Last week in DC!

So insane that this was my last week!

Starting with Sunday: after my late night after coming in from Philadelphia, I got up early to meet my friend Kath who was in DC for the day!! She spent the summer in Virginia Beach in a leadership training program! (http://kathcerveraltvb12.blogspot.com/) We met for breakfast and then she was on her way back to Chicago.  Although it was only a few hours, we got to catch up and it was so good to see her!!



Afterwards, I headed over to the National Cathedral to meet my friend Katie for Sunday mass. This structure is gorgeous in terms of American churches, but is probably nothing in the eyes of Europeans.  The building was hit hard by the earthquake last fall (that cracked the Wash. monument) and HUUUUGE pieces fell off the top of it.  They were points from the roof, that sort of look like giant chess pieces. Like from wizard's chess in HP2. Capped off the afternoon with a traditional DC brunch :)

The week went by quickly! I was very busy with finishing multiple projects at work. This made me happy, since i'd rather be busy than bored, like some other interns were at their jobs.  If you want to learn more about what I did, click on http://fsround.org/ and head to the "research tab." I did some work on "Fast Facts" from June 14th on, and also worked on the "Cumulative Weight" link.  I finished up my biggest project of the semester, a giant 50-page Fast Facts book that will be released before the company's Fall Conference.

On Thursday, my parents were in town to pick me up and we went to dinner in Georgetown - at a tapas restaurant! mmmm. and of course cupcakes for dessert. I moved out on Friday afternoon and my parents helped me pack up after a final half day at work!

My internship at the Roundtable was a great experience for me this summer. I learned mountains of info about the economic crisis, the current state of the economy, financial legislation, the national debt, and how Washington functions as a political city.  I attended two high-profile hearings. My work was featured on the company's website, and some was sent out to over 700 congressional offices and financial trade companies. I networked with professionals. I took a course on foreign policy, and recognized my growing interest in that field. I am beginning to consider grad school. I enjoyed time in an amazing, never-boring city.  All in all, this summer helped me figure out small bits of my future. And that is all I could have asked for!

Phila Philadelphia

Last weekend, I took a day trip with my friend Olivia to one of the oldest cities in America, Philadelphia!  It was great to get out of the city for a day and see some new scenery!  This city is filled with history, and i'll tell you a little about what we saw.

1) Independence Hall:  This is where our founding fathers drafted & signed the Declaration of Independence as well as signed the Constitution. Some of the most famous historical moments in our nation's history began here!! Philadelphia also served as our nation's capital until Washington, DC was built after 1800.  So for 10 years, Congress, the President (then Washington) and the Supreme court all functioned in buildings in and around Independence hall.

2)  The Liberty Bell: not much to say about this, other than it is in this building dedicated to the bell (to shelter it from weather) It was mostly interesting to learn about the history of the bell, such as how it got its crack and when it was taken down from its perch, in the tower of Independence Hall.

3) South Street : a cool, eccentric strip of boutiques, stores, and restaurants on the south end of the city.  We spent a lot of time walking around, window shopping, and eating my first Philly Cheesesteak! it was pretty good :)

4) Other things we saw included the Declaration House (the house Jefferson stayed in while in Philadelphia that he drafted the Declaration in), Christ Church (where founding fathers including Benjamin Franklin are buried), and LOVE Park in downtown.  --->

It was a great day! the city was cute with all their row houses and everything, and it was actually strange to be in a city where the buildings are taller than 10-15 stories! In DC, it is law that no building can be taller than the Capitol. The streets were cobblestone for the most part. and it was hot (as usual) and a bit humid because of drizzling but we missed most of it while we were inside touring things!  It is 3 hours from Philadelphia, and after around 9pm we headed for the long bus ride home!

I had one full week left in DC to look forward to!

WOW!

Over 40 people read my blog yesterday?! Thanks guys!!!

Also....

for everyone's radar:

HOLY CRAP I HAVE TWO WEEKS LEFT!!!! EEEEEEKKKKK! 

There's still a ton I want to do! hoping to go to Philadelphia next weekend.

and also I went to a Washington Nationals game tonight with my co-workers; in my Cubs gear. Don't worry, I  bought myself a hat too. So I kinda fit in.... :)

Gotta rep my Cubbie blue.

