Final Post

I honestly did not expect to be this reluctant to leave D.C.

I love New York City and all of the quirky restaurants and boutiques tucked away in its corners, and I miss browsing the summer flea markets downtown - but something about D.C. and Northern Virginia has got me hooked. I feel like I’ve been spoiled by The Washington Center program: I had a great legal internship, a great class and lived in a pretty awesome area of Northern Virginia. It seriously baffles me how quickly the semester has passed by. I feel like I just arrived, and now I’m already facing the last summer of my undergrad! Luckily, most of my work was handed in a few weeks ago, so my last week here has been pretty stress-free. I got to revisit my favorite places one final time and spent some quality time with my friends before we leave for the summer.

During the semester I feel as if I lost sight of my primary reason to participate in TWC’s program, which was to gain substantive legal experience, especially since it's nearly impossible to come by as an undergraduate student. At the risk of sounding slightly superficial and one-dimensional, I think the nightlife and social aspect of living in DC got the best of me. Although my work product didn’t suffer at the expense of my social life, I didn’t realize how much I learned through my internship and ended up taking it for granted. My experience at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, LLP was indescribable – the attorneys don’t flake out and ignore you as many may expect. Instead, they completely understand that you’re learning and actually take your comments into serious consideration. I felt as if my work had weight and significance at the firm, and I regret not appreciating my internship more.

When I arrived in Washington I didn’t expect to meet so many great people, and I most definitely did not expect to fall in love with this city. One thing I do know though, is that I am moving back one day, and I cannot wait! Here are a few last pictures of our time spent in the capital:

Week 14

It’s our last weekend here! I seriously cannot get over how quickly this semester went by (although after taking a look at my dwindling bank account, I guess I do believe it). My friends and I have been trying to squeeze in as much sightseeing in as possible, and this past week we went to the National Art Gallery, which was incredible. We got to see Van Gogh’s “Roses,” which is probably one of my favorite paintings. The East Wing of the Gallery featured Matisse’s huge cutouts - here’s a photo of Matisse’s work (courtesy of Google):

Although my upcoming summer will be far from lazy and will be filled with preparing for the LSATs, working on law school applications, and building my bank account back up, I can’t help but be excited to really focus on getting my post-undergrad life together. I’m sure the novelty of becoming a law student hopeful will quickly wear off, and a few weeks into May I’ll be wishing I could just relax and enjoy Hannah Montana reruns. Until then though, I like to keep telling myself that I'm looking forward to writing my personal statement and getting my butt kicked by logic games.

Week 13

I am finally done with all of my work! I took my class final, submitted my portfolio, mailed in my research paper for Villanova, and faxed over my journal entries. I can now relax and take a nice breath of the fresh spring air, although it might be physically impossible to do so since my allergies have completely clogged my respiratory system. I feel like this city is perpetually covered in a thin layer of pollen.

The Mets were in town so we went to the Nationals Park again to see the game yesterday (yay New York!) Although the President’s Race (where people dressed up in huge mascot-esque costumes of Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, G. Washington and Honest Abe race each other on the baseball field) and the fireworks accompanying the Nats games are always great, we were so tired from working that we left the game early, just in time to miss Felipe Lopez’s grand slam - I wish I could have seen our Founding Fathers flip out over that. The weather was great, although it’d be more enjoyable if our apartment’s AC didn’t spew out hot air like you couldn’t even imagine.

It’s our second to last weekend here, and I can’t believe how quickly this semester has passed by. Leaving is definitely going to be a lot harder than I thought, but enough of that – I’ll deal with thoughts of leaving when I have to. I’m going to go out to our courtyard and have a cookout with some friends, and you know how much I love barbeques. Until next time!

Week 12

Yesterday Senator John McCain stopped by Villanova University on Chris Matthew’s Hardball tour, and I deeply regret not being able to go. I managed to catch the last few minutes of it after rushing home from work, but I missed the Senator’s flustered response when a student invited McCain to join him in a shot. Hopefully when I campaign for the GOP nominee’s run for the Presidency during the summer, I’ll be presented with more opportunities to attend his public appearances.

Last week we went to the Nationals game against the Marlins, and although the Nats lost, it was still a lot of fun. The new Nationals Park is pretty awesome and is complete with Five Guys, Ben’s Chili Bowl, and a great view of the Washington Monument and Capitol Hill. I probably spent too much money and consumed too many calories from the beer, burgers, and peanuts, but hey, you only live once.

