First Impressions

September 18, 2005
Another beautiful Sunday afternoon in Washington, DC. Apparently thishas been unseasonably warm weather for September but I'm notcomplaining. I'm enjoying the summer that we didn't really get inSaskatchewan this year or the last. It still hasn't rained since I'vearrived here but fortunately the humidity is tapering off. There werea few days this past week when I don't think I've ever been moregrateful for air conditioning. This prairie girl is definitelymissing the drier Saskatchewan climate. Work continues to go well.Still learning the ropes and carving out my place but my co-workersare great as are the majority of the clients. I'm looking forward tothe coming weekend when I will be attending a retreat/training sessiondesigned to teach clergy and lay people how to be effective inadvocacy. I've been spending time this weekend seeing some of theimportant sights in and around Washington. Like last night, I wentwith two of my housemates to a local pub that had a 10 page beer list,divided by country. Pretty awesome. I did Slovakia and theNetherlands. Can't wait to go back ;) I also went hiking yesterdaywith one of the board members for the Volunteer Corps. A 20 minutedrive takes you to some incredible trails. Reminiscent of theCanadian Shield, the first trail comprised of scrambling over rock andfollowed the Potomac River upstream. The water is pretty low at themoment since it's been so dry but it was beautiful. There wereseveral kayakers playing around in some the bigger waves. Anyways, sofar I'm really enjoying my time here. Washington seems like a reallyfun city. Lots of young people, lots of smart young people. And themajority of people are very comfortable speaking up about theirdislike of the current administration. I've definitely seen a lot ofKerry/Edwards bumper stickers driving around. I hope that you are alldoing well. I look forward to hearing from you and will try my bestto send some personalised emails as well. Also, if anyone is lookingfor a fun trip, I'm more than open to having guests come and visit ;)

September 11, 2005
Well, we finally have internet access at our house!! So I decided it would be a good time for an update. I started work at my agency (Bethesda Cares - an outreach shelter for the homeless in Bethesda, MD) last Tuesday. It's a smaller agency so I've been doing quite a few different things - from admin type stuff to meetings to assisting the full-time social worker and so forth. This week I get to go for a ride along with the local bike police! I will likely be given/create a project for the year which will help give a little more structure to my position. I've been able to ride my bike to work which is great. It's a 20 minute commute and the majority of the trip is on a beautiful bike trail. The weather has also been amazing, although a little too humid for my prairies bones. I am however really looking forward to a shorter, milder winter. My roomates are really great - 4 other girls, recently graduated from uni as well. A lot of fun, I think we'll have a good year together. I've been trying to take in a few of the Washington sites. On Saturday I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History with two of my roomies. Highlights include Bill Clinton's saxophone, Seinfeld's puffy shirt, Dorothy's red slippers and the Fonz's leather jacket. We also saw Julia Child's kitchen and an informative exhibit on America's First Ladies. Today I took part in an interfaith walk of unity for September 11th. It began at a Jewish synagogue and continued along Massachusetts Ave (also known as Embassy Row). I didn't see the Canadian Embassy but there were a lot. It was really neat seeing all the different flags and beautiful buildings. We also passed by Dick Cheney's house. It still feels strange being surrounded by all of this. Anyways, the march ended at the Ghandi memorial after a brief stop at a mosque. It was a beautiful walk and wonderful to see so many different people of all ages taking part in a demonstration of unity and peace. And a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Well it's hard to believe the weekend's over already. I guess a lot of you (or ya'll - as my roomate from North Carolina would say) are feeling the same way. But I can say that I'm looking forward to going back to work again tomorrow. There's always something new happening and if nothing else, that bike ride is incredible. Take care and hope to hear from ya'll soon.


September 4, 2005
Well I made it safely to Washington, DC on Friday after only a couple of snags. I missed my connecting flight in Toronto and ended up having to sit around the airport for a few extra hours but was otherwise uneventful. Customs was no problem, I have my visa and I'm good to go for the next year. Since arriving it's been busy getting to know the other girls in the house, getting to know the area and getting to know my responsibilities. I start work at Bethesda Cares (and outreach shelter for the homeless) on Tuesday. Today and tomorrow will be spent settling in some more and relaxing (hopefully). The house is really nice (I have my own room) and the girls are even better (one more to arrive tomorrow and then our community will be complete). This will be short, just wanted to let you know that I made it here in one piece. I would love to hear from each and everyone of you. And if you'd like to know more about what I'm actually doing in Washington, drop me a line. Take care and hope to hear from you soon.