All Good Things Must End...

My final two weeks in DC went by even faster than I thought they would. On Tuesday (the 24th), we had our final constituent coffee event, where visitors from Texas get to come and take pictures with the senator. Then, at around noon, the senator invited all three of the interns into his office and met with us briefly to say goodbyes and thank us for working this semester. Kris' last day was Wednesday which is why we did this so early. We each got to take a picture with the senator and talk with him for a few minutes, thanking him for the opportunity to work for him. On Wednesay, we had a meeting with the Chief of Staff (Beth), which was kind of like an exit interview. We got to talk to Beth about her job and what it means to be a C.O.S., and she asked us about how we liked the internship and what our plans for the future were. We hadn't got to see much of Beth this semester because she's been so busy and is not someone who's really that accessible to interns, so we enjoyed this time to speak with her and made the most of it. We wound up talking with Beth for a little over an hour and really had a great conversation. Chiefs are normally very busy people with a lot of responsibility and its rare to get that much face time at once, especially if you're just an intern. I really appreciated her taking the time to meet with us like that and make sure that all of our questions had been answered before we left. After the interview concluded, the day was over and we said goodbye to Kris, whose internship had come to an end. He is headed back to UT to start his senior year of undergrad and hopes to go to law school next fall. I'm sure we'll keep in touch in the future.

That Thursday I got a really awesome chance to staff a meeting with the senator. Senator Cornyn was meeting with Texas filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and I was asked to do the background and draft a meeting brief for the event. Mr. Rodriguez is the director of films such as Desperado, Spy Kids, Sin City, and Machete. He is an independent filmmaker who works with small crews and low budgets, but produces blockbuster movies. He works out of a studio in Austin and shoots his movies in Texas and Mexico, not Hollywood. His movies always employ at least a few latino actors/actresses and usually involve some kind of latino theme. The meeting was to brief the senator on a new tv network that he will be launching on Comcast next year, featuring latino themed programming and actors on English speaking shows. I found Mr. Rodriguez to be a very innovative, bright guy who was very nice and I especially enjoyed the opportunity to sit in on the meeting as part of the senator's staff. I also loved getting to meet my first movie director!

This Tuesday, I did a Capitol tour for a group of middle school students from Texas. I had never done a tour for students before and the experience was a little bit different. These students were an all-girls science team from a San Antonio middle school who were in DC to compete in a national competition. They were the first all-girls team in the history of the competition and they placed 16th in the contest (which required them to build a working model of a hydrogen-powered car). I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure these 12-14 year old girls were smarter than me! Lol.

Wednesday, I did my final Capitol tour, this time for a group of immigrants from Mexico. It was kind of sad knowing that I was leading a Capitol tour for the final time and also knowing that I was seeing the Capitol for the final time as a staff member. When I come back in the future, I'll just be a normal tourist and will no longer have a special badge to get access to all the cool stuff...unless of course I come back to work here! Wednesday night I said goodbye to Christopher, my roommate for the last four months. While Christopher will be staying in DC to get a long term job, he was headed to his brother's house in Richmond, Virginia for an extended weekend. Since I am leaving on Sunday morning, this would be the last time I would see him. I think saying goodbye to him was what really made me feel like the end was drawing near and this awesome experience was about to draw to a close.

Thursday and Friday absolutely flew by and were over before I knew it. On Thursday, Doug took me out to lunch to talk military and JAG one last time and give me his final words of advice and encouragement. He had a lot of great stuff to say and I really enjoyed getting to spend that valuable time with him. I'm going to miss the people here the most and especially him. He has been such a great resource for me and answered so many questions, even questions I didn't know I had when I came up here. Fortunately, I still have his contact information and I have a feeling that we will be in touch in the future. He even encouraged me to keep him updated on how my future was progressing and let him know if I had any more questions or needed anything else in the future. I really can't express how grateful I am to have been placed in an office with a naval officer and to have had the opportunity to get to know him over the last four months. This internship has been extremely beneficial to me in a lot of ways and this was definitely one of them.

Friday came and went and I found myself spending the later part of the day saying goodbye to everyone, which was really sad. I really am going to miss all of these people who have been so nice and helpful to me and have made me and the other interns feel so at home in their office. I could not have asked for a better office to work for and I going to miss all of the friends I have made here much more than the job or the city itself. I have been truly blessed to get to know them and work with them and I can't imagine having done this internship anywhere else.

Finally, I left the office building for the last time and the internship came to a close. I no longer have a badge (or a job) and I have to admit that it feels kinds of weird. I spent my last Saturday in DC feeling just like any other tourist. I got up today and went to the Library of Congress, which I had been meaning to get around to and promised myself I would see before I left. This place is absolutely incredible and they have so much there! 3,000 volumes of Thomas Jefferson's personal library, the first map ever to mention America by name (made in 1507) and so much more! The building itself is unbelievable and I really can't believe I waited until my last day to come here. I spent about an hour and a half walking around just taking everything in and was a little overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge contained inside those walls. It's the largest library collection anywhere in the world and it truly is an incredible thing! I feel like I could literally spend days inside that place and never get bored. Again, too bad I waited until my last day to see it!

After the library, I took the train over to Arlington, Virginia and went to visit the Arlington National Cemetery. I chose the cemetery as my final site to visit on purpose. After spending the last four months working for Congress and seeing how our government works, I wanted to spend my last day reflecting on the sacrifices of the men and women in uniform that have enabled us to have that government. Getting off the subway and walking up the approach to the cemetery I tried to mentally prepare for what I was going to see, but I'll admit that you can't really understand that place until you lay eyes on it. Going in, you of course understand that it is a cemetery, but it's much more sobering than any other cemetery in the country. While I have been in many cemeteries before, I have never had the same kind of feeling that this one gives you. The knowledge that all the tombstones you are seeing represents a soldier, sailor, marine, or airman who died for your freedom bring on an overwhelming sense of awe and respect. It really is an indescribable, humbling sight to stand on top of the hill in the center and look around at the breadth of the cemetery. Every direction you look, spanned over a number of hills, are thousands and thousands of tombstones. That image hits you hard and makes you really think about the significance of that place. As I studied it, it occured to me that this was the price of freedom...this is the cost that had to be paid to maintain our democratic government and our free society. After seeing President Kennedy's grave and the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier (the Old Guard from the Army's 3rd Infantry walking their post is a really incredible thing to experience), I spent almost two hours just walking the paths and reflecting on the graves. The experience was truly humbling and awe-inspiring, unlike anything else I've ever done. It really made me appreciate what the brave men and women in our armed forces have done for us, and continue to do today.

My time in DC is now complete, and I head home first thing tomorrow morning. I'll be back in Texas at 9:15 am and I really am excited! But I'm also a little sad to be leaving such an incredible place as this. This internship has been the opportunity of a lifetime and one of the greatest experiences of my life so far! I am truly grateful to have had the chance to come here and I have seen and learned so much in the last four months! I would like to thank UNT for giving me this chance and especially Senator John Cornyn for agreeing to take me. I can't say enough about how great of a guy he is and how hard he works on behalf of his constituents in Texas. I am honored to have worked for such a noble and honorable man and I would highly recommend his office to any future UNT interns thinking about applying for this program!

I think I'm going to post one more time after getting home, just to mention some final reflextions and speak a little about some of the things that I learned, so be looking for that post in the next few days. I graduate one week from today, on Saturday May 12th, and I am eagerly looking forward to that! This internship was the greatest way I can think of to finish college and complete my education in the real world. It's really been a blast and I could not have asked for more. Thank you all for reading this blog and I hope that you have learned something by following my experiences and adventures here. I can't wait to get home and see you all again!

