Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Goodbye for now…

It’s official: I am no longer in DC. Cue the violin and sad music.
       
Last week was a crazy one, and I was lucky to mark Wednesday as my last day for the internship, allowing for more exploring, organization, and quality time with my fellow interns before we all left town, some with plans to meet up again in the near future, and nearly all with plans of staying in touch. I’ve already fielded calls (via phone and skype) to and from DC, facebook messaging from NYC and NJ, and an email from Bogota, Colombia. We TWC interns know how to take on the world (she says as she packs for Ghana…).
       
Without a doubt, I will miss virtually everything from this past semester. As I said, we packed as much into that last week as we possibly could, determined to go out with a bang. Sunday found me back at Grosvenor, then back to Dupont for dinner, frozen yogurt at Tangy Sweet, and hanging around the circle. Really, you’ll find that Dupont Circle is the best place to be – I somehow failed to make it to Georgetown this semester (luckily, I’d been there before, because you do have to at least check it out), but Dupont really just became the ideal hangout. One of those rare areas that I’ve encountered that could almost be an American-style piazza.

I didn’t think to take a picture of our regular hangout until one of our last evenings there, but glad it occurred to me before it was too late and subjected to memory alone; what a spot.
    
As our class wrapped up on Tuesday, those of us able to make it headed out to dinner in Ballston as a last hoorah. Because we’d had a relatively small class, it was easy to get into good discussions (or debates, as the case may be) and really get to know one another, so it was only fitting that we bid farewell over enchiladas at Uncle Julio’s.

Professor Henderson had planned on a farewell dinner since the beginning of the semester, and it was a great way to wrap things up. Our entire class is comprised of 15 students, from across the country and one Canadian for good measure, though not everyone was able to make it.
   
I did, admittedly, spend most of the week out and about, though I had a fair bit of food left to go through at the apartment and little funds for indulgence. The last week, however, left no room for sitting around doing nothing. Plenty of quality time spent over dinner, Larry’s, hanging around in Dupont, and enjoying the view from the balcony of a Grosvenor apartment, where we spent much of our down time. TWC apartments really are quite impressive, as I hope you’ll discover for yourself, though each of course has its ups and downs. My Arlington apartment, for instance, is wonderfully cozy, sunroom included, and a few quick stops outside of the city; something like Grosvenor, on the other hand, is about a nap’s-worth outside of the city (on the notorious red line, no less) but has the most beautiful little location, including plenty of trees, a pond, and a mini island for your star-gazing pleasure.

As my camera here proves wonderfully well, it is impossible to really capture just how impressive the view from the balcony really is; I guess 21st floor apartments will do that for you. Now there’s a place for some quality thinking and generally soaking it all in.
    
After a last dinner at Le Pain Quotidien and dessert at Larry’s (really, I will miss that man), Medha, Ian, Tony, and I drove back out to Grosvenor for a last bash and the balcony quickly filled with fellow TWC interns, set to the general atmosphere of music, conversation, hugging, and updates as to when we’re heading out and where we’re off to. The trip back to Arlington was truly one of the saddest Metro rides I have ever encountered, truth be told. I think I can speak for all interns when I say we’ve had a fantastic time, all the while getting to know some amazing people and truly enjoying the city for what it is. Case in point: some already have plans to come back to the city and room together once again, this time as college graduates.
    
In the mean time, for now, most of us have left DC after some rather depressing adieus, but look forward to the summer, staying in touch to relate our latest adventures, and ultimately meeting up once again. I, for one, am packing for Ghana, as I fly out this Thursday, but have already made plans for keeping in touch and an ultimate reunion when I’m back in the States. Anyone with comments or questions, please feel free to contact me, as I’d love to hear from you or help in any way I can – don’t hesitate to catch me on Facebook, twitter, skype, email, or whatever works best for you, really. I’ll leave my contact info. here at the bottom – hit me up. J I hope the blog hasn’t been a total bore for all of you and was mildly entertaining, if not useful; I actually plan on continuing to keep track of my adventures by blogging from Ghana, as well (those interested in watching me slowly melt on the equator, please refer yourselves to http://theghanaianmeltingpoint.blogspot.com).
       
