Since lists are easier to write than prose...
My summer (up until now):
1. LSAT--logic games were a killer, but I chilled out the day of the test. During the four months before the test, I stressed, and then the day of, I felt so relaxed. Thank G-d, that relaxed feeling has stuck with me, and I'm hoping to remain chilled about the whole ordeal.
2. Started working on the Hill. I'm working in a Congressman-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's office. It's been a cool experience. Lots of IQ (data entry), lots of letter writing, a little bit of research, some hearings and briefings, a considerable amount of time spent with the congressman's daughter. The last thing is the reason that I got to attend a members-only hearing with Captain Sullenberger (of the US Airways flight that landed on the Hudson); when the Legislative Director got kicked out, I got to stay, since I'm a "friend" of the congressman's daughter.
3. Congressional baseball game--Democrats whipped the Republicans for the first time in over a decade. Saw Nancy Pelosi up close. Sat with Team Intern from the office plus some people from my program.
4. Shabbos in Baltimore--great to spend time with F.
5. Shabbos in Georgetown--a chavayah. I would say "enough said," but I feel like I should elaborate, because that Shabbos may have been quite seminal for me. Friday night, I learned that frum guys drink. A lot. They may look yeshivish, they may not look yeshivish, but either way they drink. It was good to learn this, because now I'm not as naive. My standards aren't lower now (I hope), but I'm enlightened.
6. I can't remember what I've done this summer. Oy. A couple of weeks ago, I decided that it was about time I started documenting this experience, but I left off in the middle. I'll just paste in what I started then, and we'll call it even.
***
I've been putting off documenting my summer, but I think that it's about time I just do it already. That's how blogging works for me: I have a nagging feeling that I should journal, and then finally I feel ready.
So I'm interning in Washington, D.C., for a congressman who shall remain nameless. I'm officially not allowed to write about my experiences in the office under penalty of losing my (unpaid) job. Despite the fact that being an intern is in many ways the equivalent of being a slave, I'm really enjoying the experience. Although the job is, in many ways, quite menial (recording faxes, sorting mail, transferring phone calls), it's also very interesting. I get to attend hearings and briefings, give tours of the Capitol, and babysit the congressman's 16 year-old daughter (we visit Smithsonians together during work hours). I write memos, letters to constituents, and Dear Colleagues. As cliched as it may sound, I'm getting to see Washington "from an insider's perspective," and it's pretty cool.
One of the things that annoys me about politics is how deceptive people are. For instance, every phone call, fax, email, and letter that my office receives gets a written reply. The legislative correspondent and interns are the ones who write the replies, and, no, the congressman never sees any constituent correspondence. When we write back to constituents, we try to be as supportive of their opinion as possible while never agreeing to take action in support of that view. Basically, we tell people what they want to hear without actually doing anything to further their particular interest. We never take a strong stance against anything, which really runs contrary to the whole "stand up for what you believe in" line that we've all been fed. chilled out to the point
***
Yeah, that's how I left it off--with an uncapitalized fragment.
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