Saying Goodbye

So I have left the big city behind and am writing this blog from our beach house while enjoying a beautiful sunset over the marsh during high tide. I was thinking about it earlier and I realized I have moved around quite a bit in the past few days. It is crazy that this time just three days ago I was battling the most crowded metro rush hour I had seen all summer, trying to get back from work and pack up the rest of my stuff before beginning phase one of the trek back to Wilmington.

I had a great last week of work and even received a going away breakfast from my supervisors. They also surprised me with a very thoughtful gift including my very own Smithsonian tote bag, Smithsonian t-shirt, and Smithsonian notebook. I totally am planning on wearing/carrying those three items all at once at some point. On Thursday, my last day at work, Shannon and Aislan and I also walked to get frozen yogurt at our favorite place and then, drumroll please... RODE THE CAROUSEL!!! My Smithsonian ID badge got me a ton of perks this summer. We're talking free IMAx tickets, discounts in gift shops and museum restaurants, access to cool places, no waiting in lines, etc. However, in my opinion, the fact that you could ride the Mall carousel for no charge was the best of all. We also got a very interesting ride since there was a major storm brewing in the distance, complete with massive bolts of lightning and rumbling thunder, while we were gleefully whirling around and around on our pretty little painted ponies. The ride ended, we made our way (quickly) back over towards our office as the sky blackened, and then... maybe 20 yards from our building, the bottom drops out. Tourists were panicking, whipping out umbrellas every which way and running for cover. Luckily, the downpour started right as we reached the covered walkway in front of the Smithsonian Castle. We stood there for a second and pulled out Aislan's tiny little umbrella, the only one we had on hand since I made the smart decision to leave mine at home that day. We were contemplating how to fit all of us underneath the dinky little thing when we realized we were Smithsonian employees, therefore we have underground access to our office building from the castle. SCORE!!! We made it back without a drop of rain on us. I did feel sort of bad when we kept seeing sopping wet tourists walking by for the rest of the afternoon... but not too bad.

Here are some pictures to sum up my last week in D.C.

I just couldn't leave without doing the ultimate touristy D.C. thing and going up in the Washington Monument. Plus, it was the last item on my big D.C. To-Do List that I challenged myself with over the summer.

View of the Lincoln Memorial from 500 feet up!

One last roomie date to go see Mary Poppins the musical at the Kennedy Center

YES THIS IS ANDY RODDICK!!!! I got to see him warming up not 20 feet away from me in between my ushering duties at the Legg Mason Tennis Tournament!!!! May or may not have taken about 100 pictures...

The main stadium at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center where the tournament took place. I also had the chance to see James Blake play here the next night.

After my fun metro ride home (which took 45 minutes... usually it takes 7... D.C. public transportation goes crazy when it rains) I got back to my room planning on getting together the little bit of stuff I had left. "Little bit" was completely incorrect I soon discovered. I had planned on just carrying perhaps one or two little bags over to Rachael's car as I met up with them when they got off work. Then ideally we would just go along our merry little way and jet on out to their house in Arlington. Well... that's not exactly what happened. First, it was raining outside. And I realized I still had a lamp, a massive mattress pad, all my bedding, a bag of clothes, some kitchen supplies, a backpack, tons of stuffed animals... so that wasn't happening. Thankfully Rachael ended up just driving over and parking in front of my building so I could dump the last of my stuff in her car in a slightly less wet state. Then we drive off to go turn in my keys thinking that I am good to go and had everything out of the room. However, as I was turning in my key, asking the guy at the desk whether there was anything else I needed to take care of, I have this vision of my cute striped curtains still hanging in the windows in my dorm room. So, fun fun fun, I ask for my keys back, we drive over there, I collect my curtains, drive back, and turn in my keys for good this time. Then we went to Thai Noy, our favorite Thai restaurant near their house, and ate massive amounts of delicious food since we were both starved after all the moving.

So I spent Wednesday night in my dorm in D.C., Thursday night in Arlington, Virginia with Rachael and Eric, Friday night in Alexandria, Virginia at my overnight babysitting job, and then Saturday night here at Wrightsville Beach! My car looked like a closet on wheels and I am just looking forward to being semi-settled for a month or so before I head off to Scotland. Plus, I am looking forward to some good home cooking courtesy of the Mommy. As much fun as it was to cook in my microscopic little kitchen with no measuring cups and one pot and pan to my name, it will be nice to be home and have some family time.

I of course waterskied the moment I got out of my car, even before going inside. Then we enjoyed some of the glorious southern creation that is BBQ, performed the usual beach ritual of going to get ice cream after dinner, and then lounged on the porch in the rocking chairs. I love this lazy lifestyle down here, it's so nice to be home. Today I got to run the loop, kneeboard, swim, kayak, walk the dogs, and didn't change out of my bathing suit once. It's going to be a great couple of weeks relaxing down here. I will miss the big city but it is nice to return home to my good old North Carolina roots before heading off to rediscover my Scottish roots in a little less than a month!

Lansing Comes to Town

So what happens when one of the school districts we partner with calls up and wants to plan a teacher workshop in D.C. including visits to the National Portrait Gallery, Museum of American Art, the National Archives, the American History Museum, the American Indian Museum, the White House, the Capitol Building, and Mt. Vernon? We gladly oblige and create a hectic, action packed, three day itinerary of course.

I am almost positive that the laundry list I just rattled off would appear daunting to just about any tourist coming to D.C., unless they were armed with behind the scenes passes to all the museums and a private chauffeur or something. However, my supervisor Ann did an excellent job planning ahead, which resulted in what I thought was a very impressive program. The teachers did indeed get to race all over the city seeing the sights and snapping pictures galore, but the educational workshops held at each of the museums were also very well done. We coordinated with the Director of Education at each museum to ensure that the teachers would return home with extensive lesson plans as well as new and interactive ways to get their kids excited about American history.

I could honestly write a book about this past week, I feel like so much happened in just a few days! However, in order to prevent the blog website from going into information overload, I'll focus on a few highlights.