Until next we meet, I wish you all the best of luck, and happy trails to you! My advice: pack light, enjoy the misadventures, listen more than talk, and always allow yourself to fly by the seat of your pants if that’s the way the wind blows.

Kate Musgrave
musgravk@dickinson.edu
musgravk@gmail.com
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Skype: kate.musgrave

Friday, May 7, 2010

So little time, so much to do…

My goodness, it’s been a while. Causes: internship, class work, work on TWC portfolio, applying for visa and grant for the summer in Ghana, being turned into a pincushion at the travel medical center (also in preparation for the summer), enjoying the last couple of weeks here in DC, and general insanity.

In the name of that insanity (and some annoying defects with my keyboard lately), we will be relatively short. As is all too often found, there is too much to do and too many people to see in too little a span of time. My past few weeks have been divided between one last visit to campus, wrapping up a policy proposal paper for my TWC course, and packing as many things into the days as humanly possible.

Thing one (we’ll go Dr. Seuss style): visiting campus. Prolonged hours back in the library (where, bonus, an interview that same weekend has led to an upgraded position as one of the student supervisors next year) to visit other relatively bookish friends and some not so bookish as we relocated to shoot some pool… chatting, catching up, and generally ignoring the fact that many would be gone next year, both due to graduation and study abroad. And so began the blocking out of impending goodbyes…

The view from our dorm on campus; as you may recall, quite the change from the view from the apartment in Arlington.
 
Thing two: after a pathetically long return trip to DC (nearly 8 hours total, if I recall correctly, due to various mishaps- it takes about 2-2.5 hours on average), I made my way to Medha’s apartment to be fed and recuperate before returning to Arlington. Found ourselves back there on Wednesday evening as we held a belated Tamil New Year celebration, comprised of a table full of (vegetarian) excellent Indian dishes and a dinner party of 4.

Thing three: our own form of “return to India,” this time TWC-sponsored, as I joined my roommates in checking out “Bollywood Night,” conveniently located in our building and offering free food and henna; can’t beat that. Civic engagement presentations the following day, at least for Medha and I, meant a continuation of this Indo-centric mind set as we told our fellow interns about our work with AID (those of you who will be in the DC area: marathon, anyone?)…. which was continued not long ago as we (slightly ruefully) woke up at about 5am on Sunday morning to leave the apt. by 5:30 and help at a race in preparation for the aforementioned marathon… talk about bright and early. Painful, but worth it: my civic engagement project turned into much more than I expected, and I’ll continue to help through AID and stay in touch with the amazing people that make up its membership here in DC.

Thing four: the cultural learning is sporadic throughout all of this, as it has been throughout this spring. If you’re not a fan of culture shock as I am, you can avoid it to a certain extent (ie not attending the fantastic bhangra parties), but the variety of cultures thriving here in DC is wonderfully unavoidable. Our fellow interns are an excellent means of practicing my now-rusty Spanish abilities, and last Friday night featured the long-awaited trip out for Ethiopian food. Hit up the U Street (esp. 9th Street end) area for a ridiculous amount of choices between Ethiopian restaurants- apparently they’re hoping to be dubbed “Little Ethiopia,” and it was rather obvious why. Prime eating, no doubt.

Have no fear: if you’d rather sit in an average chair, they had many of those also available at Etete, where Tony, Medha, and I snagged the one such table set up on Friday night. Leave your inhibitions at the door; Ethiopian food is quite literally a hands-on experience and everyone shares from the same platter. Adds to the deliciousness.

And with that, time to head out for me – plans up the wazoo as we interns attempt to squeeze in as much quality time as humanly possible. I, for one, have left packing for the very last moment, and I have a feeling I won’t regret it. After all, I’ll have just 4.5 days between leaving DC and flying to Ghana for two months of the summer; if I haven’t learned to pack quickly and efficiently by this point, I’m doomed. To all fellow college students currently wrapping up their own semesters, I wish you the best…. And don’t begrudge me my lack of finals, please; making up for it with a monstrous independent study project.

In the mean time, stay classy.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Times of “too much fun”

I have been accused of having too much fun. Too much fun, you say? I’ve recently been assigned a profile piece on a pet waste removal company. Don’t tell me I’m having too much fun. Out of the office, though... if it were possible to have too much fun, perhaps I’d qualify. Frankly, that’s ok by me. In fact, I’m rather proud of the fact.
       
