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As I was packing up to go back to college yesterday, I came across a bag full of cards, letters and notes that I had received from people over the course of last year. They all made me smile, but I had received one gift in particular from someone that had really made an impression on me.

I met this guy at orientation in the June before I went to college, and noticing that no one was talking to him I went to say hello. He was quiet, didn’t say much, and a bit geeky. He was nice, though, and I played him in a game of chess and talked to him on and off periodically throughout the evening.

A couple of the other people I had met at orientation decided that it would be brilliant for us to go sleep outside on the lawn, so we grabbed our blankets and camped outside to the wee hours of the morning. Sometime in the night, it started to rain, so we quickly hopped up to get back in our dorm rooms, and standing there, with an umbrella and a flashlight, was the guy I had met earlier in the evening. How he had known where we were, I didn’t know (and how he had gotten there almost immediately with an umbrella when it started to rain at about 4 am), but I was grateful for his help.

Fast-forward to November, and though we lived in the same building, we never talked to each other, save maybe one or two face-book wall posts in the five months that had transpired. I had seen him occasionally around campus but never stopped to say hello. I had my friends, and (I’m guessing) he had his.

My birthday came and I was having a blast- I was out and about, loving life, getting gifts and good wishes. I was in the lounge celebrating when I decided to stop back in my room for a bit. My roommate reported that a guy had stopped by and left me a gift. She said that she had told him that I was in the lounge and he could go there to give it to me, but he declined and wanted to just leave it. She asked him who she should say it was from, and he just said, “She’ll know.”

Curious, I opened it. Inside was a beautiful umbrella and a massive amount of various assorted chocolates. It came with a simple note- “So you’ll never be caught in the rain again. Happy Birthday.”

It was really nice, and really random, but made me realize that the simplest things you do really make a lasting impression on people, even if it’s just talking to someone alone in a corner.

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Having sealed up and sent in my application to study abroad in [some random country, possibly in Europe, but definitely not towards the mediterranean], my thoughts turned this morning towards possible ways of financing this trip. Work being slow in the [very low-level government office with no important political or otherwise connections] I decided to go ahead and do a scholarship search to see what was out there.

Apparantly, there’s a lot. I found things from academic competitions to raffles to essay contests, all designed with the college student in mind. I’m going to go ahead and apply to as many as I can, hoping that with a little luck (and considerable writing skill) I’ll be able to win at least one. This means that in the next few weeks I’m going to be doing a lot of essay writing- and in some cases, reading- but I’ll be buckling down in the hopes of earning myself a little extra cash.

I decided to take lunch today at Union Station, and on impulse, bought a milk chocolate Godiva truffle from the store on the way out. It was amazing how much this one tasty morsel revitalized my mind, body and soul, and motivated me to do something at least somewhat productive (hence this blog). This internship so far has been a great experience, but has had its definite pros and cons.

The list so far has become…

Pros
I’m meeting some great people. So far I’ve met a lot of people who would be happy to write me glowing reccomendations for future jobs or whatnot. I’ve also had chance run ins with a few of the more famous politicians, including Senators Obama and Clinton.

I’m staying up on current events. I’ve never been so informed of the news in my life. My entire morning is spent reading the newspaper, focusing on world and international news. This means I always have conversation starters with people and am overall a very well-informed person!

I’m getting good work experience. I know the ins and outs of the office and can perform various administrative duties. Because I’m only an intern, people are very patient with me and just assume I don’t know how to do anything. This way, I learn a lot!

It’s good for a resume. Having an internship has definitely increased the prospects for future jobs. It looks good, and apparantly I’m impressing someone, because they want me to stay through the fall.

I’ll be getting credit for it. Working for free is okay, but working for credit is better.

It’s in DC. Its just super cool to be working on Capitol Hill. I see tourists go by all the time, and it’s like…I work here. I’m in the heart of the nation’s capital, and frequent spots that tourists gape over all the time.

I have a lot of free time. Typically I’ll have a lot of gaps in which I can attend hearings, lectures, tours, or just do my homework.

But, of course, the cons…

It costs money. I’m getting paid not a cent, but transportation itself costs a fine penny. The metro and metro parking costs about 20 bucks for two days, not to mention the cost of gas just to get down there.

The commute just sucks. About an hour and a half each day, if I’m lucky. First I have to make the crawl down 95 and hope for decent traffic. Then I have to hop the metro, switch lines, and walk to work. All this, and I have to look good- no rolling out of bed and running along like I did in high school. This means I have to get up at -ewww- 6 AM. Which is something I haven’t had to do since high school, and even then, barely.

