Jorgelito Goes to Washington
 

Hello my dear tfp'rs:

I have been away for awhile. Although I have been on TFP for over a year, I still tend to be private and quiet. I tend not to share my personal life too mcuh. But anyways, after the Fall quarter, I went to Chicago. I am currently in Washington DC on a program through our school. I have secured an internship at the American Enterprise Institute and will be doing a research paper in addition to taking a class for full credit at my home institution back in LA. It's been a long road and I've worked hard for it.

It is incredible here, I hardly know where to begin. I am here for the winter quarter (1/4 - 3/17) and will return to LA then. The other two places I applied to were the Brookings Institution and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. If you're interested, browse these websites, it is illuminating.

I will do my best to keep you all apprised of my experiences here as it is incredible. l live 5 blocks from the White House in our school's satellite campus.

My internship is amazing. I work with premier scholars and other notables. In addition, I do get to attend many events such as the hearings on Capitol Hill, panel discussions, forums etc.

Apparently the AEI is a conservative think tank (I didn't know this when I applied) but there are some sharp minds here.

I will be touring the White House, Pentagon, and Capitol Hill through my program here. I also met this awesome cute girl who works at the State Dept in the Office of Protocol. *sigh* She's awesome, I really hope I will see her again. She is so smart and awesome - she has level 3 clearance or something, speaks 5 languages ( I only know 3).

Guys, I don;t know what to say - I'm babbling like an idiot now but I am so excited to be here - the seat of our government (love it or hate it).

I'm just glad I'm not interning with a Congressman or campaign. I'm at a think tank and I like it just fine, thank you. I will be visiting Arlington, Gettysburg etc too.

My work (I'm doing real work!) is in the Asian Studies department. I am researching Nuclear Security, Chinese rise to power and threat assessment. I think I will be able to publish a paper too if I'm lucky. I am also looking at crossover studies with the Middle East (my original area of concentration). If I ever get computer savvy, I would love to post my papers for y'all to read. It would be great if Host or Roachboy ever cite me! LOL!!! *sigh* I have a whole bunch just waiting to become PDFs.

Last week I saw the WWII memorial - I almost lost it. I never felt like that before. I wasn't sad per se, but rather, reflective, pensive and.....human. I stood in front of the columns; undertstated, yet majestic. It was quiet and a chilly breeze was blowing across the Mall. As I read the various quotes from our statesmen and the names of the participants, battles - I felt it. The surge of emotion reverberated throughout my body and the tears welled up. This time, I did not spill, but in their honor, I will. That was WWII. I will have to go back to see Vietnam (I can't handle it right now), Korea and Arlington. I think there is something profoundly beautiful in the way we as humans can express our selves through art that conveys powerful emotions, thoughts that resonate with everyone. Right or left, black or white it's there. It's us. We the people. Us Americans.

I will go back this weekend to see the Holocaust Memorial; maybe with the sweet girl from the State Department. For now, from our nation's capitol: Jorgelito signing off. I will update you all with my travails. Take care.

If anyone's interested, I am willing to share more details and stuff, I just didn't want to write too much.

Glad you're having such a great experience. I couldn't help but find the above quote interesting.

Tell us more! My greatest wish is to see our nation's capitol, but never would I have the opportunity to spend three months there.

AEI is a highly respected institution; can you tell us who you will be working with? Research on Asia, particularly China, is the place to be IMO. You have eager eyes awaiting your next post. :icare:

The Holocaust Museum (Bal Shem) is most certainly worth the trip, I found the experience a bit more startling than seeing Schindler's List.

Stay out of NW DC!

My most humbling moment was when I was trying to find a building in Arlington, and went over a bridge near where I live. Looking to my right, I saw the three tallest structures in DC, the National control tower, the Washington monument, and the capitol dome. A few minutes later, I was driving right next to the Pentagon. All I could think was, "am I really allowed to be this close to these important buildings?"

The access that we have even to this day is astonishing, and I think it speaks for us as a people that we really cause as little trouble as we do near these buildings. Even though we bitterly disagree on some points, there's a respect there that for the most part, is strictly adhered to.