Picking up where we left off finds me at the Nationals-Phillies baseball game: this, while a good excuse to get outside and chat with fellow interns, does not qualify in the “too fun” category. From my own experience, and as has been noted by a baseball-loving friend, unless you understand the sport, it seems to be a long session of guys standing around waiting for a ball. Indeed. Every once in a while, I must admit, I had to remind myself that there was supposed to be some sort of sporting event taking place on the field below us. Give me football, basketball, soccer, and I’m with you; baseball, not so much. Regardless, still a great opportunity, the weather was excellent, and the company was lively.

Jenny and I stop outside for the typical photo opp. before heading in, at which time we promptly went the wrong way and circled the entire stadium before getting to our seats. The perk: we saw the stadium from all angles and found the closest Dippin’ Dots vendor. 
    
As the [moderately boring] baseball game had cut in on other plans, rescheduling led to dinner plans for Friday, and random mentioning of mango lassi and biryani landed Tony and I in the Taj Mahal restaurant in Dupont Circle--I heartily approve. Good food, good company, and good conversation overruled the potential awkwardness of the quiet atmosphere and bemused sideways glances we attracted from an older couple sitting nearby, and the weekend was off to a notably promising start.
       
Now, it may be hard to believe people when they say that this city is small, but it truly is. Between the restaurant and the Metro stop (just up the street), we ran into friends and fellow interns on three separate occasions. Three! From there, it was up to Grosvenor to further kickstart the weekend with lively music and a friendly gathering hosted by Ian, fellow Dickinsonian and roommate of Tony (flashback to last week for those following the characters in this little narrative). It was an entertainingly varied collection of people, to say the least, and a grand look into the life of interns outside of the office.
       
Thanks to beautiful weather and Cherry Blossom Festival events, Saturday saw a massive influx of tourists (which group, thankfully, I no longer consider myself a part of - I’ve moved on to the “Washingtonians continuously disgruntled by unknowing and innocent tourists” group). Plans to meet up with a few friends visiting from Dickinson were slightly complicated by the insanity of Chinatown, particularly when it came to restaurant possibilities at lunch time. Thus, when my mother called in the midst of it and inquired as to where I was, the blunt and honest response was “Walking into Hooters.” Why? Because most of the tourists filling the streets and restaurants were families, and families do not dine at Hooters. Totally logical.
       
Next stop: National Zoo. Further insanity of the masses, plenty of people watching, occasional spotting of wildlife behind the walls of fanny pack-laden visitors as we attempted to pick our way through the crowds without tripping over small children leashed to frazzled parents. It made for a good stroll, though, and of course the entire escapade was free (one of the many wonderful features of this city).

 Clearly, the animals weren’t the only creatures in the zoo worth watching…. Really, you bring it upon yourself when you wear ears and a tail. Come on now. 
       
Sunday centered around wanderings with Medha and her friend Caitlin, visiting from Calgary. As the weather was top-notch, the first stop was the outdoor patio of La Tomate Bistro, one of many excellent options off of Dupont Circle. After a late and leisurely lunch, it was off to the National Mall for a trip to the National Gallery of Art via the sculpture garden. Admittedly, I’ve been in the National Gallery at least three times since arriving here in late January, and it never fails to pull me in. While I generally prefer going to museums – especially art museums – on my own (does that sound anti-social?), the company on this trip was great, and yielded all sorts of excellent, intellectual conversations that I revel in.
       
From there, rather than walking to the Tidal Basin from there, we jokingly considered snagging a rickshaw. Medha’s enthusiasm quickly turned the joke into reality (Uncle Julio style) and we soon found ourselves crammed into the back of a rickshaw, enjoying the ride as we cruised down the National Mall and the girl peddling in front of us did all of the work. What a way to travel.

 Three girls in one rickshaw indeed; I had no idea three people in such a thing would be allowable. Hands down awesome way to see the city, though. Absolutely. 
       
The rest of the week has been relatively uneventful so not much to report – TWC programming on Monday at the National House Builders Assoc., a few trips to the travel medical center to look into my likelihood of survival for a summer in Ghana, a fair bit of boredom at the internship (you’ll have that). Just one thing that requires noting in the books before I sign off, however: I tried goat for the first time! Yes, goat. And not fudge or cheese, mind you – I’m talking ground goat. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it; it may have been thanks to the impressive cooking skills of the Sethis, but the meal was excellent.
    
