Week One

It has been a long first week here in DC, but a good one too. It already feels like I have been here a lot longer than a week.
I started my internship on Monday and I love it! It was a slow start learning the ropes and how to get around all of the house office buildings. However, I was able to go to a meeting on Friday and write up a report for the staffers. The first few days were the craziest because I had work from 9am-6pm then "boot camp" Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday from 6:30-9pm and a class on Wednesday from 6:30-8pm. Things have definitely settled down now and I was actually able to make it to the grocery store on Friday after my meeting. I am so excited to have food and snacks now!
Saturday Tara and Freda went with me to the National Zoo, which is just up the street from our housing, to see the début of the newest baby panda; he was asleep in a little bowl but his parent was awake. It was too cold for most of the other animals to be out, but we also saw a red panda and zebra on our walk. After that we all decided to come home because it was too cold for us and the animals.

Tara is an awesome photographer so she has been taking photos then sharing them with everyone else. So glad that she is willing to do this!
After we got back from the zoo, Amanda, Tara, Tiyana, and I all went to the National Mall to see some of the monuments. The area is huge and it was too cold for us to be outside for very long so we only saw some of the monuments before heading inside to the Natural History Smithsonian Museum.

This is the Hope Diamond in the Smithsonian and above it is a beautiful necklace from their gems and minerals collection. 

 

This was at the bones exhibit with Amanda, Tiyana, and myself all being different figures in the exhibit.

Tara and I walked over to the White House area and it was beautiful.

 

The Lincoln Memorial was huge! It was too cold to spend a lot of time there, but I will definitely be back before the semester is over.

This was what we saw upon first stepping out of the Smithsonian Metro Station.

This beautiful photo was what we saw when we left the Smithsonian and Tara was able to get this amazing shot.

I had an amazing weekend and week and I am really grateful this weekend was a three-day weekend and I had time to go and see these amazing things. I cannot wait to go back!
I will most likely be posting a lot of my blogs on the weekends or days that I have off (Fridays typically).  Definitely comment with any questions or thoughts and let me know of any good places to see while I am here.