Wednesday, September 14, 2016
By:
It has now been nearly one month since I finished my internship with the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Looking back at this internship has been quite fun. I spent most of my summer running around trying to get everything done that needed to be. It almost feels like an ant farm in that every ant is running and constantly busy to support the colony. The interns are all following the same concept to help the government run. I know that the role I played was that of an extra in a movie but that makes the job no less necessary and I am stoked to have had the opportunity.
This being my first time living for any length of time away from my home county where I went to college, it was an experience that was invaluable to me. I was able to actually experience “dorm style” living in an area I do not know and with people I did not know. I lucked out with room mates and we all got along quite well and became friends. I had heard many room mate horror stories and so that was pretty forward on my mind for worries going into the internship. This was “dorm style” housing so past better furnishing and cooking equipment, I could not have asked for better living arrangements.
One thing I will definitely not miss from this experience is the Metro. Coming from Northern California, our public transportation system consisted of constantly late and irregular busses an that was it. Because of that, the system is not heavily used and many people have cars. I love driving. I love having my own car. I love the freedom I have in deciding where and when I want to go somewhere. That would be hard for me to give up again. Im not quite sure i really could give it up again for that matter.
Living in Washington D.C. was incredible. It was wonderful and awful in different ways. I don’t mind being in a big city but I am not a huge fan of prolonged time in a big city. I love open skies, nature, and small little shops and things. The large buildings that constantly surround ones self everywhere in D.C. are a bit overwhelming at times. However, there is a lot of history to the city that is so fascinating and every place has a dozen stories to go with it. The Capitol is awe-inspiring and I will definitely return there again someday in one way or another. That being said, there is also nothing like the Smithsonian Museums. I absolutely loved going to them and being able to see all that they had to offer. That is an experience worth making the trip for alone even.
This summer was definitely new for me and it was a huge change of pace for me to work for the government coming from physics. I think the experience has been invaluable and I will take much of what I learned on into graduate school. I will definitely look back on this summer with fond memories and have wonderful stories to tell friends and family now and down the road.
Demitri Call