TGIF #3

Happy Friday! This week has been a really good one. Everyday I've gotten to experience something different. On Monday I went to my first committee hearing and learned how those are carried out and learned a lot about the issue that was being discussed between the committee members and the witnesses. In the office we have to write a summary every time we attend a lecture or meeting of some sort and I've been whipping them out all week.

On Tuesday I got to attend my favorite event so far! An intern and I went with one of our Legislative Assistants to the Newseum after work for a reception to show off the SpaceX Dragon! It was a really nice event. They had great food and a really cool posh atmosphere. The food was served in the museum's Pulitzer Prize room and I was in love. They had Pulitzer Prize winning photos displayed all around the room with descriptions from the photographers next to each one. I drank in each one and marveled at their moments they were able to capture. The best part though was that we got to go in the Dragon! It looked kind of like an alien egg and was a lot thinner and surprisingly more roomy than I imagined. It can carry seven people and is the first private spacecraft to take cargo to the International Space Station (2012). According to their website their first manned test flight will be in a couple years. But we got to get in the one they are going to use! It's really cool and mostly automated with touch screens to pilot it. The whole experience felt like it was right out of a movie. I'm slightly obsessed with spacecrafts now.

On Wednesday as part of the Summer Intern Lecture Series I got to listen to columnist Matt Lewis from The Daily Caller. He was a really cool guy. He talked to us about choosing our careers and how he got to where he is today. His take away message was Angela Duckworth's quote, "choose easy but work hard." He really believes that everyone has a certain calling in life that will come easy to them and that you should pursue it once you find it and work hard at it. He's really grateful for the opportunities he's been given and that he gets to do what he loves. I think I'm on the right path but as I've been told many a time, I'm still young. Some of the best advice I've continued to get from mentors is to be open to the opportunities that life brings your way, even if you don't think they fit your "plan." That's why I took this internship, so I think I'm doing a good job so far. The whole office also got to go to the Catfish Farmers of America Captiol Fish Fry after work. Wow it was so delicious. I didn't realize how much I missed Arkansas until I had some fried catfish. It hit the spot!

Yesterday was the best day of the week because I got to shadow Senator Boozman one-on-one for a whole day. I got to attend another hearing and meetings. The Senator is a really great man and I'm amazed at how busy he's been since getting back from his surgery. I learned so much about how important his Arkansas constituents are to him. He is a very sincere person and I really appreciate how respectfully and calmly he speaks. There's no stronger testament to his character than to witness how other people talk to him with great admiration. It was an honor to learn from him yesterday.

Throughout the week I've given two more tours. One was a group of six high schoolers from Arkansas that I toured all by myself again and couldn't have had a better experience. They were so well behaved and so nice. And I completed it in under an hour (usually they're 1.5 - 2)! Another tour was with a partner and that went really well too. I've helped get thank you letters out, sort mail, and I've taken more calls. Sometimes I forget to ask something and sometimes I still get confused with what the caller is asking but overall I've gotten a lot better at helping them. I've also gotten deemed the "point-guard" of our intern group because I call a lot of the shots haha. I try to work really hard and I tend to boss people around a little bit. But I'm never excessive, I still like to have fun. I ran two days this week and I'm still enjoying it a lot. This weekend I've got three main goals: Spy Museum, Newseum, and the National Archives. Hopefully I will get even more in than that though. I'm looking forward to the weekend! Missing my family, my friends, and my horse.

Ciao!

The Dragon!

They had a couple camera's that the photographer's used to capture their Pulitzer Prize winning photos.

The owner of SpaceX, Elon Musk.

The touch-screen controls (upside down because it tilts back for the pilots sitting on their backs).

Love.

Sitting in the bottom row of the spacecraft.

Looking out the window wishing it was space.

My favorite picture from the exhibit. It's from 2003 called "Chipas Racers" by Don Bartietti. This picture is of children from South America seeking their parents and I think it has a lot of relevance today with all the news of over 60,000 unaccompanied minors crossing the border this year. "I think what it gives people is a sense of joy and hope among such poverty." - Bartietti

Another intern enjoying our perks :)