Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've been sick and overworked, so I haven't felt up to updating this when I get back to my apartment. I'm feeling better now though.
I went to my first Congressional hearing at the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight (what a mouthful). The topic was the Cuban-American travel restrictions trying to pass H.R. 757 to allow Cuban-Americans to visit family members more often than once every three years (a restriction put into place in 1995). The panels were very interesting and I decided that I wouldn't have minded getting an internship on Capitol Hill either on a committee or in a Representative's office so I could go to more hearings. I wasn't able to stay for the last panel of speakers since I needed to grab lunch and head to work for a couple hours. I got some food from the cafe in the Rayburn Congressional building and was very impressed with how eco-friendly everything was. There was a recycling bin for everything imaginable (lunch comes in recycled/recyclable containers) and very little goes into the waste bin. I ate my lunch out in the courtyard by the fountain since it was such a beautiful day outside. Congress lets out next week, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to go to another hearing during my time here.
I completed my final draft of my Learning Objectives Statement and will turn it in to my advisor on Monday with a signature from my supervisor that he got a copy of it. I now need to do a resume revision and turn that in on Monday along with the LOS.
The activities on Monday were interesting. Neither topic was one that was important to me, but they were still interesting. I didn't enjoy sitting down and staying still and awake for so long during the talks. The Israeli-Palestinian Peace talk featured a native Israeli-Ori Nir- and a native Palestinian-Ziad Nasali. For the talk on the Iraqi war, Dr. Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense during Reagan's Administration, gave his views on resolving the conflict and answered questions from students. Personally, I'm not sure how much I would trust the opinion of Reagan's defence people (and I wasn't even alive at the time).
It took me 1.5 hours to commute to class yesterday. I was livid! Of course I ended up getting to class later than my normal lateness because of Yellow Line issues on the Metro (class starts at 5:30 and there's no way I can get there on time). The transfer took forever too, which it shouldn't have during "rush hour." I really like my class, but getting all the way to the Washington Center is a PITA with a lot of walking involved.
I think my calendar for next week is going to be crazy hectic, but I think I'll manage (if I make it to the store sometime to get food sometime before the end of next week). My (second) cousin, Nicole, is coming into town tomorrow and I'm going to go out with her and her sister (another cousin I've never met) to King St. for dinner at The Warehouse. It will be fun seeing her again!
I've started to become a bit "horse-sick" since I've been in withdrawal from horses and riding ever since I left. I have a feeling that I'm going to have to visit one of the amazing tack stores in NoVA to satiate my horsey appetite.
I went to my first Congressional hearing at the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight (what a mouthful). The topic was the Cuban-American travel restrictions trying to pass H.R. 757 to allow Cuban-Americans to visit family members more often than once every three years (a restriction put into place in 1995). The panels were very interesting and I decided that I wouldn't have minded getting an internship on Capitol Hill either on a committee or in a Representative's office so I could go to more hearings. I wasn't able to stay for the last panel of speakers since I needed to grab lunch and head to work for a couple hours. I got some food from the cafe in the Rayburn Congressional building and was very impressed with how eco-friendly everything was. There was a recycling bin for everything imaginable (lunch comes in recycled/recyclable containers) and very little goes into the waste bin. I ate my lunch out in the courtyard by the fountain since it was such a beautiful day outside. Congress lets out next week, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to go to another hearing during my time here.
I completed my final draft of my Learning Objectives Statement and will turn it in to my advisor on Monday with a signature from my supervisor that he got a copy of it. I now need to do a resume revision and turn that in on Monday along with the LOS.
The activities on Monday were interesting. Neither topic was one that was important to me, but they were still interesting. I didn't enjoy sitting down and staying still and awake for so long during the talks. The Israeli-Palestinian Peace talk featured a native Israeli-Ori Nir- and a native Palestinian-Ziad Nasali. For the talk on the Iraqi war, Dr. Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense during Reagan's Administration, gave his views on resolving the conflict and answered questions from students. Personally, I'm not sure how much I would trust the opinion of Reagan's defence people (and I wasn't even alive at the time).
It took me 1.5 hours to commute to class yesterday. I was livid! Of course I ended up getting to class later than my normal lateness because of Yellow Line issues on the Metro (class starts at 5:30 and there's no way I can get there on time). The transfer took forever too, which it shouldn't have during "rush hour." I really like my class, but getting all the way to the Washington Center is a PITA with a lot of walking involved.
I think my calendar for next week is going to be crazy hectic, but I think I'll manage (if I make it to the store sometime to get food sometime before the end of next week). My (second) cousin, Nicole, is coming into town tomorrow and I'm going to go out with her and her sister (another cousin I've never met) to King St. for dinner at The Warehouse. It will be fun seeing her again!
I've started to become a bit "horse-sick" since I've been in withdrawal from horses and riding ever since I left. I have a feeling that I'm going to have to visit one of the amazing tack stores in NoVA to satiate my horsey appetite.
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