Summertime is here

Well, I'm spending even more time away from home now that I got back from Uganda. After a short 10 days or so at home, I had some medical tests and some chill time. Surprisingly, Uganda didn't leave any parasites in my system so I guess I'm good to go. I have to keep taking the malaria pills for a few more weeks though to make sure all those parasites are gone. Hopefully I won't come down with a high fever and chills in the coming weeks and months. Supposedly malaria can hide for quite awhile without any symptoms showing up. Anyway, I'm surprised how healthy I stayed and continue to stay.

Now I'm in DC until August. I have an internship here with the Organization of American States, which has been pretty great so far. I really like the people I'm working with and I'm keeping busy which is what I needed after my adventures this year. If I was stuck in Ohio, I'm sure I would have gone crazy and probably just ended up driving somewhere random. It's weird to be working/interning. I dress nicely everyday-keeping up the ironing is one thing I wish I didn't have to continue from Uganda. My supervisor took me for lunch at the World Bank headquarters the first day I was there which was slightly overwhelming. You need a connection to get into the building in the first place so he had his friend get us through security. The building is really nice and has technological displays everywhere talking about WB projects. There was a choir singing in the lobby which was a little strange. I guess it was for all of the people wandering around. With such high security, there sure were a lot of kids running around. I guess their parents must work there. Anyway, I walked into the main cafeteria there, which was really nice, and was immediately overwhelmed with the choices. This on top of the fact that I only had $5, as well as nostalgia for Uganda, led me to get African style rice and beans. Overall, I continue to be a little critical of the WB's work. I mean, they're supposed to be aiding development throughout the world and yet they spend tons of money to maintain this building, as well as at least five others, in DC. They could definitely put the money to better use, though it's probably okay that they aren't using this money to implement potentially harmful projects.

At work, I mainly do whatever they need me to do. I did a lot of research on G4 visas so that I can give a presentation on them to the interns when they arrive next week. About half of the interns are here on these visas and an additional 20 or so are students from abroad. I think a little less than a third of us are US citizens, so it will be cool to meet more people from around the world. The people I'm working with already represent a wide array of nationalities: Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Mexico. I feel slightly out of place there being an American, but I'm used to that by now. It's also a little strange to hear Spanish being spoken by almost everyone, especially when I hear English everywhere outside of work.

On the weekends I go out exploring and just walk around. Last weekend was my first full weekend here and I walked to Georgetown after getting lost on the way to Trader Joe's for some groceries. Then I walked to the Washington Harbor and watched a bit of a dragon boat race that was going on there. It was a nice day so I didn't mind walking everywhere and it's good for me to be getting exercise. I walked so much in Ecuador and then not that much in Uganda so I'm pretty out of shape. On Sunday, I walked to the National Gallery of Art and just spent several hours walking through the exhibits in both buildings. There was an Afghanistan art exhibit that just opened a week or so ago. It was really crowded though so I just got frustrated and quickly went through it. It also isn't as fun making fun of modern art and annoying people by myself. I guess I'm just a little lonely after being around people I knew every so often in Uganda. Hopefully once the other OAS interns get here next week I will meet some people living near me and we can hang out or something. I am kind of a homebody though-I don't mind spending time by myself in my room. I'm keeping busy reading up on the news and reading other books as well as listening to lots of music and watching my favorite telenovela again.

This weekend, I'm hoping to go see Hilary Clinton speak tomorrow at one of the Smithsonian museums. I think she'll probably officially concede from the presidential race and officially endorse Obama. Then maybe I'll take in a few more museums before heading back to my room. Sunday I plan on taking the metro to a shopping center in Virginia. One legacy of Uganda is the gross state of most of my shirts. I made the mistake of bringing a lot of white clothing to Uganda and this clothing is not very white anymore. I don't really feel that the shirts are work appropriate becuase they don't look very professional so I'm going to search for a few new shirts that will match the skirts and pants I brought with me.

Well, I should probably get to bed soon so I can get up early and walk into the city to see Hilary's speech. It should be interesting if I make it down there. I'm getting better at getting around now without getting lost though so it shouldn't be too hard. It's just a bit of a walk and I was exhausted after walking all that way and back last weekend. I hope everyone's doing well wherever they are. Enjoy your summer!