Washington, D.C….My New Best Friend.

My decision to spend the fall semester here in Washington, D.C. was a smart one. If you are considering applying for WII, just do it. My experience has been absolutely amazing so far. I am a Junior at Daemen College in Buffalo, NY. I love my school, but I was in need of something different. WII was the answer. I can’t even comprehend the fact that I only have a month and a half left! These past two months have flown by. It’s pure madness…

I am interning at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. I still can’t believe that I am there. It is a history nerds dream! If you are interested in history and/or museum work, come to D.C. There is no better place to get experience in those fields. I am working on the World of Maps project. For seven years my Supervisor has lead the effort to organize the various map collections in the museum. My job consists of numbering, cataloging, scanning, and photoshopping maps. I am in love with my internship. I am never bored and there is ALWAYS something to do. I have an awesome supervisor and my fellow interns are great to work with. As an intern I am able to get a free IMAX movie ticket each week, including tickets for the IMAX movies at the Air and Space Museum. I am able to attend talks and lectures. My favorite perk about being an intern is that I am able to get into the museum early and look around without the crowds. Getting a good look at the Hope Diamond is near impossible during the museums normal hours. AND it’s the Smithsonian. You don’t get much better than that.

My internship is wonderful, but what about actually living in D.C.? I could definitely see myself coming back to live in this city (or at least a nice suburb in either Virginia or Maryland). The energy here is infectious. It is impossible to be bored here. There are too many things to see. Getting around is a piece of cake and the Metro is super easy to understand, just make sure you have a map or a smart phone. My iPhone was a great investment. I have been lost on the metro only once…after two months of living here…which is very embarrassing. I will never board a train without looking to see where it is headed again. One very important piece of advice about the Metro escalators, STAND ON THE RIGHT, WALK ON THE LEFT. The people here get very serious about it!

Before coming here I made a list of all the things that I wanted to do and see. I had to prioritize my list. There is simply not enough time to do everything.

These are some of the things I have done so far:

-Newseum

-Crime and Punishment Museum

-Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

-Two Nationals games

-The National Symphony Orchestra: Labor Day Capitol Concert

-A concert at the 9:30 Club (Taking Back Sunday and The Maine)

-Georgetown Cupcakes

-National Museum of The United States Navy

-Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Dedication

-Haunted Ghost Tour near the White House

And the list goes on…

I am not looking forward to leaving D.C. I have so much more I want to do!

I will update soon. I have an exciting week coming up!