every day is a first day

After nearly two weeks of living in Washington DC I've come to the conclusion that it is nothing more than a huge playground, and what I'm supposed to do is pick my corner and my allies and my enemies just like everyone else. Not that my decision will matter much to anyone - interns practically flow through the Hill and disappear so quickly that the only ones who are immortalized are the ones with less than flattering legacies. Their exploits do make for good stories, though.

That said, the office I work in is far friendlier than most. I work for Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, who is from the Madison area (2nd district Wisconsin). Perhaps because of Madison's substantial political activity, our phones are constantly ringing with calls from constituents and likewise the mail bags are bursting. I like it this way, though the direct effect for me is that I spend a lot of time dealing with the mail. I like the idea that the Congresswoman is serious about responding to the concerns of her constituents quickly and in-depth. I have learned that not all offices take such care. Like most interns I learn these things by talking with other college kids who are doing the same thing as me. I live with three other interns, and it's nice to get some sense of how other offices work from them.

I've gotten much better at navigating the phone system, and though I now have a personal vendetta against the copying machine, my office skills are shaping up nicely. I've never held an office job before, so while it is to a certain extent boring, I feel like I'm learning things that every adult in the workforce should know. My favorite job is actually data entry, in which I enter all letters that have been written to the office into a database that organizes them so the Legislative Correspondents can write the correct response letters. I like it because it is detective work. Many people don't understand the concept of PRINT your name here and SIGN your name here, so I've become an expert handwriting analyst. I also now know about a dozen ways to track someone down using reverse address searches and the like on the internet. My career as a stalker is assured.

I can't say I've contributed in any serious way to the office, though it is helpful that I am careful with my work. I get the most out of just listening to what goes on around the Hill and asking as many questions as I can get away with before I become annoying. For now, that is my plan of attack. As I get more comfortable, and my supervisors trust me more, hopefully I'll get to try new things as well. Long days certainly. But interesting, and thus far worthwhile.