YEEEESH.

it's been far too long since i've posted. weeks have gone by and I keep meaning to but it's been so busy for me!!!

Okay, first. the Fourth of July. Probably the coolest 4th I've ever experienced! I had the day off from work obviously, and was able to go to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home.  There, they had Revolutionary War re-enactors and it was all decorated to look very patriotic. It was hot, but we pushed through it!!! Later that night, we made our way back to the mall for fireworks. We saw them with the Washington monument in the background!! SO cool. While it was cool to be here on our nation's founding, I don't recommend it-- there were SOOOOO many tourists here all week (the tourpocalypse, as we called it) and made it very hard to navigate the city!

What is next?? I guess the next highlight would be my visit from Charlie! He came 2 weekends ago, and we had a great time. He was willing to do some off-the-beaten-path types of things, such as the National Portrait Gallery. This is one of the Smithsonian art museums, and has the original official White House portraits from almost every presidency. That was pretty cool for me; for him, they hit the nail right on the head. their seasonal exhibit was THE ART OF VIDEO GAMES. could it have not worked out any better? anyway, they had a lot on the development of graphics and even a few games you could play yourself! We each took a round of Pac-Man :) We also got to do the monuments at night, which i've come to enjoy as one of my favorite things to do. there are tons less tourists at night, and I think they look more elegant, anyway. Final bonus: its usually cooler outside! I also finally got to see the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial - this opened up in the fall of 2011, so it wasn't open last summer when I was here with my family! it is very unique, but very fitting for this essential figure in our nation's history. (there's us, at the bottom. Dr. King is HUGE!)

Finally, this past weekend, my cousin Colleen visited me!! We also had a great time. Her visit included  the secondTruckeroo, bike riding around the monuments, and Georgetown. I was glad I finally got to rent bikes!! i've been wanting to forever, and if the monuments are good by night, the second best way to see them is by bike - it's wayyyy too much walking to do!! they were able to transport us very well and we used them a couple times within our 24-hour rental period. We also did Georgetown Cupcake! It's a long story, but we ended up getting 6 cupcakes for the price of TWO! That's a steal :)


Having these two visitors these past two weekends was actually really great, because I got to do some things i have on my "DC Bucket List"! With Charlie, I had been wanting to do the Portrait Gallery and the Tidal Basin area (Jefferson, FDR, and MLK memorials). With Colleen, we took a tour of the Capital, walked around the Library of Congress, went to Georgetown University, and to the National Zoo. the Zoo is famed for its two Giant pandas! We saw them, but it was pretty hot so they were inside and pretty much dead from heat, haha.

And I'm going to take this time to dedicate a paragraph to Georgetown University. HOOOOOOOLLLLYYYY MOLEY that school. the grounds are BEAUTIFUL. the architecture is amazing. It's actually a Catholic University, which I did not know. we snuck into the mass that was happening in the chapel, actually. Fun fact: they use the same songbooks that my home church uses! little happy things. the school is absolutely stunning, and the fact that it's in one of my favorite neighborhoods definitely adds to its allure. however, its very pricey. so if I wanted to do grad school, i'd have to think twice about it there...yikes! but I was glad I went.
That picture to the right? oh, that's just the Georgetown student life building. no big deal. Why I go to school in a cornfield is beyond me.

And finally, a little work tidbit. I was able to go to another hearing this week :) this time it was in the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was giving his semi-annual report to Congress. First, I was glad and honored to be covering a hearing as important as this one. Second, I'm extremely pleased that I found myself to be hardly confused or lost at all - I understood almost everything they were discussing, which means i'm up-to-date on my financial services industry lingo!!!

I sent this text to my mom that night: "Essentially, Bernanke testified that the industry is safer and stronger after the financial crisis. their employment numbers are not where they'd like them to be, but regulation is making the industry more transparent and accountable"
IMPRESSED?! :D

Benefits of Washington life

So I'm starting to realize all the cool things I have access to while I'm here.

For example: the SCOTUS (supreme court of the united states) Obamacare decision. I actually know people who went to the SCOTUS announcement of the case! I mean, how cool is that? I've also known many people to meet Congressmen and work with them. Additionally, there are all these seminars and speakers you can attend. A lot of these take place at Think Tanks, which are educational and academic institutions on issues and politics. On the Washington Center website, you can read about how someone got to see Bill Clinton speak! totally cool.

