Getting Settled...

First off, I just want to throw it out there - if you like it you can take it, if not you can throw it right back - DC is amazing! I’ve been feeling rather overwhelmed since my arrival, but definitely in a good sense. There are so many opportunities here, whether it be potential jobs, attending conferences, or simply just having a debate (which I’m realizing seems to happen quite often).

I arrived about 2 weeks ago now, and everything went as planned. I’m not living in The Washington Center housing, but rather found an apartment online through craigslist.org. It was a little daunting coming here on my own and not really knowing if my roommate actually existed, or if she was planning on robbing me upon arrival. Instead, she helped me get settled, took me for a tour, and then bought me dinner. I was like WHOA I definitely scored with this setup--the place is great, the roommate is super nice, and the area where I’m living is amazing. I’m just a few blocks away from downtown Bethesda in Maryland, which is packed full of nice restaurants and shopping. I really don’t think I could have asked for a better spot to be.

The Washington Center orientation was last week as well, and was pretty interesting. It was great to meet all the people from my program (Global Trade and Regional Integration) and start having some peeps here to hang out with. Everyone seems really nice, and we have a huge mix of people from all over North and South America. We also started our Monday programming which has been pretty good so far. We were able to visit the Organization of American States, which is in one of the most amazing buildings I’ve ever seen, as well as hear from a few speakers who are kind of a big deal.

I’ve only had two classes so far, but both were full of US vs. the rest of America debates regarding political / trade issues. I felt kind of bad last night as there are only two people from the states in my class, with about 10 others from Canada / Latin America, and it basically ended up being a 10 vs. 2 type debate on the Buy America provision. I have a feeling this division may keep going throughout the semester so it could be interesting.

I also started my internship last week at the Embassy of Mexico. I’m not gonna lie, I was definitely on the fence about it after the first few days, but I’m feeling good about it now. The main difficulty for me has been the English/Spanish barrier, as pretty much everyone else is Mexican. The work is mostly in English, and everyone is extremely nice, but I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed at lunch hour especially with 4-5 Mexicans all speaking super fast. By the time I think of something to add to the conversation in Spanish, they’ve already moved on to something else, so I guess I’m just gonna play off the “strong and silent type” persona. We did go out for juevecitas last Thursday, which pretty much means Thursday Date. I guess it’s a tradition at the Embassy for the interns, which I’m definitely not complaining about. There were several Coronas involved, which seemed to improve my Spanish quite a bit…go figure.

I’ve done quite a bit of sightseeing already on my own including a LOT of exploring by foot, as well as the Museum of National History, tour of the Capitol, Eastern Market, the Mexican Cultural Institute, Embassy Row and the Museum of Natural History. For most cities a list like that seems to be the extent of the sightseeing, but I seriously feel like if I was to go see something different everyday while I am here, I still wouldn’t see it all. The best part is that pretty much all of it is FREE!!! Hey oooo!!!

The awesomeness that is the Capitol

The amazing murals inside the Cultural Institute of Mexico

A couple of us from the Global Trade Program at the top of the Old Post Office Tower: (L to R) Andrew from Canada, Kyle from Florida, Sarah from Wisconsin, Me, and John from Pennslyvania

I also went to my first conference/forum today at the CATO Institute. It was basically a panel of speakers discussing the importance of services in free trade…sounds boring I’m sure, but I can honestly say it was pretty stellar. There are two other ones planned by CATO next week, one on the Latin American economy, and the other on drug trade issues in Mexico. I’m hoping to be able to go to both, and it seems my supervisor is pretty laid back so hopefully it works out. They are all free, and you get a sweet nametag for registering in advance, as well as free lunch afterwards. I kind of want to go to one everyday so I never have to buy lunch, I wonder if they would catch on.

Oh, and one more thing to mention….I saw my very first presidential motorcade today. It was intense. I was walking to the Embassy (which conveniently is just a few blocks from the Whitehouse), and boom, all of a sudden this cop car came out of nowhere and blocked traffic. No one really seemed as excited as I did so apparently it must happen down our street all the time…or maybe it wasn’t even Obama, who knows, but I don’t really know how many people get such sweet convoys. Anyways, right after he blocked the traffic all these motorcycles started coming and then about 10-15 black SUV’s and cars with tinted windows, followed by more police. Then suddenly it was over; he flipped off his siren, drove away, and traffic continued as normal. I basically stood there stunned wishing I would have had my camera and thinking about how well organized it was. Seriously, it was perfectly timed and pretty much awesome.

That’s all I got for now, but with the upcoming long weekend I’m hoping to have some pretty compelling stories for my next post.

Paz.