Observation #1 - Although they make their living teaching kids, teachers themselves are often a lot like small children. Trust me, you would feel the same way if you were responsible for moving a group of 25 people from point A to point B in Washington, D.C. with crosswalks, presidential motorcades (yes we did see the president!!!), and countless roadside refreshment booths standing in your way. Let me tell you, it is no easy task motivating a group of people rather unaccustomed to walking to trek from the American History Museum (14th street) all the way to the American Indian Museum (2nd street...) in 90 degree weather. But in the midst of all the walking we did I got to know some of the teachers really well and I think I will keep in touch with a few of them. After spending three days herding people on and off tour buses, directing them to the bathrooms and water fountains, and sitting through the workshop sessions with them, you can't help but do some quality bonding.

Shirley McCormick, an eighth grade art teacher, taught me how to sketch (yes ladies and gentlemen, I actually sort of know how to draw now!) and I am now far less artistically challenged thanks to her. I also had a great time practicing my Spanish with a woman named Dorcas Gonzalez who is a middle school teacher originally from Puerto Rico. Zeke was probably one of my favorite teachers on the tour. I think he had spent way too much time around his fifth grade students since he was always cracking somewhat immature jokes or snickering at the nude statues we passed when we were visiting the American Art Museum. (However, I probably shouldn't be talking since I am pretty sure I laughed at every single one of his jokes...)

The group at 7 am before our tour!

But it was so rewarding to actually see all of our hard work paying off. I really don't mind all the busy work that comes along with the internship, like making copies, confirming travel arrangements, collating the teachers' binders, etc, etc. In fact I actually really like that part! But I especially love my job when I actually see what all of our time and hard work produces and when I actually get to meet and interact with the teachers. It's cool to hear them talk about their students and watch them get excited to take these new activities and new approaches back to their classrooms. Plus, they're sometimes just downright funny running around D.C. with their fanny packs, a bottle of water in hand, and cameras dangling from their wrists, stopping every five seconds to snap a picture of anything and everything. (Besides, it makes me feel far less silly when I join in and do the same... just minus the fanny pack.)

Shannon, Aislan and me in front of the John Bull steam locomotive at the American History Museum

After our teacher program ended on Thursday night, I came home and flopped face down on my bed for two or three minutes while roommate Kelly looked on concernedly, trying to figure out whether I was just resting or in some sort of coma. It was a great week and definitely worth it, but it was also an incredibly exhausting week. After catching up on sleep that night, I had a chance to attend the Marion Wright lecture series on Friday, which is given each year to help interns learn more about the job application process here at the Smithsonian. It was extremely helpful and I also got a chance to make some more networking contacts as I look towards opportunities for next summer.

Then... drumroll please... this morning at 8:30 am I began my first shift volunteering at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic!!!!!!!!! I am going to meet Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt and John Isner and stalk them until I get their autographs!! Well, most likely not really, I won't stoop that low... at least I don't think I will. But still, it is SO COOL to get to watch all of this great tennis for free! It makes me even more excited for/terrified of the moment when I pick my racket back up for the first time since February once I get home... that should be quite interesting. But for now I am perfectly content with my duties as an usher on the grandstand court for the next three days. Perhaps if I absorb enough amazing tennis now it will pay off and my first time back on the court will only be mildly terrible rather than horrific.

Well, I must bid this blog adieu since I absolutely cannot put off packing any longer. The original plan was to go get my car from Rachael's immediately after getting home from the tennis tournament. Well... first I napped, then I snacked, then I watched television, then I ended up meeting up with Rachael and Eric and his parents who are visiting for the week up in Georgetown where we then shopped for two hours before driving home... where we then decided to organize a spur of the moment trip to Wegmans (aka the greatest grocery store in the world). Think Whole Foods meets Costo and has a beautiful grocery store baby that surpasses both of their levels of spectacularity, and there you have Wegmans. So obviously we had to spend an hour and a half there. So now it is 9:34 and although I have tons of bags strewn around my now half empty apartment (Kelly moved out this afternoon...) :( I have nothing down in my car. But never fear, I performed an impressive show of aggressive downtown D.C. driving when I got home and procured a parking spot right smack dab in front of my dorm. Actually... I could probably just open up the sunroof and chuck things right down into the car it's so convenient. So in that case, let the moving begin!

Behind the Scenes

You know one of the things I love the most about D.C.? The ability to indulge the Top Chef, Food Network, famous chef obsessed side of my personality. For example, Season 6 of my all time favorite show, Top Chef, took place here in D.C. So now, everytime I watch a new episode I am bound to recognize the grocery store where the chefs bought their ingredients and the venue where each challenge occurs. Going to Whole Foods is a whole new experience when you know that Top Chef contestants might have stood in exactly the same place!!!! Okay, wow I better stop. Now I'm just sounding like a crazed pre-teen Hannah Montana fan.

But last night I had the chance to attend a Smithsonian lecture with Greek chef Michael Psilakis. He is a Greek immigrant who owns three famous restaurants in New York City and has been credited with redefining Greek cuisine in the United States. He also received one of the Best New Chefs Awards from Food and Wine Magazine. So basically, I was in heaven. Oh and did I mention that Washington Post food writer Jane Black was the one interviewing him? And I had a chance to meet her after the program?? Ahhhh!!!! Anyways, during the interview Michael talked a lot about his new cookbook How to Roast a Lamb and told lots of funny stories from his childhood as well as from experiences he has had in the restaurant industry.

Apart from that I have also had some other neat D.C. experiences this week. It has been an incredibly busy and incredibly HOT last couple of days. Since we have our teacher workshop coming from Lansing, Michigan next week, Ann, Aislan and I have been trekking all over the city doing our "walk throughs" to be sure we have all the details down pat for when our 25 teachers arrive. Since we have such a busy schedule to keep to, we are trying to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible! So on Monday we took a taxi up to the Capitol Building and met with our contact up there. We will be taking a tour and hopefully visiting both the House and Senate galleries while we are there next Thursday. Since it was just the three of us this time though, our guide Rob took us through the behind the scenes, off limits to the general public part of the building. So we wove our way through the basementof the Capitol and ended up walking right out onto the front and down the stairs... right past the policemen with the huge machine guns. Oh and you want to hear something I found rather humorous? Apparently the policemen are highly suspicious of visitors rooting through the trashcans and you can get in a whole lot of trouble for that. I had shared my coffeee mug story with Aislan and Shannon and we could barely keep a straight face when Rob shared that little bit of information with us as we were walking along.