I also attended an intern luncheon hosted by the Roundtable, where I work.  This allowed us to meet other interns in other companies around the city, but also allowed for Q&A with the executives of the Roundtable. I was able to get a few in, which was good. Afterwards, I was able to talk to the CEO of the Roundtable one-on-one. (He actually sought me out after the luncheon was over!) We chatted about history fun facts, he asked about school, and mentioned I was doing a great job on the work my supervisor, Abby, was helping me with. Big confidence boost!!! I'm starting to really enjoy my job here. I'm always busy, which is good. It's better than being bored! I'm also learning a lot about how the financial services industry interacts with legislators and Congress. I've got a clear picture now of what happened before, during, and after the 2008 recession and where the economy might be heading.

In general, Washington is a great place to become immersed in politics and what is truly driving our country forward. I plan on subscribing to POLITICO after I leave, a politically-focused newspaper that i've found to be great for local, national, and global current events.

I only have one month left here!!! I can't believe it, but my goal for the rest of my time here is to make the most of it!

downtownnn & chinatownnn

Hey everyone!!!

So these past two weeks/weekends have been a little more low-key than in the past.

Last Thursday, my friends Katie, Meagan and I went to see a small concert on H street - Greg Laswell and Elizabeth and the Catapult. Even though I had never heard of either of them, they were very good! I liked them a lot. Mental note to keep them in mind for some good music.

On Friday - we decided to go local by heading to the after-work hotspot, the Jazz in the Garden series at the Sculpture garden! I'm not sure if i've written about it before, but there's this great garden just south of the Archives and next to the art gallery full of cool sculptures and with a fountain in the center. The fountain has a ridge all the way around it so you're able to stick your feet in it on a hot day :) sooo refreshing. Anyway, in the summer every Friday night they host jazz concerts and they're a nice way to relax after the workweek and kick off the weekend! Afterwards, we tried to get into this comedy show at a place called DC Improv. Apparently this is ALSO the place to be, since we showed up an hour early and it was already sold out!!! bummer. But we ended up eating a late dinner and hanging out in Dupont for the rest of the night, which was okay with me :)

Saturday we went shopping downtown, around the area I work in. Everyday when I get off the metro there is first a giant Forever 21 and then an H&M next door, and I've been dying to go inside everyday. So we finally did!!! I got these great purple shorts and a cute summer dress! I was so excited! You'll see pictures of the dress later!

At night, we went to see a movie in Chinatown. I was totally taken aback by this area- It was not what I expected! Full of nightlife, bars, restaurants, and shops. and of course, a whole strip of Chinese restaurants! keeping that in mind for later. We were going to see...aw shoot I don't even remember, but it was sold out. the important thing was that we had to settle for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. If you haven't seen it...well, I don't exactly recommend it. But it made for some hilarious historical ironies...a cross between buffy the vampire slayer and twilight. hahah whatever. :)

Sweet Home Chicago

I've been neglectful, I know, loyal readers, and I am sorry!

This past weekend wasn't spent within the beltway, but in the loop! (for those that don't know - inside the beltway is another name for  the city of Washington, and the loop is a part of downtown Chicago. and no, I didn't spend my whole weekend in the city of Chicago, but back at home in general!)
My cousin, Megan got married in the city on Friday. My sister was a bridesmaid, and Megan and her now-husband Mike asked me to do a reading at the church service, as well as pass out programs and bells before and after the ceremony. The reception was in the coolest location possible - on the 66th floor of the Sears (and now Willis) Tower! Loved the views! The reception was very fun too.

It was a lot of fun to spend time with my cousins Megan and Colleen, her younger sister (who is closer to my age, and was Megan's fabulous maid of honor). Congratulations, Megan and Mike! So happy for them. Colleen is coming to DC in a few weeks, which I'm also very excited for!! It was also great to see the rest of my extended family, and it also was a fun time with my parents and sister! We spent most of the night dancing!!

Saturday was my only full day at home in Batavia. It was sort of an early Father's day since I was leaving on Sunday, so we went out to breakfast as a family. The rest of the day, my dad just felt like hanging out so we hung out with him around and outside of the house. It was a great relaxing day!!! Then at night, I was able to go visit my boyfriend, Charlie. He made me dinner at his house which was delicious! He's a pretty good cook :) We had a great time together and it was so good to see him!

