Arrival

Hey everyone! As you all know, I will be spending my final semester of college in Washington, D.C. interning for Senator John Cornyn. I have created this blog as a way to keep you all informed of my experiences here and share stories and pictures. I will try to post at least a couple of times a week so you can all keep up with what's going on in our nation's Capitol and what I'm getting to do here.

First of all, let me thank Mr. Kerry Frey who provided the title for this blog (if unintentionally). Also, for legal reasons I need to say that this blog is in no way affiliated with, endorsed by, or related to the 1939 film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Any similarity to "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" or to the characters, actors, or plot thereof is purely coincidental and unintentional.

So now to get started with the blog. Today I arrived in D.C. and the reality of this move finally set in. The flight was great (it's been a while since I got to travel First Class and eat a hot meal on an airplane) and I really have to thank American Airlines for letting me check two bags for free. If not for their generosity, I wouldn't have been able to bring even the little that I did. As a side note, you have NO IDEA how difficult it is to pack your life into two checked bags and a carry on. Dad is going to ship me a few boxes of things later, but I had to get everything I needed for at least a week or two into those three bags and it was no easy task. Anyway, the flight went great and I cannot describe to you how awesome it was to look out the window on approach and see the Capitol for the first time. It's weird to think that I'm about to graduate with a political science degree and am just now seeing D.C. for the first time. The pictures and textbooks do not do it justice!

After arriving, I caught a cab to my apartment (thank you UNT for paying for this place by the way) and my jaw almost dropped when I saw our location. We are literally living on the Hill! Seriously, I can walk out of my apartment, take 20 steps down the sidewalk, turn the corner, and I am standing across the street from the Supreme Court of the United States!!!! The Capitol Rotunda is visible right beyond that, so I'm about a five minute walk from my job. Incredible!

I met up with Chris Wilkes, another one of our UNT interns who had moved in already and we went out to explore the area. We started at the Supreme Court building, then went to Union Station, the Washington Monument, and took a guided tour of the Capitol Building. The Washington Monument is enormous and absolutely nothing like the pictures. It makes you feel extremely insignificant when you're standing at it's base looking up. As for the Capitol Building, I could write an entire blog on that alone. Again, pictures do no justice to this city and this building is incredible. The inside of the rotunda is simply breathtaking and the entire building just makes you feel small. Looking at the statues of our nation's heroes that adorn the walls throughout the Capitol give you the feeling that you are standing in the presence of giants and the simple knowledge that so many of our nation's leaders have walked where you are walking for decades gives you the feeling that you are standing in history. It really is an indescribable feeling and it's been rather overwhelming to just be here and soak it all in.  I have a feeling this is going to be a great semester and I look forward to everything I'm going to experience during my time here.

I start work for the Senator on Monday morning at 9 am, so I'm definitely looking forward to that. The rest of my weekend will be spent settling in and learning the city as best I can, as well as studying policy and learning as much as possible about Senator Cornyn and his office. For those of you who had asked, my address is:
             215 Constitution Ave. NE, Apt. 207
             Washington, D.C.  20002
If you're going to mail something, address it to "Andrew Robertson" because that's how the building has me listed in the paperwork. And don't forget the "NE" because that's apparently very important in this city given that every street has a NE and a NW address. For instance, I learned today on my tour that 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW is the White House, while 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NE is a McDonald's!

I already miss Texas a little bit, but while I am a little nervous to be in a new city on my own, starting a new job of this caliber, I am also very excited. I know God has put me here for a reason and will allow me to get a lot out of this experience, while using me to accomplish His purpose. I can't wait to see everything He has in store for me this semester! Hope you all are doing well and I'll talk to you soon!

- Drew