Yesterday we made our way over to the White House Visitor's Center and guess who we saw along the way?? The president!! We were standing in front of the Visitor's Center and then his entire motorcade comes zipping out of the White House. The security guard outside the building knew which car he was in and pointed him out to us, so we could just make out his profile. We figured out later that he had been on the way to sign the new financial reform bill at the Ronald Reagan Building. Which explained the closed off sidewalks and blaring sirens we encountered on our walk over there.

This afternoon my supervisor and I are heading over to the Natural History Museum to meet with an expert from the mineral sciences department to discuss a program we are planning for October down in Louisiana. It's really cool how much responsibility we are getting as interns at this point, being able to actually help plan and design our teacher workshops.

Tomorrow night Rachael and I are looking forward to a night filled with homemade pizza, her mom's famous chocolate cake and a viewing of the five hour Pride and Prejudice movie. I can't wait!

The Lovett Family Sure Knows How to Cook!

I feel as if I have enrolled in cooking school for the summer. Cousin Rachael is one of the best cooks I have ever seen! (She laughs and shakes her head every time I say that but it really is true.) In the past I would always pass up the delicious, yet daunting, recipes in Bon Appétit and Gourmet, thinking they were far too complicated and involved. But now NO recipe is off limits. From beef bourguignon to homemade cinnamon buns, she can do it all thanks to a bookshelf jam packed with culinary knowledge. Also, she has compiled a family cookbook so that all the delicious Lovett favorites can be passed down to future generations. Aunt Lib's pound cake, Aunt Louisa's rolls (yup grandma, that's you!!), her mom's famous chocolate silk coffee cake - it's all in there. And I now have a copy so watch out family! I'm going to be cooking up a storm when I get home.

Yesterday was the big day. We had been eagerly awaiting Saturday all week long. Want to know why?? Ginger ice cream. Yup. Ever since I was served a bowl of crystallized ginger ice cream at Thai Noy at our family dinner on Monday night, Rachael and I had our sights (our crazy ginger obsessed sights that is) set on trying out our own rendition. And I am very glad to report that it was immensely successful. Here are some pictures since I had to document the end result... before we ate it all that is.

Sous chef Chloe

Our gelato!!! Fresh out of their brand new high tech ice cream maker, courtesy of Eric as a 6 year anniversary present. We were both very, very impressed by his gift giving skills.

Oh and did I mention that since making homemade, gourmet gelato just wasn't enough, we decided to bake a loaf of homemade oatmeal bread? Oh yeah, no big deal at all. Here's the end result of that baking endeavor (I like taking pictures a bit too much...) and on your left you'll find the most amazing piece of toast ever created. The reason it's half eaten was because I couldn't put it down after the first bite. It's lucky I even managed to stop eating long enough to snap a picture.

But Mom, Dad, and Julia, get ready because when I come home I am coming armed with a list of recipes that I will proceed to cook for you until you bust. That Pepperidge Farms cinnamon raisin swirl bread we all love so much?? Yeah, I'm going to make you a homemade version. And the cinnamon buns from a tube? Nope, we're having homemade. All thanks to Rachael.

On a non food related note... yesterday I had a chance to attend a Smithsonian Resident Associates music seminar titled "Eros in Music." It was led by Saul Lilienstein who is a Smithsonian music lecturer and a Washington National Opera CD commentator. This little old man knew everything I think there is to know about music, it was quite impressive. We started off with the 17th century language of courtship and listened to madrigals from composers such as John Dowland, William Byrd, and Claudio Monteverdi. Then we moved into my favorite part of the program which featured a piano performance including Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, and Strauss. The afternoon covered opera and 20th century ballet music. I am just constantly amazed by all the opportunities at the Smithsonian! This week I'm attending two more lectures... it may be summer but it's really cool to feel like I'm still learning and getting to indulge my nerdy side while I'm away from Davidson. I'm kind of falling in love with this place...

I also went out to "the farm" with Rachael and Eric today. Rachael's Aunt Sarah and her family live up in rural Maryland on this beautiful house situated on 26 acres of land. Their kids, Lilly and Austin, were really fun to hang out with and I received the grand tour-chickens, chinchillas, dogs, the goldfish, the inside fort, the outside tree fort, the pool table in the basement... I saw it all. This outing also included more delicious Lovett cooking in the form of fried chicken (YAY SOUTHERN FOOD!!!!!!!!), creamed corn, cabbage, cornbread, and Caprese salad made with tomatoes from a garden not 20 feet away from their front door. Somehow after eating all of that Lilly, Austin, and I managed to make it down to the creek where we ran around and explored while simultaneously trying to avoid all the patches of poison ivy and thorns. (I don't know how good of a job I did on that, my legs are feeling rather itchy and scratched. Oh well, it was completely worth it!)

We also visited Lewis Orchards right up the street and stocked up on ginger gold apples, blackberries, and peaches. Austin even convinced me to buy an entire watermelon which is now perching on top of my fridge. I may have to go test it out... It was a great day though and very fun to get to know even more of the Lovett family.

Family Time and Sightseeing Galore

So the remainder of the Lovett clan rolled into D.C. around dinnertime on Saturday night, just in time to catch our dinner reservation at Farmers and Fishers in the Georgetown Harbor. The "teenage unit" (as my parents have now started to refer to Julia) was definitely not her usual peppy self after a straight month of CIT duties, and the parents were pretty exhausted after a six hour drive. So our first night involved the three of them sprawled across the hotel beds completely conked out while I sat there enjoying three different sets of snoring.

All the sleep was completely necessary though. You see Dad had us on a strict biking schedule on Sunday - the bikes were to be delivered to our hotel at 8 am sharp and then we were off on our 30 mile bike ride on the Capital Crescent Trail, the Georgetown Branch Bike Path, and finally through Rock Creek Park. We started off a little later than planned (duh, that's a family tradition) and had an absolutely amazing day.

We rode all the way up along the Potomac into Bethesda, Maryland, where we stopped to refuel on samples at a local farmers market. For me refueling primarily involved seeing how many little tiny sample cups of coffee I could sneak from the coffee vendor's tent without getting glares from the owner... however, we also sampled the best mango gelato I've ever tasted, pickles that made your mouth pucker up (I went for the "full sour" version... poor decision), fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, cookies, scones, etc, etc, etc. It was a miracle that we still fit into our bike shorts after all of that. Yet somehow we were able to make our way back to our bikes and continue on our merry way... at a somewhat slower pace.

