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Week 5: Halfway There 

Writer's picture: Cindy Villarreal-MedinaCindy Villarreal-Medina

Updated: Jul 16, 2024

06.24.2024 Cheesecake and Programming

I usually skip programming days because they are workshop days filled with presentations and discussions that last for about 10 hours in one room. However, today was the exception. We worked on our resumes, elevator speeches, and LinkedIn profiles. It was a successful day of focused on our future careers and our goals. After programming, we got up early and headed over to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate Lara’s birthday. We had a blast and had a really nice waiter who accommodated our group of 20. In the afternoon, Esme and I went on a walk to the kennel center to walk off all the food we had. We ended up going to the rooftop to watch the sunset and explore the Kennedy Museum on the terrace level.  


 
06.25-26.2024 Workdays 

Tuesday and Wednesday were true workdays—simple yet the thing I love the most. On these days, I get to enjoy the fact that I work for the House of Representatives, and in a small way, I am part of the country's operation.  In total, I attended 2 briefings, specifically one on how heat affects housing and, consequently, people. Growing up in Texas, I knew how bad the heat is and how it alters the way we exist during the summer. However, here in D.C. and in the Northeast, heat waves are reared, and because of their frequent occurrence, it is causing the government to notice and figure out ways to help Americans prepare for future heat crises. This work has piqued my interest, and it is a topic I am now working on. Apart from the briefing, I saw Paris Hilton; she was on the Hill to testify in a hearing, and I got to see Maria, another intern, give a speech about her experiences as a foster child and give politicians policy recommendations. Throughout these weeks, I have realized how lucky I am that all of us interns get along and have been extremely supportive of each other's paths. 


 
06.27.2024 Socials and Debates

Today was an incredibly social day. After work, I hopped on the bus and headed to the CHCI Latino Social, an event that I had been looking forward to because I would get to meet a lot more people. I headed over to Perla's apartment to walk over to the event together; her program, HACU, has a lot of other interns who we invited to the event as well. The social overall was a blast. I met a ton of cool interns with internships ranging from the CDC to the Mexican Embassy. The food was really good, and the atmosphere was lighthearted and fun. Afterwords, I headed back to GW to change before the real event of the night began: the presidential debate. Esmeralda, through her internship, hosted a watch party at NVG. All of the CHCI, Perla, and NMSHSA interns gathered at 9 p.m. to watch the first true telling of how November would play out. We ate Panda Express, chips, and watched the candidates hash it out in Atlanta.  


 

06.28.2024 Movie Night

On Friday, I went into the office instead of staying home, which was a great idea because I got to help our fellow with some of her work and got to work on press clips after the debate. I would say it was an interesting day on the hill; everyone was still reeling in after how the debate night went. It was overall a good workday, and we went home early. In the afternoon, I once again joined Perla at the Kennedy Center to watch Ratatouille outdoors. However, we did not realize how popular this movie would be, although we showed up on time, there were already hundreds of people there. We set up our picnic blankets on the concrete and waited for the sun to go down and the movie to begin so that we could eat our pizza and lemonades. The view was incredible once again; the movie was amazing, and Bryan and Joan joined us as well. I personally had a blast and enjoyed being outside, watching the planes fly by, and seeing the city's nightlife. 



 
06.22.2024 Art Gallery Day

If there is one thing I have learned while being in Washington, D.C., it is that weekends are for museums. So on Saturday, I started off at a new breakfast restaurant called Bullfrog Bagels, and the bagels I ate were really good. By midday, I decided that I would go and explore the National Art Gallery. I soloed this outing because I like being by myself when I explore art museums; it allows me to listen to music and spend as much time as I want in one section without worrying about anyone else. I loved this museum; it is definitely up in my top 5. I spent a significant amount of time there. I found so many of the artists and paintings that I studied in my art history course and got to marvel at the works of Degas, Da Vinci, Van Goth, and Dalí. I wandered through so many paintings I would love to have in my house and spent my time looking for cats in the paintings. It was really fun. In the evening, I closed the night by doing my daily walk by the White House. It was a great way for me to enjoy the city. I never thought my routine would include passing the White House every day and saying hi to Secret Service, but this is what halfway through the internship looks like, and I am really enjoying myself. 


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