Capitol: First Week and the National Arboretum!

It has been a little over a week since I have arrived here in Washington D.C. and so far, for the most part, it has been a fun experience! I had some jitters early on (spilled coffee on myself), to having trouble finding my way home via Metro and ended up having to take a taxi! To top it off, my new shoes decided to break themselves in on my heels, leaving lovely ol' blisters to accompany me on my travels. But enough with the bad, I shall now share some of my good experiences!

Besides the rough first day, which I would assume that most people on their first days at work usually encounter difficulties of some sort. what is it that I am doing? I am interning a firm called McAllister & Quinn, which is near the White House! They, or we, lobby for nonprofits, educational institutions, and other organizations. And so far, I think I have learned quite a bit about what lobbyists actually do -- they normally get bashed by anyone and everyone, and yet, few really know what their jobs entail. I am still learning quite about about what they do.

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Normally at work, I am just assigned various projects. Initially, I didn't have anything to do. But as I completed one assignment, two more seemed to appear. And now, I typically have a consistent work load, or at least something to attend to. The typical works usually consists of sending out fundraising emails, doing research for one of the directors' clients, or doing front desk duty (answering phones). With the increase in work, I have noticed that the days have been drifting by quicker than before. Unlike manual labor jobs, like at factories, they are very lax about breaks and lunch, and about vacation days, which is great. In fact, I just found out today that I will have the 4th of July off, as well as the day proceeding it! That's enough about my work, now onto some of the other aspects of D.C.!

Last week, I walked around the city a bit after work. Of course I had to bring my camera along! I walked around McPherson square, which has a little park in the center of it. That is where I found this cute little specimen on the right I believe! I love that nature still exists within this concrete jungle! I found some other critters along my way as well on that beautiful day. Some were by a red brick church, while others where near a statue surrounded by a circular intersection (these are common in D.C., though they probably have an official name that I have yet to learn). Speaking of nature, I took a little trip to a hidden gem within this city.

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The National Arboretum (Ar-boor-e-tum) in Washington D.C... There is so much that I could talk about this little paradise, so I am going to keep it short for this post. On your left is the Capitol Columns. I am not sure why they are there, but they sure were amazing to see in real life! In my next post, I will share the history of these columns, as I will actually do some research prior to writing that one! Furthermore, I will describe what it was like visiting this magnificent place, and journeying around the little paths that exist within the woods there! Thanks for reading :)


                                                                                                       Warm regards,
                                                                                                                Daryl Simons Jr.

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