For the rest of their visit Mom, Dad, and Julia would take off to sightsee and check out museums while I was at work. They managed to accomplish the Holocaust Museum, the Spy Museum, Fords Theatre, and parts of the National Art Gallery. Not too shabby for a mere day and a half in downtown D.C. We also got lots of chances to make fun of Dad for his habit of reading EVERY SINGLE plaque, sign, informational leaflet, etc. Basically anything that contained even the faintest inkling of historical value, he had to read every single word, no excuses. So of course the Lincoln Memorial was prime time joking around territory as Dad diligently

focused on the huge inscription of Lincoln's second inaugural address on the wall. For about

20 minutes straight. :)

They headed out early Tuesday afternoon on my orders since I did NOT want them

getting caught in rush hour traffic, as wonderful of an end to their trip as that could

have been. Since then I have just been busy at work and signing up to volunteer for/attend even

more things. My strategy is to accept basically every opportunity I come across and it

is certainly keeping me busy and making this summer a ton of fun. I have been trying to

take full advantage of that Smithsonian badge of mine while I can, I don't want to miss out

on anything! Next week I'm attending two lectures, (normally would cost $50 but I'm going for

FREEEEEE!!) one titled "My Life on a Plate" with Greek chef Michael Psilakis and the other

called "Secrets from the Past: From Ancient Texts to Modern Medicine" with an historian

from the Natural History Museum. I'm also volunteering at the Hirshhorn After Hours event

next Friday night. There will be live entertainment, access to all the art exhibits, and probably

some pretty swanky, yummy food, so I'm excited about that! I'm also volunteering to help

out with the annual Legg Mason Tennis Tournament the last weekend of July. The bracket

includes Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewit, John Isner, and Robby Ginepri. I AM SO EXCITED!!!

I'm hoping to get to be a ball girl, orientation/training is next Saturday so we'll see!

Other than that I've been scrambling to cross things off my big old D.C. to do list. I only have

a mere three weeks left, so I better get busy! I feel like I have done so much at this point but

I just know that I probably won't make it to everything I have my eye on. This place has really grown

on me... not going to lie I was not a fan of the big city when I first got here. All I could think about

was how much I missed the beach, flip flops and bathing suit coverups, and the beautiful sound

of people saying the word "ya'll"... while drinking sweet tea of course. But now, I really do like

it here. Maybe it has something to do with not feeling like a tourist anymore and actually

knowing what on earth I'm doing. Oh and not getting lost like every five minutes and having to

consult a map. That always helps. Here's some pictures from this morning's adventures, which

included a tour of the Capitol Building with some other Smithsonian interns, a trip to the

Botanical Gardens, and the National Art Gallery.

Oh, and a funny story for you which shows just how cheap I am and how attached I am to my possessions.

So I decided to walk to the Capitol from my dorm... for those less familiar with D.C. geography,

that's a good 2.2 miles, so you're looking at a good 50 minute walk. It was a great walk but I got

to the Visitor's Center right at 10:00 on the dot, so not much time to dilly dally since I was supposed

to be meeting my tour group RIGHT then. Well, I had heard about how the Capitol Building has this

rule about absolutely under no conditions, no matter what, never ever ever ever never never are you

allowed to enter the premises with a water bottle, coffee mug, etc. In short, no liquid receptacle

of any kind could get past those security guys with the freakishly shiny shoes. Well... come to find out

they are not referring to only water bottles that are actually filled with some sort of liquid.

Nope. Incorrect. Actually that rule also pertains to really cute blue and green polka dot coffee

travel mugs that you got as a graduation gift and that you use every single day since you're living

in a kitchen that is three feet wide max and lays claim to only two cups. So, sadly, my nice little mug

found its way into a trash can outside the Visitor's Center. I grieved for a moment, pulled myself

together and then went off to meet up with my tour. But!!! I had a plan. After all of this...

I actually went back and got my mug out of the trash can. Okay, before you get completely grossed

out, allow me to qualify my actions. Those trash cans outside are primarily filled with the sad

remains of other people's possessions which have also been confiscated by the security guards.

So we're not talking nasty trash cans here. We're talking trash cans probably full of tons of

cool things from tourists that travel here from all over the country and the world only to have their

very favorite mug or Nalgene chucked in the waste bin. So the trash can I placed my poor little

coffee mug in was nearly empty both when it was placed there and when it left, save for a few

empty plastic bottles. So my desperate actions were totally justifiable. Haha, no... now that I think

about it I realize the cold hard truth. I dug through the trash can to get my precious coffee mug

back. I really do have a coffee problem, I should just face up to it.

Alright, well I have to run since I am off to babysitting job number one of the weekend. Gotta make

some money!! I'll post again once I have more pictures.

And the award for the world's largest human sunburst goes to...

So, you may be familiar with the official Smithsonian logo, fondly known as the "sunburst" among Smithsonian employees as I have now learned. You can find this image basically everywhere in the 19 museums here in D.C., whether it's on flags, folders, gift shop bags, or the stickers on the really yummy chocolate chip cookies you buy at museum cafés. However, last Thursday July 1st, all 3,500 Smithsonian employees gathered on the mall to attempt an unprecedented feat. Yes ladies and gentlemen-we created the world's largest human sunburst!

This groundbreaking event happened on the same day as the annual Smithsonian Folk Life Festival picnic. So at 11:00 sharp, all the Smithsonian employees from around D.C. flocked to the mall where we were assigned to one of the various numbered sections and corralled there until the photographer was ready for us. You see, he had to mount his giant crane and be raised 50 feet up in the air so he could get a good view of all of us first. Very important step. Once this had been accomplished we were all directed into position... it was oddly reminiscent of an airplane being ushered into the gate by those guys with the orange cones on the tarmac. It took about 15-20 minutes to get everyone in place, but with the help of a few guys with giant megaphones shouting directions at all of us, the chalk outline that had been drawn in the grass, and the fact that is was only 85 degrees that day as opposed to the normal 100, we managed to create our sunburst!

I actually managed to find myself in the picture too! I was placed down here in the bottom right ray... looking through this picture trying to pick out my face was kind of a like a really intense page in a Where's Waldo book.

