Week 7

Things with my internship are improving dramatically. Since my long deliberations with Fred, I’ve come to the conclusion that despite its pitfalls ASG is the best placement for me. I have a career goal, and that’s not something I give up on. Throughout college I’ve had educational pursuits in almost every possible major area. From engineering to medicine to anthropology—I’ve tried it all—and said to heck with it all. I finally have it figured it out—now it’s time to buckle down and do it. I guess deep down I knew I was never going to leave, but now that I am definitely staying I’ve found a new sense of determination and excitement about my job. This is where I need to be to get to where I want to go (Thanks Jill).

I’ve been going through a lot of self assessment lately. I’ve been in the process of finding myself—making the transition into a very different lifestyle than I’ve previously known. Socially, life as an “adult” is very different. On a daily basis I interact with people of all ages, races, and belief systems (both politically and religiously). Unlike college, where you can self select the group of people and ideology you wish to be surrounded by, you are forced to deal with people you may not want to all the time. The hardest thing I’ve found is being able to take a step back and realize that you can’t change what a person thinks or believes. You have to have the strength in your own beliefs to sit back and agree to disagree. This has been the biggest lesson of my time here. It’s not the responsibility of grocery shopping, maintaining a home, or getting up for work every day that makes being a grown up so hard—it’s everything else.

Despite its difficulties, this is a transition I love making. The sense of accomplishment of waking up and doing a day’s work is wonderful. While as an intern I may not be making the largest contribution, I am still working hard, trying my best, and doing what I’m capable of to add to the company. This is what I came here for.

Lesson of the Week:
1) If you have very little self control when it comes to spending money… just leave your debit card at home, and carry an ATM card from a savings account for emergencies.

Week 6

Well I had a crazy traveling adventure this week! It was a special event for my sorority back at school on Saturday so I decided to fly out for it. I flew out of Baltimore because it was so much cheaper than Reagan but little did I know what an adventure it would be just trying to get to Baltimore.

I woke up at 6 a.m. to leave for the metro at 7 a.m.. I needed to transfer at Metro Center, but when I got there it said the next train wasn’t coming for 25 minutes! That didn’t leave me enough time to catch my Amtrak to Baltimore so I had to go outside, find an ATM to get cash, and then find a cab at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday. That was successful enough—but when I got to Union Station that was a whole other adventure to find my train! I thought the train was going to bring us right into the airport, but it didn’t. I had to cross the street and then wait for a shuttle bus to come take me to the airport from the train stop. The way back was even worse—I don’t want to get into it!

Finally I got to Cleveland, a few hours later, and I have never been so excited to go there! All my friends were so happy to see me, and our new pledge class is great. Here is me, my little sister, and my brand new grand little—just a very small fraction of the whole fam!

I was only there for about 36 hours but it was completely worth it. The visit reaffirmed how much I love APhi and Case and I have to say it was so hard to come back here. But now it’s Wednesday, and I’m back in the swing of things. This past weekend seems like a distant dream now.

No lecture this week, just a resume workshop with Fred at TWC. The weather on Monday was fantastic—70 degrees, sunny, light breeze. I wish it could stay that way forever. Unfortunately, it won’t.

I’m so tired right now, work has been long and stressful this week. Tomorrow Fred and I are coming to a final decision about what to do—my internship either is, or isn’t. I’m sick of waiting, and want to make some headway.

Lessons of the week:

1) If you can avoid it, don’t fly out of Baltimore unless you have a ride!
2) If your internship really isn't right for you (and I mean is just awful) then don’t wait around. Consult with your program advisor and make a change. Your time here is limited and you will want to make the most of it.

Week 5

Can you believe this is Week 5 of work already!? I certainly can’t. This semester is going by fast—I hope not too fast! I still have a lot of planning to do for this summer…

So where to start? I don’t know if anyone reading this watches Lost, but I’m starting to get a teeny bit frustrated with this season. I want more information! Every episode is such a tease. It’s like we’re consistently just on the verge of understanding everything, and we never actually do. Oh, and somebody needs to tell Evangeline Lilly to get off my man.

It’s me that Sawyer really wants, not her. Obvi.

The weekend was a lot of fun—nothing touristy or sightseeing related, but that’s okay because the weather was pretty bad (nothing compared to Cleveland’s mega amount of snow showers in the past week though). Hung out with the kids over in Phase I on Friday and Saturday. Then on Sunday my roommates and I went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory—and it was so not worth it! The service was pretty poor, the food took FOREVER and was only mediocre for the wait and price, and when they called us to be seated our table wasn’t even ready yet. Lame lame lame.

Wow- Monday was busy! I got to work as early as I could and finished up part of a big project that was being sent to a client later that day I think. After that I went to an informational luncheon hosted by the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation about their associate and internship program. It’s too early for me to apply for the associate program, but I’m very interested in applying next year. The whole thing sounded really cool—I’m excited!

