Week 4

Financial Literacy

Tuesday

Work was eventful today. Today I was able to work with Hannia, who was the other intern. Before seeing her, I greeted some individuals from the office. A senior associate from NVG brought me cookie butter, which was delicious. I also talked to her about credit cards during my free time, and she sent me a whole list of credit cards that I can get. Her kindness and generosity made my day. I felt more knowledgeable about credit cards and was able to do a deep dive on them.

As for work, Hannia and I got started on a bunch of research and looking through information on an Act. During this time, we both found out that there is no work on Juneteenth because it is a federal holiday. We were shocked because it landed on a Thursday. I was sad but happy to find this out because our office brings us lunch. We were not going to get free lunch. However, Hannia and I made plans to get together and go to different museums.

After about four hours, we headed to a briefing about lowering agricultural wages. The presentation was supposed to be an hour long, but it was fast-paced. I did not know half of the things that were being said because there was a ton of information on the slide, but no explanation. I had to ask people around me to explain it to me. I still did not understand it until later that day. When Hannia and I headed back, we completed our notes and sent them to our supervisor.

After that, we were able to speak to the former UFW 2nd Vice President. By the time we got to speak to him, it was 5:15 pm. We ended up having about a 2-hour conversation. It was amazing that I got to learn a lot from him. I got great insights about business and policy. We finished around 6:45 pm. I felt thankful to be there and learn from an individual who has worked at UFW and done a lot of policy work. Today I felt accomplished, and it made me feel like I learned a lot.

I ended the day by going with my friends to get Chipotle. I did not get any because I knew that I would spend money later that week, and I did not want to overspend. It was fun because I got to hear about their days, as sometimes we do not have a chance to talk. They are all so funny and nice. I love hanging out with my HEP/CAMP cohort because they make me feel supported and heard. We all support each other in the small tasks that we do, like going to the grocery store. They all teach me something new each day, which I am grateful for.

After our conversation, we headed back to the dorms and talked more. We ended the day with some ice cream. I also wanted them to try the cookie butter that I was gifted.

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Chill Vibes

Wednesday

Today was a chill day at the office. The other intern and I met with our supervisor and went over future events. Wednesdays are always great in the office because we get free breakfast. I tried this pastry that tasted like pizza. It was so yummy. The amount of pastries I have been eating is crazy. At this point, I will turn into one. I also tried a lemon-flavored dessert. I love where I am working because they always have free food. They have Chobani yogurt and tea/coffee. Tea has been my go-to. It keeps me relaxed, and I have built a routine of drinking it when I am in the office. I was also able to get to know someone who works in the office. The office always has new people coming in who are either working there or working for a different organization. The person I talked to has been working there for some time. I was interested to get to know her because she always comes in such pretty outfits. She said she used to do campaigns, and it's where she would go and bother people. She is super funny! I am glad I had the opportunity to talk to her. She made my day!

When it was time to head home, I checked my window, and it was pouring. I was scared and nervous to head home because I did not bring an umbrella. I did bring a sweater, but it was not fit for the rain. I also had my nice shoes on and long slacks, which made the situation worse. At this point, I was thinking of staying in the office longer because I did not want to get wet. I also felt like I was going to get sick. Everybody around me was getting sick, and I thought it was only a matter of time before it got me. Instead of overthinking, I ended up taking that 19-minute walk to the dorm. I did get soaked, and the humidity was not helping. It was hot and my clothes were wet. If it isn't the consequences of my actions.

Later that day, we had a check-in with Virginia and Patrick from HEP/CAMP! I was so happy to see them in the Zoom call. The Zoom call took me back to where we all saw each other for the first time. This Zoom call felt different because everyone knew each other. We ended up discussing how our office placements are, among other things. I miss both of them so much! After the Zoom call, Jaqueline from HEP/CAMP and I went to see the Washington Monument at night. I was telling Jaqueline that the monument had an aura to it. Also, there was a helicopter flying too close to the ground. I was like, at this point, it should land. We walked towards the Washington Monument and decided to do the popular trend where people lean their legs against the Washington Monument. Surprisingly, the floor was not wet. When we did the trend, other people started joining us. It was hilarious!

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Touching Grass

Thursday

I woke up at 12 pm today. That is actually crazy, and I am still processing it. I needed some time to rest because I was so tired from the week. Also, I did not want to wake up early because usually I do. I like starting my day early because it makes me feel productive. I needed to rest, so I did not set an alarm. Don't worry, because I did not have work today. I was ready to celebrate Juneteenth, but a lot of the events were moved to the weekend because of the weather. I ended up going to the Smithsonian Botanical Gardens. The weather did not help my travel. It was hot. When I entered the gardens, I got to see a lot of different plants. I saw Venus flytraps. They looked dead and small. I also saw plants from different regions. My favorite was the dendrobium lindleyi. It was absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous. I love yellow, so this flower made the top 10 on my list. After some time walking around, I headed to the gift shop just to find out it was temporarily closed.

Simultaneously, someone from CHCI was texting in the group chat that they would be going to Georgetown. I wanted to join, so I left the gardens. This was my first time hanging out with some CHCI people, so I was excited. They were at a coffee shop. One of them had ordered a matcha drink, and it looked promising. The employees were taking their time making it, so I thought it would turn out good for the price. The drink was $10. I was going to get one too, but I ended up not buying one. The one who got the drink did not like it. She said it tasted grassy. I was disappointed by that because it looked good. After we headed over to some other shops to buy some clothes. It was fun being in Georgetown. I forgot how close it was to where I live. It is like a 19-minute walk. We ended up walking a lot.

Halfway, I lost my phone, and I went into full panic mode. The weather did not help either because it was raining and humid. I did not want to bother them, so I went and rushed to the shops I had been to earlier in the day. They all said that it was not there. I started panicking, and when I went back to H&M, they said they had it there. When the other employees were checking their lost/phone storage room, they told me they did not have it. However, the dressing room lady told me that someone turned it in. I was frustrated because everyone was giving mixed responses. Years later, I ended up getting my phone back.

After shopping and all the events we went through, we were tired. We wanted to go eat, but I made sure not to buy food because someone from HEP/CAMP was going to make tortas. I did end up getting boba for the 100th time.