So after we stood there for a while, alternately waving and smiling, we were given the okay to disperse and go off to enjoy the picnic. And oh BOY did I enjoy it! You see, one of the main perks of the whole official Smithsonian Folk Life staff picnic was the $12 worth of food coupons they gave to each of us. I of course took it upon myself to pay a visit to one of the fruit stands where you could choose from options such as a 1/4 of a watermelon, an entire mango sliced up and ready to eat, a whole bag of grapes, or a container of cherries. I seriously considered spending all my money on fruit, but then decided to balance the grapes out with some basil chicken from the Asia food stand. The Folk Life Festival happens annually, and each year they choose three different geographic regions. This year's themes were Mexico, East Asia and the Pacific Islands, and then a section called Smithsonian Inside Out which dealt with all of the research that is currently taking place across all of the museums. So you could wander around in the Mexico section, eat a burrito or a chile relleno, and learn how to make authentic Mexican crafts. Then you could visit Asia and get a henna tattoo, learn how to put on a kimono, or learn the art of ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It was really cool to get to actually see the festival after having walked through all of the preparations and set up for a few weeks on my way to work each day.

Last week was pretty slow at work since both of my supervisors were on vacation after our crazy busy period which included four simultaneous teacher workshops spread out among Louisiana, Michigan, and D.C. So it was nice to slow down a little bit and after we had finished all of our work, my fellow intern Aislan and I were able to go out and explore some of the exhibits at the Natural History Museum and see the dinosaurs IMax movie. I also got to spend a week with Patrick since he flew all the way over here to visit me for my 20th birthday and the Fourth of July :) We managed to pack a lot of stuff into six days... we went to the zoo, saw a Nationals baseball game (with post-game fireworks included), checked out Union Station, visited the Postal Museum and the Museum of American History, saw the Fourth of July parade on Constitution Avenue, watched the fireworks from cousin Rachael's friend's rooftop, played putt putt golf (he won just for the record... by a lot. Putt putt golf is not exactly my strong point!), went up to the top of the old post office tower and got a great view of the mall, and... I think that might be it. Whew!

This week it was back to being busy at work again now that both Wally and Ann (my supervisors) are back in the office. It's nice to be working hard again and we're already thinking ahead to several programs that will be taking place this fall. I've been spending lots of time with Rachael lately since her husband Eric has been working insane hours at his law firm due. I spend the night at her house on Thursday night as well as last night. Those visits out to her house in Arlington always include EXCELLENT food, tons of funny YouTube videos, and lots of time spent lounging on the floor petting their dog Chloe, so I'm a big fan. Yesterday after she got off work she called me and asked if I was up for an adventure. I, of course, agreed immediately with no questions asked. It looks like Rachael and I have now embarked on what we call a D.C. milkshake challenge/expedition (it's a toss up between those two words... I kind of like expedition since it makes it sound more intense). Anways, we have taken it upon ourselves to test out all of the highly acclaimed milkshakes in the area. She and Eric subscribe to the Washingtonian magazine and the most recent issue had a list of the most delectable shakes. Yesterday's target was the peppermint shake at the newly opened Ted Bulletin's restaurant over in Barracks Row near Eastern Market. So, given that Eric would be working until an undetermined hour, aka we didn't think we'd be eating dinner anytime soon, Rachael and I drove ourselves over to the Capitol Hill area in search of our milkshake fix. We eventually had to give up on trying to acquire a parking space, instead resorting to me darting out of the car and into the restaurant while Rachael circled the block and I ordered our treat. And it was well worth it, let me tell you. (For future reference, if you order one milkshake and ask them to put it into two to go cups for you, you basically get two full shakes for the price of one. Just in case you were wondering.)

Well, now that I have spent a massive paragraph talking about food... right now I'm back in the city just for the afternoon since my roommate Kelly and I are meeting up with a bunch of her friends from home to go see the aquarium. I've heard the D.C. aquarium is not really impressive or anything, but I still think it should be fun. Then my FAMILY GETS HERE TONIGHT!!!!! :) :) :) I was instructed to act as restaurant tour guide so I have already picked out all the places I've been wanting to go but... can't quite afford on my unpaid internship budget. Tonight we're trying Farmers and Fishers in the Georgetown Harbor, which is supposed to be a great restaurant with all their food coming from local farmers. Then tomorrow we are going on a biking adventure and riding 25 miles on the Capital Crescent trail which goes to Maryland and back. So it should be a busy next few days!

Country roads, take me home

Allow me to explain the title of this post. Last time I mentioned the impending crazy busy week at work. That was thanks to the fact that we had four programs going on all in the same week, one in Louisiana, one in Michigan, and two here in D.C. After all was said in done, my fellow intern Aislan and I had collated 137 binders, 35 teacher folders, 25 of the all important speaker information packets (basically their life line while they travel to and from the program, including airline tickets, hotel confirmation numbers, program schedules, etc., etc.), acquired approximately 6 paper cuts, and logged probably 30 miles walking around downtown D.C. in 95 degree weather. IT WAS SO FUN!!! Bet you weren't expecting that, but it actually really was. Allow me to explain.

Last week we had a group of 35 teachers visiting from Dunbar, West Virginia. Now I have never been to West Virginia save for a brief church ski trip back in middle school where all we did was skid down slopes of pure ice for three days, get hyped on hot cocoa and annoy our supervisors. But after spending two days with our group of born and bred West Virginians I feel like I got a pretty good taste of the state. They were hilarious, I don't really know how else to describe it. I was put in charge of making the nametags for this group, and actually meeting Corky Skidmore and Suzie Shirky (there are more epic names, those are just my favorite) in person was quite an experience. So not only did Aislan and I get to print off all the copies for this teacher workshop, compile all their important informational folders, make their nametags, etc. (all the behind the scenes work you might call it), we also got to staff the event. So bright and early on Wednesday morning, I met the group at the Holiday Inn Capitol over near L'Enfant Plaza to escort them back to our office for the first leg of their workshop. At 8:15 in the morning I was greeted by a slew of fanny packs, crocs, and the terribly tacky tie-dyed D.C. t-shirts the roadside stands sell to poor, innocent tourists. Oh yes, and I was also greeted by something absolutely glorious. SOUTHERN ACCENTS!! As we walked back to the Smithsonian I basked in the beautiful sound of southern drawls in my ears and thought about how much I have missed the word y'all.