Sincerely,

Drew

Lunch with JAGs & Dad's Visit

           After a great trip home to Texas, I returned to work on Monday morning. I have to say, I wasn’t real excited to be back, especially after I had been in Texas for a few days and I am definitely counting down the days until I get to come home. It’s not that I don’t like DC, it’s just that it’s not Texas and I’m ready to be home. I really have enjoyed my time here and I have gotten to see and experience more than I ever thought I would. This internship has been great for me and I’ve had a blast, but I’m just about ready for it to be over and I can’t wait to return to the Lone Star State for good!

            On Tuesday, I got a really cool task. I was asked to take a bill down to the Republican Cloakroom at the Senate Floor, so it could be entered into the record. I had never been down there before, and it was really awesome to be standing just outside the doors which lead to the floor. The task was really pretty simple and not very exciting for most people, but I thought it was pretty cool. On Tuesday night, Hope took all the interns out to dinner and we got to eat at the Old Ebbitt Grill with her and some UNT alumni. I enjoyed the dinner and conversation, even though I arrived super late…sorry Hope! (And thanks again for dinner)

            Wednesday morning I had a meeting with Congressman Bill Flores before work started. Congressman Flores represents Burleson, where my permanent address is, so he is technically my hometown Congressman. I met him over in the Capitol Visitor Center at 9:15 (I had gotten permission to go to this meeting and arrive at work late) and got to introduce myself and speak with him for a few minutes prior to a meeting he was attending. He had a staff member there to take a photo of us together, which was emailed to me later in the afternoon. I enjoyed getting to meet Congressman Flores and was thankful that he took the time to see me. Later in the afternoon, I finished scanning and emailing in all of the paperwork for my lease in Lubbock. After apartment shopping with my roommate during Accepted Students Weekend at Tech, we picked a place that we like and I got all the paperwork taken care of during the first part of the week. It feels good to have a place set up and I feel that much more ready to move to Lubbock and start school this fall!

            Thursday wasn’t very exciting and gave me nothing interesting to talk about. Friday, however, was one of the coolest days of my internship to date. Lieutenant Doug Ivanac (the Navy “fellow” who works for Senator Cornyn) has been a great friend this semester and has really given me a lot of great information about life in the Navy and the path to becoming a Naval Officer. He’s given me a lot of advice and helpful tips and has let me work on several research projects related to military issues which I’ve really appreciated. Friday, however, he really went the extra mile for me. Doug knows I want to be a Navy JAG and he found out through a friend of his in the liaison’s office that a Marine and Navy JAG were going to be on Capitol Hill for a briefing. They were Captain David O’Toole, USN (the Chief Judge in charge of Navy/Marine Corps trial judiciary) and Colonel John Ewers, USMC (the commanding officer for all Navy/Marine Corps trial litigators). Doug invited me to a lunch with these two officers and gave me the opportunity to meet my first real life JAGs. I cannot even describe how incredible of an opportunity this was for me and how truly blessed I am to have been able to do this. JAG officers are almost inaccessible from outside the military and the likelihood of a college undergrad ever getting to meet with one is microscopic. To be able to have lunch with TWO JAGs (especially two high ranking JAGs like these) and have the opportunity to ask them questions and hear their advice was simply priceless! I really owe Doug big time for this one and this one thing alone makes my entire internship here worth it. While I’ve gotten to do a lot of great things here, this was possibly the most important to my future and the most beneficial to me individually. I really can’t even describe how great this was!

Saturday morning, dad flew into town and I met him at the airport. We went to do a Capitol Tour, then hit up National Mall and museums, as well as the Lincoln Memorial. We saw a movie Saturday night, did more sightseeing on Sunday, and then went to church on Sunday night. Dad had never spent any extended time in DC before, and had only been here while working. He had never been to Capitol Hill or seen any of the sights before, so it was great to be able to show him around and spend the weekend hanging out with him. He also paid for everything and took me out to eat at real restaurants (like Macaroni Grill), which definitely beat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

Accepted Students Weekend at Texas Tech

            After seeing mom and Roni off to the airport on Monday morning, I went back to bed for a few hours, and then got up to go to work. The day proved to be pretty laid back, with the exception of a Capitol tour at 1 pm. This one was for a group family with some really great kids and they were a lot of fun. Cash is back in the office, so we’re back up to all three interns and this made the work go by pretty quickly. Tuesday was even easier than Monday and was basically just business as usual.

