Five Things I Learned in Washington, D.C.

My favorite photo from the summer. The US Capitol. My first night in D.C.

I wrote the following for my internship adviser at MCLA, mainly because I didn't want to write the typical three to five page essay.

1) Money really can't buy happiness.

Look up “internship” in the dictionary. (No, you really don’t need to. I did it for you.) Technically, an internship is “any official or formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession.” What this definition fails to mention is that, if you get a really good internship, you will work for free in an expensive city. Between Metro fares, food, COFFEE, social activities and everything in between, I returned to Massachusetts dead broke.

Luckily, money isn’t what dictates happiness. Inevitably, it will only get you so far; a positive outlook and a desire to have fun are ultimately what makes any person happy. Also key? Great friends.

I am a firm believer that people walk into your life for a reason. In the 10 weeks I spent in D.C., I formed incredibly close friendships that I believe will be life-long. Aside from having fun, these friends taught me to live life in a new way.

Leilani, a fiery little Cuban from Miami, is one of the most genuine people I’ve come across yet in life, and taught me how to live in the moment and be proud of the person I am- flaws and all. Molly, wild, care-free and from Minnesota, taught me to let my hair down, and stop caring about what other people think. Amanda, all the way from Arkansas, would give anyone the shirt off her back, and taught me that if you care enough, differences don’t matter in friendships.

Together, these ladies helped me learn about trust, the true power of friendship, and helped me to reflect on who I was. I learned not to settle for less, that it’s OK to put your own needs first, and that letting down your guard is often a safer bet than putting one up.

2) Site-seeing is free.

I’m about to break some news to you. Make sure you’re seated, as this may shock you. Ready? OK, here goes: The United States of America is going through a recession. I KNOW!!! You had no idea, right? Well, we are, and as much as that wonderful man in the big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue is doing to correct the situation, problems don’t go away overnight.

With that said, D.C. understands those of us with empty-wallet syndrome; the District is sympathetic, even. Ninety percent of the sites and museums in Washington are free. Now, that does not mean that you don’t need to a) get there early, b) wait in line and/or c) reserve tickets. However, it does mean that there is no excuse not to visit every free site, monument and museum in the District.

On the same subject, D.C. does a lot for its residents in the “free” department, especially during the summer. Every Monday night, a giant movie screen is blown up on the National Mall for “Screen on the Green.” It’s totally free; all you have to do is show up. On Fridays after work, there is Jazz in the Sculpture Garden; again, show up, preferably early, and you’re golden.

Tons of other free and cheap events are hosted all throughout the city; simply seek them out. My suggestion? Sign-up for e-newsletters from The Washingtonian Magazine. Also, read The Washington Post’s Express for the Express Night Out.

3) Happy hour does in fact exist, and with good reason.

I turned 21 on June 14, 2009, in the fine (and by fine, I mean intern-infested and incredibly wild, at least from Thursday through Saturday, between the hours of approximately 8 p.m. and 3:30 a.m.) district of Adams Morgan, known for its variety of bars. Prior to my arrival in D.C. and acceptance into the 21 Club, I believed that Happy Hour was merely a myth. Contrary to popular (or just Kaitlyn’s) belief though, Happy Hours exist at every bar in the District of Columbia, and with a very good पुर्पोसे. Obviously, this place is crawling with career-driven people। Office-life is only one facet, and Happy Hours allow employees to de-stress, lighten up and interact with one another in a professional, yet entirely social atmosphere (and at a discounted price- great!) In order to climb the career-ladder, it is important to connect with the higher-ups in an out-of-office manner. As my older brother told me, “If I can’t have a drink with a co-worker, I can’t trust them.”

Not to mention, after a drink or two with the office after work, there’s always the Metro! Reason number one Happy Hours don’t exist in Massachusetts and other states are because, surprise! Drunk driving isn’t cool or smart. In D.C., though, you can simply hop on the Metro and let someone else take the wheel. BUENO.

4) Twittering actually serves a purpose.

“kbonnebonne: twitter's kind of weird, but i'm sure i'll get the hang of it. 2:35 PM, Jul 2nd 2009, from web.”

And thus it began. I first heard of Twitter.com in the spring, and thought it was utterly ridiculous. Who wanted to know what I was doing every 10 minutes? “Kaitlyn is in aisle five at the grocery store.” Five minutes later… “Kaitlyn is at check-out.” Who cares?

On Fourth of July weekend, though, I finally realized its true purpose. Sarah Palin announced her decision to resign, and within minutes, my brother received news of it via the Twitter application on his iPhone. Minutes later, he received a notification from Twitter saying that Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair had been found dead in his home. I was then finally convinced of its usefulness.

Twitter’s true purpose is not to update the World Wide Web on one’s actions every four to five minutes (hate to break it to you, but no one genuinely cares what you ate for breakfast), but to receive up-to-date news, in less 160 characters or less. Have a BlackBerry or iPhone? Even better, because these little news blurbs come immediately to your phone, informing you of details as minute as an accident on The Beltway, or, like my brother, as breaking as Sarah Palin’s decision to resign.

5) D.C. is not purely political.

Seeing as Washington, D.C. is the Capitol of the U.S., it is would be easy for one to assume that the city is all politics, and thus one needs to be seriously educated on the topic. This, however, is not entirely the case. While politics are certainly important, they are not all-encompassing. For example, my interest in politics was growing when I first arrived in D.C., but in the grand scheme of things, I knew very little. However, this proved to be no problem, as long as I kept up with current events.

What really makes D.C. tick is news. I am convinced that it is actually impossible to travel more than 10 feet in Washington without seeing someone nose-deep in The Washington Post, or checking CNN.com on their cell phone. In order to survive in Washington, you need to be up-to-date। Not only does this ensure your world-wide knowledge and build intellectuality, it ensures that you always have a conversation topic. In D.C., people are far friendly than us “Massholes,” as we have been dubbed. It is essential to always have a few little golden nuggets of conversation starters, just in case someone stops to chit-chat on the Metro.

Ultimately, this was the most educational, eye-opening experience of my life. I learned so much about communications and myself, and have gotten a jump-start down that (not-so) scary road called “Real Life.”