Starting to Get the Hang of It

Today was one full of variety and a sense that I was starting to get into the swing of things.

Traffic, as previously mentioned, can impact a lot around the Washington, DC area and this morning was a case in point. I was fighting car traffic while the Metro conspired against most of my intern colleagues with delays on the various lines (Red, Orange and Blue). The good news is that we all made it on time, but without the normal 'wind-up' time.

After getting settled by taking stock of the correspondence we (the interns) were treated to an office tradition; getting to take our pictures while seated at the Congressman's desk! Being mindful of not disturbing anything, the five of us took turns in one of the most powerful 'seats' that we may ever sit in! It was an honor (and a blast) to get to imagine what it would be like sitting in that chair, for real.

We also discussed with the Office staff a 'special event' arranged for interns. Each 'class' of interns are provided with an opportunity to take a private tour of the White House. Our office Receptionist (don't be misled, in may ways she is the one who runs our office!) and the Congressman's scheduler legislative assistant talked to us about this special treat and began mapping out possible dates for this to occur. Stay tuned as we learn more and hopefully get to experience this special event.

As it was the first of the month, it was the scheduled time to archive the prior month's correspondence in an area reserved for our office, affectionately known as "the cage". Basically a storage vault located in the basement of the Capitol, it is an easily accessible place for Members of Congress to organize and keep-handy, the important communications with constituents.

Onto work and serious matters; today was the day after the terrible events in Wichita, Kansas (and the perpetrator was from and apprehended in Johnson County where our U.S. Representative is from) and I fielded several calls from constituents who were tremendously upset about the situation. It was touching to hear the passion in the callers, who were primarily focusing on the human side of the tragedy (a shooting/murder if you don't recall) and it was an honor to be able to assist the Congressman in communicating with his constitutents.

I also fielded several calls with citizens reaction to the bankruptcy of General Motors. Obviously there are strong opinions about the U.S. Governments role, and they exercised their right to ask their Represenative to hear their opinions.

All in all, a good day, and one in which I felt I was able to make a solid contribution to helping the wheels of government move.