When I stopped by their apartment on Monday evening, I was just dropping in to borrow a sari in preparations for upcoming celebrations of Tamil New Year; ultimately, I stayed to visit for three hours and got home around midnight. Visiting led to chai, chai led to a snack of spiced and cooked tuber leaves, then homemade mango lassi, and by that point it was insisted that I stay for dinner – of course I didn’t argue. All excellent, as was, of course, the conversation… always a learning experience!
       
With that, a break in the babbling as I head back to campus for a final visit this semester and attempt to ignore the fact that the semester is speedily coming to a close…

Thursday, April 8, 2010

From bhangra to brunch, a weekend of “chill”

Once again, my failure to blog more rapidly is a sign of the craziness of the times… and my inability to keep my eyes open long enough to do it, quite frankly. It has, however, been a packed couple of days since last we chatted: panel discussion on peace in the Middle East at the U.S. Institute of Peace, bhangra party in Adams Morgan (a popular clubbing area in NW DC), and the rest of the weekend “eventful in a relaxed way,” to quote Tony, lead chef and co-host of our Sunday brunch.

The location and general summary of Saturday and Sunday: balcony, food, conversation, Medha relentlessly taking pictures. Apartment on the 21st floor and awesome weather made for an excellent brunch setting… until the attack of the bees, of course. 

As I learned on Thursday, the current location of the USIP (at least, the locale of the panel discussion) was a bit tricky to find, in a poignantly ironic sort of way--I’d prefer that an institution apparently housing US peace be larger and obvious, wouldn’t you? Good thing they’re working on that. In any case, the discussion was interesting, though not exactly ground breaking; from my experience, such discussions reach the same stalemate every time--thus the problem. The gathering, however, was an entertainingly mixed one, including everyone from Jehan Sadat (widow of Anwar Sadat) and the Egyptian ambassador to media personnel to students and civilian blue hairs. Safe to say I was the youngest there.
   
Friday’s notable event also hosted a wonderfully varied group, though in a drastically different way: bhangra party at the Bossa Lounge! Yes, bhangra. Are you familiar with it? Think of the most stereotypical Indian dancing imaginable; be sure to include bouncing, dramatically large steps and shoulder shrugging, and constant extending and raising of arms. I was pathetically excited to receive an invite to such a thing, as it promised to be a colorful experience, and I was not let down. Really, you have to experience it to believe it. Quite the international gathering, though few Punjabis in sight--meaning few actually knew what we were doing, which of course made it all the better. We barely managed to catch the last Metro back (Metro runs until 3am on weekends), so you can imagine that it was a lively but tiring night… for further details, you’ll have to ask me off the record. ;)
       
Some friends and I had made two plans for the rest of the weekend: dinner of Ethiopian on Saturday, renting paddle boats on Sunday… neither of which we did. Instead, it was a weekend of going with the flow--“eventful in a relaxed way.” After some joking about the fact that there was a restaurant by the name of “Uncle Julio’s” near my apartment, we ultimately ate our words (by all means, guffaw at the terrible pun) when we discovered that it’s actually the home of some impressive Mexican cuisine. Once we’d packed up leftover enchiladas and guacamole, we stopped at the nearby Tivoli Gourmet & Pastry for mousse, tiramisu, and wine (for those of age…), and headed back to my apartment to relax, chat, and enjoy.


 
Tony, Medha, Ian, and I may not have made it out to Ethiopian or paddle boating, but when we learned that Uncle Julio’s had an outside patio, well, there was no getting around it. Foot in mouth for the unspoken understanding that a restaurant dubbed “Uncle Julio’s” would be absurd. 

Drive to the Grosvenor area--which would’ve cut down on the Metro commute times had we not accidentally taken a detour down the National Mall--to switch hangout location, spend the rest of the evening chatting on the balcony while a gathering of Mexican interns partied inside, plans to return for brunch and paddle boating the next day, and we were set.
   