            On Wednesday, I only worked a half day and left the office at noon. I caught a cab at 12:15 to head to the airport and caught a flight back to DFW. When I got there, dad picked me up at the airport and I spent the evening hanging out with him and my sister. We even went to dinner with my grandparents and I got to see them for a little while.

            Thursday, I drove to Denton and saw some friends on campus. I was able to attend the Class of 2012 Barbecue Lunch at the Gateway Center and caught up with some friends that I hadn’t seen since December. It was great to be back on campus again. I forgot how much I missed that place! After the lunch, I drove down to DFW and boarded another flight, this time headed to Lubbock. My friend Michael, who is an undergrad at Texas Tech, picked me up at the airport and took me back to his apartment where I was staying. We grabbed dinner and I got to visit a little with him and his sister (also a student at Tech), who are good friends of mine from childhood.

            I was in Lubbock for Accepted Students Weekend at Texas Tech School of Law, which began on Friday afternoon. I arrived at the law school and checked in, ready to experience the weekend. Overall, everything at Tech really impressed me and made me feel very confident in my law school choice. Together with the rest of the future Class of 2015, I attended multiple seminars and sessions on everything from financial management to interviews with current students and faculty. We even participated in a little negotiation competition and attended a mock torts class. I learned some things and got to see a lot of Lubbock, which improved my perceptions of the place and made me excited to live there. I even found a place to live while I was out there. Everyone there, including the professors, staff, students, and even members of the Lubbock community, were just awesome! I really can’t say enough about the quality of the people there at Tech and I’m really excited to be joining them this fall.

            Saturday afternoon I caught a flight back to DC, connecting through DFW and basically went straight to bed after getting home. While the weekend was a lot of fun, it was also very busy and I was exhausted. Sunday I slept until 12:30 (proof of my exhaustion) and took it easy all day before heading to church with Mercedes.

Mom & Roni Visit for Easter

           Last week was by far the strangest week of the internship because it seemed to alternate between situations of extreme boredom and extreme business. The week was slow, and yet went by very quickly in some unexplainable way.

            Monday was the first day of a 2 week Easter Recess and caused Cash and I to just about die from boredom. There was literally nothing for us to do all day except deliver the morning papers and sort the mail at 1 pm. Other than this, we sat at our desks, surfed the internet, read news and CQ Weekly Magazine, and did just about anything else to pass the time. All of the senior staff was out traveling and half the junior staff had also taken vacation, so the office was much quieter than usual. It definitely had a Recess feel to it. Surprisingly, however, the day flew by and was over before we knew it. We get off at 5 during Recess instead of 6, and while this is only an hour difference, it really does make the day seem much shorter.

            On Tuesday, Cash worked from 9 to 11 and then left for vacation the rest of the week. Kris unfortunately had called in sick, so I was left as the only intern in the office. Where this wouldn’t have been a problem at all the previous day, it proved to be extremely stressful this day. For some reason, everyone in the office seemed to need an intern and I found myself going to FedEx, going to pick up flags from Dirksen, dropping off flags at the Capitol, delivering a letter to the SASC in Russell, auto-penning a stack of congratulatory letters, working on a research project for the Press Shop, running an errand to the NRSC, and giving a Capitol Tour in the afternoon.  Because of all this, I didn’t have any time to complete my normal duties, like sorting mail or entering scheduling requests. I was literally doing something all day long and I think I maybe sat at my desk for an hour (at most) the whole day. Compared to Monday, it was a polar opposite and it was made worse by the fact that I was the only intern to do everything. Somehow, I survived it and was relieve to go to bed early.