Once we got back to our building, we started in on our busy schedule. This group was participating in a Teaching American History workshop with a focus on the Civil War, so their itinerary included a presentation from the Dean of Students at the Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts who introduced Civil War artifacts and gave a powerpoint on slave quilts and symbolism. Then we rounded the group back up to head to Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House. This is where it got really interetsing. Our group was great! They were friendly, talkative, and had a great sense of humor. But... they HATED (and I mean hated) walking. Now Ford's Theatre is about a 10 minute walk up 10th street, no big deal at all. However, approximately 3/4 of our group opted for taking the metro which, ironically, actually takes longer since you have to switch lines. Yet we willingly obliged and sent Aislan and Shannon off to guide the group while I led the meager little walking group. Our guided tour was set for 11 and we showed up around 11:15... the metro group arrived around 11:27. Apparently someone lost their metro card and had to buy a new one before they could be "released" as they called it. Then someone lost their Ford's Theatre ticket. We found an extra copy. Then half needed to use the bathroom. We guided them in that direction. Seriously, all my years of babysitting were put to use I feel like!! But wandering around the museum with these good old Southern folk :) was very enjoyable. They would just chat your ear off and it was fun to hear about their background and their families.

Day two of the program included the same early morning pick up at the Holiday Inn. And the same desire to metro it instead of walking (once again, 10 minutes max). This time our destination was the National Portrait Gallery where we got to enter before public hours and received private guided tours of the Civil War collections. Then we headed back to the Smithsonian for a performance by a group called Magpie that performs Civil War battle songs. That was quite the experience as well. Then it was time for our group to head home... which is where my title comes in. We're walking out of our office building (towards the metro station of course) and my newfound friend Corky Skidmore starts singing at the top of her lungs (much to the alarm of a group of serious looking suit-clad politicians) "Country Roads Take Me Home." It was all I could do to keep from bursting out laughing and it was the perfect end to the program.

Friday night was a whole other experience. I volunteered to help out at the Smithsonian Sleepover at the Natural History Museum. The Girl Scout themed one. So from 5:30 to 11:30 I ran the fossils craft table where I instructed the 3rd-5th grade girls to pour their bag of dirt out on their paper plate, add their cup of glue, and mix it up with their hands. Yup, if you're thinking that made a pretty big mess, you're thinking right. Then they were shown to the bathroom (probably the most important step in the craft making process) before they got to come back and decorate their mud patty creation with dried pasta to create a "fossil." I woke up the next morning sounding like a bullfrog thanks to how loudly I had been talking in my really excited "let's make a fossil!!" voice.

Then Saturday morning I drove up to Riesterstown, Maryland to visit a friend from Davidson. It was TOTALLY worth navigating my way through I-495 traffic for the stupendous, outstanding, amazing, delcious, delectable double crab cakes platter that we all had for dinner at Jen's favorite restaurant G&M. They actually ship their crab cakes around the country and I can completely see why! I ate more than her boyfriend and her dad, just throwing that out there. Then it was off to see Toy Story 3 before taking the metro in to the Baltimore Harbor on Sunday morning to scarf down delicious caramel and chocolate glazed monkey bread at Miss Shirley's Cafe.

Since getting back to D.C. I've been enjoying a much more laid back week at work. (I'm actually wearing a JEAN SKIRT right now!! Shhh...) Since my supervisors are all in Michigan this week for another program, Aislan and I have just been chipping away at the long to do lists they left for us. I've also been volunteering more and last night I helped out at the face painting table at the annual Picnic at the Zoo event. Yes, you read that correctly. I, artistically challenged Katie, worked the face painting station. The first little girl that came up asked for piggies. The final results were the saddest looking little creatures I've ever seen but for some reason she loved them and gave me a big hug. Maybe she wears glasses normally and had left them at home so she couldn't see properly when I showed her in the mirror. However, my flamingos and pandas were pretty good, not to brag or anything. But we have actually finished everything at work now though, so I am off to NORTH CAROLINA!!!!! Country roads, take me HOME!! :) Yes I am going back to my state where they have sweet tea and southern accents, and where my form of transportation can be a boat rather than a metro car. YAY! Don't get me wrong, I like it here a lot, but I miss my state.

Still learning the ropes

Being back to a normal existence minus doctors poking various types of needles into your arms and your morning alarm being the sound of heart monitors is so nice I've decided. Life has been good since my vacation at the GW hospital. I'm back to normal save for this gnarly bruise I have going on my right arm from all the blood work... it changes colors daily and causes people on the metro to stand a good distance away from me. It's nice, I don't have to worry about being pushed and shoved so much thanks to my green/blue/purple/reddish splotchy bruise in all its glory.

I spent the post emergency room weekend relaxing at my cousin's house in Arlington. I felt rather lazy and guilty as they spread 72 bags of mulch around their yard in 95 degree weather... while I remained horizontal on the couch sipping iced tea. But I didn't feel a single tinge of guilt when I got to help eat the homemade lasagna and chocolate chip pecan pie they cooked as their celebratory "we're DONE!!!" dinner. They delivered me back to my dorm on Sunday night and I immediately went out for a walk, seeing that the only physical activity I had taken part in for the past week was lifting a spoonful of ice cream from the bowl to my mouth or making an expedition downstairs to acquire more of cousin Rachael's magnificent superb delicious peanut butter bars. I think my body was thrown off from all the tests they did at the hospital or something, because all I wanted to eat for about five days straight was sugar and/or red meat... and for anyone who knows me even remotely well, you know that's pretty abnormal.

I returned to work on Monday morning. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, everyone on the metro was smiling, the sky was blue!!! Well, not really... it was extremely overcast and quite chilly and everyone on the metro was extremely grumpy on a Monday morning per usual. But I didn't care. As I breezed past the oh so familiar hospital (which happens to be about 10 feet from the metro entrance... ), instead taking the escalator down to the metro, I couldn't help but smile.

I immediately hit the ground running back at work since we had four upcoming teacher workshops to finalize, one in Louisiana, one here in D.C., and two in Michigan. Thankfully I was able to pick right back up where I left off... but only after having to reassure pretty much everyone in my office that the bruise on my arm was nothing out of the ordinary and I was perfectly fine. (I opted to wear a long sleeved shirt the next day to solve that problem...)

