Oh my! Election Night was AWESOME here!
Archive for the ‘Fall 2008’ Category
Election Night 2009 in DC
Are Blogs Diaries?
First of all, I hate blogs. I hate what they say and I hate what they mean. I firmly believe that diaries are meant to be kept a secret and to use one publicly shows a need for attention (in my eyes). By using one to rant and rave about something can be therapeutic but who wants to sit around and read things with people complaining all the time. I don’t. But in the spirit of the class, because DC is supposed be about trying new things for me, I’ll write one for these next few months…no promises that I will continue afterward.
I absolutely love DC. I came to this city to discover whether or not I can do something on my own. I had never done that before. And DC is throwing itself at me in so many different ways that I’m learning that I do not have to be dependent on others to survive life. It is everything I had hoped for.
I’m amazed at how much one city has to offer. Everywhere I turn, there are interesting people from all corners of the globe. There is beautiful artwork all throughout the city. I constantly feel like I am about to explode with an information overload of excitement, but it never happens. There’s always room for more. I already feel as if I have gotten my money’s worth from this program. I feel like I have done more things in the last four weeks than I have done in the last few years of my life. I never thought I would have felt this way. Here’s the thing though: I know that I owe a lot of what I have accomplished already to Amos and Andrea, but I’m taking most of the credit for myself. If I hadn’t felt like it was time to stop wasting my life on a couch and start living, I would have never gotten here to begin with. So, thanks to everyone, but thanks to me too.
~Rachel
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A Commuter Perspective of the SIWJ Program
So, as many of you already know, I don’t have any first impressions of DC because I live in DC. But I do have a myriad of first impressions of my internship at The Georgetowner and the Georgetown way of doing things. So far, all of my impressions have been positive or nearly so, and most more than a little humorous.
The people in Georgetown seem nice enough, possibly because the atmosphere bears little resemblance to the frantic hustle of the rest of the district. At ten thirty in the morning, banana republic clad men, shabby-chic young ladies, and manicured moms line up outside Dean and Deluca for their morning coffee and a glance at today’s paper. Even the business casual tweed suited 30-somethings seem to prioritize scones over work. Hmm, perhaps that schedule could work for me…
As I round the corner, I can see my office in the charming brick townhouse nestled comfortably beside the down dog yoga center. Despite being cramped, cluttered, and under construction, the interior is equally charming. Our four rooms of space in the converted old house can most flatteringly be described as “intimate.” The occupants of the Georgetowner office, (I hesitate to say employees because many of them spend their lives working on the paper), are all lovely ladies. I’d venture to say that the coolest of us all is Sonya, my boss and the woman whom Amos appropriately dubbed “a force of nature.” She truly is the creative force behind the paper as well as our mentor, friend, and resident motivational speaker.
The others are Charlie, the hilarious ad guru; Jennifer, the in-country adventurer; Dan, the endearingly rumpled real estate expert; Alyssa, the telecommuting graphic designer; Siobhan, the events coordinating queen; and last, but certainly not least, Erin, the mild-mannered make-it-all worker. If Sonya is the grand poobah of the paper, Erin is certainly her Chief of Staff and most level headed adviser. Then there’s me, the only in-house writer, in charge of doing a little of everything and writing about all-things-style-related (as well as misc. stories without writers). The job couldn’t be better suited to me, I get in around 10:30, get out by 5:30, and spend time running around with people that I now consider my friends.
First impressions? It’s well worth the commute, and that’s saying something since I live in Maryland!
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