Little did we know the brunch on the balcony would turn out to be a wonderfully drawn out affair. Clean up and a morning run to the market next door, and we set upon creating our Easter brunch. Proud to report that, ultimately, we had quite the spread: fruit, matzah (and nutella and peanut butter), and hummus, brie, and crackers stayed with us on the balcony, while the buffet inside boasted French toast, sausage, scrambled eggs, beans, an intriguing take on hashbrowns, milk, juice, and chai. Not surprisingly, we found ourselves sitting around until 2-ish, snacking, talking, and enjoying the sun.

Kevin, roommate of Ian and Tony, joined us for our impressive brunch spread (really, we were quite proud of the results… for good reason, if I may say so). For the record: the beverage on the bottom right there was not a part of the buffet; innocent bystander…. ahem. 
       
Though others came and went, I ultimately didn’t get back to my apartment in Virginia until after 9, a full 24 hours after my having left it… a bit of a shame that I didn’t fully take advantage of having the apartment to myself, but ultimately there were better things to do. Instead of paddle boating, Tony and I took a drive to check out a nearby Korean/International Market (does anyone know what a durian is??) and to scope the area, back for dinner and more chatting on the balcony, and a general continuation of the weekend’s token word: chill. Indeed, it was a “chill” couple of days.
  
Speaker at the Dept. of the Interior on Monday for TWC programming, back to the grindstone on Tuesday, and the week is off yet again. Happily, I was also off--that is, from my internship, of course. The glorious part of having little to nothing to do at the moment. On Wednesday, lucky duck that I am, I escaped the office around 10:30 (quite the record, as I got in around 9:15), headed back to the apartment to change and grab some lunch, and left once again, book in hand, destined for the WWI Memorial. Throughout the afternoon, the place was amazingly serene and peaceful, considering the fact that it’s spot in the middle of some of the most popular tourist destinations in DC. My only real interruption was a temporary invasion of eighth graders, the leading tour guide of which said at one point “No one ever comes here…. Well, except for one person (apologetic gesture towards me), who is unfortunate enough to be here when we are here.”… cue masses of stares in my direction.

 Leaning on a pillar (moving with the shade), book in hand, water bottle at side… yep, it was a relaxing afternoon, minus the hoodlum interruption.

Of course, all of this was in the midst of a freakishly hot spell for early April. As one who grew up on the coast of Lake Erie, I’d say 86* in the first week of April is nuts. More on my battle against the elements later, though. It is now time to sunblock it up--I’m headed to a Nationals-Phillies game this afternoon!

Friday, April 2, 2010

In the presence of greatness


Washington, DC, is the place to encounter people of greatness, as in the few who will pepper my blog post for today’s entry. My mother: brought me into the world, so I am required by rules of biology and society to classify her in this section. ;) Sandeep Pandey: Indian social activist, founder of ASHA, and recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay award in the ‘Emergent Leadership’ category. Don Belt: senior editor of foreign affairs at National Geographic magazine and all-around awesome and fascinating fellow. …and I think we’ll stop there for now and pick up where we left off after this coming weekend.
       
Person 1: last weekend brought to town my mother, her friend Sally, the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival, and a bit of somewhat less-than-ideal weather at times, as it travels with my family wherever they go (it sprinkled last time we were in Las Vegas). Still, we had no trouble entertaining ourselves, and luckily the sun had returned by Saturday and the remaining wind was perfect for the kick-off of the Festival, a kite festival on the National Mall.



After an initial introduction to the city via Dupont Circle (including dinner at Le Pain Quotidien and dessert at – of course – Larry’s, because I love that man and I flatter myself to think that the feeling is mutual), Mom and Sally hit up the usual touristy spots along the mall, for which I joined them on Saturday. The museums and memorials are, of course, the highlight of most trips to DC, but I think Dupont Circle should also be a requirement; it’s one of the main hubs of DC where you can really see the current life of the city, not just the history behind it.

Sally, Mom, and me ( and Medha behind the camera): four of the very few people not speaking French in Le Pain Quotidien. However, it was a good chance to brush up on some dusty language skills via eaves dropping and my first venture into mint lemonade was overwhelmingly positive (as was everything else). 

Luckily, the AID meeting, usually scheduled for Saturdays, had been postponed until Sunday, so I was able to attend and, bonus, drag Medha along as well. Now, as you may have noticed, I’m pretty much in love with my civic engagement project to the point that it’s become much more than that. I go out to dinner with them, celebrated Holi, attended a baby shower, and generally have a good time… to the point that we’re planning past this semester, and even to the end of the summer and next fall, once I’m back from Ghana. When it was asked if I could help with something over the summer via email and when I get back, not only was I not surprised, but I responded with an enthusiastic affirmative. The cause is great and the people are awesome – more than fellow volunteers, they’ve become good friends.
    
Anywho, Sunday presented another great opportunity through AID, again involving awesome people: a visit from and long discussion with Sandeep Pandey, a well-known (and perhaps slightly notorious) social activist from India and founder of the nonprofit ASHA for education, among numerous other projects. When this barefoot, gray-bearded man stepped in wearing a white salwar kameez under an argyle sweater, putting his hands together and bowing his head to those of us already sitting cross-legged in a circle on the floor, he seemed to be some sort of modern-day Gandhi. The real tell: when one of his stories involved him sitting under a tree, having some deep discussion while an angry mass protested around them. Truly an impressive character.

Medha and I with Dr. Mohan Bhagat (left), key player in the creation of AID as it is today and general host/figurehead, and Dr. Sandeep Pandey (far right)… quite the impressive pair. 
       
The next impressive character, with his own fair share of stories: Don Belt, amazing journalist and senior editor of foreign affairs at National Geographic magazine. As you can gather, it was a rather big week for me. Sandeepji on Sunday, our program toured ABC-7/Politico on Tuesday, and I spent several hours at National Geographic on Wednesday afternoon, chatting with Don and sitting in on his speech to current Nat. Geo. interns. Talk about stories; this man has a boatload of them. Even better – he’s great at telling them.
       
When I arrived at Nat. Geo., I met him at the elevator and we strolled to his office, sat to chat for a bit about what we’ve been working on and what is in the works (Ghana for me; Syria, Bangladesh, and who knows where else for him, of course). After some surprisingly familiar banter and the offer of banana and a bottle of water, we gauged two bananas for which was the lesser of evils browning-wise as if we were old friends and headed down to talk with the other interns. This, by the by, was all inspired as my informational interview, required for TWC. I was pathetically excited to hear back from Don, and all the more so when I actually had the opportunity to spend some time with him and chat before, during, between, and after sessions with other interns.

Though I’d visited National Geographic before, previously to see the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit, this was definitely a first for the insider’s tour. 
       
Moral of the story, for both the interview and the civic engagement: TWC is what you make of it. Frankly, it is easy to cop out on both of those assignments; I, however, recommend that you not. Everyone is doing an internship, but not everyone gets such opportunities outside of that – the experiences of both Sandeep and Don are testaments to the fact that we can and must make our own opportunities. For someone occasionally laughed at when I admit that I’m hoping to get into the vastly changing field of print journalism, meeting a writer like Don was an unforgettable experience. And next time you have the opportunity to have chai with a major social activist, let me know what you think. Absolutely fantastic – but it’s all in what you make of it.
       
More escapades coming soon, no doubt. Until then, I recommend you see what sorts of adventures you can get yourself into… or even better, misadventures. In the words of the box of Sun-Maid raisins I cracked in to while talking to Don, “Stay curious and you will travel to the ends of the earth.” Fitting, was it not?

Monday, March 29, 2010

General insanity, joviality, and a bit of productivity…

Those of you who may actually glance at this blog from time to time have probably gathered by the recent lack of posts that it’s been a rather busy week or so… indeed, you are correct. Spot on. If I had a prize, consider yourself winner of it. Things have been crazy!
       
The positive busyness: 

a. finished the feature article mentioned in the previous article, and the other was approached by the senior reporter who assigned it to me, informing me that I am (forgive the language) “a f***ing awesome writer” and she’s “really excited for me”… highlight of the internship this week, I’d say. Exaggeration on her part, but still appreciated. 
b. weather has been awesome! The place to be on a sunny day after work, as it turns out, is Dupont Circle, no question;  
c. in the process of researching for a paper for my course on U.S. foreign policy (and an indep. study project) and thanks to the wonder of twitter, I ran into a recent alum from Dickinson now working at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, resulting in some awesome link and info. possibilities and an equally excellent lunch at Pasara Thai…should’ve been writing the paper instead of meeting someone for lunch, but I can’t say I regret my decision!
       
