Week 8: Kiss and Ride

I can't believe how quickly time is passing. We only have a week and a half left, which is crazy. I am really enjoying the projects I have been working on and really like the other interns. It will be so sad to go our separate ways in just a few weeks. This week also signifies an end to my time at NIST. It has been so amazingly fun and a great learning experience. It has also inspired me to think about possible directions I want to go with my career.

But, before we get to all of that, we'll start with the weekend. On Friday night, my cousin, Becca, arrived from Boston to DC. We ate a quick dinner before heading out to buy some groceries at Target. I also did some laundry that evening. I decided to start her DC trip off really unexciting, so that the bar would be set low.

Saturday was fun. Becca and I went to Ford's Theatre and took a tour. It was really interesting. The national park rangers do the tour and he did a fabulous job. He was VERY animated and a quite good storyteller, so it was very captivating as we listened to how everything played out that evening. We then grabbed lunch at Kanlaya, a Thai restaurant before heading to the International Spy Museum. My friend Julie met up with us there, and it was really cool to see all the old spy equipment and to hear the stories. After the museum, we were pretty tired, so we grabbed milkshakes at Ted's Bulletin and headed home. That evening, my cousin Becca and I watched Top Gun. I had never seen it before, so it was nice to finally understand all the phrases so often quoted from that movie.

Sunday we went to church with Amy, which was fun. It is crazy how different it is compared to the DC 2nd ward. That evening, we went out to Toni's house for dinner and to watch the Wizard of Oz. It was really fun. Burgers were delicious and it has been a very long time since I watched the Wizard of Oz.

The work week has mostly been focused on wrapping up the Summer Institute. I have been working on going though the assessments from the teachers of all the activities that they had done. It has been interesting to see the difference of opinion for the same activities. Overall, the reviews were very favorable. I also started working at ACP and I am working on the write ups for the SOCK activities.

 I also did some fun things with my cousin, Becca, this week. Monday night, we walked around to all the monuments. It was really nice. Tuesday we went to the temple and did inititories. It is always amazing to be in the temple. Funny story, there is a temple shuttle that goes between the metro station and the temple. Every time I go, I chat with the driver. As we were pulling into the metro station, Becca read the sign "kiss and ride" sign and asked what it means. In jest, I said, "some cabbies charge in kisses." As we left the shuttle, I thanked him, and he said, "What, no kiss?" Sadly, I didn't hear it, but it was mentioned to me later. A terrible opportunity to miss! ;)

Wednesday, we went on a tour of the pentagon. It wasn't that great of a tour. The fun part, was that we organized it through my grandma's cousin, so we had a navel officer meet us at the top of the metro escalator. He got us through all the security without even the slightest check. I don't know what my grandma's cousin does, but clearly, it's important.

Also, Becca made it to the metro station before me. While she was waiting, a man walked by who was probably in his mid-fifties. He was looking at her and made eye contact. Well, she loves making eye contact, and since he was still making eye contact, she was kind of playing the staring game and looked right back at him. He looked away and she started texting. When she looked up he was looking at her again. He then proceeded to ask her out for a drink. It was quite funny.

Thursday my cousin, Becca, left to return home to Boston. It was also my last day of work at NIST. It was sad to turn in my badge and to leave. I really loved working there and working with Mary. It was really incredible to work with all the teachers and the scientists and to make so many amazing contacts.

Friday, we had a tour of the capitol and the Hill interns took us to their office. It was really interesting. I find politics and policy really interesting, but I feel like I don't know much about the whole process. I learned a ton about the process and the ways that the interns are involved. I was kind of bummed that I couldn't apply for the SPS Hill internship in the future.