Wow, not being in grad school for the summer sure frees up a few extra minutes for things like blogging and interacting with humans. But working full time also seems to be more tiring, especially as I feel like I'm constantly alert for 9 hours a day, trying to absorb as much information as possible.
So I have officially survived my first week of working! Today we only had work until noon, because the office figured that everyone would head home anyway for the holiday weekend.
Everything has gone a lot better than I expected and probably in large part to your prayers. I actually look forward to work, and I have already learned so much, especially from my boss. The days seem pretty long, but I feel like I'm staying busy and engaged.
Yesterday I got to work and was informed that we were heading into D.C. again for the day. We once again drove in gridlock traffic to the metro station, and then breezed along to the Capitol, where I was deposited by myself to attend a briefing. The Capitol guards took away my water and lunch, but now I know for next time that I basically can't bring anything with me, except (hopefully) my brain.
After the briefing, I managed to find my way back to the metro, which was like a sauna due to the heat and humidity. The D.C. metro and its trains from the 1970s are a lot less fun to ride than Beijing's beautiful, shiny new ones. Anyway, I rode it to one of our company's small satellite offices nearby for the rest of the day. It's not in a very good part of town, so I didn't really venture outside after that. Instead, I put together a summary of the briefing, and talked with the only two other people at the office, who are ex-military leaders and have amazing stories.
In the coming weeks I get to look forward to other events, meals with Congresspeople, and even an event at the French Embassy. Ooooooh! But until then, I will enjoy this three day weekend, and hopefully venture back into the D.C. area to hang out with some friends. Have a wonderful Memorial Day wherever in the U.S. or the world you may be!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
A working girl eats breakfast on the Hill
Sorry I probably won't have much to talk about this summer, beside working. I don't really have much else happening--no school, no family, no boyfriend, etc. So this morning I woke up at the grand time of 5 a.m. I left the house by 6 and drove to Reston, where my boss picked me up in front of our building. We drove a million miles to Rosslyn, and then got on the metro to ride into the heart of D.C. to Capitol Hill. By 7:45 a.m., it was already hot, and I was already sweating in my dress pants and knee-highs.
We quickly walked by tons of suit-wearing, zombie-eyed people rushing to work, and passed the Capitol, Supreme Court, and various other amazing buildings that never fail to impress. We ended up at a fancy restaurant, which looked like it had been built in the 1800s. There were about a dozen other high-powered Indiana business reps there. All the other women had equally fancy suits, amazing makeup, and pearl necklaces. Everyone was extremely impressive, especially in their articulate words. I shook a lot of hands, and received a lot of business cards. I need to get some of my own business cards...
We sat directly across from an Indiana Representative who spoke to the small group of people. I tried to soak up every word and observe everything. I could barely speak when I had to introduce myself. For a second I blanked about which company I'm working for, but quickly recovered.
After an eventful morning, we began the long journey back to Reston, and the rest of the day went by fairly quickly, although I was extremely tired, and my eyes felt like they'd fall out. I'm already enjoying my job a lot, and hope to be a good steward of my time and resources.
More adventures to come...
We quickly walked by tons of suit-wearing, zombie-eyed people rushing to work, and passed the Capitol, Supreme Court, and various other amazing buildings that never fail to impress. We ended up at a fancy restaurant, which looked like it had been built in the 1800s. There were about a dozen other high-powered Indiana business reps there. All the other women had equally fancy suits, amazing makeup, and pearl necklaces. Everyone was extremely impressive, especially in their articulate words. I shook a lot of hands, and received a lot of business cards. I need to get some of my own business cards...
We sat directly across from an Indiana Representative who spoke to the small group of people. I tried to soak up every word and observe everything. I could barely speak when I had to introduce myself. For a second I blanked about which company I'm working for, but quickly recovered.
After an eventful morning, we began the long journey back to Reston, and the rest of the day went by fairly quickly, although I was extremely tired, and my eyes felt like they'd fall out. I'm already enjoying my job a lot, and hope to be a good steward of my time and resources.
More adventures to come...
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
A working girl
On Monday morning bright and early at 7:30, I hopped in my car and drove to the nearby city of Reston, which looks like it came off the Truman show or something. The planned, quaint city is home to dozens of high-powered, world-renowned companies. I managed to park, and glided into one of the gleaming high-rises, where an equally gleaming elevator whisked me to the lobby of the company I'm working for all summer.
It's a whole different ball game from my previous stints in the public sector, and especially in China. I'm working with a lot of interesting and extremely capable people, and will have a challenging summer of responsibilities ahead of me. I get to work on environmental and government relations aspects, which means my first big task is going to D.C. tomorrow morning for a breakfast on Capitol Hill. Apparently I'll be spending a good portion of my time there. Too bad it takes 1.5 hours to get to D.C. from the office. So I get to wake up at 5 a.m. tomorrow to leave at 6 a.m. in order to arrive for the breakfast by car and then Metro. Unfortunately, no chauffeurs were provided with the job. :)
Everything's a little overwhelming at the moment, but I feel very blessed and undeserving of this job. I really hope to make everyone proud and to learn a lot. Thanks as always for your thoughts! I'm adjusting to life here, although I still miss people.
It's a whole different ball game from my previous stints in the public sector, and especially in China. I'm working with a lot of interesting and extremely capable people, and will have a challenging summer of responsibilities ahead of me. I get to work on environmental and government relations aspects, which means my first big task is going to D.C. tomorrow morning for a breakfast on Capitol Hill. Apparently I'll be spending a good portion of my time there. Too bad it takes 1.5 hours to get to D.C. from the office. So I get to wake up at 5 a.m. tomorrow to leave at 6 a.m. in order to arrive for the breakfast by car and then Metro. Unfortunately, no chauffeurs were provided with the job. :)
Everything's a little overwhelming at the moment, but I feel very blessed and undeserving of this job. I really hope to make everyone proud and to learn a lot. Thanks as always for your thoughts! I'm adjusting to life here, although I still miss people.
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