My flight left at Chicago at 6:30 AM on Sunday, and I knew I'd be tired but I didn't really care! It was simply good to see the people I love.  After 3.5 hours of sleep, I was off to O'Hare and back to Washington. It was such a quick trip!!! I wish it would've lasted longer. However, the views flying back into Reagan airport were PHENOMENAL! --->

Sunday, since I was back so early, my friends Meagan and Katie and I headed to Eastern Market, which is a neighborhood southeast of the Capitol. There, there are a lot of food and craft vendors selling their hobbies and/or homemade products. I bought some really cute earrings and there were TONS of other crafts I wanted to buy, like local photographers' work (pictures from around DC) and super cute knick knacks and decor for the home. Wish I could buy this stuff!!! I don't have a nice enough house to put it in!! haha :)

Right before we headed home, we stopped in this bookstore called Capitol Hill Books - THE COOLEST PLACE EVER!!! This old 3-story row house contains probably thousands, if not at least a million books. each room on each floor is stacked floor-to-ceiling with books... the place is seriously bursting with books. Although it looked daunting at first, there is organization!! they're sectioned off by category. For example, one corner near the ceiling is the "Kennedy Corner" and the bathroom has been converted into the "Foreign Language Room"... take a look...

 That's all for now!! More updates on this week / weekend later... I'm too tired after a busy week!!
xoxoxo

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What does the Apocalypse, food trucks, and gay pride all have in common?

Any guesses? No?

Joey and I

Actually, they have nothing in common except for the week that they all were a part of my weekend! :)

Thursday
So if any of you know me well at all you know i'm a Starkid Fan. Starkid is a musical theater group that became an internet sensation, and created musicals like the Very Potter Musical and many others. It's also where Darren Criss came from. They currently are touring the country performing their songs from these musicals, and they came to D.C.! The show was great, and so much fun. After the show, I waited outside to see if the cast members would come out back to meet the fans - and they did! I got to meet Joey Richter, who is one of the more famous members of the cast, who signed my ticket and took a picture with me! (see below) So amazing!

Friday
Friday meant that I completed my first full week of work!!! And man did I need the weekend. Some friends and I headed to the old Navy Yard area for a food festival named Truckeroo! This takes place in an outdoor picnic venue next to Nationals baseball stadium. The enclosed area is formed by old cargo shipping boxes all painted and stacked up on top of each other! "Truckeroo" is simply the festival that occurs every month. It is when tons of food trucks come and park inside the venue, and you can sample a lot of different foods! They had cupcake trucks, popcorn trucks, Hawaiian, empanadas, sandwiches, lobster, burgers, and everything under the sun! Food trucks are super popular in DC. There was also a 90's cover band playing, and it was fun to just hang out and dance :)

My friends and I have also decided we want to go to a Nationals game if the tickets aren't too pricey! Wish they were playing the Cubs sometime this summer, but no such luck...

DC War Memorial

After Truckeroo, it was still pretty early in the night so we decided to take a walk around the mall. I had heard that the monuments are prettiest at night, and that was definitely true! It's also far more peaceful, since the crowds have long gone and the hubbub of the city has died down. We started at the Wash. Monument, then made our way past the WWII memorial, DC War Memorial (which i've never seen before - it was kind of hidden!), Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial (hands down the best view in Washington), and the Vietnam Memorial. Although we didn't get back to my apartment until 2am, it was definitely worth the walk!



Saturday

Inside the studio

With my program in the Washington Center, we received membership to a promotion called INTERNS ROCK! for intern appreciation week! This membership allows us discounts and other freebees at many native DC stores, restaurants, and activities. It also gives us free admission to the Newseum! This was definitely something to take advantage of, so a bunch of us went. The Newseum focuses on the media and its role in our society. They have unique exhibits such as the largest chunk of the Berlin wall outside of Germany, the "Checkpoint Charlie" watchtower, and the TV antenna from the top of the World Trade Center ( which is a very moving and thought-provoking exhibit - one of my favorites). The Newseum is also home to the tv studio for "This Week with George Stephanopolous." And by luck, an employee let me inside the studio!!! It was super cool to see- how many times are you going to be in a tv studio??? The lady then informed me that Rick Santorum would be there the next day for its Sunday broadcast! I decided I was definitely coming back the next day.
After that, we headed to Dupont Circle to see part of the Gay Pride Parade. I've never been to the one in Chicago, so it was definitely interesting! We ate dinner there at this fantastic pizza place and then got frozen yogurt (with our InternsRock discount!). 