            On Wednesday, Kris returned to work and we were able to spend the morning catching up on the mail and scheduling requests that had been left from Tuesday. After this, however, we found the day to be another calm and uninteresting day that passed without incident. Thursday also brought a very light day with even less work than Wednesday. On Thursday afternoon, Jaime arrived with Chick-fil-A for the entire office (those that weren’t gone on vacation), which we ate together in the conference room. It was a really nice treat, because Chick-fil-A isn’t anywhere in DC and she had to go to Virginia to get it. I hadn’t had it since I left Texas in January and had forgotten just how great it was. With a great bonus like Chick-fil-A, we were happily able to pass the rest of the day quickly by reading and the weekend arrived early. The week seriously had almost bipolar shifts in the workload and I’ve never seen that happen before. It made for a really strange week.

            On Friday, I was worried about Tuesday repeating itself. With Cash still out on vacation, Kris took the day off to travel to Boston with some friends for Easter weekend. For the second day in a week, this left me as the only intern in the office. Fortunately, I did not have another chaotic day and, in fact, got a very nice surprise. After delivering the papers and doing the morning scheduling requests, I was sitting at my desk catching up on news. At 10 am (after just an hour at work), Jaime came out of her office and told me to go home, since the office was so slow and there was no work to do. She told me that there wouldn’t be any need for an intern because the whole office would be taking a half day anyway and encouraged me to enjoy a three day weekend. I of course didn’t object and headed back home to call it an early weekend, pleased that I would not have to repeat the chaos of Tuesday. I used the extra time to clean up the apartment, do some much needed laundry, take a nap, and catch up on tv shows. It was a great, relaxing start to the weekend.

            On Saturday morning, I woke up very excited and took the Metro to Ronald Reagan National Airport. My mom and younger sister flew in to spend Easter weekend with me and I met them at the gate when their flight arrived at 10 am. We took the Metro back to Union Station and got them settled into the apartment before heading out to the Capitol. Christopher went to his brother’s place in Richmond for the weekend and graciously offered to let mom and Roni stay at our apartment so they wouldn’t have to pay for a hotel. I gave them the beds and slept on an air mattress and this allowed them to make the trip much cheaper and also gave me more time to spend with them. After getting them settled, we headed over to the Capitol, where I gave them a tour. Neither of them had ever been to DC before and they were excited to see the Capitol for the first time. After the Capitol we went to the Botanic Gardens on the National Mall, which I had never seen before. The interior of that place is incredible, with a large “jungle” in the middle and various exhibits around the edge depicting flowers, plants, and trees from various parts of the world. After the gardens, we went down to the Lincoln Memorial before going out to dinner. After dinner, we dyed Easter eggs just for old time’s sake and then settled in to watch a movie on Netflix.

            Sunday morning, I woke up early to cook breakfast, to prove to mom that I could cook. Fortunately, I didn’t mess anything up and it all turned out great. After breakfast, we went to the National Zoo in Adams Morgan. My sister is a huge animal lover and I knew she would love the collection of animals at the National Zoo. They have several animals that we don’t have in Fort Worth, like the panda bears, a whole pride of lions, and a leopard (Roni’s favorite animal). The weather was great and we had a really fun Easter at the zoo. I honestly can’t remember the last time we went to a zoo as a family but it hasn’t been since we were kids. The trip was really nice and I’m glad I got to spend the time with them just hanging out. After the zoo, we returned to the apartment to clean up before heading out to Easter service at Frontline Church. The service was great and very uplifting.

            Monday morning, we had to wake up a 4 am to get them packed and on their way. A cab picked them up at the apartment at 4:45 and I said goodbye before they headed off to the airport to catch their 6 am flight. After seeing them off, I crawled back into bed to sleep for a few more hours before getting up to go back to work. Overall, it was a great weekend with some really memorable experiences. It was great to be able to spend Easter weekend with family and to be able to show them around DC for their first time.