This is my final post. I am about to go to bed and get up early for my flight and it will be a long day of traveling but I can't wait to get home. This internship has taught me so much and the whole experience has been intense but thrilling. I survived and I can't wait to get home and get ready for school.
Thanks for all of the comments and to everyone who humored me in reading my first blog experience. =)
until next time...
Megan
Friday, August 7, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Two weeks left!
Today was a day where I felt really relaxed but it made it hard to become motivated. I went to work for the first half of the day and actually got to work on time....I think I was late every day last week! And then I went and heard a lecture from The Washington Center and it wasn't that bad. The speaker was more like a storyteller and that was exciting for me because I too like to tell stories. This week seems to be a little on the rainy side as far as the forecast goes and that means that it will be hot and rainy which is not a good combination for my hair....sorry Whitney. But I am coming down the home stretch here! The biggest obsticle right now is to try and get 3 papers finished in the next two days. Chasen is coming tomorrow afternoon and I am really looking forward to nonstop laughing while we are together....but that means that I need to focus so that I can really get some stuff done tonight. I guess I have about 5 more hours max of time tonight to do anything so I will try and use like 3.5 hours of that for my homework. So stressful when there are multiple assignments hanging over my head!
Anywho, more to come
Megan
Anywho, more to come
Megan
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday.
Today will be fun because I am going to stay home and get some cleaning / homework done! That will feel good to spend a whole day really pushing that stuff so I don't get overwhelmed of course.
Yesterday was nice because Shannon, Ken and I went to Virginia for a very "nontraditional" tour of what is out there. Ken was our expert tour guide and it was really crazy. We went to Boarders for some morning coffee and book searching. Then we went to an International grocery store called Grand Mart. It was amazing! Everything you could possibly imagine and super fresh. All kinds of live fish and squid and all that stuff plus every spice known to man and an entire isle of seaweed and you could buy rice in 25 lb. bags! Then we went to this.....I guess the only way to really describe it was that it was like an Asian dollar store. Then we went to the BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT EVER! I told the waiter guy that it was the best meal I have ever had in my whole life and I meant every word. We also ventured to this like...Vietnamese mall complex where all of the stores were like a cultural experience for us outsiders. It was really cool. And finally we stopped by Pearl art supply store for a second and that concluded my Sat. outing.
Side note, I wanted to let everyone know about my supervisor's book! She gave me a copy of her first novel and I thought I would spread the word in case anyone is interested. Here is the information:
And Silent Left the Place by Elizabeth Bruce
ISBN 0-931846-86-2
A young woman stands naked and afraid in the South Texas dark, silenced by a rich man's bargain - a roll in the desert for her boyfriend's release from jail. Miles away, a silent old man climbs into his secret hole, burdened by his Great War bargain - his voice for life with his beloved. On this night in April 1963, the burden of silence passes from old to young. The debut novel of Texas native Elizabeth Bruce, And Silent Left the Place is a lyric tale of violence, redemption, and love reclaimed in the cruel, dry land of Texas.
Well, I guess I should get to work.
Megan
Yesterday was nice because Shannon, Ken and I went to Virginia for a very "nontraditional" tour of what is out there. Ken was our expert tour guide and it was really crazy. We went to Boarders for some morning coffee and book searching. Then we went to an International grocery store called Grand Mart. It was amazing! Everything you could possibly imagine and super fresh. All kinds of live fish and squid and all that stuff plus every spice known to man and an entire isle of seaweed and you could buy rice in 25 lb. bags! Then we went to this.....I guess the only way to really describe it was that it was like an Asian dollar store. Then we went to the BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT EVER! I told the waiter guy that it was the best meal I have ever had in my whole life and I meant every word. We also ventured to this like...Vietnamese mall complex where all of the stores were like a cultural experience for us outsiders. It was really cool. And finally we stopped by Pearl art supply store for a second and that concluded my Sat. outing.
