Sentimental Moments in the U.S. Senate

Without sounding like a broken record, it really is amazing how time flies. While some afternoons I wonder if I will ever get off work, most of the time I really can’t believe another day has passed. I’m one day away from finishing my first week in my dream internship in the senate.

This internship is incredibly different from my previous one. Starting a new internship always has its challenges because you have to establish yourself and gain some credibility amongst the staffers, understandably so. There are 15 interns in my new office and sometimes it’s a little chaotic. There are 35ish staffers, compared to 7 in my previous office. The senate offices definitely run a little different than the house, but they are both fun and great learning experiences. Often there are about 10 of us interns in our small room fighting over three computers and distracting each other. But, its always a different day.

On Tuesday, we had a meeting with our senator and I almost teared up when I told her that she was my reason for entering politics. Today we had a meeting with the chief of staff which was neat, he’s a pretty cool guy.

Lucky for me, my legislative assistant and I know some of the same people so she trusted me pretty quickly after talking to them. So, today I got to start working on a bill which my senator will hopefully like and want to introduce on the floor. I am so excited to get to pioneer a bill!! I actually saw that it had been introduced in the house and asked my LA if we could work on it in the senate. So, fingers crossed, I will be sitting in the balcony of the senate at some point, listening to my senator read the bill. Without giving too much away, its about Africa and human rights.

Amidst the busy-ness, I've found a lot of peace lately in DC. Here's a quote I like:

On a totally different note, I’m reading this book called The Circle Maker by the pastor of my church in DC, Mark Batterson. I’ve had a lot on my mind trying to figure out where I am going to intern in the fall, mainly because I want to apply to about 100 places ranging from the UN to public defenders to human trafficking orgs. But this quote really stood out to me. So, I’ll leave all my blog readers with this thought:

"I learned we shouldn't seek answers as much as we should seek God. We get overanxious. We try to microwave our own answers instead of trusting God's timing. But here's an important reminder: If you seek answers you won't find them, but if you seek God, the answers will find you."- Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker