of days. Yesterday I covered my first press conference. I went to the US Chamber of Commerce's State of American Business address. It was very interesting, and incredibly conservative leaning. After the address there was a press conference, where the CEO answered questions. Here is the link to the story I wrote after the address.This story gave me my first glimpse and the harsh side of the red editor's pen. The guy who edited my piece took a few bits and pieces of my attempt (mainly the quotes) and then wrote the story from a completely different angle. It was fascinating to see him form a completely different story from my information. It was also a good reminder of what I'm here to learn!
Today I covered another press conference over the Natl. Alliance Against Homelessness. Did you know that between 2008 and 2009 the population of homeless people increased almost 3%? I didn't either! After the editing encounter from yesterday, I spent a long time writing this story before handing it over. I'm pleased to say that after a few minimal red pen marks, it was posted. This kid is coach-able! So here is the link to that story, which is much more of an original piece than my Commerce story =)
My new favorite people are cameramen. I stood with them at both events. They are very relaxed and easygoing. And they let you plug your recorder into their audio box! In general, they seem to be fairly normal and not as high-strung as reporters or politicians. Maybe I'm in the wrong line of work....
Tomorrow I'm covering a meeting about the new South Korean Trade Agreement that is being discussed. And I hope to post more pictures soon.
More to come!
Wednesday! Midweek! Humpday! It has been an insightful couple of days. Yesterday I covered my first press conference. I went to the US Chamber of Commerce's State of American Business address. It was very interesting, and incredibly conservative leaning. After the address there was a press conference, where the CEO answered questions. Here is the link to the story I wrote after the address.This story gave me my first glimpse and the harsh side of the red editor's pen. The guy who edited my piece took a few bits and pieces of my attempt (mainly the quotes) and then wrote the story from a completely different angle. It was fascinating to see him form a completely different story from my information. It was also a good reminder of what I'm here to learn!
Today I covered another press conference over the Natl. Alliance Against Homelessness. Did you know that between 2008 and 2009 the population of homeless people increased almost 3%? I didn't either! After the editing encounter from yesterday, I spent a long time writing this story before handing it over. I'm pleased to say that after a few minimal red pen marks, it was posted. This kid is coach-able! So here is the link to that story, which is much more of an original piece than my Commerce story =)
My new favorite people are cameramen. I stood with them at both events. They are very relaxed and easygoing. And they let you plug your recorder into their audio box! In general, they seem to be fairly normal and not as high-strung as reporters or politicians. Maybe I'm in the wrong line of work....
Tomorrow I'm covering a meeting about the new South Korean Trade Agreement that is being discussed. And I hope to post more pictures soon.
More to come!
Monday, January 10, 2011
1st Day On The Job
Today I started my first full day interning with Talk Radio News! It involved going to a seminar this morning on the national budget. It was very interesting and I learned valuable information about the intricate budgeting processes. Plus it catered specifically to reporters and how to research info on the budget. All the info made my head spin.
The later half of the day, I was geared up with my audio recorder, camera, and notepad and sent to a photo-op/stake-out where House members were signing well wishes to Rep. Giffords. I waited like a vulture after other reporters left and was able to score a one-on-one interview with Rep. Franks of AZ. After I stopped the mic from shaking during my first question, the interview went relatively smoothly and I was able to grab some interesting quotes from him regarding the healthcare repeal.
Two of the pics I took of the occasion were published on the Talk Radio News website and can be viewed here . And tomorrow I will post the story regarding Rep. Franks remarks on the repeal.
Not to shabby for my first day out right?- I didn't think so!
More to come!
P.S. Click Here to read the Trent Franks story on Talk Radio News website (01/11/2011)
P.S. Click Here to read the Trent Franks story on Talk Radio News website (01/11/2011)
Sightseeing!
WELL loads has happened since my last blog! Orientation (Friday) was a mind boggling day of learning new equipment and procedures. Thankfully, the equipment was rather simple and easy to pick up, as were the uploading and online procedures.
Saturday Rachel and I went sightseeing with our three new friends from apt 303 upstairs, Eric, Garret, and Dillon. The first two are interning with a senator from South Dakota and the last is interning at the Library of Congress. We braved the bitter Washington wind to walk from our apartment to Capitol Hill, and across the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial. We also hit up a couple of the Smithsonian museums and the National Botanical Gardens along the way. The chilly day made it feel like a 10 mile trek, when in fact it was only 2.7 miles according to Google maps. Weenies! Here is a couple pics from our adventure:
In the last picture L-R is Eric, me, Rachel (roommate), Garret, and Dillon at the Washington Memorial.
More to come!
Saturday Rachel and I went sightseeing with our three new friends from apt 303 upstairs, Eric, Garret, and Dillon. The first two are interning with a senator from South Dakota and the last is interning at the Library of Congress. We braved the bitter Washington wind to walk from our apartment to Capitol Hill, and across the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial. We also hit up a couple of the Smithsonian museums and the National Botanical Gardens along the way. The chilly day made it feel like a 10 mile trek, when in fact it was only 2.7 miles according to Google maps. Weenies! Here is a couple pics from our adventure:
More to come!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Lessons in City Life
First full day in DC!
My first night was quite cold and restless. The first challenge of our apartment was turning the heater on. Somehow we failed. In our defense, the heater was broken and the maintenance man had to come fix it. Because of our freezing night, Rachel and I strongly thought that acquiring more blankets should be our first mission today. Easier said than done!
We struck out around 11 and stopped along the way at a small French cafe called La Bon Cafe (The Good Cafe) where we grabbed coffee and a sandwich. In the cafe, we ask a lady where we could buy blankets. She was unsure but vaguely mentioned maybe some store somewhere on the other side of town. In desperation we inquired if there might be a WalMart close by. She looked at us with a strange expression on her face and said "Maybe somewhere in the suburbs...towards Virginia". We quickly realized we are very out of our element. If these people frown on WalMart, where do they get their groceries? Their clothes?? Their hosehold items??? We left the cafe no closer to finding a blanket than when we entered. At least we were no longer hungry.
We continued walking down 2nd St, the street our where apartment is located. It took us past the Library of Congress and The Capitol Building, eventually running into Massachusetts Ave., where the Talk Radio News and WISH Offices are housed. We beelined for the WISH office, where they directed us to the metro station, then a Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
The metro swept us several blocks away, into Chinatown. By Chinatown, I mean everything written in English and translated in Chinese underneath it. We got off the metro and had no idea where to go from there, neither did any of the other metro riders standing around us (yes, we ask them all). So we ducked into a public library we saw and ask the lady at the Information desk. She quickly set us in the right direction and within minutes we were in front of Bed Bath and Beyond.
Now, this is no regular Bed, Bath and Beyond. To get to it, we had to descend an escalator into a cramped store front. but at the bottom of the escalator, was a long, ow, winding store, full of more Beyond than Bed and Bath!. It was like a market, Walgreens, and Hobby Lobby combined. They sold things from shampoo and soap to kitchen mixers and spices. An assortment of things that I have never seen together in such a small area! So we loaded up with our pillows, blankets, and bathroom stuff, and headed back to our apartment. Orientation was in an hour and a half!
Orientation at the Talk Radio News office was rather uneventful and involved meeting the four people who would be handling us as interns, going through our intern handbook, and some Q and A time. Tomorrow the REAL orientation begins!
More to come!
My first night was quite cold and restless. The first challenge of our apartment was turning the heater on. Somehow we failed. In our defense, the heater was broken and the maintenance man had to come fix it. Because of our freezing night, Rachel and I strongly thought that acquiring more blankets should be our first mission today. Easier said than done!
We struck out around 11 and stopped along the way at a small French cafe called La Bon Cafe (The Good Cafe) where we grabbed coffee and a sandwich. In the cafe, we ask a lady where we could buy blankets. She was unsure but vaguely mentioned maybe some store somewhere on the other side of town. In desperation we inquired if there might be a WalMart close by. She looked at us with a strange expression on her face and said "Maybe somewhere in the suburbs...towards Virginia". We quickly realized we are very out of our element. If these people frown on WalMart, where do they get their groceries? Their clothes?? Their hosehold items??? We left the cafe no closer to finding a blanket than when we entered. At least we were no longer hungry.
We continued walking down 2nd St, the street our where apartment is located. It took us past the Library of Congress and The Capitol Building, eventually running into Massachusetts Ave., where the Talk Radio News and WISH Offices are housed. We beelined for the WISH office, where they directed us to the metro station, then a Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
The metro swept us several blocks away, into Chinatown. By Chinatown, I mean everything written in English and translated in Chinese underneath it. We got off the metro and had no idea where to go from there, neither did any of the other metro riders standing around us (yes, we ask them all). So we ducked into a public library we saw and ask the lady at the Information desk. She quickly set us in the right direction and within minutes we were in front of Bed Bath and Beyond.
Now, this is no regular Bed, Bath and Beyond. To get to it, we had to descend an escalator into a cramped store front. but at the bottom of the escalator, was a long, ow, winding store, full of more Beyond than Bed and Bath!. It was like a market, Walgreens, and Hobby Lobby combined. They sold things from shampoo and soap to kitchen mixers and spices. An assortment of things that I have never seen together in such a small area! So we loaded up with our pillows, blankets, and bathroom stuff, and headed back to our apartment. Orientation was in an hour and a half!
Orientation at the Talk Radio News office was rather uneventful and involved meeting the four people who would be handling us as interns, going through our intern handbook, and some Q and A time. Tomorrow the REAL orientation begins!
More to come!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Arrival
Oh my goodness! My Washington DC adventure has finally begun! I woke this morning at the dreadful hour of 4am to catch my flight out of Albuquerque. (I say 'woke' but is it really considered waking up if one doesn't sleep from anxious nerves?) The frigid air was not a welcome sensation as the family and I hauled my three ENORMOUS bags out to the car. So much for packing light.
The flight to DC (routed through Chicago) was rather uneventful. I rendezvoused with my new roommate, Rachel Christensen in Chicago and we spent out three hour layover getting to know each other. So far we hit it off really well and enjoy talking about our upcoming adventures and aspirations.
Upon arrival at Dulles Airport, we retrieved our bags and proceed to locate the Super Shuttle, which would take us to our Washington Intern Student Housing (WISH: http://www.internsdc.com/) accommodations. We loaded the shuttle and ask the driver to take us first to the WISH office to pick up our keys, then drop us off at our house. The driver replied with a gruff "No". Rachel and I sat in the back of the shuttle, among ten other riders, and wondered how we were going to pick up our keys, and also get all of our six bags to the apartment. The office and the apartment are six blocks away. Problem.
After a tense twenty minute drive, and two stops later, the driver pulled up in front of the office to drop us off. As Rachel pleaded with the driver to take us the rest of the way home, I darted to the pffice and grabbed our house keys. Many smiles and $20 dollars convinced the driver we were worth the rest of his time. I think we got ripped off, but at least we made it safely to our apartment! Just the first of many adventures I'm sure =)
We have been summoned to the Talk Radio News (http://www.talkradionews.com/) office tomorrow at 3p for orientation. But before then I have a large shopping list to fulfill, including groceries, a hairbrush, and a PILLOW.
More to come!
The flight to DC (routed through Chicago) was rather uneventful. I rendezvoused with my new roommate, Rachel Christensen in Chicago and we spent out three hour layover getting to know each other. So far we hit it off really well and enjoy talking about our upcoming adventures and aspirations.
Upon arrival at Dulles Airport, we retrieved our bags and proceed to locate the Super Shuttle, which would take us to our Washington Intern Student Housing (WISH: http://www.internsdc.com/) accommodations. We loaded the shuttle and ask the driver to take us first to the WISH office to pick up our keys, then drop us off at our house. The driver replied with a gruff "No". Rachel and I sat in the back of the shuttle, among ten other riders, and wondered how we were going to pick up our keys, and also get all of our six bags to the apartment. The office and the apartment are six blocks away. Problem.
After a tense twenty minute drive, and two stops later, the driver pulled up in front of the office to drop us off. As Rachel pleaded with the driver to take us the rest of the way home, I darted to the pffice and grabbed our house keys. Many smiles and $20 dollars convinced the driver we were worth the rest of his time. I think we got ripped off, but at least we made it safely to our apartment! Just the first of many adventures I'm sure =)
We have been summoned to the Talk Radio News (http://www.talkradionews.com/) office tomorrow at 3p for orientation. But before then I have a large shopping list to fulfill, including groceries, a hairbrush, and a PILLOW.
More to come!
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