As I begin this week’s post I have to note the gray, rainy looking sky, and how cool and exciting it is. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “gray, rainy sky… what could possibly be cool or exciting about that?” but here’s the thing, I’m a person who enjoys a good gray skied day every once and a while, especially in the city. Those were some of my favorite days in London. I feel like a city changes when the weather does. When the sky is gray and the ground is damp and you can smell the impending rain, everything slows down a bit, everything takes on new life and you see things just a little bit differently. Its as if your not in the same city, I wish I knew how to better explain it but all I can say is things change, in this cool, fun, anything is possible kind of way.
These days also mean that fall is here and fall is my favorite season. As it begins I find myself missing New Hampshire a bit. Fall is a whole different experience up there. The leaves turn ten different brilliant shades of orange, red, and yellow before falling into a crunchy blanket on the ground. The air gets crisp and fresh, you go to the local farm pick apples and pumpkins, drink hot apple cider and sit on T-Hall lawn at UNH. In New Hampshire you can feel, smell, and taste fall. Now I’m not saying fall in D.C. isn’t going to be fun, it’s just going to be different. But so far everything different that I’ve tried has ended up being pretty great, so I’m not too worried about my autumn experience down here. Just yesterday in fact I spent my lunch break over on Vermont Ave at the new White House farmer’s market marveling at the produce and being very pleased to see pumpkins and gourds already on sale. As you may have notice by now, I have a not-so-secret love of farmer’s markets and this one, I have to say, was pretty swank. There’s always something to look at, always someone friendly to talk to, and really good produce, I challenge you to find something not fun about a farmer’s market! :)
Work this week has been go, go, go! I don’t think there’s been a single minute where I haven’t been doing something. But it’s been great. I’ve been able to sit in on several meetings and meet more people from our organization as well as several key people in the field. It’s been a really great way to learn more about what’s being done to end childhood hunger and the steps Share Our Strength is taking to expand its programming and help more people. That’s one of the great things about an internship I think. There’s a lot of work, but if you work hard, there are a lot of perks as well. If I wasn’t interning here I wouldn’t have the people I’ve met of been able to work at the USDA farmer’s market, or learned so much about childhood hunger in the U.S. Share Our Strength continues to be a place where I learn something everyday.
I’ve also gotten a pretty good idea of the tremendous amount of work that goes into making a non-profit successful, and trust me it takes A LOT of work. It’s incredibly fascinating to me though. There are so many different roles and so many responsibilities and you really do have to have a group of people who can work as a team because if they can’t then it’s never going to work. Share Our Strength is clearly very lucky because the people who work here, at least in my department (Operation Frontline) work incredibly well together and all understand the importance of their work. I’ve really come to better understand nonprofits and I’m happy to report that it’s definitely still an area I think I would like to work in after graduating.
On top of all that work I made it out to the National Book Festival on the National Mall and it was GREAT!
Yes it rained, pretty heavily, but I got to hear John Irving speak as well as Nicholas Sparks. I also got a ton of free swag. (Quick intern lesson: as an unpaid intern, try to get as much free stuff as you can, food, posters, anything. It will make your lack of income seem no so bad) ;) I wandered the various book tents with my roommates and witnessed several amazing things. First, after getting off at Farragut North we passed a huge drum circle in the park.
Then while making our way to the National Mall we saw President Obama returning in his convoy to the White House. After this we saw a soccer tournament getting underway (I am a HUGE soccer fan, so anytime I see people playing I immediately smile). As we crossed the street I stumbled onto one of the coolest things ever… the D.C. Kickball league! They were having a tournament on the lawn in front of the Washington Monument. You can join a team and play any time you want, it’s amazing. Finally, just before reaching the book fair a guy on a massive unicycle passed by us swerving in and out of the crowd with incredible skill. This just goes to show that you can’t go anywhere in D.C. with out witnessing something really amazing!
Now on a side note, something terrible happened this week! Ben Folds, the wonderful, heartwarming, insanely talented musician himself, came to the Kennedy Center and performed live and I missed it!!! Tickets sold out and after several calls and attempts at tracking one down, I suffered an epic fail and missed him! I’ve realized that missing amazing concerts has become a trend with me. Not only did I miss Ben Folds but last week, (on my birthday) Matt and Kim came to The Black Cat and that too was sold out. I’m starting to think I don’t really have my finger on the pulse of the D.C. music scene and that needs to change immediately! In honor of missing both concerts, I’ve listened; quite adamantly to both artists on my commute in and out of the city… it’s not the same, not even close.
This Week’s Top 2 Places to Visit:
1. The National Geographic Museum: This “little” gem is less than half a block from my office and it’s AMAZING! (I know I use that term a lot, but it really is applicable here). From the outside, it doesn’t look like much.
wander the photo galleries, or catch a free film. So if you ever find yourself in D.C. head to M and 16th for some fun :)
2. Murphy’s Irish Pub: If you like loud friendly crowds who enjoying singing Oasis, Dropkick Murphy’s, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Irish drinking songs at the top of their lungs, then this is the place for you. It’s located in Old Town in Alexandria, which is a really great place to go if you want to window shop or hang out with friends. Murphy’s is loud, crowded, smoky, and it’s a great place to hang out on a Friday night. Rocky, an Irishman with a great voice will serenade you all night with dozens of fun songs and everyone sings along. It’s a great place to go if you’re looking for a friendly low key night out.
Top 5 Songs of the Week:
1. Ben Folds: “Not the Same”
2. The Go! Team: “Huddle Formation”
3. Jurassic 5: “Concrete Schoolyard”
4. Matt & Kim: “Daylight”
5. Jeff Buckley: “Last Goodbye”
***This week I have a special 6th song dedicated to my roommate Christiana.
LMFAO: “I’m In Miami Trick”***
No comments:
Post a Comment