A slice of life in DC

This September, I "U-Hauled" my way down to DC from Boston to begin the second (and final) year of my graduate studies. Like I've said before, in my program we have one year in-residence (full-on, classroom style), and during our second years we find internships within our different areas of emphasis (we end up working full-time while producing a master's capstone paper).

Finding my internship was a nasty process. I almost didn't make the deadline before I would have had to defer my studies for a year (cutting it too close). But last minute, the perfect opportunity presented itself, (when everything else had fallen through or just wasn't right--isn't that how it goes sometimes?) and I jumped on it. It's been nothing short of an amazing experience, and I honestly couldn't have hoped for a better or more exciting learning environment. (And living in DC isn't so bad either--in fact, I love it!) On Feb. 6th, I will leave for Haiti to finish the rest of my internship in the field.

But that being said, lets take a little tour. So here I am in front of our office building in Georgetown.


I am interning with EDC (Education Development Center)- an inernational non-profit agency that works on a variety of national and international projects in the realm of education/learning/health etc. ("non-profit" has suddenly taken on a whole new meaning to me--ie, it's an unpaid position)

I am working within one of their international divisions that deals with youth workforce development and other educational issues in third world settings. I have been devoting most of my time to a specific project we have going in Haiti, for assisitng the large out-of-school youth population to reintegrate back into society and find viable livelihood opportunities within their individual communities. The project has been extended until September 2010 and we are currently expanding the whole scope of our work, and will end up reaching over 13,000 Haitian youth by the end of the project cycle. I've jumped on board at an exciting time!

Yes. I do cheezy well.
Our little sub-division hangs out in "the annex." We are kind of outcasts from the main EDC office around the corner, but we keep it interesting!
Welcome to my desk. This is how my day typically starts out looking like. A zillion things to read, research, and especially write. I do A LOT of writing pieces. It's great. Below, is the first project I worked on here--the annual report for the IDEJEN project (aka: "the Haiti project"-fancy French accronym there). It was a brutal way to be introduced into the system, and learn the ins and outs of the project quite well.
My home away from home. Its treated me pretty well.

I just figured out how to use the scanner yesterday. I felt pretty proud of that accomplishment considering my track record with technological devices.
They've decked me out with every kind of literature you could ever want pertaining to youth development. And they've also provided me with toys--playdough, and arts and crafts from Haiti.


I work a lot with Ann, our International Program's Coordinator. She's great fun!

And Alicia is the other intern who has been working here part-time. We arrived at EDC on the same day together back in September, so we've experienced much of the same learning curve together. It made me feel better to have someone else trying to learn the ropes at the same time!
Our office is located in a beautiful location. We are right along the Potomac River, and so we get some great views.

We are also right by the Canal in Georgetown, so I pass some pretty scenary when I walk to work everday.

In September, October, and November, I loved walking down to the river to have lunch.

Below, you have the Watergate building (round one) and the Kennedy Center (long rectangle).
Or if on a tighter lunch schedule, I'd come to this church to eat.

That's "my" bench.


Another big part of my life here in DC is the bus. The blessed bus. I love it and I hate it. But you know what, once you start memorizing the schedules and routes, it's not so bad. I've even bonded with some of my drivers.....we're on a first-name basis now.

Ok, as a side note: we already know I love to eat good food. And Indian food is way up there on my list. This restaurant is one of my favs in the city. I went there with my mom and two cousins (Jan and Diane) when I first came to scout out aparments in the city. Then when I came back to move in, my mom and I returned to feast yet once again. Since then, I have made it a point to take myself, when the craving sets in. Should you come to town, I'd hightly recommend it. Give me a call, and I'll take you for the best Naan bread you've ever tasted. (located in Chevy Chase at the Friendship Heights Metro station!)

Speaking of my two cousins---the Delamare Girls, I've really enjoyed having them so close to me while I am here. I've had a lot of fun getting to know them a little better and hanging out with them a few times. They generously invited me to spend Thankgiving day with them, and we did it in style. We drove up to the Shenendoah Valley and gorged ourselves on the all-u-can eat buffet at a lodge. That was my kind of celebration.

In an attempt to work off some of the buffet, we took a fun little hike down to a waterfall. The weather was perfectly cool and the scenary and company was great too!



We were still able to catch a bit of the fall colors on the hills.

Back in "the District," I decided one day to go check out a little of Georgetown, including Georgetown University. But this is the only picture I ended up with. With my schedule, I don't get out to explore the city as much as I'd like to.

The environs are pretty architecturally unique.

Ok so this is a little out of order.....but I had to document my move-in.

My mom came out to help me get everything squared away. Here we are being handy, and building the bookshelves we found at Target. The dang things took about 4 hours each to put together.
I guess that just made me appreciate even more the final product. I will never take my shelving for granted again.
When we wern't assembling bookshelves, we escaped to play a little. We took a day-trip to Gettysburg and then into Amish country.

Battlefields.

If you're ever in upper Georgetown on a sunny day, and looking for something to do that doesn't require shopping at specialty boutiques, head over to the Dumbarten Oaks gardens. Go for a walk, get some sun, and take in the scenary.

What can I say? The past 5 months here have been great. Thanks for making it through this far in the blog. Stay tuned for more adventures..... as I leave for Haiti to finish the rest of my internship!