There is one thing I am torn about thus far, however. Can’t decide if I enjoy having a direct view of the weather from my desk or not- on one hand, the natural light is, of course, excellent; on the other, it’s ridiculously taunting on nice days. Last Friday (as in, quite a while ago… yes, I know, I’m behind. Remedy in the process.), quite honestly, I left the apartment at 9 am, not to return until nearly 1 on Saturday afternoon. Wait wait wait… jumping to conclusions, are you? Come on now, get your mind out of the gutter.
       
After work, Medha (fellow intern) and I met in Dupont for dinner and instead wandered about, stopping at a bookstore, Larry’s for ice cream, and then to the circle to enjoy said ice cream while people watching. It is a shame I couldn’t have taken a panoramic photo; the scene was just amazing. The weather was perfect and the entire area was teeming with people enjoying the amazing start to the weekend – sitting around the fountain, listening to street performers, playing Frisbee, walking dogs, little old men engaging in or observing chess battles. Stereotype to the max, but in a wonderfully breathtaking sort of way…the beauty of the weekend and the first signs of spring. From there, it was The Burger Joint to meet some friends, back with them to generally hang around, foosball battling, and a Mexican birthday party, where I found myself needing to translate… you never know when those language skills are going to come in handy, do you?

Note a. groupie on the bench, b. IAMS for his dog observing from the sidelines, c. chess players in the background, and d.general awesomeness of this guy, from “Sympathy for the Devil” (Rolling Stones, for those of you unaware) to “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers, if I’m not mistaken). 
        
After Friday’s bout of fun winning over productivity, Saturday was a pretense at being productive, and Sunday was back to fun for a baby shower, believe it or not. Yes, I’ve only been in this city for a short time, and yes, most of my friends here are interns, not expectant mothers… and no, I’d never been to a baby shower before. However- thanks to my involvement with AID, I’ve had the chance to get to know some excellent folks, not the least of which including Sonika and Dushyant (previously featured), hostess and host of the baby shower as they prepare for a new family member later this month. Excellent conversation, excellent food (ever had laddu? Indian sweets- check it out), excellent day….excellent form of procrastination.
       
To continue the general joviality of the weekend and further put off the paper looming over my head, Medha and I headed out for a late dinner at a Malaysian restaurant near Dupont Circle, Penang, thanks very much to a wonderful little thing called Groupon. What you do: go to the website, sign up for daily emails. Result: save money but still enjoy a night on the town, compliments of “groupon” coupons to local restaurants or pretty much anything else, different deal every day. We paid $15 for $35 worth of food, reveled in 3 appetizers and 2 desserts (because who needs entrees), and caught the last Metro to our respective homes. Metro stops running at midnight on Sundays; if you ignore everything else of my babbling (which you might as well), recall this much: stand on the right side of the escalators, walk on the left, and pay attention to when they stop running!

Sooo proud of our meal choices- even the fried squid, which was a first for me. Here you see one of our two shared desserts… I’d almost feel guilty for eating it, if it weren’t so delicious.
 
One of my various talents: looking unbelievably awkward in photos (a forced invasion of my personal space bubble). Also entertaining was the result of flash emphasizing contrasting skin tones… my farmer’s tan has not yet made its appearance this year, so I seem to reflect at times. It’s a problem. 
    
Monday saw morning programming with a President's Lecture speech from the Deputy Secretary of State… which, frankly, was not nearly as interesting as I’d hoped it be. In fact, I learned nothing – though, to be fair, it was a decent reiteration of information you’re likely to already know if you’ve been following basic foreign affairs in any way. Rain, hunger, and unwillingness to return to our respective duties pushed a few other interns and me into a Corner Bakery, where we happily discussed our upcoming weekend plans for Virginia Beach (end of April). Then vague productivity in researching a paper through Monday evening and Tuesday morning, and break on Tuesday for lunch. Thank you, twitter, for enabling the extended conversation over massaman curry and fried rice – though we had mutual friends (and interests, thus the meeting), he’d graduated at the end of my freshman year and we’d never actually met. The 21st century is quite something, isn’t it?
       
Of course, it’s also enabling this lovely form of communication… with that, however, it is time for me to temporarily leave the virtual world. Will be back shortly to report on the latest weekend and the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival – happy spring!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

“Helloooo, beautiful people!”

