Hashtag Friday Lovin'

It's been another great week here at work on Capitol Hill! I've been working on more research for my assigned Legislative Assistant in the office. It's really helped me understand more of the standings on some current issues. The more time I spend working in the office, the more I understand the government processes and the different positions of Congressmen on current events. I think I know more about what's happening in the world now, than when I just rely on the TV or magazines. This has helped me so much on the phones because I can actually answer some of the constituents' questions instead of having to refer them to someone else. It's hard to believe I've been here a month but I've learned so much since I started. I've really come to love the staff. They are so helpful and fun to be around. One of my favorite things during the work day is when Senator Boozman walks through where we answer phones and asks us how we are doing. It's nice to get to interact with him everyday.

Wednesday was one of my favorite days this week because I got to give a tour to a group of kids visiting D.C. from Arkansas. They were five, eight, and nine year olds. It was so much fun giving a tour to kids instead of adults. I had to think up all new speaking points so that the kids would be interested in what I was saying. So I through out dates and threw in guessing games and I Spy. They had so many questions and were so entertaining. They asked us all about the presidents, how old things were, whether John Jay fought in a war, what impeachment is, and counted out all 4,000 crystals on a chandelier. Haha. They were good kids and they were very well behaved. Later, I went with one of the other interns in the office and two staffers to a reception and they had the best food yet! I was so excited they had six different desserts and I grabbed the biggest chocolate covered strawberry I could find, no shame. And it was divine :). Intern perks are pretty nice. Also, earlier that day I had a pretty funny moment. So I was walking down our carpeted stairs in heels and a dress that doesn't let me take very big strides and my heel got caught in the carpet. The only thing that kept me from falling face first down the stairs was the rail. So fortunately just my lower body tumbled down the stairs and I got carpet burn haha. I took a nice tumble. One of my favorite intern moments this week was when I overheard someone saying that there was a Capitol evacuation of one of the floors but they didn't want to get lost by leaving the building, so that person just hid behind a door for a little while...total intern move. haha.

On Thursday I visited the Library of Congress (built in 1897) during my lunch break. It is my new favorite place in Washington, D.C. It is absolutely gorgeous inside. I saw the Great Hall and a few exhibits that contained original globes, maps, paintings of Cortes, letters from James Monroe, Persian books, and artifacts from the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations. I also got to see their display of Jefferson's library. They have a lot of his original books and have found others to represent ones that he had in his library at one point. The books were organized into three sections: imagination, memory, and reason. I was in awe at the age of the books and the way they were composed. I've never felt such joy and excitement. The ceilings are so ornate and they have famous quotes written around the Great Hall so of course I went around and read them all. I felt even more amazement when I got to use my Senate intern badge to access the Main Reading Room. It is one of the most beautiful places I've been. There are statues of writers and philosophers positioned around the dome including Shakespeare, Homer, and Plato. There are plaques on all the pillars with different titles like "poetry" and "history." When I finally sat down to take it all in, I looked at which pillar I was under and it said "science" and I smiled. I felt like such a nerd but I've never been so giddy in a library. I felt so privileged to be able to access the room and I walked around looking at the books and went up the stairs to different floors and just drank it all in. I wish I had more time to check out book. But I'm so glad I got to see it.

I'm looking forward to the last week next week. I'm going to go to at least two hearings, a lecture from the Speaker of the House John Boehner, and there's a Capitol Hill Ice Cream Social near the end of the week to look forward to. I can't believe it's wrapping up already. I've got a few more places I want to visit before I leave D.C. so this weekend I'm going to try my hardest to get to the National Art Gallery, the Holocaust Museum, the National Geographic Museum, the top of the Washington Monument, and see the Pentagon. So it's going to be another busy one and I wouldn't have it any other way! One of my favorite phrases is "you can sleep when you're dead."

#fridaylovin

Government for the people

The Reading Room!

The dome of the Reading Room.