Week 5 -- what?!?

Hello, all!

I have successfully finished week 5, which means I am now 1/3 of the way through the program.  I can't believe it.  It has gone by very fast--I feel like my weeks just fly by.  On the other hand, I feel like I've been here forever and Thanksgiving is ages away.  On the other hand, I realize that one week from today I will be in NYC, approximately two weeks after that will be midterm, approximately 2 weeks after that I will a) be watching election results and b) packing my bags for Europe, I will be in Europe for 2 weeks, come back to DC for 24 hours and then head home to DSM for a week for Thanksgiving, come back for 2 weeks and be done! *whew*  When it's put that way, I see my time here slipping away and I am frantically trying to get my stuff in order!

But enough on my shock about the mystery of time--I'm sure you all feel that way too!  The REAL question is "what did I do this week?"  And to that I say "what DIDN'T I do?"

This week has been crazy.  I interned Monday/Tuesday, as usual.  I am getting pretty deep into my research now, so that's nice.  I find the research fun and the topic is interesting (though not surprising...did you know the U.S. gives a ton of money to Israel? hmmmm) BUT I do get kind of sick of doing one project alllllllllllll day long.  It's my self-diagnosed ADD that kicks in, I guess.

Classes this week were intense.  Tuesday's "Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing" (3 hour long class on that subject--it's difficult) was on the Armenian Genocide of WWI.  It was emotionally very difficult for me, and I know the class is only going to get harder as the semester goes on.  We are progressing through our case studies in chronological order, so of course the details/photos/documents only get more explicit as technology facilitated coverage and as survivors might still be living to tell their stories.  Today, for instance, I spent several hours in the library doing the reading for this week's class--a very detailed account of the Rape of Nanking in China at the start of WWII.  Several times I had to put the book down and walk away from my table, and at one point was almost reduced to tears.  This stuff never ceases to shock/horrify/sicken me, even as I continue to study it.  On the other hand, today I also suddenly realized that my reaction to the book was a really, really deep feeling.  Definitely not a pleasant feeling, but it came as a relief to me because my studies/busy schedule/being suddenly planted in a large urban area/being away from home and friends/combination of other crap going on in my life has made me feel kind of....numb recently.  Is this growth? Adjustment? A step forward?  I hope so.

Anyway, I've gotten off track.  So Wednesday my class went to the Organization of American States which is an absolutely GORGEOUS building (must put pictures up later).  Then we had lecture in the afternoon and a night class with a career panel.  That was interesting--compiled mostly of lawyers.  One is now working for the Congressional Research Service, two others are practicing, and one is the former U.S. ambassador to Chad who is now self-employed and volunteers for Obama (wahoo!).  After that, I made a flying back to my dorm, changed into my rockstar clothes, and met my roommate downtown because we successfully scored tickets to Ben Folds' concert.  The concert was great and I must say (having received a sneak preview) that the new Ben Folds album (out Tuesday) is going to be AWESOME.  Thursday was a busy day--leaving campus at 8:00 to be at the International Monetary Fund.  The speaker was interesting, talked a bit about the current financial crisis, and did even get a little into caring for poor countries and development (interesting for the IMF because that is the World Banks' job).  Quote of the day:  "First world? Second World? Third World?  My friends, there's only one world."  Then back to campus for lecture.  Then off again to the World Bank, which at that point I was so exhausted and annoyed that I was in class until 7 pm that I didn't pay much attention.  Just kidding, I did pay attention but it wasn't too enlightening.  An overview of the World Bank.  Then off to Georgetown for Jannike's birthday celebration at a Spanish Tapas Bar, where my roommate continued her tradition of breaking U.S. law by providing alcohol to someone underaged (by giving me a drink of her wine...something she really enjoys.  haha!).  But really I just had water and enjoyed some tapas.  :-)

Friday was class at 9:00 am-speakers from the State Department and Tahari Justice Center talking about human trafficking.  An interesting class session--wish it hadn't been so early on a Friday morning.  :-)  I spent the rest of Friday being super unproductive (catching up on The Office and America's Next Top Model...oh, guilty pleasures).  Friday night we had a debate watching party.  It is really fun watching a debate with 50 other people who are approximately just as nerdy as you are.  AND, I must say I also enjoy that most of them lean to the left, like myself.  Overall, I enjoyed the debate but didn't see any clear winner.  I did, however, think Obama seemed much more comfortable with the format of the debate than McCain.  What I am really excited for is the VP debate this week--THAT will be interesting!  Also, fun fact:  I realized that both McCain and Obama are lefthanded.  A coincidence or are really smart/powerful/successful people lefthanded? hmmmm...So the next President of the U.S. will be a lefty!  I like it.

This weekend was a lot of homework, another library date with Lizzy, a bunch of laundry, and a continuing scramble to do my work.  Ohhhh...college.  I thought this semester was going to be a "break" for me?  What the heck happened there?  Oh well.

