Tour Galore

Today, one of our LA's, who started his experience as an intern in our office when we were still delivering tours (Following his internship he went on to work as an official Capitol Tour Guide), gave us current interns a detailed walk through / Tour of the Capitol. We started by going to the typical tourist sites such as the Rotunda and the Crypt (I learned a new interesting fact: the Crypt actually holds up about 98% of the weight of the mid-sections of the Capitol including the massive dome) and Statuary Hall. Then our LA extraordinaire (he does give a GREAT tour) took us to the Cloak Room to show the new intern (Note: see my earlier post explaining that each week in August the office has a Girl Scout assigned as an intern for the week, but without being badged and with complete intern duties and perks). We also got a guided glimpse of the old Senate Hall, the original Dome and the original Supreme Court where our LA Guide keenly pointed out that the depiction of Justice is not blind. A very cool tour for sure!

As I reflect on the experiences I've had during my internship, I feel some small relief that I did not have to give massive numbers of Capitol tours as past interns may have and as interns in other Congressional Offices still do. I mean, don't get me wrong, the Capitol is a magnificent place to see and be in, and to be able to report that you actually get to work in the Capitol is impressive. At the same time, if you were spending the majority of your internship giving tours you would miss out on learning and doing so many of the things that happen at the office. Even though there are slow times (like any job I presume) you never know what might just happen in an instant. Like today, I was able to answer and respond to a call from a very pleasant person who wanted to discuss a variety of items that they've heard reported recently in the media. Even though we did not share the same views on every issue, it was interesting to hear how someone from a different background and a different perspective on current affairs thinks and explains why they feel that way. Also, being in the office provides a different atmosphere than that you feel when you're in a public building or even a school. The work of a Congressional office has no definitive end. As long as the Member serves as the official elected representative, there is always work to be done.

Oh, and one last thing that's an important tip for others. I've found that the best way to get to learn and do things, one only needs to ask or offer to provide assistance to be assigned a new task. That's when the best opportunities of an internship experience truly arrive.