After that was the PLS (Presidential Lecture Series) for the week. All 440 of us went to hear the president of NPR (National Public Radio) speak at the Jefferson Auditorium in the Department of Agriculture. He was a great speaker—kept it short—and also it was nice to be in the same place as all of the other interns at once. That hasn’t happened since orientation in January. I was actually pretty surprised at how many people I knew/recognized/had spoken to in the auditorium. For a while I was feeling like I hadn’t gotten to meet any interns, glad I was wrong!

Following that was class—or actually a big break between the lecture and class. There was a debate on the metro whether Farragut West or McPhearson Square was closest to TWC. I investigated and found that they are the exact same distance. Any interns struggling with this question… now you know. When class finally started I found that it went by very quickly. Normally those three hours are pretty tough to stomach but it moved right along this week. And my group has finally pulled together a topic and outline for our final project. Go us…

Cleveland in 3 days! Pumped!

Lessons of the Week:

1) Going to the PLS is like getting on a plane—complete with metal detectors and funny machines that x-ray your bags and ID checks. Do come in time to go through all that. TWC doesn’t kid when they say the doors close at 3:05PM—you will not be allowed in if late.
2) The convenience store in the bottom of Meridian at Courthouse closes at nine. Not so convenient when you want to buy cups and snacks at ten. Plan accordingly.

10 Days til my Cleveland Visit!

Well I’m not going to lie, I’m not having the time of my life here. Yes, there have been high points (mainly occurring on the weekends) but for the most part I’m just feeling a little unhappy. I miss school. I miss home. I miss getting a paycheck.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely do not regret coming here. Something about this city and the atmosphere here fills me with a sense of accomplishment and happiness that I just can’t find in good old Brewster, NY and Cleveland, OH. There is such a vibrancy and life here that’s different from what you would find in Manhattan or other big cities. But something is still not right—and I don’t know what it is.

The weekend was chill. Two of my roommates were gone for the weekend so it was just Karina and I. We cleaned the apartment—fun! (Not). Saturday night we hung out with some people that live in Phase I—also TWC students. We went to some club in Chinatown—it was near my work I swear, but I was all turned around because red line trains were all running on the same track (both directions), and we exited the metro station differently than I normally do. I couldn’t figure out where I was in relation to work, but I know it was close! Two of us made friends with the Metro driver on the way there to try and keep him from leaving before the rest of our friends got down to the station. It worked—and if you’re curious, Metro drivers do not get afraid that they will hit the tunnels when exiting a station. However, if I was a Metro driver this is something I would be deeply afraid of. That and getting attacked by crazy little monsters that come from sea (Yea, I’m talking about Cloverfield. Haven’t seen it? Go. Now.)

Not a lot to write about this week—work has hit a kind of stagnant point. The projects I work on are really tedious, and take forever to complete. I think that is the nature of architecture/urban design. I’m learning quickly that my passions lie elsewhere. I want to affect change, I want to make a difference. That’s all I can really think about lately. Next Monday I’m going to a luncheon for this non-profit associate program. I think the associate program is for people who will be graduating in May, but I want to go and learn about the organization and maybe its internship program. That’s what cool about TWC—they create opportunities for us that are pretty limited anywhere else.

Lessons of the week:

1) Always carry some cash on you because you never know when you’re going to need it.
2) Know how to get to your apartment by way other than the metro. Learn how to navigate yourself out of DC by car or foot if you can’t get on a train.
3) Check the weather report in the morning before you leave for work. And if it says rain, believe it. Carry an umbrella.

Frogolicious!

Well this week I certainly am not at a loss for things to write about! The BF came to visit this weekend, so Saturday and Sunday were fairly eventful. After I met Chris at Union Station (he took the Amtrak), we wandered around for a while and then went to see Strange Wilderness. WORST MOVIE EVER. Don’t waste your money, please—I almost walked out. After the movie we went to this really good Italian restaurant right by the apartment. Mmmmm chicken piccata. On Sunday we went to the National Geographic Museum to see the frogs. I was under the impression that it was going to be a big museum, but it only had four or five exhibits. The frogs were really neat, though. My fave was the green “waxy” frog. He had a super serious face on, like he was thinking about something very consequential and important. This is not a picture of the actual frogs at the museum, Chris and I could not procure one, but I wanted to show you all cool they are. Shout out to Jill at home—I’m posting this for you.

After the museum we grabbed some lunch at a cute sandwich place and then went to this really awesome show called “No Child…” at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre near Chinatown. Nilaja Sun wrote and performed the show. It was touching, but also a funny and creative satire on Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act. “No Child…” was a wonderful way to spend an hour and a half—but it stops playing on February 17, so go now! Following the show I brought Chris to where I work in China town, and then we got dinner at Fuddruckers. We went shopping too, a really great afternoon :)

The Presidential Lecture Series that TWC plans for us was canceled on Monday, so I had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon at the apartment. My class, Understanding Implementation: From Policy to Practice, is Monday evenings and despite its length of three hours, is incredibly inspiring and motivating. Washington, DC has really brought out my civic side. I feel like this city unlocks so many doors—there are millions of opportunities to get out there and make a difference.

