Thank God for seats on the metro, and good riddance to those who stand on the left side of the escalator during the morning rush. Being from Japan, courtesy on public transportation is a must, and it’s helped be more cognizant of the culture in D.C. To be clear, there are numerous cultures, whether ethnic,organizational, or linguistic, in D.C. due to the diversity. Instead of being a tourist (as I was eight years ago), I’m an intern, and am gifted with 10 weeks instead of one. This gives me a lot more time to explore what this place has to offer, and I am living for it.

   I start my day at 7:30, waking to the constant hiss of the air conditioner. After dressing business casual and gathering my bearings, I take the elevator 10 floors down to the lobby. 9 stops on the Metro later, I get off at Capitol South, walking by the Capitol, Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court to reach the United Methodist Building. My grandmother, a devout Christian and affiliated with the Church, was born in 1923, the very year this building was constructed.

   While Lutheran Services in America (LSA) oversees 300+ member organizations, the central office is quite cozy, with around 10 or so individuals working at any given time. Ms. Sheila, my supervisor, resides down the hall from me in her new office. She bought me lunch twice last week (!) and allows for quite a bit of flexibility with this internship. I’ve organized the email list by topic, highlighting member organizations that focus on children, youth, and families; read extensively about LSA and watched hours of webinars; and attended a Congressional briefing on the Chafee Act, which supports foster youth aging out of care. I understand that my big project will be a paper about the purpose of LSA, though there will be other assignments along the way. I have a standard office desk of black plexiglass, rolling chair, and provided laptop. Everyone here is very welcoming, especially Anita, a former intern who now does a lot of philanthropy work for LSA. She always asks how I’m doing and gives me advice about the surrounding area.

   The living quarters are quite nice; we even have our own balcony and access to a swimming pool, gym, local market, barber/salon, dry cleaner, and entertainment center. I must say that I am so excited to explore this entire area, and there isn’t enough time in the summer (or even a year, I’d argue) to do it all. On the downside, this is an expensive place, and the minimum wage of $13.25, soon to be $14, reflects that. All of my sightseeing list is made of free events and entertainment. Last weekend, I cleaned up Theodore Roosevelt Island as a part of National Trails Day with Phi Beta Kappa. After picking up litter for around 3 hours, our group went to the Georgetown Waterfront to enjoy beer samples and shared nachos, courtesy of Dan, one of the main Phi Beta contacts. I may have been the youngest person there, not even done with undergrad, but I certainly felt welcome. Travis, who works in intelligence (!), gave me recommendations on the Smithsonian exhibits and educated me about the Teddy Roosevelt memorials we walked by.

   So while D.C. can be an incredibly stressful place, there is enough compassion to ground you. 10 days post-arrival, here’s to a great Friday!