Fashion is cruel to women. Apparantly, it’s not professional or fashionable unless your feet are in a firey, burning pain by the end of the day. I have to bring a pair of flip flops in my purse just for the commute, but the running around I do all day in my heels takes its toll on my poor, poor feet.

I have a lot of free time. A little free time is good, but too much makes the days crawl slower than a slug on a hot summer day. Where’s the busy work when you need it?

As for me, I’m going to spend the rest of the day wiling away the hours at the Folger Shakespeare Library…adieu!

It’s August, nearly the end of summer, and everyone around me is doing something- starting on exciting vacations, finishing them, making plans, finding jobs, jam packing every little summer thing they can into these last few days before fall semester takes over.

Compared to my July, however, my August is empty and little more than a transition out of summer until school starts. July started out with a fabulous trip to Gull Lake, continued with a trip to Ohio with Max and his family, and finished with the 185 mile bike ride down the C&O; Canal with the family. My August is shaping up to be just working and preparing for school, with not too much adjustment, save my dorm move-in.

I’ll be taking 19 credits in the fall, 9 of which only concern my internship. I’m most looking forward to taking Italian, though my Shakespeare course comes in a close second. I dropped the two courses I didn’t really want to take, which is fine with me!

Today has at least a little sparkle to it though; I spent a nice lunch break with Devi and her Chinese class in China Town- though I must say, I was incredibly jealous! If there had existed an opportunity like the one they had when I was younger, or if I had known about it, I would have definitely leapt on the opportunity to learn a “critical need language,” so aptly called by the State Department. Learning languages is so much easier when you’re younger, and getting college credit for it would have been fabulous! I don’t even think these kids really appreciate what they’re getting- though they might, once they’re in college and old enough to realize how tough it is.

I had to go back to work eventually, of course, but it is smokin hot in DC right now! The heat index, factoring in humidity and whatnot, is supposed to max out at 110 degrees today. This means that the second you step outside you’re sweating like a pig, but the buildings are basically walk-in freezers. So, for about a half hour, you have that refreshing feeling as you’re adjusting to the new temperature, but soon enough you’re either suffocatingly hot or frigidly cold. I know what mom would say- wear layers- but it’s even more annoying having to tote things around all the time; I already have to carry around my shoes so that I can change into my flip flops during my commute. Fashion is cruel to women! Why is it deemed professional, and stylish, to pinch your feet in these ridiculously uncomfortable shoes when you have to walk around all day? The men complain that they have to wear ties, but I’d trade ties for high heels any day.

Tonight we’re celebrating cousin Michael’s birthday (a day late, but not a dollar short!) in College Park, it’ll be interesting, I think, but he’ll enjoy it. We’re going to kind of a dive, frequented often by my college friends and I (cheap and fun). I’m looking forward to it- the day can’t end soon enough!

Despite having been particularly dreadful at updating my blog, I’ve decided to give it another shot and revive the old gag. I’m curious to see how many people have given up on even checking my blog due to lack of news and when the first person will read this!

Right now I’m on lunch break over on Capitol Hill. For those of you who don’t know, I ended up getting an internship with U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski and am now working in her DC Office. It was originally intended as a summer internship but has now been extended through the fall- no problem for me, as I am eligible to receive credit for it (making up for the lack of pay.) I’m also in the process of applying for a Master’s in Public Policy; I’m still trying to decide between a concentration in International Development or International Security and Economic Policy.

I’m also working as a Data Analyst for a professor at College Park. She’s writing a report on women in Agriculture, and my job is to just help organize her tables and gather information. It’s been pretty slow-moving, so I’m assuming I’ll be continuing to work with her in the fall as well.

Overall, I’m having a very productive summer- but I also have quite a bit of free time for reading, relaxing, and spending time with friends (and yes, updating my blog). This afternoon I’m attending one of Senator Mikulski’s hearings (Alzheimer’s Research) and fulfilling all of my intern duties, such as giving the speakers pads, papers and glasses of water.

Anyway, I should probably get back to work- or at least make myself look important and busy!

Oh, and I didn’t get the scholarship I was hoping for. Looks like I’ll be home…

Here is an update on my current class situation.

Despite having studied hard, consulting with the TA and writing my essay almost exactly as she instructed me to, I received my second test grade on Friday- a whopping D+. Scandalized, I decided that I couldn’t let this slide any longer.

