Week 5: Halfway Mark!

The NESA Center hosted a potluck dinner after work at the Resident Inn. I have been to a few potluck dinners in my day, but this one took the cake. Specialty dishes from 22 countries! I’m talking Italian, Indian, Egyptian food all made by the participants or sent over by their embassies. There are a lot of restaurants in and around D.C. that feature food from different areas of the world but they do not compare to having a native of the country personally prepare the dish. If you are looking for a taste of something different, there are plenty of websites geared toward cultural restaurants in the area. I have found this website to be useful.

Friday I got the day off from work! I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially after working ridiculous hours during the last few weeks. To go along with our internship The Washington Center has us doing a large amount of academic work. To name a few, we have a research paper, civic engagement, and an informal interview. Needless to say, I sought after a day of complete relaxation. I made time to do some shopping in Georgetown. For lunch I ate at Five Guys—it’s not bad for a quick burger. Then Friday night a bunch of us went to Rocket Bar. It is a space-themed lounge with pool tables, good drink specials, and 3 bars! I would recommend it to someone who doesn’t like to just sit around because there are copious amounts of things to do.

Saturday morning some fellow interns and I made our way to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was larger than I expected and there were lengthy lines, so give yourself some extra time when scheduling your trip. After the Holocaust museum we did something a little more upbeat. We went to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. It featured Bhutan, Texas, and NASA.

I went along with a couple of other interns to the National Zoo Sunday morning. This is unquestionably one of my favorite zoos. It is superior to the zoos I have been to up north. At the start I thought the trip was going to be a wash since the heat caused some of the animals to stay inside or lay hidden in the shade. It was not long, however, that we saw many unique animals.

Afterwards we went to a Mediterranean restaurant for Funday-Sunday. Where the drinks and appetizers are 3 dollars all day every Sunday! It is a fabulous place for interns on a budget; I am always looking for a deal. The décor was relaxed and it was a marvelous location to unwind after a day of walking in the heat. It’s conveniently located right next to the Woodley Park-Zoo Metro too.

I feel like I go on and on about all the exciting and interesting things I am doing, but I want it to be known that it requires a lot of first-rate time management to makes things work here. You must have the ability to balance a full-time internship, a weekly class, and The Washington Center assignments. Once you master time management you can, if you have the energy, allow yourself some leisure. It would be such a waste to come to Washington D.C. and stay in your room hunched over your computer the entire time. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO!