The halls of government

This past Thursday I visited the Office of Policy Analysis at the Department of the Interior (DOI), where I will be starting my work as a Program Analyst in just a matter of a week or so. Basically, my job will involve working on a team (or sometimes individually)  researching existing policies, or proposing new policy ideas that will impact programs and initiatives across the entire DOI, including National Parks, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife, and Indian Affairs. I will get to work on a variety of projects and get to learn about new issues, so it should be exciting.

Entering the Main Interior Building (MIB in Gov speak) for the first time was overwhelming. Completed in 1936, it was the first federal building commissioned by the FDR administration (as I just learned from the DOI website as I was looking for pictures), and the amount of stone and marble is amazing. As with all Federal buildings, I had to check in with security and get a temporary badge, which will soon be replaced by a real ID badge. My office is on the fourth floor near the end of a long marble hallway. Walking from the elevator, the loud click-clack of my heeled shoes made me wish that I had worn flats, but since the place is currently being renovated, there were not many people around to notice that I was nervously checking the building map as I searched for the right office. I found the correct wing and was instantly greeted by the Admin, my new Director, and the other analysts. While I know that they hired me for a reason, I couldn't help but feel nervous, young, and entirely out of my league. Everyone assured me that it was normal to feel unprepared at first, and that I would recover from the steep learning curve just fine. It was nice to hear that, and as I left from that first meeting, I was honestly looking forward to my first day of work.

Recreational opportunities wise, there is not a city that can beat DC for free social events. On Friday, I attended my first Jazz in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art, and listened to jazz music around the fountain, meeting new friends, drinking wine, and absorbing this new life. I have already started a list to keep on top of everything there is to do, from the National Zoo to the Smithsonian to free concerts and outdoor movies. On Saturday I somehow managed to get invited along to a day hike trip to the Shenandoah National Park, which is really beautiful and while it is no Mt. Rainier, the waterfalls, deciduous trees, and waterfalls were pretty amazing. This week is as yet mostly unplanned, and my main goal is the ongoing hunt for an apartment. As soon as I have a place to live and a neighborhood to call my own, I will surely want to tell all about it.