Just over a month ago, we "WAIPers"- a group of Ohio State juniors, seniors, and whatever Max is- sat down for our academic internship orientation with the lovely Katy Hogan. Among other things, Katy made clear that no matter how hard any of us tried, we wouldn't be able to visit or experience all of the things Washington has to offer. This realistic, learned advice meant we might have to eliminate certain things from our grand schedule of busy summer activities. Obviously, I scoffed at this advice initially. I was determined to do and see everything.
Yet, here I sit, barely getting my blog done on the day it's due: the same night of the Congressional Baseball game, as well as the Cavs game, worrying about whether I'll have it done by midnight. I've since limited my list of things "I have to do" to a much shorter list which I vaguely remember off the top of my head. Three months in D.C. sounds like an eternity to someone from the great city of T-Troit, and it wasn't until a month flew by that I realized D.C. moves at an unreal pace. In that time, the typical academic stress bomb began to develop, readying itself for the impending deadline of our Capstone. Now, having to readjust, I question what I’ll actually have time for. Will WISH ever fix our cable? Will we ever go to a bar other than Shenanigans? Is Jazz in the Park ever going to happen? (Not holding my breath, Josh)
The truth I've faced is that I can't do it all. I'm too tired after the combination of work and class, and shoving too many things into one smaller However, despite the onslaught of activities, I've recognized that we Waipers have had a quality time together. The resident lover of dad jokes established himself in Alex Temple, we can always count on Tom for happy hour reports, and we’ve come to count on Max’s wisdom he’s garnered through 40-some(or however old he actually is) years of life. Thankfully, we’ve quickly developed a cohesive group in the realm of Constitution Avenue NE.
And now, almost entirely to fulfill the purpose of the title that I thought of prior to writing the blog, the three things which I find summarize my experience in Washington:
Cupcakes: The crowning glory, in my personal opinion, of Washington is the glorious array of cupcakes that D.C. has to offer. I have to agree with Mandy Chen that Baked and Wired takes the cake (pun intended) for the best cupcake I’ve experienced yet. Crumbs takes a very close second, with convenience playing a major role. I’ve yet to experience Georgetown cupcakes, mostly because the line is far too long to bother with. Either way, my extreme sweet tooth has been satiated by the delectable dessert.
Community Crops: No, I don't mean Communism. Prior to leaving for D.C., my parents insisted that I not stock up on canned goods and that I elect for farmers markets. The initial stigma of a farmers market being, well, a farmers market, made me slightly nervous. However, my first experience with the Eastern Market immediately dissuaded those concerns. Never had I seen such a wide variety of vendors selling local art, hot food, and fresh vegetables. My only problem is that I didn’t realize fresh food goes bad much quicker.
Constituent Calls: Real Talk- I’ve developed a relationship with certain constituents. Some will just call in with a set spiel, complaining about a variety of topics that don’t make up a flowing, logical, thought process. I never get enough time to ask them for their names because they’ll talk without interruption; I do, however, remember what their voices sound like, leading to the inevitable gasp when I hear them on the other end. If I have the time to get down a constituent’s name and information, it means that they’re not memorable enough.
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