I am finally done with my portfolio and my 15-pager for Villanova’s Internship Requirements, and after my final later today, I’ll be work-free till the last week here. Despite the fact that I rarely looked at my LSAT review books, I took a mock LSAT at the Kaplan Center on Saturday morning. I scored a 161, and although I’m fairly confident that by the October LSAT I’ll be able to score at least a 165, I’m skeptical that I’ll be able to jump the ten points needed to break 170. As for now though, I just want to enjoy my last few weeks in D.C. before studying for the LSATs consumes my life during the summer.

Week 11

I am so tired of seeing gray skies--it's April and a few weeks into spring; we should be walking around sans scarves and coats, yet people are eyeing me as the over-zealous girl who sprung into spring too early by gliding out the door in only a thin shirt. I live for the summer and all the beaches and barbeques that come with it, if you couldn’t tell.

Last week the office went to a luncheon to honor the recipients of the Ridenhour Award, which celebrates "truth-telling." Former President Jimmy Carter was one of the recipients last year, and it was extremely interesting to hear politically driven individuals address "truth-telling," especially since politicians are infamous for speaking of promises with fingers crossed behind their backs. Although I appeared to be the only one standing to the right of the political equator, I still enjoyed myself at the event. Here's a picture of most of the interns and office staff that went:

As I’m finally wrapping up all the documents due in my portfolio, it amazes me that I only have one month left in D.C. I’ve had an amazing time down here, and I’m not sure if I’m ready to leave the professional world for college life filled with classes, cramming, and (sometimes) condescending professors. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the late nights and lazy Sundays associated with the collegiate experience, but I’ll definitely miss the young professional atmosphere once I leave. I’ll especially miss how clean the city is when I walk around in New York City smog during the summer. I think I see a hint of sun finally, so I’m going to take a quick lunch break--until next time!

Week 10

I have been so tired lately – I think the 8:30-5:30 job is finally beginning to take its toll. It’s probably a combination of a few things, especially since things in my personal and family life haven’t been picture-perfect lately, and although I’m having the greatest time in D.C., homesickness is definitely not an unfamiliar sentiment.

Despite all this, I’m still trying to take in as much of the experience here as I can. I stopped by the cherry blossom festival this weekend, and although the exhibit was beautiful, it was probably a mistake to go during the festival’s opening weekend - it was complete insanity. As a New Yorker, I thought I was used to large groups of tourists, but the crowd at the festival definitely proved me wrong. It was still a great time though, and I’m looking forward to returning to the Tidal Basin.

Unfortunately, I am so ready to crash, so this post will have to be super short. Until next time!

Week 9

If the warmer weather and blooming cherry blossoms haven’t made it clear already, the fact that we’re almost completely through the month of March points to one thing: spring has officially sprung.

It also points to another hard-to-ignore fact: the Madness has finally begun.

I was home in NY for Easter weekend, and although I was busy catching up with family and friends, I made sure I was by a television on Friday night to watch Villanova’s game against Clemson. Text-messages also played a vital role in keeping me updated on the Nova v. Siena game during my Easter Sunday afternoon mass. It’s probably a good thing that I wasn’t in D.C. during the tournament’s opening weekend, since I probably would have been the only one celebrating Davidson’s (surprise) elimination of Georgetown. This Friday we go against Kansas, and although it’s going to be a tough game, it definitely won’t be a boring one.

I didn’t expect to miss D.C. while I was in New York City for only a few days, but I found myself comparing the two cities quite often. Although New York is great, it can almost be a little too quirky for me; D.C., on the other hand, has a more professional feel to it. It’s also a lot easier to learn the area – after living in New York for twenty-one years, I still wouldn’t be able to explain the quickest route to the posh streets of the Upper East Side from the downtown roads of Chelsea. I could never picture myself living in anywhere else but New York, but I’m slowly beginning to become attached to D.C. It’s probably not a good thing, seeing as how in a little over a month, I’ll be heading back home. But, it’ll definitely bring about more opportunities later on since I won’t be restricted to one city.

I should probably finish up my work writing sample now, but keep your fingers crossed that we advance to the Elite Eight !!