Good-bye and Thank You

So I'm finally back home in Monongahela, PA. What a ride it has been!

On Saturday, Aug. 8th, it was time to pack everything up and move out of my apartment in Arlington, VA. The idea that I would probably never see all of my new friends at the same time again didn't even hit me until the night before move-out day. A bunch of the other interns from my building and I decided to have a "breakfast for dinner" goodbye-get-together. Everyone pitched in and helped make a gigantic and delicious all-you-can-eat dinner. After finishing up our second and third plates, we all sat down and started reminiscing on all of the fun times we have had together in D.C. It was a really nice opportunity for everyone to be together and to share some last laughs as one whole group.

Later that night, my parents arrived and they got to meet all of friends from the building. For me, it was a pretty special moment for them to finally meet the friends who I had been bringing up in conversations each time I would talk to them on the phone.

After a couple of hours, it was finally time to say good-bye. I went upstairs and started putting all of my belongings in boxes and bins. The next morning, we loaded up the car and began our trip back to PA.

As we started to leave Arlington, I began thinking about everything I had experienced and accomplished this summer. I thought it would make me sad, but it actually made me smile whenever I started to think about it all. I have been so fortunate to intern for an agency that has not only taught me so much, but has also shown me what a great staff is made up of. I have also been very lucky to experience a fun and exciting academic course that has significantly improved my knowledge of D.C. and the cultures it consists of. In addition to this, I have also made some really great contacts and even opened up several opportunities for myself. But in all honesty, the best part of this entire experience has been meeting the people I have met. Everyone from the interns, my roommates, my co-workers, my advisor, my A.M. bus driver, the guy who works the front desk at my apartment, etc., each person I have met has taught me a little or a lot about something.

Moving to D.C. for a summer internship was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. If you had the chance to follow all or even some of the blogs I have posted, then I hope you were able to catch a glimpse of what my summer has been like. For me, it was more than just an internship. It was the experience of a lifetime.

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this experience possible and more thanks to each person who has followed along with me during my journey in D.C.!

Press Box with Charlie Brotman, the perfect way to end an internship

As you may or may not know, my internship agency (Brotman Winter Fried Communications) holds and plans several different types of events. Their latest event has been the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. For those of you who are not familiar with this tournament, it is one of the top 20 tennis tournaments in the world. Well-known players from all over the world come to compete against one another. This year, players such as Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey, Tommy Haas, and John Isner are expected to attend. Although I had practically no background in tennis and barely understood the game, I decided to sign up as one of the voluntary staff members to help out with the event. During my first day on site, I was fortunate enough to have some down-time in the media center where I was working. Therefore, I had one of the other interns, Jeff, explain to me the entire game and give examples of how it works. After two days of his lessons and Wikipedia-ing “tennis”, I knew the game inside and out (not really, but I had a pretty good understanding of it).

On Friday, my last day at the tournament, it turned out that we were a little short on staff. Normally, there are one or two interns who work in the media center and then another one works up in the press box with Charlie Brotman (the founder and owner of BWF). However, no one was able to work in the press box this day. Lucky me, I got to be “Charlie’s Angel.” This was my first time working the position, but surprisingly I wasn’t nervous, I was more excited than anything! My time in the press box went pretty smoothly. I successfully helped Charlie with the PA announcements and I also got to share a few laughs with him as well. For me, this was the icing on the cake. When Charlie had asked me if I thought my last day as an intern was going well I said, “Let’s see, working in the press box at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic next to Charlie Brotman, I’d say that is a definite ‘YES’!”

What a great way to end my summer internship!

Last Stop, Chinatown!

This is it, my last week in D.C. Time has gone by so fast. Between my internship, my night class and the TWC (The Washington Center) programming, my schedule has been pretty busy. It feels like I just moved here last week.