On other fronts, I continue my mental anguish over WHAT exactly I am going to do with the rest of my life, or at least once I finish my 3 very short semesters left at Drake.  Sooooo...if any of you have any suggestions or brilliant ideas, please share.  Seriously.

Anyway, I'm off to catch up with the girls at Drake and then hit the books again.  I really should start posting twice a week, since these entries are getting very long but it seems like there isn't ever time until Sunday night.  Oh well, if you really care, you stuck with me to the end of this one!

Love you all!

Katie

Last Week...

Well, I haven't posted for a week and thought that I should give an update.  Unfortunately, last week seems so long ago I will have to try really hard to remember what is blog-worthy!

Last week was very work-heavy.  I worked three days at my internship last week--an extra day to make up one of the six I will miss during my travels.  I also had a ton of homework.  Actually, I did this to myself because I have fallen behind in my reading.  This is a very new experience for me...seriously.  On Tuesday I had to lead my "Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing" class' discussion.  All things considered, it went well.  I spent Monday evening at the house of girl from my class, preparing for the presentation.  That was kind of fun because she made me dinner (a home-cooked meal!) and I got to check out the student housing down on The Hill.  She also lives next-door to Senator Cochran (R-Mississippi) so I tried to peak into the windows of a Senators house.  ;-) I also just discovered that I cannot type the word "senator" correctly because of my brother.  I automatically type "seanator."  Thanks, Sean.

I spent a large portion of my weekend trying to get caught up on schoolwork.  I'm still not quite there, but I did make a serious dent into my reading.  My burden was shared, however, by my friend Lizzy who accompanied me to the library all day Saturday.  To reward ourselves, we had a "date night" Saturday night and went down to Adam's Morgan for Indian food.  It almost made the studying worth it...almost.  At dinner, Lizzy and I decided that we both wanted to visit Georgetown's law school while we are here this semester, so we are making plans to visit the Friday of our fall break (October 17).

What was interesting was my seminar class last Friday.  We spent all day Friday at American University's law school, observing panel discussions on the legal implications of Guantanamo Bay and the way forward.  Some of the speakers were very interesting...some I wanted to smack.  Unfortunately, the discussions were pretty intense for undergraduates--a lot of legalise that none of us really understood.  I think I was a step ahead of my classmates due to last years' paper for Professor DeLaet, but I was pretty much drowning by the end of the day.  Good time for the weekend!

I started Sunday off right with a mile walk up to the National Cathedral for Sunday morning service.  Then, it was back to the books!  Sunday didn't seem to be as productive as Saturday, however.  The bottom line is that I'm still about a chapter behind where I should be in my readings.  It's a dismal looking situation, indeed.  However, this weekend is looking pretty clear so maybe (maybe?) I will get caught up!

Tonight I'm feeling pretty exhausted from very little sleep and a long day of internship today.  I also am looking forward to a pretty crazy week.  My class is visiting the Organization of American States, the International Monetary Fund, AND the World Bank this week...in addition to a guest speaker on human trafficking and at least two ordinary class sessions.  I have night classes two nights this week instead of one.  Thursday night I'm going to Georgetown to celebrate a friends' birthday, and my roommate and I are trying desperately to get cheap tickets to see Ben Folds Wednesday night.  I think I will need a relaxing weekend after this week!

I am also beginning to experience my first real case of homesickness...or more Drake-sickness.  I realized this week that band auditions are next week, and it seems so weird that I will not be there!  I even made a desperate attempt to get my hands on a bassoon this week, but was not successful.  I will definitely have my work cut out for me when I return in December, to get myself in shape for band in January!

I know this was a pretty long and mundane blog entry...thanks for bearing with me!  I'm sure that with everything I have going on this week, next week's entry will be a bit more exciting!

Take care, everyone!

9/11 Unity Walk

What an awesome day I've had!  Today was the annual September 11th Unity Walk.  It is a walk done every year by people of different faiths.  It begins at the Washington Hebrew Congregation and proceeds down Embassy Row.  Virtually every church, temple, synagogue, or place of worship opens its doors for the walk.  It is a very powerful experience.

I began at Washington Hebrew Congregation today at 1:30.  The walk began with a Muslim Call to Prayer, which was beautiful, and then several leaders spoke, including the rabbi of Washington Hebrew Congregation, the Dean of the Washington National Cathedral, and Reverend Mpho Tutu (Archbishop Desmond Tutu's daughter).  Desmond Tutu also filmed a video address to those of us who were walking, which was viewed at Washington Hebrew Congregation.  St. Augustine's Gospel Choir performed too, which almost brought me to tears.  I actually did start to cry as we began our walk because the first people out the door were Rabbi Bruce Lustig and Imama Abdullah Khouj, linked arm and arm.  It was very powerful to see these groups put aside their differences and unite for the cause of peace and understanding.