Sunday
As I mentioned before, I headed back to the Newseum Sunday morning. Although I was there for the whole broadcast from 9-10, I never saw Rick Santorum! Unless I missed him - but i'm definitely convinced there is a secret door..  -_-
I decided to walk back from there instead of spending money on the metro (which is expensive - $2.15 per trip, both ways??? it really adds up per week...). Even though it was hot, I stopped by the Capitol, because even if i'm not a "tourist" in some ways, it's still cool to walk by the Capitol every now and then!

I'm on my third week here, and my time is going by so fast! There is still so much I want to do and see. I'm heading home this weekend for my cousin's wedding, and am very excited to be in Chicago again!! So unfortunately for you all, you won't have any exciting DC news to look forward to, but maybe an update on my time at home!
Thanks for stalking me! :)

Starting to feel like a local

So I'm really beginning to feel like I know what I'm doing in this city.  I've become very sure of my actions, and I am learning the ins and outs of how to get around the city. For example:

• I no longer need to use the metro map. Well, at least when I'm using the red line, the line which stops closest to me and takes me to work. 
• tourists suck
• I can come out of the metro and orient myself by observing the nearest cross-streets (DC is mapped out as a grid system; Letters starting at A that begin at the Capitol - go north and south and you'll encounter B, C, D streets... then Numbers also starting at the Capitol - and by going east or west you'll cross 1st, 2nd, 3rd...and all the diagonal streets are states.

I'm also enjoying a lot of the "cool and hip" places to hang out in the city, mostly things that only locals know about and are tourist-free. Additionally, I'm really enjoying being able to see the sights one by one, day-by-day. And I even get to eat my lunch in cool places! This week, I took my sandwich and ate on the White House lawn and another day I at ate the Navy Memorial (see below) in front of the Archives building. Loving it!

During the week I find it hard to do any sightseeing, since I come from home from work after 5:30 and am EXHAUSTED after making myself dinner and doing any homework I have to get done. This program wasn't lying: they're keeping me extremely busy!! My professor just assigned us our first bit of homework, I SHOULD be doing a questionnaire assignment right now, but I'm choosing not to... then work, after work events sponsored by the Washington Center and other organizations, and my Civic Engagement project, which starts next week. I found out I will be helping to build a "Green Roof" - a sort of garden oasis on a rooftop. Apparently they're very good for the environment in cities such as this one!

WHAT?

This is my grocery store. and this is their weird commercial I just saw on tv...just thought I'd share it because it's so random

First Days as a working girl!

I had my first two days of work this week! So far, so good! I am a research intern, so I basically assist the research department on their day-to-day activities and special projects. For example, they have weekly "Fast Facts" on different topics that they research and send out to all of their member companies. On thursday, I wrote an entire fast facts on my own! Very proud. Can't wait to see what else is in store. They are all posted on the website, so if you ask me i'll give you the link and you can see what i'm working on!
Its also the company's 100th year anniversary, so they are putting together a book tracing their history throughout American finance and the economy. I really want to work on this, so hopefully I can weasel my way in to that project!

On Friday night, some friends and I got to explore DuPont Circle - a really cool, upscale area of DC filled with bars, nightclubs, shops, cafes, and a lot of foreign embassies! We went to this cafe called Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe. Basically, its a bookstore but in the back, its a cafe and bar! They also had live music playing, and it was just a cool place to hang out. After a few drinks and dessert, we went exploring around the area. Like I said, there's a TON of embassies around...a little bit of another country within ours. We saw Iraq, Argentina, Malaysia, Colombia, and Mozambique. I LOVED it here! Wish I could enjoy more of the nightlife, but I still have a ways to go. I have to go back this way tomorrow and I can't wait!

