This week at my internship has been a great exercise in settling in and getting more and more comfortable. This week I started my own project, which I am very excited about. The project is a literature review for one of the larger events that the Urban Policy Department puts on. I am looking at strategies and methods that neighborhoods used to overcome racial inequality in the past. The work is very illuminating and I find myself being intrigued and interested by the articles I find during my research progress. My work is coming along very nicely and I am learning so much. I’d say the primary areas of my learning so far have been about the actual goings-ons of the organization, about the topic of my literature review, and about the work culture in D.C.. The last one is the thing I’ve been most surprised by. As my uncle said, “It is the hours after the hours that count”. Growing up in rural Gettysburg, PA with parents that worked as small business owners and school teachers, these sorts of insane hours are very foreign to me. As strange as that may sound, I have never encountered such a demanding work culture and that has taken some adjusting to personally.

Today, I listened to the Fresh Air Interview with Terri Gross and former vice-president Joe Biden. I haven’t listened to a podcast in some time that moved me as much as that one and I listen to a lot of podcasts (hit me up if you ever need recommendations). Learning about all of the struggles and death that has touched him throughout his life is immense. Biden lived an incredible life of public service and is such a likeable, charitable guy. He spoke about how much he admires President Obama and I think there’s so much to be said about someone that speaks both critically and positively about who he or she works with. Biden is an incredibly frank person in the interview being honest about his deep belief in his faith and how he’s unsure of a 2020 run for President. Biden is the kind of person and politician I hope to be some day, a person of honor, candor, and good humor.