Cherry Blossoms
by Avery Van Ingen (’22)
The cherry blossoms are finally blooming across the city, and there has been a shift in the air this past week. As I walk back from work each day, I see more and more people outside sitting on the grass, walking around, and enjoying meals outside. It has been a complete turn-around from the first week of our time in DC, when we would bundle up and walk to the center over patches of ice and snow. It is truly hard to believe that our time in DC is halfway over. While the days seem to go by slowly with work and classes, by the end of the week it feels like no time has passed at all.
This past weekend I took advantage of the ever-convenient metro system and went over to Eastern Market. The street was closed off and little stalls lined the road selling handmade jewelry, pottery, clothes, and other assorted goods. Towards the end there were dozens of food trucks lined up, each cooking a different variety of food. There were lines stretching out from each stand and it took about 30 minutes to get our food but was completely worth it. We ventured into the building where more market stands lined the sides and we were immediately met by a flower stand that poured out into the aisle. I couldn’t help myself and picked up some flowers for our apartment, and it truly felt like spring. Once we made our way through the building, stopping to pick up an assortment of foods, we made our way back home.
On the walk back we ventured through capitol hill and walked right past the Capitol building. It was definitely unsettling to see gates surrounding the area with guards stationed on the other side of the fence as we walked by. Although it was fenced off the views of the buildings and parks were so beautiful and was the perfect way to end our day. One piece of advice the alumni we have met with give us a lot is to just get lost in the city. To go on a walk and discover new places around town that you otherwise wouldn’t necessarily see. We didn’t have any maps out on our walk back and eventually, by some strange route, we made it back to our apartment building. On the weekends I sometimes find myself just wanting to do nothing but rest and relax after the long week, but there is so much to do in DC I can never pass up an opportunity to explore.
This semester I am interning with Stones’ Phones, a political consulting firm specializing in phone strategies. This internship experience has been incredibly fulfilling thus far, and it is sometimes hard to believe how much I have learned over the course of a few months. I recently had the opportunity to work on a presentation about how we can help with Covid-19 vaccine outreach across the states, especially in communities that need assistance reaching people without a computer or internet to make appointments. I was able to work closely with my boss on this project and also look at case studies of how our programs have directly impacted communities struggling with vaccine outreach and have helped so many. Although it is completely online, the company has done a great job creating an environment that feels like being in a physical office. This is something I have noticed a lot of throughout my time in DC. Both my internship and the Wake Washington Program have both created environments that feel close to normal in a situation that is anything but. While so many experiences have been sacrificed during the pandemic, there are so many opportunities in DC, and we have been able to experience so much thanks to Wake Washington. The opportunities we have to speak with alumni, sit in an actual classroom (well, technically two classrooms), work a full-time internship, and spend time in the amazing city that is DC have been such a privilege.
Looking forward to the last month of the program and as our assignments begin to pile up, it is going to be harder to find time to get out and venture around the city. However, now that the weather will hopefully be more consistent, I am hoping to find moments to just walk around the city and experience all that it has to offer. There is so much to do in such a short span of time, but I am so grateful for all of the work that has been done to ensure that we are able to enjoy our time in DC to the fullest extent that we can.