Saturday I went to Georgetown! Such a cool area to shop and eat. VERY upscale! We went to go to the "Taste of Georgetown," a mini Taste of Chicago if you will, but it was ending when we got there. That was okay, we explored the area everywhere. Lots of shops and LOTS of cupcake places - It's TLC's DC Cupcakes' claim to fame. However, the line was outrageous so we went to Sprinkles! It was just as delicious. mmmmm! Can't wait to go back. Also in Georgetown is the Old Stone house - the oldest known private residence in Washington DC built in 1765. It was so cute! And had a beautiful backyard garden my roommates and I took a lot of pictures in. I also did a small bit of shopping at Urban Outfitters :) One of the best parts of the trip was how we got there - we took the DC Circulator bus which only costs ONE DOLLAR to ride! INSANE but so cheap and worth it! Like Dupont, I cannot wait to go back!


Today, Sunday, I went on a run around the Capitol. So many people run on the mall at all times of day. Its especially hard to navigate around tourists, but the view makes it all worth it. I plan on doing this as much as I can!! I still can't believe i'm here for the summer, and i'm loving every minute of it!!!

Me in Georgetown - See more pictures on my facebook :)

Memorial Day Weekend!

This weekend has been filled with so many cool things!
Friday I had my Washington Center program orientation, and learned more about all the things that will be involved with my time here this summer. In addition to my internship, I have class once a week and will have to complete a civic engagement project - I'm doing a "go green" type project.

On Saturday, some of the friends I've made and I put our tourist faces on and did a little touring of the mall.  For those who don't know, the "mall" means the lawn/grassy area from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol. We went to the White House, the Washington Monument, the Museum of American History and Natural History, and finally to the Capitol. I love living in this city!! The only real bummer is that the mall lawn is all torn up, and so is the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial :( I'm just assuming that they're trying to make the area nice for inauguration in January!

Sunday we headed to the Capitol lawn, where there was a free Memorial Day Concert! They had performers such as Daughtry, Trace Adkins, the National Symphony Orchestra, and Natalie Cole, along with many speakers and ways to honor our soldiers. It was very nice! And so cool to be sitting beneath the Capitol. But after an hour of the concert, officials let us know that there was severe weather approaching and they would have to cancel the concert. Boo!! Such a bummer. But I was glad we got to see part of the concert!

Today, Memorial Day, was a long one! We tried to go to see Obama speak at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, but we didn't make it in time. We ended up staying on Constitution Ave where there was going to be a parade! It was pretty good, and afterwards we decided to head to Arlington Cemetery. I was glad we did - it was very beautiful. And almost every grave had a rose on it! We also headed to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we saw the changing of the guard. It's always cool to see! Today made me feel super patriotic, and I have so much appreciation for our military forces!!!

I can't wait until the 4th of July in DC - it should be AMAZING!
I don't start my internship until Thursday, so you'll hear from me after that! Stay tuned...

Some pictures from my weekend!

Safe and Sound!

Well I'm all moved into my new apartment! My building is only two years old, and the apartment is super nice...my first apartment!! I'm a couple metro stops from downtown, and there's already so much I want to do and see in the city this summer! Our building meeting let us know about cool areas, such as the H Street Corridor, Gallery Place, and Georgetown. Definitely putting these places on my list this summer!!!
The next few days will be filled with orientation about my program and other career-building activities, which should be pretty interesting...
I plan on posting pictures later, but I can't seem to find my cord yet in all my unpacking madness! So until then, stay tuned!

Love, Michelle :)

Here we go...

Starting blogs seems to be the thing to do lately, so I figured I'd give in and make my own. So here it is!!! Enjoy.
This summer, I'll be working in Washington D.C. at an organization where I'll be a legislative research intern. This company represents the interests of banks and other financial institutions. My job will be to compile research which will be distributed to the member companies as well as its lobbyists. So I'll be pretty busy! I found this opportunity through a program called the Washington Center. Therefore, along with my 9-5 job, I'll be attending one class related to my major (Political Science) and other programs the Washington Center organizes.
Here's the website if anyone is interested: http://www.twc.edu/

And TOMORROW I'M LEAVING!!! Well, driving there, at least. I don't check in until Wednesday morning, so we're staying the night with a family friend. "Check-in" includes moving into TWC's apartment complex, where I'll be living over the summer!


I'm excited for the opportunities that lie ahead! While it's not quite a "study abroad" experience, i'm hoping that I'll gain skills and memories for a lifetime!