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!