“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?