Apart from a busy workweek, I also got a chance to actually get out and enjoy some of what D.C. has to offer. On Monday during work, I got a text from my roommate Kelly asking if I would be interested in attending an outdoor film festival in Crystal City with her and her friend from work, Jared. I of course accepted, and didn't even bother to ask what movie we would be seeing. Come 7:00, we all meet at the metro and I discover that I have signed myself up for an entire summer of Monday night Star Trek movies thanks to the Crystal City Summer 2010 Star Trek Movie Marathon. So basically, from here on out, each Monday night Jared, Kelly, and I will board the yellow line to Crystal City with a bag of candy and beach towels in tow to go lay on the grass and watch every single Star Trek movie ever made. Yup. I'm not joking. We're actually missing tonight's since both Jared and Kelly were busy for work. But never fear, tomorrow night we will reconvene at Jared's apartment to watch movie number two. Kelly and I will also be combining our cooking skills (she actually went to Johnston and Wales for a year with plans to become a pastry chef before she transferred to Georgia Tech) to craft a delectable (hopefully) meal and dessert to accompany the movie. So that should be an interesting evening.

Apart from Star Trek I also got a chance to do a little job hunting so I can finance this summer of mine in D.C. I had an interview on Thursday and got a job at Clyde's of Georgetown, a semi-upscale yet family friendly restaurant in Georgetown just about a fifteen minute walk from my dorm. I'll start that job in July after I complete training at the end of the month, so that'll be a great source of income to compensate for my tendency to spend way too much money on all the awesome ice cream and frozen yogurt shops they have in this city.

On Saturday my friend Jen came down from Baltimore to visit and stay the night. We went all touristy and wandered around the Eastern Market, saw an IMax movie at the Museum of Natural History, and then had sushi in Georgetown before seeing a movie. As much as I love exploring on my own, it was nice to have someone to wander around with and laugh at all the tourists taking pictures of squirrels and sporting American flag t-shirts and fanny packs. (And no I'm not joking about the squirrels, it really did happen).

So basically now that I am up and moving I am enjoying D.C. a whole lot more and have a pretty good routine going. I also finally bought myself a Smartrip card for the metro, so I've totally got it down pat. Now I sail on by the flustered tourists contemplating the metro fare card machines and tediously counting out their spare change (granted, I used to be exactly like them so I shouldn't talk too much). I've also mastered cooking in my little three foot wide kitchen with about 2 feet of countertop space. It's all about placement and utilizing all the available space... if you have to balance the cutting board on the edge of the sink and park a few ingredients on top of the coffee machine, no big deal. It's definitely not mom's home cooking, but it gets the job done.

That's all for now! I'm planning on heading to Baltimore to visit Jen if I survive this busy, busy, busy week at work, so I'll write more then I bet!

Question: Which is worse, a headache from ice cream brain freeze or a spinal tap??

If you're intrigued by the title of this blog, just keep reading. If you asked me to list off some of the things I thought I would have done by the end of my second week on my own in D.C... a trip to the George Washington University Emergency Room definitely would not have made it onto the list. But that is precisely where I was for the better part of this week. Allow me to explain, in retrospect it's actually quite a funny story.

So I spent the weekend with a high fever, chills, stiff, achy joints and muscles, and just generally feeling pretty crummy overall. I was spending the weekend dog sitting out in Mclean, Virginia and basically all I was doing with myself was lying on the couch resting and watching the French Open, so I didn't think too much of it and figured it would pass. However... I woke up on Tuesday morning and was greeted in the bathroom mirror by a face the color of a tomato and my entire body covered in a lovely red rash. So I figured there might be something a little bit more going on there. Nevertheless, it's my second week of work, so not wanting to be the dramatic girl who calls in sick I headed off to the office per usual. I felt alright I guess, other than the fact that I itched all over and couldn't stop shaking in the intense air conditioning we have in our office. (Seriously, it feels like the inside of an igloo down there! Cardigans just aren't cutting it... I might have to spring for bringing my NorthFace to work or something. And a thermos of hot cocoa and those hand warmers you use when you go snow skiing.)

Throughout the morning I received several concerned questions from my colleagues: "Katie, did you go out in the sun this weekend? You are SO RED!"Or "What on earth happened to your face?" Things along those lines. After lunch I gave in and called my dad to let him in on what was going on. He says I started off the conversation with something like, "Hey Daddy, I don't want to alarm you but I just had a question. What do you think I could do about this red rash all over my body?" In retrospect, I think I probably would have been quite concerned as a parent if my kid called me up with that inquiry as well. So I guess I should have let him in on it without nearly inducing a mild heart attack in the process. Anyways, after lunch I had a meeting with my supervisor, who has a daughter just about my age. After we had gone over our to do lists and discussed several of the up coming programs, I casually asked if she knew of an Urgent Care center in the area that I could visit after work since I wasn't feeling well. She immediately switched into mom mode and sent me straight to get medical attention. Which brings me to the start of my lovely stay at the GW hospital.

I managed to get my red, itchy, feverish self back on the metro (definitely received some stares during that ride seeing that I matched my red sweater at that point), home to my dorm to grab my medications and change into comfy clothes, and then I hoofed it back up to the hospital and checked myself into the ER around 3:30. Four and half hours and several crosswords later I was admitted to a room in the back. Honestly I figured I would be home by 10pm or so... I had no idea what to expect. Instead, the fun began almost immediately. A very concerned nice young doctor came in and told me they were all very alarmed by my bloodwork, seeing that my white blood count was at 1.79 (the normal range begins somewhere around 4.5). They told me that, given the symptoms I had listed off, they were worried that I might possibly have bacterial meningitis so they wanted to perform a spinal tap, a CAT scan, and a chest x-ray and then keep me overnight to monitor me. So all visions of going home and being back at work the next day disappeared at that point. The spinal tap was probably the weirdest medical procedure I've ever undergone. I wont' go too much into detail for those reading who might be a little squeamish, but basically they had me hunch over, they gave me a numbing shot in my back, and then they poked a needle into the ligament of my spinal cord and extracted some of my spinal fluid to to check it for bacteria. It was the strangest feeling ever when they would hit a nerve... they told me at the beginning to just say left or right as they were "walking the needle in". I asked how I would know, and they just said, "Oh, you'll know!" And I most CERTAINLY did! The first time they hit a nerve ending it was on my left side, so I felt this intense shooting pain/weird sensation down my entire left leg and I just was like, "LEFT LEFT LEFT!!" It was kind of like when you hit your funny bone or the doctor checks your reflexes but time 1,000,000 or so since they're actually in your spine probing your nerves. Eesh. Well, they finished that and then I just had to lay flat for three hours or so... at this point I'm getting pretty freaked out. Especially since all the nurses and doctors keep asking if I'm all by myself, and each time I just nod my head and think "I want my mommy!!!" (I know, I'm like 5 years old).

