Week One

Finals week is over, musicianship juries have been passed, essays have been completed, and the mass exodus from Clewell dorm has been survived. Yet the Salem graduation confetti has not even biodegraded, and I am hitting the books once again in the toughest classroom environment I've ever encountered: Washington DC. This has only been my first week in the city, but I have already learned so much in both practical and scholarly fields. Much of my new 'education' has been spurred by necessity (people here can spot naivete from across the room, and I've already had my share of being picked on), but the fertile atmosphere of DC has inspired my curiosity, and I feel more like a Washingtonian every day. And yes, Dr. Williams, I even stay on the right side of the escalator.

So much has happened these past few days that it is difficult to report, but here goes:

I have mastered the art of walking, I think for once in my life I can set out with nothing but an address scrawled on paper and can feel confident that I will find it. And the crazy thing is I actually do! I may also have put my right foot out of commission, but I've now got a smashing pair of legs.

I've been to three events this week, one of them featuring former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger and Eric Edelman. 'Larry' turned out to be the most captivating speaker so far, though I thought his 'misrecollection' of President Obama's name was a bit colorful...as a new savvy Washingtonian, I can assure you there are no President Osamas here. But maybe Mr. Eagleburger was just a little grumpy that morning. Maybe he wouldn't have been quite so grumpy that morning if he could still breath properly (?)

The event I went to today featured William Overholt and his presentation, China, Asia and the Global Crisis. At the Q and A a member of the Chinese Embassy asked a question, and then a member of a Japanese organization asked a rival question, which I thought was hilarious. The man from the Chinese Embassy didn't think it was that funny.

One major benefit of going to these events, besides the broadening of my mind and the amazing networking opportunities, is the free food. Probably the wildest free lunch I ever recieved occurred after the event with Larry, when Dr. Williams kindly extended me an invitation to a Rotary Club luncheon. Quite the no-shit-there-I-was moment. We whisked away to the University Club, a huge symbol of 'Old Washington' as Dr. Williams mentioned. Shining chandeliers, beautiful mahogany staircases--think Titanic. At the luncheon, Dr. Williams introduced me to an International Trade Commissioner, a judge and a columnist, while pointing out the Inspector General of the IRS and Dr. Sam, one of the leading environmentalist in the country. Once I managed to pick my jaw off the floor, I think I managed decent small talk. But it was back on the floor once I realized the speaker was the Dutch ambassador, also the first woman to ever hold the position. A day in Washington, what can I say?

I've had a few scary moments here and there, but I think DC is my kind of city. The people aren't bad, the hats are fabulous, and you can't spit without hitting some sort of symbol of democracy. I will try to post daily, as apparently a weekly post can easily turn into a novel, so stay tuned! I hope you find this gossip at least somewhat as interesting as I do :)