Sunday, July 6, 2014
By:
Week two in the office was pretty great. On Monday, the intern coordinator Gary returned from his week in the district. Though I thought he was in his mid-forties by the tone of his email, it turns out he is not much older than me. Gary is great – very nice, funny, and I'm happy to have him as my primary supervisor for the summer. Monday consisted of a few letters and memos, as well as a meeting with Gary in Rep. Foster's office. This meeting consisted of some catching up, as well as me requesting to have quite a few days off to go on visits to the locations where the other SPS interns work.
Tuesday was also a rather good day. I met with our Legislative Assistant who does science/technology policy to talk about her work, and what I may be able to do with her. She’s wonderful, and we talked about what I may be able to do within my responsibilities as an intern. I do really like the staff of the office – they’re nice, smart, engaged people. It’s very cool to see how this office works when the House is both in- and out-of-session.
The week flew by, since we had Friday off for the 4th of July. Memos were written, letters drafted, and I started giving tours! After going on three tours and tour training – I felt ready. I definitely enjoy talking and walking around during such a long work day. Plus, who could complain when their job is to walk around such a beautiful building? Though I know less than the official tour guides for the Capitol, we get to take our constituents to various rooms that are not on the typical tour. Did you know that the Supreme Court was housed in the US Capitol until 1935? Or that the capitals of the columns in the capitol are corn, wheat, and tobacco leaves?
On Friday, I spent the morning of the 4th hanging out and reading a new book, Americanah. In the afternoon, I joined the other SPS interns to hang out on the mall and wait for the fireworks. We nabbed a seat right in front of the Washington Monument, and had a fantastic view when the sun set. What a great day. Over the weekend, I continued to explore the city with the interns. I brunched, explored, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Benjamin Preis