As promised, we’ll start out with an internship update. The backdrop: I’ve recently been assigned a feature story for an upcoming issue of the Washington Business Journal, to be the highlight of the technology section, thereby requiring me to get in contact with the decided company (innovators and manufacturers in northern VA… sadly, I can’t technically give away who it was!) to set up an interview. Though this sounds relatively easy, it turned out to be a heck of a challenge; really, it’s tricky to talk someone into meeting with you when they aren’t particularly outgoing. After some assistance from an insider and numerous phone calls, however, I managed to schedule an interview… and reschedule it when I came down with a bout of apparent food poisoning the night before the interview.
       
Because it was to be an on-site interview- tour of the “innovation factory” included, which was a fun little bonus – I required the use of a car to get myself there, being that I have not yet mastered the art of teleporting and, in the US, anything not a major metropolitan area is totally lacking in public transportation. Borrowing a senior reporter’s car, FYI, is a bit of a nerve-wracking situation – especially when you don’t know quite where you’re headed and are more accustomed to two-lane traffic than four and five. Still, I survived to tell the tale and had an interesting and informative visit with my interviewee, the company’s cofounder. This week: turning it into a worthy article (and working on some other nonsense, of course).
     
For the rest of the evening, I joined Jenny, a fellow Media & Comm. intern and ‘nextfloor’ neighbor (Mr. Heckles style, that is, for the Friends fans out there), for a night on the town, PG and culture/food focused. After dropping in at TWC’s International Festival (on time to catch the last two performances but, unfortunately, too late to catch the food), we opted for a double-dessert dinner, first with a trip to the great Crepes-A-Go-Go, followed up by a trip to Larry’s Ice Cream on the other side of Dupont Circle. Larry’s is apparently well-known (and deservedly so) for having amazing ice cream, as the large, personable man behind the counter will proudly inform you after a semi-creepy “Helloooo, beautiful ladies!” (old man Greek accent included) – but really, what a fantastic way to be greeted.

The building was packed by the time we got there- a great sign of success for the event, but unfortunate for our empty stomachs, which had been looking forward to an international dinner buffet.
 
I was proud to be the cause for and witness of Jenny trying her first crêpe; a very successful endeavor as a whole. It seems that I’m determined to make everyone aware of the greatness of crêpes. 

The next morning, Jenny and I met once again for a quick trip to the Old Post Office Pavilion and, the main event, to the American History Museum. As thorough museum-goers (Jenny more so than I, which is really saying something), we made it through only two full wings and a bit of a third, so a return visit will be required. The most popular exhibit there, interestingly enough: the First Ladies exhibit, featuring the inaugural ball gowns (or some other such impressive vestment) of First Ladies throughout history. What caught my attention the most, to be honest, was a sign at the end of the exhibit. “What did you think about this exhibit? Tweet your answer to @amhistorymuseum.” Hello, 21st century tourism.

The latest addition to the First Ladies exhibit, Michelle Obama’s inaugural ball gown. Must admit, I was somewhat taken aback by the level of sheer fawning over the dresses. 
     
The rest of the weekend was a relatively routine one, aside from the inebriated crowds wandering about the streets and Metro decked out in green. Saturday afternoon featured a happy return to AID meetings, with the added bonus that, as it was my third meeting, I can now officially vote as a member of the chapter! As Dushyant pointed out after picking me up, I am officially a “member of the tribe”… and, I believe, the only non-Indian member, which makes me all the more proud, quite frankly! That night and the following Sunday, when not grumbling over the loss of an hour, I spent helping Dushyant with some editing and being productive in my own right.
       
Monday: programming. In short (because really, I should get to more immediate things than blogging and I’m sure you’re all ready for me to cut the babbling), we met at TWC, formed groups, and wandered off into the city with flip cameras and instructions to interview one another about our most memorable moments thus far. Caribou Coffee for the video shooting and picker-upper, Potbelly’s for lunch, back to TWC for a bit of a fiasco in attempts to convert and edit the footage. May have to post the link later for sheer entertainment value.
       
With that, I leave you with a lovely shot of fellow interns and interviewees Medha and Jenny, clearly enjoying our lunch break. What friendly and unique people we have here, no?