The race for president has all my roommates and I very engaged. This is such a great city to be in at this time of the election process—and it will be even neater for kids in the fall! Vote for Hillary!

Well that’s about all I have right now—Sixteen Candles is on TV (I was made to grow up in the 80s, I’m part of the wrong generation…)

Lessons of the Week:

1) Safeway.com is not a good way to get your groceries to your door with limited effort. Jenny ordered groceries to be delivered yesterday and they canceled on her after the window for delivery was over, and today they didn’t even put her groceries on the truck when they left for the apartment. Bummer, Jenny has no food.

2) Get to know your program advisor (and your professor, and your agency supervisor, and your coworkers, and the speakers at your lecture series…)! My advisor Fred is not only the nicest guy ever, but he has been a huge help and resource to me. All the staff here at TWC has been really receptive to me; actually, most people in this city are that way. I’ve found that all you have to do is ask and people are more than willing to help you and network with you. But your program advisor especially is the one person here you can develop a strong working relationship with, so take advantage of that. Don’t waste the best resource TWC has to offer you.

Week 2!

As promised last week, here are the apartment photos:

Here’s the bedroom—not too huge, but we’re never even in there unless we’re sleeping or getting ready in the morning.

The other two girls have a bigger room. This isn’t a problem though, because we have a way bigger closet! I could easily live in there. Too bad Jenny and I have so many clothes, we can’t each have a single ;)

Here is the kitchen—has everything one needs, although our pot is missing a handle…

And finally, the living room and sun room.

Well another week has passed—feels like ten! I’m ready for a vacay. For a recap on the past week: Lots of work and Metro rides. Friday I went out with my roommates and another girl who lives in the building to Adam’s Morgan. We never actually went in anywhere, but it was sure an adventure getting there and getting home (Read: Creepy old dude chasing us all the way down to the strip). We took a cab home, for fear of more strange people, and then I relaxed and went to bed.

I decided, randomly, Friday evening that I needed new shoes, so on Saturday I went to the mall at Pentagon City with one of the roomies. Forget getting lost in D.C. (which is hard to do once you get the hang of things)—this mall was a total maze. No worries though! I found my shoes, which began to cut up my ankles after a mere half hour of use. (But look how cute they are!!)

Beauty is pain… But if anyone is interested- Bandolino is currently having great sales.

Rumor has it that TWC is building a dorm for all if its students. I have no idea what the timeline for this project is—but neat!—my company might be the one to do it! No guarantee on any of this though, but how cool would that be!? That’s a project I’d really like to be a part of at work. Work is going good. Auto-CAD and I are still BFF’s <3>

I keep forgetting that laundry is free here. It’s awesome.

Lessons of the week:

1) When walking down the sidewalk amidst conversation with a friend, do watch out for parking meters and signs. They hurt when you walk into them.

2) Try and make friends with everyone you meet. It’s not too easy to meet people more than once here, so do what you can to get to know everyone you stumble upon. There are a lot of really cool people here.

The first few days!

Hi everyone!

My name is Ashley—I’m a junior econ major at Case Western in Cleveland, OH. This semester I’m interning at Ayers/Saint/Gross. It’s an architecture, campus planning, and urban planning firm. My passions, to name a few, are cities, public policy, economics, politics, creative writing, and Auto-CAD. No, I’m totally kidding about Auto-CAD. It’s just that thanks to my new job, the program and I have entered into a new and extremely intimate relationship; at night I dream about computer-aided designs.

This has been an extremely surreal few days. I still can’t believe I’m here. I keep walking around feeling very detached from myself—like I’m living in some alternate reality or in a dream. I’m hoping after a few more days I will get more used to it. TWC certainly doesn’t give you a lot of time to get adjusted to living here. Be prepared to just dive in head first to absolutely everything and be really really really really tired.

On a more positive note though, the apartments are BEAUTIFUL. The walk-in closet that my roommate (Jenny Lee, one of the other bloggers for this semester) and I share is just about the same size as our room. And in the afternoon, sunlight fills the whole apartment and it’s really quite peaceful. We can also see the tip of the Washington Monument from our sun room—cool! I took pictures of the apartment, but I’m having some technical difficulties…so stay tuned.

Lessons of the week:

1) Do not try and walk around the city in high heels. Buy dress flats.
2) Study the Metro lines BEFORE you get on the Metro. Utilize the Trip Planner on http://www.wmata.com/
3) Never pass up free food.

Later gators.