Our walk proceeded down Embassy Row.  Several places of worship were open along the way for refreshments and bathroom facilities!  The host congregations were so welcoming and passed out cold water to the walkers (much appreciated since the temperature in DC today was well over 90 degrees and very humid!).

Our next stop was the Islamic Center.  Here Imam Abdullah Khouj welcomed us and we were addressed by several other leaders of faith.  The highlight of this stop was Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.  His message was beautiful; he told a story comparing peace to a grain of wheat.  If you have a grain of wheat and you keep it to yourself, it will eventually decay and become worthless.  but if you plant the grain, it will take root, produce, and multiply.  The same is true of peace, he said.  It was a very touching message.  He then led us out of the Islamic Center for the remainder of the walk.  We ended at the Gandhi Memorial.

It was a great experience and I'm so glad the heat didn't deter me!  Those of you who know me well know that my life has changed drastically this past month, beyond even my move to DC.  The walk today really brought me a sense of calm and reassurance.  It may have been temporary, but it sure felt good!  Here are some pictures from the day:

St. Augustine's Gospel Choir at the National Hebrew Congregation

Gathering at the  Islamic Center

Arun Gandhi speaking at the Islamic Center

Gandhi Memorial with the Unity Walk banner

Some friends and I with Arun Gandhi

I think about my friends and family from home all of the time...I hope all is well in your own lives!  While my experience here is going great, rest assured that you are all deeply missed.

~Katie

Start of My Internship

Well, yesterday I started my internship.  The office seems really great.  It's pretty small, but everyone was very friendly.  It's interesting, too, because several Lutheran organizations are all housed in the same office space.  We have the "advocacy team" (of which I am a part), as well as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (interested in talking to those guys!), Lutheran Services of America, and another organization that I am forgetting at the moment.  Starting tomorrow, a bunch of our church's bishops are in DC for an annual conference, as well as meetings up on Capitol Hill.  Our office is in charge of planning and coordinating the whole thing so, as you can imagine, yesterday and today were a little crazy.

As a result, I spent most of my days doing clerical-type work.  Everyone kept apologizing to me and promising that my internship wouldn't normally be like that.  Honestly, I didn't mind.  I'm used to doing clerical work and actually like having work that keeps me up on my feet and moving around the office.  It was also helpful to have a new person be able to do the folder stuffing and stapling, so that people who actually knew what was going on could have time to do the in-depth tasks.  I liked it because I felt like I was kind of easing my way into my job.  I have a feeling that if I started my typical duties on the first day, there would be people I would never meet in our office.  Once I begin my research, I think my work will keep me back in my own office for most of the day.  It will be a different environment from the socializing I'm used to at Davis Brown!

One great thing about my job is that it's about three blocks from the Capitol grounds.  I have an awesome view of the Capitol as I walk from Union Station down Louisiana Ave to my internship.  I wonder if the novelty will eventually wear off, or if seeing that white dome will always give me a little thrill.

Congress came back to session this week.  It seems our office will be in full-throttle mode for awhile because right after the bishops conference, we head straight into a three week legislative session.  From what I gathered, our office has a special interest in a lot of the legislation that is supposed to hit the floor this session and so I'm looking forward to being in the midst of that.  I hope to come home a legislative pro!

On a completely separate note, last weekend I experienced my first hurricane/tropical storm.  Hana made her way up the coast and hit the DC area a bit.  It was a little anticlimactic (I'll admit I was a little interested in experiencing a hurricane, since I'm from tornado country!).  We mostly just got a lot of rain on Saturday.  I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to stay in and get my homework done so I could go downtown on Sunday.  Of course I didn't get as much homework done as I should have, and I still went downtown on Sunday.  :-)  I'm three weeks into the semester, and I still haven't gotten into school mode.  That really needs to change!

I hope everyone is doing well in the heartland (or wherever you may be reading this!),

~Katie

Internship!!!!!

Hello everyone!

I am happy to (finally!) announce that I have accepted an internship position. The last two weeks have been a frenzy of applications, resumes, cover letters, internship bazaars, and interviews. I believed I ended up applying to about a dozen organizations and was offered positions at five. This was a great opportunity, as I got to "shop around" for an internship that seemed to be a good match, but also difficult because I had to turn down some great organizations!

I ultimately settled on a position with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's Washington Office. As some of you may know, the ELCA is my home church and I am very excited to have an internship that allows me to explore two of my biggest interests--politics and religion! My particular position places me under the Director of Mid-Eastern Policy at the ELCA Washington Office. As I understand it, I have two main projects for the semester, though I was told that I would have a great deal of freedom to pursue any project that interests me. One big project is researching the distribution of aid from the U.S. government to Israel and to Palestine. The other project will involve working with synods and congregations on an ELCA publication about the future of Iraq. As I understand it, the publication has already been created and my job will mainly be organizing its distribution and training congregations on how to approach the guide. It should be interesting!

I'll keep you posted on how the internship is going, as well as any fun DC things I'll be doing in the upcoming weeks!