Side note, I wanted to let everyone know about my supervisor's book! She gave me a copy of her first novel and I thought I would spread the word in case anyone is interested. Here is the information:
And Silent Left the Place by Elizabeth Bruce
ISBN 0-931846-86-2
A young woman stands naked and afraid in the South Texas dark, silenced by a rich man's bargain - a roll in the desert for her boyfriend's release from jail. Miles away, a silent old man climbs into his secret hole, burdened by his Great War bargain - his voice for life with his beloved. On this night in April 1963, the burden of silence passes from old to young. The debut novel of Texas native Elizabeth Bruce, And Silent Left the Place is a lyric tale of violence, redemption, and love reclaimed in the cruel, dry land of Texas.
Well, I guess I should get to work.
Megan
Monday, July 20, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Arlington Cemetary, homeless lady, and Archives
Today was really cool but also full of stories.
1. I went to Arlington Cemetery (pictures on facebook) and I got to see the tomb of the unknown soldier....which was really cool. The view at that point was beautiful and it was nice to see the guard on duty because it was just so respectful. Then I made my way up to the area where they had nurses and then the Battle of the Buldge....I don't know if that is the correct spelling....anywho then I saw JFK's grave and Jackie. That was really cool. And in general the cemetery was lovely and it was nice to be in an area that didn't smell like a city and had nice clean oxygen.
2. I decided that I wanted to go to the National Archives and see the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. But I was pretty worn out from powerwalking around Arlington Cemetary. So I went to the Archives metro stop and thought that it would be a good idea to stop at the street vendor and get a pretzel with mustard. I was having a craving anyway. So I got my pretzel and water and wanted to eat it sitting down but didn't want to lose my bearings by going too far away and getting lost. I decided to just eat there on the park bench. Well....there was this asian homeless lady that was sitting on the bench across from me drinking a coke and she kept laughing. Like....hysterically laughing. And of course I didn't know why and also....this was like where all of the skater kids decided to meet and practice. So there was all the skater kid noise plus this homeless woman laughing and a trillion people walking around me. It was a very strange feeling. But I looked over to the bench next to her and there was a homeless woman sleeping and she looked kind of rough. And it made me think again....how do people get to this point? and is it reversable? but I continued to eat my food and trying not to stare at the woman laughing...she was really intriguing though. The thought occurred to me....why did she waste money buying a coke? It would have cost at least a dollar to get that and she seemed not able to reason that purchase. But you know.....maybe she really loves coke? Then I looked closer and realized that she was not actually drinking coke at all...the can was empty and she was only pretending to drink it. That made the whole situation more bizarre. Anywho. I felt like I was losing my mind and that I can see how possibly the only way to cope is to leave reality completely.
3. After that I went and got in line for about an hour and a half to see the famous documents. That was super cool to see the originals but they are looking really faded and won't last much longer.
Thats all for now!
Megan
1. I went to Arlington Cemetery (pictures on facebook) and I got to see the tomb of the unknown soldier....which was really cool. The view at that point was beautiful and it was nice to see the guard on duty because it was just so respectful. Then I made my way up to the area where they had nurses and then the Battle of the Buldge....I don't know if that is the correct spelling....anywho then I saw JFK's grave and Jackie. That was really cool. And in general the cemetery was lovely and it was nice to be in an area that didn't smell like a city and had nice clean oxygen.
2. I decided that I wanted to go to the National Archives and see the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. But I was pretty worn out from powerwalking around Arlington Cemetary. So I went to the Archives metro stop and thought that it would be a good idea to stop at the street vendor and get a pretzel with mustard. I was having a craving anyway. So I got my pretzel and water and wanted to eat it sitting down but didn't want to lose my bearings by going too far away and getting lost. I decided to just eat there on the park bench. Well....there was this asian homeless lady that was sitting on the bench across from me drinking a coke and she kept laughing. Like....hysterically laughing. And of course I didn't know why and also....this was like where all of the skater kids decided to meet and practice. So there was all the skater kid noise plus this homeless woman laughing and a trillion people walking around me. It was a very strange feeling. But I looked over to the bench next to her and there was a homeless woman sleeping and she looked kind of rough. And it made me think again....how do people get to this point? and is it reversable? but I continued to eat my food and trying not to stare at the woman laughing...she was really intriguing though. The thought occurred to me....why did she waste money buying a coke? It would have cost at least a dollar to get that and she seemed not able to reason that purchase. But you know.....maybe she really loves coke? Then I looked closer and realized that she was not actually drinking coke at all...the can was empty and she was only pretending to drink it. That made the whole situation more bizarre. Anywho. I felt like I was losing my mind and that I can see how possibly the only way to cope is to leave reality completely.
