A new me ... scary!!!

Washington D.C., oh where do I start? As I sit here after our Friday morning class, still in my dress apparel - which is all still an adaptation within itself, I am finding time to reflect back on the last two weeks and how in just such a short period of time I Mark Hudak may for the first time in my life have grown up a little bit. Oh how that last drawn out sentence would make my mother smile.

The reality of it all did not honestly hit me until day 1 of the internship. The flight into D.C. from Columbus, the train ride from BWI to Union Station, the hike from Union Station to the John Glenn WAIP office in an unknown city dragging along my fully stuffed suitcase, packed full bookbag, and rather heavy garment bag; until I finally stumbled across a familiar face from our WAIP orientation earlier on in the quarter, Jake Giovonni Young - and then ... relief. I had finally made it. I had some how managed to get myself to D.C. in one piece and with all my belongings and the brilliant smile that greeted me on the face of Jake Giovonni Young was the first bit of comfort I felt in this new city.

Still, even with the meetings and greetings of what would soon come to be, my D.C. family, my mind could not wrap itself around everything. Here I was, living in a glorified dormitory with a bunch of people that are indeed strangers. 22 years old and I feel like an 18 year old freshman in college all over again. Move in day trucked along and everyone eventually appeared out of the fog, all except for my roommate. "Doug" was all I knew. His name would tell me nothing. Was my shared living experience going to be an enjoyable one, or did I get paired with a kid that I would have to put up with for ten weeks. Then, after everyone had already been bonding for quite some time, the mysterious man presented himself. That was when the thought hit me, "Oh man, why am I worried, this kid is in for one heck of a grandiose time living with me!"

Monday came along as well as our first class meeting and first class tour. Friendships blossomed. Our first metro trip, our first family photos, the construction of a seven foot arch, and our first voyage around D.C. The history, architecture, and art were nothing short of inspiration for us.

Then it came, the first day of the internship. Tuesday, January 4th. My nerves were on edge. Thanks to my mother and brother for helping me out with an entirely new dress wardrobe, I at least knew I looked good which stirred up enough confidence to get me through the first day. The first work week ended and we reflected back on it in our Friday morning session. Mine went rather well. the people in my office were all extremely nice, helpful, encouraging, and young!

Getting use to the 6 hour desk job days is still a bit of a hassle for me, but I am trucking along. I was able to release some of the pent up energy of that first week once it was over. The Eastern Market and the D.C. Zoo made last weekend one worthy of memory. Not to leave out the friends we all made through out the Congressional. Everyone from the Aussies to the Irish seem to have came to D.C. with us, which made for a good night of karaoke.

I promised I would not steal Kelsey Poole's thunder about the D.C. Zoo - so here I will reference a blog of hers that will surely be coming soon about the zoo. So stay tuned, it will be a heartfelt diary about the finding of a little girls love.

The second week went by rather smoothly and now we are back to where I am now, Friday morning, still in my dress apparel and about to head out to give my fellow Glenn mates a tour of the Capitol and tour some more of D.C. Until next time my friend Blog, I hope the other Glenn mates are able to keep you busy and full of exciting new posts.

-Mark H