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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!