3. After that I went and got in line for about an hour and a half to see the famous documents. That was super cool to see the originals but they are looking really faded and won't last much longer.
Thats all for now!
Megan
Week ReCap.
This week has been very interesting. First of all I want to tell the story about the man on the metro the other day. My roommate and I were sitting on the metro going back home after playing with the homeless children and just talking and everything was normal. But after that we were at a metro stop and the doors are only open for a short amount of time so you can't really dilly dally if it is your stop. So we noticed that there were these two brothers....the oldest was probably middle school like 6th grade and the youngest one was somewhere in the early elementary school age group. But the older one was talking to the younger one and their mom got off like right when the train doors opened in the first place. So my roommate and I could see that if they did not hurry that they were not going to get out. Also, when the train doors are about to close there is this noise that kind of beeps that alerts you that you need to stand clear of the doors. So that went off and the older one realized it and then darted off the train and the younger brother starts going towards the door and then it shuts. So basically....there is this little boy on the train and his mom and older brother are on the platform. At this point everyone on the train is aware of the situation and we are all looking at this little boy. Of course the train starts moving and people are watching him to see what he does. To my surprise he does not cry or anything he does not panic one bit! He simply stands there looking out the window of the door. Then this young man walks over....like late 20's...and he kneels down beside him and starts talking to the little boy and says that he will wait with him at the next stop for his mom. And sure enough...when the next stop comes along he gets off and waits with him. It was such a sweet gesture and what made the moment even more touching was that almost everyone on that train was ready to do the same thing. People were starting to get up and offer to go with him. It was so nice and the Washington DC community has proven to be very nice in my experience. I do think that the mother was to blame on that one....I mean....everyone knows that if you have kids on a metro they should get off before you do in order to prevent stuff like that from happening. But everyone makes mistakes.
The second story is about me at the homeless kids playtime thing and I gave my first time out. There was one little boy that I have been playing with and he is really cute but kind of wild. Anywho, he was being extra naughty on the last session and he threw chalk and ran out near the street where he wasn't supposed to and I realize that all of these times were opportunities for me to enforce the rules with timeout but I kept getting distracted because he would just go from one thing to another. So then during snack time he basically smashed his goldfish into a million pieces and then threw his napkin up into the air with the goldfish shards on it. At this point I was like...okay Megan....just do the time out thing. So I picked him up and said....so and so....you can't throw your snack and I told you not to so now you have to take a timeout. So I carried him over to the timeout chair and I was holding him under his arms and he started kicking his feet and expressing that he didn't want time out. I honestly didn't think it was going to work or that I could actually enforce a rule. But I sat him on the chair and I knelt down to his eye level and I said....so and so....you threw your snack and made a mess and we can't do that okay?....and so now you have to sit in time out because you broke a rule. And then I stood up and he just sat there. He didn't resist like I thought he would and he wouldn't look at me and didn't make eye contact. So I stood there and my internal dialogue was like....uh...what do I do now? So I was trying to think back to Nanny 911 and what she did and I couldn't remember how long you were supposed to leave them in timeout and I know that it is different based on the age of the child. I think it might have been a minute long and then at the end I knelt down and said....okay so and so....we don't throw our snack okay? You did a great job in time out but we don't want to come back here again right? I picked him up and put him on the ground and started walking to the room where the other kids were and I looked back and he just stood there and didn't move and looked at the ground with slumped shoulders and and sad face. And I was like...hey so and so... come on let's go play. And was smiling and like...time out is over come on. And then he got it and we went on playing for a little while. I was proud of my first time out experience. =) It wasn't so bad.
Yesterday I also went to see a play that my site supervisor starred in and it was so good! I thought she did such a great job. It was called the Bag Lady and it was this narrative about basically a homeless woman who talked to herself and was out of touch with reality. She actually reminded me a lot of Granny....but not entirely. One time when I was in Granny's house trying to clean I found three huge bags full of plastic bags. And I was like....do you really need all these Granny? I don't remember her answer but she kept them.