This past Wednesday was our last time to meet for my class (A Taste of D.C.). To make this time memorable, our teacher wanted to take us to one of the most exciting and well-known areas in D.C., Chinatown.. or as some call it, “The New Times Square.” During our visit, we first met up at “Teaism.” This is a little food diner that is located just a block or two away from the Chinatown metro. Their selection of food is pretty interesting. For my order, I got the Turkey and Brie sandwich with a side of Miso soup. It was delicious and also very filling! After eating, we then proceeded down the street to the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This is located right across from the Spy Museum and the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. While we were here, Dr. Gueli began explaining the history of this area and how it has evolved into what we see today. Recently, there have been more apartments and housing lofts being built right along the main drag. For years there had never been any kind of housing vicinity. After capturing some of this information, we then headed toward the Verizon Center. This is where many concerts, entertainment and sporting events take place. One of the students in the class, Christian, even gave a short speech about the site and famous people who have visited.

After passing the Verizon Center, we also got to see some of the latest stores and restaurants that D.C. residents and tourists go to. Some of these places include: the Regal Theatre, Chop’t, Bar Louie, Dunkin Donuts, and more. For me, this was really exciting because I had only gone to Chinatown one other time and it was only to grab food real fast.

In my opinion, I think Chinatown was an excellent choice for our final class. I really enjoyed the area and its atmosphere. I’m hoping when I come back down to D.C. to visit sometime I will have more time to see and explore the area and all that is has to offer.

It's almost time to say goodbye...

This particular week flew by so fast. On Tuesday before I went to my internship, I met up with this guy Marc and did an interview with him. A few weeks back, he had given a presentation at one of our TWC programming events. Not only did he provide helpful tips about the field of communications, but he also shared some of his personal experiences. I felt like I had really learned a lot just from listening to him for 30 mins. Therefore, I met up with him after the presentation and chatted for a bit. Eventually, I worked up the courage and asked if he wouldn't mind meeting up sometime for an interview. He replied with an immediate "Yes" and said he would love to answer any questions I had.

During the interview he gave my some advice about graduate school and how it may become a benefit to me if I work 1-2 years before attending (in order to gain work experience). He also gave me some advice about traveling and finding jobs in communications/public relations. The interview went extremely well in my opinion because a lot of my questions and concerns seemed to be at ease afterwards.

On Wednesday, I had a very packed schedule. When I first arrived at my internship, there had already been a list of tasks that I needed to complete (i.e. post an event on web calendars, email several clients, get pricing for a balloon purchase for one of our upcoming events, draft a press release, etc.). After I completed all of my assignments, I then had to catch the bus and make my way up to Bethesda, MD for my night class.

Thursday just happened to be our vice president Brian's birthday. One of the other interns Dana and I decided last minute to surprise him with a little treat (2 cupcakes and some candles). Also, one of the other executives ordered pizza for everyone. This was a happy day for everyone, who doesn't love a free lunch!?

For me, friday was a lonely day at work and an eye opener. I finally realized that I only have one week left in D.C. Almost all of the BWF interns have left already (Josh, Jeff, Nick, Steve, Kelsey and Dana). I can't believe this internship is almost over. I feel like I need another month here before I'm ready to go back home.

Life In Bethesda, MD

This past Wednesday I was able to get a taste of what it's like to live in Bethesda, MD.

If you have been following some of my previous blogs, then I'm sure you are familiar with the night class I am currently taking, A Taste Of D.C. It is by far the most exciting academic course I have ever taken. Each week, our class visits a neighborhood in or around the D.C. area. Some of the locations we have seen thus far include: Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Alexandria and more! This week we visited good ol' Bethesda, MD. Prior to our visit, I had only passed through the area once. It was kind of hard to get a feel for what the neighborhood was like, but from quickly glancing at the buildings and streets, it seemed like a quaint little town.

