Interning in DC: Part I

Wow. So my apologies for not writing before now. I guess a week isn't too long to wait for a post, but it feels like such a long week to me! In a good way, of course.

So let's start with my first day of work last Monday. My internship at AEI is with the Political Corner and the Election Reform Project. I work every day except Thursdays (when I have classes) from 9 to 5. I have to say, starting at 9am definitely feels later than starting at 8am at my summer job. On Monday we had an intern orientation, and there were probably fifteen of us starting that day. A few had already started the previous week and a couple had even been there since the fall semester.

I quickly discovered that just because a job doesn't pay, doesn't mean it doesn't have some great benefits. AEI has good intern hours and even better, we're fed. The lunches are three courses and served in the dining room.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I should describe a little more about AEI as a whole. It has three broad areas of scholarly focus: economic policy, foreign policy, and social/political policy. Within those areas are various scholars who generate policy ideas, criticisms, and collaborative projects. I do like the think tank atmosphere a great deal, and it's a great system for taking on interns. The scholars all have research assistants, who the best I can tell are relatively recent college graduates who want more experience. I've met several already who interned just a few years ago. Then below the research assistants are the dozens of college students just like me - interns! Although, to my surprise, a few of the interns are college graduates and/or current graduate school students.

Anyway, I work for two scholars and two research assistants, and thus far it's been really good. It's an adjustment of course immersing myself in policy work, which is different than regular school assignments or even the work I do at the law firm. On the bright side, part of my job includes keeping up with the news daily, which is one of my favorite things to do. On the downside, I have to keep up with a lot more news, so that means less time idly perusing CNN, BBC News, NYTimes, etc. I'm trying to be more efficient with my news-reading habits, so that should help me get the best of both worlds - quality and quantity. Essentially, part of my job is doing what I normally do in my free time, so that's fantastic.

It's after midnight, and I do have to get up in the morning, so I'll try to keep this post brief and continue my week's tale tomorrow evening. A small taste of what's to come in the near future (though it's more of a reminder for myself than a tease for you): my second day of class, my first day of missing work, my parents' visit, and a visit to Brookings. Unfortunately, right now I really must go. The internet connection at our house is wireless and growing weaker and more unstable by the day (surprise, surprise).

Now I have a really strong urge to explain the quirkiness of our house. I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but it has what I like to call character (let's just say, intermittent water heat, suspicious 2nd floor electrical work, a rebellious garbage disposal, and more). Please add that to the list of assigned topics to discuss for the next post. For now, bed!

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week!