My goals today are to go to the Arlington Cemetery, see the Archives, and the American History Museum.
Anywho, that is all for now.
Megan
The second story is about me at the homeless kids playtime thing and I gave my first time out. There was one little boy that I have been playing with and he is really cute but kind of wild. Anywho, he was being extra naughty on the last session and he threw chalk and ran out near the street where he wasn't supposed to and I realize that all of these times were opportunities for me to enforce the rules with timeout but I kept getting distracted because he would just go from one thing to another. So then during snack time he basically smashed his goldfish into a million pieces and then threw his napkin up into the air with the goldfish shards on it. At this point I was like...okay Megan....just do the time out thing. So I picked him up and said....so and so....you can't throw your snack and I told you not to so now you have to take a timeout. So I carried him over to the timeout chair and I was holding him under his arms and he started kicking his feet and expressing that he didn't want time out. I honestly didn't think it was going to work or that I could actually enforce a rule. But I sat him on the chair and I knelt down to his eye level and I said....so and so....you threw your snack and made a mess and we can't do that okay?....and so now you have to sit in time out because you broke a rule. And then I stood up and he just sat there. He didn't resist like I thought he would and he wouldn't look at me and didn't make eye contact. So I stood there and my internal dialogue was like....uh...what do I do now? So I was trying to think back to Nanny 911 and what she did and I couldn't remember how long you were supposed to leave them in timeout and I know that it is different based on the age of the child. I think it might have been a minute long and then at the end I knelt down and said....okay so and so....we don't throw our snack okay? You did a great job in time out but we don't want to come back here again right? I picked him up and put him on the ground and started walking to the room where the other kids were and I looked back and he just stood there and didn't move and looked at the ground with slumped shoulders and and sad face. And I was like...hey so and so... come on let's go play. And was smiling and like...time out is over come on. And then he got it and we went on playing for a little while. I was proud of my first time out experience. =) It wasn't so bad.
Yesterday I also went to see a play that my site supervisor starred in and it was so good! I thought she did such a great job. It was called the Bag Lady and it was this narrative about basically a homeless woman who talked to herself and was out of touch with reality. She actually reminded me a lot of Granny....but not entirely. One time when I was in Granny's house trying to clean I found three huge bags full of plastic bags. And I was like....do you really need all these Granny? I don't remember her answer but she kept them.
My goals today are to go to the Arlington Cemetery, see the Archives, and the American History Museum.
Anywho, that is all for now.
Megan
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Sunday
I feel really tired and I am sad that I didn't really do any site seeing like I wanted to but I did a lot of other work. I did homework and I also cleaned and such. It was kind of nice to stay inside and relax....just really plowing through the to do list. I have been having so much fun at my civic engagement project. The homeless children are so adorable and at the last session I got to hold the babies! So cute! I love them all and they cried a lot but I am actually getting used to it. I never thought that I would be able to tolerate that for more than 5 seconds but I guess some kind of switch got turned off.
By the way my new favorite song is Nina Simone Ain't Got No...I've Got Life and I am really super excited about it. I love her! I really like her music....I can't remember if I have ever heard her before but I am lovin it.
Also, I kind of miss being home. I have been here 6 weeks and have 4 weeks left so the end is kind of near. I am going to be glad to be finished with this chapter even though I really enjoy it and have learned so much. I would recommend an internship during undergrad for anyone who can make it happen.
Well, tomorrow is back to work and it will be a busy day but that is expected.
Megan
By the way my new favorite song is Nina Simone Ain't Got No...I've Got Life and I am really super excited about it. I love her! I really like her music....I can't remember if I have ever heard her before but I am lovin it.
Also, I kind of miss being home. I have been here 6 weeks and have 4 weeks left so the end is kind of near. I am going to be glad to be finished with this chapter even though I really enjoy it and have learned so much. I would recommend an internship during undergrad for anyone who can make it happen.
Well, tomorrow is back to work and it will be a busy day but that is expected.
Megan
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