Week 6

Hey Guys,

This week I focused on more essays including a philosophical discussion on Ayn Rand's objectivity theory. I have been really pushing my reasoning abilities to the limits with regard to basic thoughts and religious perspectives. As I write, I have adopted some new writing techniques that I picked up from my recent weekly reading of the Economist newspaper.

In the office, I re-shaped my legislation so that it targeted specifically the terrorist group in Somalia, al-Shabaab. Ironically, al-Shabaab has been in the news wire after bombing several venues in Uganda and slaughtering 74 civilians including an American. I decided that such a dramatic move forward by the faction to gain international attention deserves its own whereas clause in my bill. In order to make my legislation presentable to the Congressman I had to write a briefing outlining the major implications of al-Shabaab presence in the Horn of Africa. It then made its way to his desk for further perusal.

Also, I got my picture taken with the Congressman while I was wearing my Congressional Gold Medal Award. Our offices press secretary wants to write up an article about my achievement in the newsletter as well as some of the newspapers in the Sacramento region. This should be a convenient way to get my name out there in the community.

Two more weeks to go. I would say at this point I have grown so much as an intellectually, socially, and spiritually. I believe that these next two weeks will be an opportunity to finish what I started here on Capitol Hill. I would also like to give a shout out to my roommate Sam Greco who happened to room with me last summer at a Yale international relations program I attended. We have been having a blast.

Week 5

So this week Congress wasn't in session, meaning that all the Congressmen/women had gone home for the week. Inevitably, the office was much slower than usual. However, I used the available to time to accomplish several things.

Monday night, I spent supper with the former Under Secretary of the Navy and his wife and we chatted about international politics and had a wonderful evening. I am excited about making that contact because he shares many of the same interests I have for Africa.

I finished my first draft on the Somalia extended essay I have been digging into and feel extremely relieved to have that off my plate. As far as my bill is concerned, I have reworded the resolution to the Congressman's liking so that it pinpoints the al-Shabaab rather than simply Somalia as the culprit for child conscription practices. On Tuesday I gave a tour to one of Ken Salazar's staff and he gave me his contact information and told me he would be happy to help me anytime.

As far as my stay in D.C. goes, I am still going strong. I could definitely see myself working here at some point in my life. This weekend I am touring Georgetown and meeting up with an old friend who is at George Washington Medical School.

Thanks for the continued interest!

Hey Everyone!

I wasn't sure if I would be alive to make it past week four. But here I am, alive and well with plenty of energy left. This week was another really eye-opening experience. I had a chance to draft my bill on child conscription in Somalia into its actual form and am waiting on approval to introduce it to Congress from my Congressman. As far as my extended essay is going, I have reached the halfway point and feel like I am some fellow at a think tank here in D.C.!

My next destination was on route to the White House. Soon enough, after walking past some pretty hefty secret service guards and gazing at their P-90's equipped with red dot infrared sights and state of the art grips, I was intimidated to say the least. But once I made my way into the President's quarters, all of the sudden everyone was gathering to the windows into the backyard like a herd of cattle just found water. So I joined in and realized I was staring at Marine One, the Presidential Helicopter. Several minutes later, sure enough, President Obama himself walked out onto the freshly cut lawn and boarded. What great timing! After that extravaganza, I determined I want to be some head honcho escorted by secret service into the White house every now and then. We will see.

I was able to make it to the late Senator Byrd from West Virginia as his casket was placed on the Senate floor. I had a couple minutes to just take in the scenario, and although his political views definitely were on the other side of the aisle, he had made a significant impact in our nation's history after serving roughly 50 years in Congress. He did what I hope to do, be a major contributor to our country's policies.

I summarized several testimonies for my Congressman's homeland security hearing. And as I eagerly await this weekend for the spectacular fireworks show at the Capitol Building, I also have a barbecue at the Under Secretary of the Navy's humble abode in Maryland to attend. He will undoubtedly have a wealth of information concerning the piracy problem in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia, an excellent interview source for my paper I might add.

All in all, I am having a blast and continue to surprise myself with my ability to network and just reach out to anyone I come across. Just when I think it can't get any better, D.C. proves me wrong.

Thanks for following!