Tuesday, July 2nd 2024
Waking up it felt like usual, but as I looked around my room it seemed much brighter than when I would usually wake up. I turned to my side to see my clock and it turned out that I woke up three hours past the time that I usually do!! The jet lag was hitting me like a truck, so I was really groggy because I was adjusting to the time difference again. Eventually, I was able to get out of bed and finished fully unpacking my suitcase. I'm no stranger to getting back from a trip, and "forgetting" about my clothes! I started to organize and clean my room because I wanted my space to be less cluttered, and ended up spending the rest of the morning doing just that. I then made my way to the kitchen and cleaned up the mess that I had made from cooking the day before and then shortly after I made some food and ended up taking an extended nap until Wednesday!
Wednesday, July 3rd 2024
I made sure the night before to set my alarm to wake up at 6 am as I did before so that I could start making my body get used to the time zone again. After getting up I grabbed all of my dress shirts, pants, and jackets, and caught a train to the dry cleaners that was recommended by one of the supervisors in the office. I'm not going to deny, however, that carrying everything at the same time that far was not the best idea. I basically got a workout while going to the dry cleaners! After finally getting to my stop, and making a short walk to the cleaners, I dropped off my clothes and was told that my shirts would be ready in a few hours, and the rest would be ready Friday at 5pm.
Going back to the metro, I realized that I couldn't get in because my card had no more money on it! So I went to the machine to recharge my card, and it wasn't taking debit cards! So, I grabbed my wallet and came to the funny realization that all I had was a two-dollar bill. The irony? The machine DIDN'T TAKE TWO DOLLAR BILLS!!! I was giggling at the situation as I walked from store to store trying to get change for a two-dollar bill, and eventually, there was a very nice woman who was kind enough to exchange the bill for two ones. I hopped on the metro and headed to Costco, where I grabbed some groceries for the month. I also had lunch with a really nice Costco worker who talked to me about DC and coming from El Salvador. Afterward, I took the metro back home, put everything away, and got some rest!
Thursday, July 4th 2024
I woke up and the air smelled like FREEDOM!! I got up and ready to head to the Fourth of July Parade! The other interns and I were there for the entire morning watching as float after float passed by - each more amazing than the last! There were also so many bands!! High School, military, and even the Old Guard! I'd never been to a parade this big before so I watched like a wide-eyed kid as I got to see everyone and everything going on.
My favorite part of the parade, however, was when the different Latino cultures were being highlighted at the event. Everyone was wearing beautiful traditional clothing, and the music was such a great vibe! I had so much fun at this event and later in the day I even got to attend a concert at the Capitol! Fantasia was playing and the live band was, in all honestly, something I will never forget! When the fireworks started lighting up the sky, I couldn't help but chant USA the entire time!! The train ride home was so packed, that I understood what a sardine felt like! After getting back home, I ended up making strawberry sorbet and going to bed.
Friday, July 5th 2024
I slept in because I was so tired from the day before, but decided that I would go into the office for a few hours to work on a research paper that was due next Friday. I've never written a layout for a research paper before but my friend, Michelle, had done so previously, so I asked her if she could help me figure out how to structure my paper. She was extremely helpful in figuring out how I wanted to organize what I had to say! I spent the day at the office researching information and at the end of the day, I made my way to the dry cleaners from earlier in the week to pick up the rest of my clothes! This time I made sure I had enough to get home before getting to the train stop and was able to get my clothes. After getting home I opened the freezer to eat the strawberry sorbet that I had made the night before. It was like a reward for getting everything I needed to do done for the day!
Sunday, July 7th 2024
I got up early again but today it was for a bus ride to Maryland! Some of the other interns and I were volunteering at Shepard's Table where free food is provided to the community in the area. I had not yet been on a bus in D.C. before so it was, to say the least, an interesting adventure. The bus ended up being late and we were going to make it to the location right at 9 am but only IF WE RAN!! So as soon as we got off the bus I got the address and bolted!! I was running to make sure I was there on time, and, even though I may have been a little sweaty, I got there on time! I put an apron on and started helping out with what was left of the prep work. Once service started however, I was put on dishwasher duty, and for the entire time I was there, I was washing dishes NONSTOP! I was a dishwashing champion! I really enjoyed being able to provide some help to the people who needed it most and getting to chat with them for brief moments as they left their dirty dishes was a very humanizing experience. Some of us went to Walmart afterward and then came back home. After getting to the dorms, I put my things away and fell asleep at my computer!
