A New Kind of Regular

Monday

During Monday's programming, Cristian laid out crayons and sheets of paper with a stick figure at all the tables. We were so used to starting each programming day with a survey or discussions that it threw us off guard. He told us we had two minutes to draw ourselves eight years from now, so I produced this masterpiece. It shows both my partner and me with our degrees and our “uniforms,” along with a family. Although I should've drawn a house as well. The rest of the programming went great, as always. They always feed us well, and the lessons we learn are incredibly meaningful.

When I got back from programming, I received a notification to pick up a package that had been delivered to me, which was odd because I’ve never ordered anything online while in DC. To my surprise, my amazing partner ordered me not just any bag of my favorite cereal, but a 36-oz bag of my FAVORITE CEREAL! It took my day from an 80 to a 100 real quick, and you best believe I ate some that same day.

One of the great things about DC is that you never know who you may run into, especially when there are events every other day. While at the CHCI Summer Inter-Social, I saw a familiar face, none other than Bryan Juarez from last year’s HEP CAMP internship cohort. I introduced myself to him and later introduced him to the rest of the cohort. We got together, shared our experiences, and laughed so hard we felt like our bottoms were going to fall off. That event was great. There was a paletero making paletas preparadas, and everyone had such joyous energy. I really felt like I was back in first grade since I couldn’t stop laughing throughout the entire social. Meeting new people is always fun.

Tuesday

The following day I arrived at work dressed up, not for any occasion, just because. It ended up benefiting me because my bosses said, “Go to this press briefing on H.R.1.” To my surprise, there were representatives all around me. To my right was Maxine Dexter, who represents Oregon’s 3rd district, which is the district next to mine. Also nearby was Rashida Tlaib from Michigan’s 12th district, and moderating the event was Delia Ramirez, who represents Illinois’ 3rd district. It was nice to hear what they had to say and to know that they are the ones listening to us, the people. I was fortunate enough to take pictures with all of them, a nice memory to take back home.

Thursday

Thursday was my co-intern’s last day in the office, and collectively we agreed to go out to dinner. The moment I found out we were going to a Thai restaurant, my stomach pitter-pattered with excitement. Something about Thai cuisine excites me like nothing else. The restaurant had a beautiful and delicious smell to it. The colors jumped off the walls, and you just knew you were in for a delicious meal. I got this dish called “Beef Kaprow.” I absolutely devoured it. It reminded me of a dish I used to eat when I was little, and my family would go out to eat. The best way to describe that nostalgia was to compare it to that one scene in Ratatouille where Anton Ego tastes the dish, is reminded of his childhood, and just devours it. That was quite literally me. I wish I had taken a picture of the dish, but I inhaled it in 10 minutes.

Thanks to the placements of the other HEP CAMP interns (William, Jaquelin, Ivette, Lesly), we were able to attend A Capitol Fourth at the White House and enjoy some performances and fireworks. It was a unique experience in both good and bad ways, but overall, our night was enjoyable. We had a lot of fun watching the fireworks and dancing along to the music. They brought out the Beach Boys, The Temptations, and many others. The fireworks show started just as the sun set, and goodness, how cool and amazing they looked. Seeing them behind the Washington Monument was something else. I truly think I will never forget this Fourth of July.

Friday

To wrap up the week, Angel and I went grocery shopping when we got the crazy idea to make chicken wings. I taught Angel how to prepare and cut the chicken wings so that you only have the flats and the drums. We spent a good 45 to 60 minutes frying all the chicken we bought in our tiny little kitchen, but boy oh boy was it worth it. We pretty much ate all of the wings except for a dozen or so that we saved for Jaquelin.

We had plans as a cohort to go see Jurassic World: Rebirth, but we didn’t know which theater to go to. We ended up at the closest one and were greeted by possibly one of the most unique theater experiences ever. We just showed our tickets and were guided to our auditorium. Once seated, some staff came up to us, confirmed our seats, and asked if we wanted to order any food. Mind you, we had already eaten who knows how many wings, but we still made room for some sweets. JAJAJA. It was the first time I experienced restaurant-style service at a theater. I did not complain.

We ended the night with a late-night walk back to the metro station, reminiscing about memories we made and talking about the week ahead.