On Wednesday July 29th, I was given the chance to really explore and learn about Bethesda. My class and I met up at the Bethesda metro stop. Once we were all together, we proceeded down Wisconsin Ave and then eventually ended up in a little shopping/restaurant area near Woodmont Ave. For dinner, our teacher let us go off individually and select the restaurant of our choice. My friends Joelle, Karen and I decided to try an entree at a placed called Lebanese Taverna Bethesda. This was actually my first time trying Lebanese food. For my order, I decided to try the chicken shawarma. It was incredible!

Once we finished up with our meals, we met back up with the rest of our class and then proceeded up Bethesda Ave and stopped at a little rest area next to Barnes and Noble. This is where my classmate Megan gave her presentation on Bethesda. After listening to her speech, I found out that Bethesda is actually where the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants novel takes place. I also learned from Megan's presentation that the average income is around $110,000/yr and the average house costs about $900,000... perhaps this why I became so fond of the neighborhood?!

World Football Challenge

So, how did you spend your Friday night... See a new movie? Take a road trip to the beach? Have dinner with some friends?

I spent my Friday at the Raven's Stadium in Baltimore, MD! For what you ask? The World Football Challenge of course! For those of who are not familiar with the WFC, it is a competition for international club football (soccer) teams. The teams come from both Europe and North America and each team plays the others once in a round-robin tournament format. I had the privilege of watching the game (between Chealsea and AC Milan) from up in the press box with all of the media and photographers! This was a real treat!

For those of you who still aren't quite sure of just how HUGE these teams are and how big of a deal this event is, David Beckham once played for AC Milan. You know, David Beckham, one of the most popular athletes in today's sports. FYI, he was the world's highest-paid footballer (soccer player) in 2004.

If this still does not impress you, then I don't know what will!

Anyway, the reason I was able to attend this event was because of my internship with Brotman Winter Fried Communications (BWF). BWF handles some of the public relations work for this event. When BWF mentioned they would need interns to help with the WFC, I volunteered immediately. I'll admit, when first signing up to help with this event, I didn't really know much about it. In fact, I didn't know a whole lot about football (soccer) in general. However, I love trying new things and this seemed like an interesting opportunity.

After watching an amazing game and attending a intense press conference afterwards, I really think I'm starting to take a liking to professional soccer. I even found myself rooting and booing for some of the calls that were made.

Who knows what's next, maybe I will make the initiative and purchase tickets for an upcoming game!

Welcome to The Torpedo Factory!

It was finally my turn to step up to the plate! This week was my week to give a presentation for my night class, A Taste of D.C. As part of the assignment, my requirement was to select a landmark or historical site and conduct research on some of its history and its significance to the neighborhood we were visiting that week.

On Wednesday, our teacher took us to Old Town Alexandria. I had only been there once before and it was for a short amount of time, so I wasn't very familiar with the area and its landmarks. After looking up some of the local tourist attractions, I came across one building called, "The Torpedo Factory Art Center." The name really stood out to me and the building seemed to have a lot of valuable history. After reading a few articles and reviews about the site, I found out that not only was it a torpedo factory in the 1920s, but it also served as a storage space for: art work and dinosaur bones from the Smithsonian, government documents from Congress, and even German war films and records from the Military. I was really fascinated by the information I found and so I decided to focus my presentation on this historical landmark.
Prior to giving my presentation, my class and I had met up at Chadwick's Restaurant. This is were we gathered together and talked about some of the places we have been able to visit while living in D.C., as well as the places that we still hope to see and experience. For me, my two favorite visits were to the Georgetown Waterfront and Adam's Morgan. As for the two places that I still hope to see, one would have to be Kenilworth Park and The Aquatic Gardens, the other would be the National Zoo.

I am actually planning to visit one of these two sites within the next week. Hopefully my plans will work out and I will be able to share my experience with everyone!

PS. The informational interview that I have been talking about for a few weeks now is going to take place this Monday at 11AM. Check back next week to see how it goes and what kind of feedback Marc (the gentleman I am interviewing) provides.