Capitol, capitol

I just realised I've spent 3 weeks here. That actually flew by pretty quickly.

Things were a LOT more lively once the (only) other intern arrived at the Operational Archives. Now I have someone else to chat to; not that the regular staff aren't talkative and friendly, but it's really nice to have someone else of similar age. (I'd love to have a beer with anyone from the archives, to be honest. Yes, even the commander who's a fucla alum.) We have met up with a lot of the other Navy Yard interns though, thanks to the field trips, and they're all a really cool lot. Some of them are living as far out as Baltimore, which makes me feel a lot better about my 1 hour commute from start to finish. I think the others have been pushing for more trips since we don't see each other during work, being closeted in our various buildings (most work in the museum, I work in a small part of another building that's often freezing to keep the documents intact).

Went to Mount Vernon today, courtesy of Tourmobile. The estate was very pretty and had some interesting stuff, but it was a bit of a downer because we only had 4 hours to see the estate, and 1 hour was spent waiting to get inside the mansion itself. I also nearly didn't make it back to DC because I did not see where the Tourmobile stop was. Oops.

So all in all, I really enjoy working here. I also really like living here so far. The one downside is that there aren't any good supermarkets or shops near where I live. They do have some interesting boutiques, but I'm cheap and need to find something like an Old Navy nearby. The nearest one is in Pentagon City across the river.

Plan for next weekend is Gettysburg. Assuming the weather isn't too bad, it should be a great trip.

Hello from DC part 1

I meant to blog a little earlier but I've only just got over the jet lag.

So DC is absolutely amazing. Easy to walk around, less humid than Hong Kong, good metro, and I still haven't begun to explore the surrounding areas with the cheap but diverse restaurants/entertainment. Went to the American History museum today and spent nearly 3 hours there, especially in the sections on communities and war. Must go back to the gift shop at some point too.

The Navy Yard is also really cool, although the constant escorts and security checks are a bit of hassle. And I get to handle the actual documents instead of going through books like I've been doing all YEAR. I saw McCain Jr.'s box while in the archives; pity I didn't get to open it. And yes, most of the time I'm scanning stuff and helping to "stabilise" the papers (putting them into acid-free folders and reorganising them into new boxes) but it's still pretty cool.

My dorm does kinda suck on the other hand. I'm pretty sure it's one of the older more run-down buildings compared to other places on GWU, but the paint is a little shabby and for some reason I don't have blinds.

Also, it's suddenly started raining and we have a thunderstorm too. Meant to go to the Lincoln Memorial tonight but that is so not going to happen.

Not entirely sure what to do this weekend, but will most likely be in Virginia, either Arlington or Alexandria.