At this point, Patrick comes to the rescue via his older brother Stephen who lives in D.C. I am quite certain that a 26 year old guy has a number of better things to do on a Tuesday night than trek down to the hospital to visit his little brother's girlfriend. But regardless, that is just what he did. With a bag of grapes in town nonetheless. :) I was incredibly glad to see him and that made the time pass much, much faster and took my mind off the test results I was waiting. Thankfully around 2am, Dr. Collins came in to let me know the test results were negative and I had no signs of bacterial meningitis. Instead, he just held up my bottle of sulfa pills, which I had recently been prescribed for acne by my dermatologist, looked at me and said "Never, ever take this again in your life, and you will be just fine!" I was like, it's a PROMISE!

So then I was admitted upstairs and got to spend a super fun two days hanging out in the hospital. My white blood cell count continued to drop on Wednesday, so naturally mom and dad flipped out and drove like maniacs to get up here. But I have never been happier to see them and I actually could not have gotten through the rest of that without them. But by this morning my count was going back up, so I was allowed to go home! I was a little sad to say goodbye to all the amazing doctors and nurses (not too sad of course). :) But every single person I came into contact with while I was there was incredibly kind and I give that hospital a big thumbs up. However... I probably won't miss my roommate too much. She snored pretty badly and enjoyed staying up until 3 am watching Sex and the City re-runs with the volume turned up really loud.

So I left the hospital, got an extra large ice cream, and now I'm just laying in bed at my cousin Racheal's house in Arlington. So that's that. No more sulfa. Ever. Guess I learned that the hard way! But at least now my body has returned to it's normal hue, my fever is gone and I no longer need 10 blankets on top of me to keep warm and stop shaking. So things are definitely looking up. :) Week three better include only run of the mill, incredibly boring occurrences. Seriously, I want the most exciting/dangerous thing that happens to me to be getting off on the wrong metro stop or something.

But that's my week in a nutshell. Wish I could have written about something else, but I guess I can now say that I was treated at the hospital where the president goes!

One week down!

Whew! With the first week of my D.C. experience under my belt, I have decided it would be fun to create a blog just like I did for Spain last summer. So much has happened since leaving Davidson, it's hard to believe that was just two weeks ago today.

After finishing exams and somehow managing to pack up my dorm room and drive back to Wilmington with all my stuff in tow (and about a 1x1 foot hole of visibility out of the back of my car), I got to enjoy home for a week. After my week of relaxation was up, I made sense of my messy room, carried most everything back out to my car, and left for D.C. with mom and dad. After spending the night in Fredericksburg, VA so we could wake up and visit the Fredericksburg Battlefield per dad's request, we drove the final hour to D.C. and got our first glimpse of the Washington monument as we crossed the Memorial Bridge. Then it was on to locating a parking spot on the George Washington University campus (no easy task, let me tell you), braving the registration line to obtain my room key and dorm access card, and finally seeing my room!!!! I was very happy to find myself living in a great space, complete with a spacious bedroom, walk in closet, bathroom, and my very own kitchen (even though it's so narrow that my roommate and I can't even stand in there at the same. Regardless, we've already turned out some pretty good meals from that little space, so we're happy with it.)

After making one final Harris Teeter run with the parents, we dropped my car at its summer home at cousin Rachael's house in Arlington, VA, and I said goodbye and wished them well on their 7 hour drive home. Then I returned to a dorm now inhabited by probably the most amazing roommate I could have possibly ended up with. Her name is Kelly and she just graduated from Georgia Tech as a computer science and economics major (sheesh, way over my head, but sounds really cool!) Basically, the Davidson Myers Briggs personality test system couldn't have matched me up with a better roomie. We both are addicted to coffee, love running, obsessed with cooking and the Food Network, tend to talk way to fast and go off on random tangents at the drop of a hat, and love nothing more than to go to bed early every night. So it's a match made in heaven. She is interning with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security this summer, so it's also very interesting to hear about what she does each day.

Now for the actual reason I am spending my summer in the big city. My internship. Although I usually work 9-5, I started work Monday morning at the leisurely hour of 10:00 since I didn't yet have my official Smithsonian ID badge and couldn't enter my office building before it opened to the public. Being the metro newbie that I am, I left my dorm at 9 just to make sure I wasn't late... and ended up awkwardly wandering around the mall for about 30 minutes. But oh well, I'm getting a system down now and it was better to be safe than sorry :)

I was relieved to have any visions of spending my lunch hours eating by myself dispelled when I met the three other friendly new interns, Maggie, Alexa, and Erica. We were introduced to our program coordinator and then began our orientation, which lasted the majority of the first day. We learned all the in's and out's of being an intern at the Smithsonian, received an official tour, filled out lots and lots of paperwork, and then had a chance to meet our individual department supervisors. Thankfully, one of the interns from my department, Smithsonian National Education Outreach, who had been there since January was around for the whole first week to show me the ropes. So this week was definitely a whirlwind of diving right in to all the projects we're currently working on. We have several teacher workshops coming up the second week of June so we are currently hard at work to finalize all the details of those programs.

But that's my first week in a nutshell! A few random highlights that didn't make it in there:

- Going for a run and passing the White House

- Choosing to get off a few metro stops early and walk home from work when the metro broke down... wearing long pants... in 90 degree weather

- Visiting the zoo and the National Cathedral

- Exploring Georgetown and making my first ever trip to Whole Foods!!!

- Receiving my official Smithsonian ID and finding out about all the sweet discounts I get

- Eating lunch at the swanky Native American Museum Café with the other interns

- Walking probably around 25 miles total throughout the course of the week

- Forgetting to transfer from the blue to orange metro line at Rossyln station... and realizing it once I got to the Pentagon. Fun stuff.

Well that's it for now! More to come once some more stuff actually happens to me :)