I made an appointment with the professor today, and I’d been preparing for it all morning. I didn’t want to make myself seem victimized or whiney, so I wanted to do it calmly, and professionally. When I went to see him I started exactly as I’d planned; I introduced myself and started to say why I was there. Then, all of a sudden, my anxiety, stress and discouragement caught up to me in one second, and I burst out crying, mid-word.

I feel bad for the professor, because it was like one minute I was fine, and collected and the next I was hyperventilating. It caught me by surprise too, it was completely unexpected and I was very unprepared for it. The professor was very understanding; he brought me tissues and waited until I calmed down. He asked for my tests, and skimmed them quietly as I collected myself.

For the first paper, he said that it definitely was not a D paper and that he would raise it at least to a C based on what he saw then, but he would look over it more carefully later. He offered his own personal criticisms on how I could improve, but he also said that it was more likely that the format of the tests was to blame more than my writing ability or comprehension of the reading material, especially because I had gotten straight A’s in last semester’s honors course.

He also said that because I was an honor’s student he would allow me to write a supplement essay to improve my grade, and he would e-mail me its subject after he discussed it with my TA.

So, it was a successful visit, all in all, despite an embarassing display of emotion on my part.

I’m getting restlessly impatient for news.

It’s been over a month, and I’m still waiting for all my responses on internships and scholarships. The time frame for responses was from “several weeks” to “mid to late april.” I am beginning to wonder if they notify all applicants of their status, or just the ones who were accepted. I’ve become an obsessive e-mail/mail/website checker, but to no avail!

The sky is a deep, dark gray.

A trickle of students walk listlessly into their classes, heads down, moving quickly. No one is laughing, no one is talking.

The winds have died down, but the campus is dead.

I take my seat at the Student Union, which seems strangely abandoned. Normally I would rejoice at being able to find a seat to study. There is no rejoicing now, as chairs remain empty. Those who have made the effort to come leave quickly. Even the coffee shop is quiet- today is not a double espresso shot latte kind of day.

The Virginia Tech massacre has spurred quite the reaction at College Park- fear, concern, grief, even anger. Whispers are everywhere. Everyone knows someone who was there; everyone is a part of it. Even I’m startled as names I recognize appear on the news.

I read a detailed account in the newspaper this morning of one student’s experiences at Norris Hall that day. I pictured it vividly in my head.

This student was in German class when it happened. In my head, I was in French class. I saw the professor writing on the board…”Voici les fleures que j’ai achetee”. I imagined how I’d feel. Bored, probably. Waiting for class to end, thinking about the rest of the day. Hurriedly copying down notes, maybe practising with the student next to me.

This student said that they saw someone come in, take out a gun, shoot the professor in the head and then start shooting at the rest of the class.

I tried to picture it. I would have been in shock; it would have taken a bit to register. I would have, like the rest of the students, dove down beneath the desks in an effort to get away. I would’ve tried to make myself as small as possible…I would not have run for the door. I would have been scared beyond all reason, probably for a long time.

I then tried to picture walking out of that classroom, should I have been lucky enough to survive. I would have been one of two students who were able to walk out, one of two to make it out of the classroom. Me, against all odds, picking myself up from a slew of dead bodies, trying to get myself to safety.

Luckily, it wasn’t me. Yet it still feels so close to home, and you can’t help but think…what if?

Right now I’m on the road to recovery, but much has happened in the last few days that I have not mentioned as of yet.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse (after my hospital visit on Wednesday night), well, it did. I looked in the mirror on Thursday and discovered the I was speckled from head to toe in fine red dots. I couldn’t feel them at that point, but I was still concerned, so I made another visit to the health center.

They told me I was having an allergic reaction to one of the drugs I was taking and told me to take benadryl continuously until it healed. Because I couldn’t feel it yet, I was fine with that, and left. That night, however, things got much worse. My whole body burned and itched like crazy and I couldn’t sleep at all. It was worst- and most concentrated- on my face. After another sleepless night I went to the health center again.

This time they put me on a variety of steroids and antihistamines, but to no avail. Dad then came and picked me up and we went to the emergency room at Howard County General- again. After waiting a ridiculously long time (and not even getting a room- being put in one of the “hallway beds”, where you’re just on a bed in the hallway, surrounded by a ton of other patients in the same position) I was put on more steroids, antihistamines, IV’s, and one extremely painful shot in my butt of an anxiety reliever.

By the next morning, the pain and itchiness had for the most part subsided, and continued to do so throughout the weekend. Right now I’m mostly just drowsy from all the medicine, and while still slightly speckled, I’m definitely on my way up.

My doctor says that after going through this (and especially being sick for my own spring break) I deserve a fine caribbean vacation- and I’m inclined to agree with her!