So anyway, I’m on my way home now after a pretty long couple of days. I definitely dumped my last pair of contacts down the drain by accident about a week ago, so I’ve been wearing my really old pair of glasses since then and I can’t really see! No one ever told me this before, but having no peripheral vision really messes with you. I’ve finally stopped tripping over carpet and sidewalks and stuff, but it’s been sort of tricky trying to catch the bus when I can’t see which one is coming at me. Thankfully my new contacts are waiting at home. Speaking of buses, though, I found out that there’s one that runs directly from my apartment to my internship every 15 minutes. Moral of the story: There are more ways to get around this city than the Metro.
Part of TWC’s program is a civic engagement project, meaning that you have to find some way to give back to the community while you’re here. Since volunteering at your own agency is off-limits, I decided to help out setting up and handing out water for the 20th annual Help the Homeless walk-a-thon. Aside from having to be on the National Mall by 6:15 on Saturday morning, it was a really cool experience. There were thousands of people there, including Darius Rucker from Hootie and the Blowfish (anyone else love these guys in elementary school?) and I think they ended up raising about $8 million for D.C.-area shelters and service organizations.
To tell you the truth, though, I feel like kind of a slacker when I hear about what other TWC interns are doing—we’ve got some really creative folks in this program who have gone way above and beyond to set up their own events and benefits to fundraise for so many different organizations. Way to go, guys!
My weekend obviously wouldn’t be complete without a protest, so I wandered down to the Washington Monument after the walk-a-thon to check out a rally against police brutality and hate crimes.
My friend Elliott, another TWC intern, met me down there and we sat around for a while listening to the speakers and bands before Metro’ing back to Arlington.
When we get back to D.C. next week, we’ll only have three weeks left! I’m as excited as anyone about a long holiday break, but I’m realizing I only have a few more weekends to go exploring. That also means I don’t have too many more chances left to tell you all what to expect. So we’re going to try a little interaction: What are you curious about? Housing? Transportation? Classes? Monday sessions? Leave your questions in the comments, and I’ll do my best to answer. Don’t be shy!
2 comments:
Hi,
I plan to enroll in TWC's program this summer. I am so excited about this opportunity and I cannot wait to experience the program.
Though I am excited, I am still uncertain. I would like to know what is the housing and transportation like? Are housed near your internship? Are you expected to pay for your own transportation?
What is the housing like? How many roommates, if any, do you have?
I have many more questions, but I will just start with these, don't want to overwhelm you.
Thanks for your time and enjoy the rest of your stay!
Thanks, Jaz! First things first: housing. My apartment building is super nice, and I’ve heard good things about the others. And no, they’re not paying me to say that ; ). There are four of us in a 2-bedroom apartment, and I think that’s pretty standard. I can only speak for the Courthouse Meridian, but our units are all fully furnished and pretty spacious, so it’s been an easy fit. From what I understand, TWC does their best to hook you up with a place close to your internship, but there are no guarantees. I was originally assigned to a place in Alexandria, but requested a transfer when I realized I’d be interning in Arlington. I love where I live.
Transportation: My commute on the Metro is around 25-30 minutes when I was taking the Metro, and about 20 minutes by that bus I just discovered. I’ve heard of people having a commute of anywhere up to an hour, though. That just depends on where you are. I work about a mile off of a Metro stop, but the diocese runs a free shuttle to and from the Metro every 15 minutes, so ask about things like that. Some students are reimbursed by their internships, but most of us aren’t. For me, it’s been a little less expensive than putting gas in my car. As I’ve said before, get a Smartrip card, make sure you register it, and get to know your options. Direction-wise, Hopstop and the WMATA trip planner are your best friends. WMATA is great because it gives you the exact times and a heads-up about delays, but if you do the text messaging thing, I think you can even text Hopstop for directions on the fly. DC and northern Virginia have incredible transit systems, and I’m pretty convinced that if I can get around, anyone can!
Hope that helps, and good luck!
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