Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Wow...just wow
Seriously, these last few weeks have simply been unreal...I think subconsciously somewhere my mind still thinks that this is only temporary and at some point I will wake up and everything will be gone. This is supposed to happen, this isn't the way they teach you in school. You're not supposed to be working at a major national cable network at 23. It's just not the "normal" way, but I have never been one for the "normal" or "easy" way. I have always done better with the more difficult tasks at hand. Granted I've also had my moments wondering what I'm doing here, if I was simply going to be sorting the mail and stocking the kitchen I could have gotten a job doing that anywhere. Slowly it's feeling more and more like home which is nice. Hopefully sooner rather than later I will make staff. Everything seems to be going well and I'm adapting and as flexible as possible. It was a long and winding road to get to this point but I think I definitely needed those stops along the way to figure out exactly who I am and what I want to be doing. The party tonight...words can't even describe it. I mean it was just totally unreal. The view, the food, the drinks, everything was just out of this world. It was a definite perk to be able to socialize with people outside of the bureau and to actually get to know them a little bit and realize that I'm not alone on this crazy ride.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
A Day of Reflection
I guess I'm part of the 9/11 Generation. The generation that lost their innocence far too soon and came of age in a time of war, terror, and a drastically altered political landscape. Every generation seems to have that "where were you when" moment. That moment in history were you can recall every detail of the event.
For me, that moment was in 8th grade science class. I can still recall the beautiful Tuesday morning. It was the second week of school and science must have been the first class of the day. With beams of sunlight drifting into the classroom, our teacher pretty much just blurted it out. She had recieved an email from her husband about a plane crash into the World Trade Center. Honestly, in our 13 and 14 year old minds, we didn't really know what to make of it. It seemed like something you would see on the news, the gravity of the situation had yet to reveal itself. At some point, the teachers decided to return us to our homerooms. That is when we knew something must be up. Being a small school with only 2 classes per grade, all the teachers and the principal simply met in the hallway to discuss what to do. What could they do? I mean it's not like this is something you could have prepared for or practiced.
Eventually school buses started showing up to dismiss us. There really was no rhyme or reason as to when or how they would do this. It was also the kindergarten boys first day of school. (Private school, what can I say?) I distinctly remember going down to both kindergarten rooms to see which students I would be in charge of. I was the safety person that got them on and off the bus every day. But this was no ordinary day. They too knew something was up, but they were so young. I remember them asking me or the bus driver what was happening. I had no idea what to tell, because truth be told, I didn't really know either. I'm pretty sure I just told them that their parents would explain it when they got home. What else could you say?
I remember both my parents at home when we arrived. I vaguely remember watching the news but not much. Again this event just seemed like another bad thing on the news. It seemed a little nerve wracking because if the bad guys had hit NYC and DC, what's to say they wouldn't hit Philadelphia next? Two years later, I went to a leadership camp in Washington DC and we visited the Pentagon. I definitely remember the chapel area, I'm not sure if the memorial was completed by that point or not. Beyond prayer services, remembrance ceremonies, American flags and ribbons, I don't really have much connection to the events for the next few years
Fast forward to 9/11/10. I moved to Washington DC for the first time. To see that date on paper didn't really mean a whole lot, to pull into downtown Washington and see all the flags at half staff really puts it into perspective. The events over the next year lined me up perfectly to take a new job that again landed me working in Washington DC on 9/11/11 with a view of the Capitol Dome.
To think about what could have been, if those passengers and crew members had not taken matters into their own hands? To think about what might have happened if it wasn't the south side of the Pentagon hit? Everyone focuses so much on NYC because they took the brunt of the casulties. But to realize that the mighty and powerful United States military and government could be taken so off guard is mind boggling. To realize that over the course of the last year, I have gone in and out of the Pentagon travel space so many times, traveled a path that some took that morning and wouldn't take that evening. Now it hits closer to home, it's this place I've always dreamed of, a place held up on a pedestal that no one could knock down.
To those who think the media needs to tone down coverage, look at the babies who never met their fathers, look at the girls who won't have their father on their wedding day and the boys who have no one to place catch with in the yard.
The men, women, and children who died that day were unknowingly the first soldiers in the war on terror. They died doing everyday tasks on that beautiful late summer morning. Thank you to the soldiers that followed in their footsteps. Thank you to the families that sacrificed everything so that we can live in country as great as this one. Thank you for protecting our freedoms and allowing the American Dream to flourish in this new age. Thank you for allowing me to live my American Dream.
For me, that moment was in 8th grade science class. I can still recall the beautiful Tuesday morning. It was the second week of school and science must have been the first class of the day. With beams of sunlight drifting into the classroom, our teacher pretty much just blurted it out. She had recieved an email from her husband about a plane crash into the World Trade Center. Honestly, in our 13 and 14 year old minds, we didn't really know what to make of it. It seemed like something you would see on the news, the gravity of the situation had yet to reveal itself. At some point, the teachers decided to return us to our homerooms. That is when we knew something must be up. Being a small school with only 2 classes per grade, all the teachers and the principal simply met in the hallway to discuss what to do. What could they do? I mean it's not like this is something you could have prepared for or practiced.
Eventually school buses started showing up to dismiss us. There really was no rhyme or reason as to when or how they would do this. It was also the kindergarten boys first day of school. (Private school, what can I say?) I distinctly remember going down to both kindergarten rooms to see which students I would be in charge of. I was the safety person that got them on and off the bus every day. But this was no ordinary day. They too knew something was up, but they were so young. I remember them asking me or the bus driver what was happening. I had no idea what to tell, because truth be told, I didn't really know either. I'm pretty sure I just told them that their parents would explain it when they got home. What else could you say?
I remember both my parents at home when we arrived. I vaguely remember watching the news but not much. Again this event just seemed like another bad thing on the news. It seemed a little nerve wracking because if the bad guys had hit NYC and DC, what's to say they wouldn't hit Philadelphia next? Two years later, I went to a leadership camp in Washington DC and we visited the Pentagon. I definitely remember the chapel area, I'm not sure if the memorial was completed by that point or not. Beyond prayer services, remembrance ceremonies, American flags and ribbons, I don't really have much connection to the events for the next few years
Fast forward to 9/11/10. I moved to Washington DC for the first time. To see that date on paper didn't really mean a whole lot, to pull into downtown Washington and see all the flags at half staff really puts it into perspective. The events over the next year lined me up perfectly to take a new job that again landed me working in Washington DC on 9/11/11 with a view of the Capitol Dome.
To think about what could have been, if those passengers and crew members had not taken matters into their own hands? To think about what might have happened if it wasn't the south side of the Pentagon hit? Everyone focuses so much on NYC because they took the brunt of the casulties. But to realize that the mighty and powerful United States military and government could be taken so off guard is mind boggling. To realize that over the course of the last year, I have gone in and out of the Pentagon travel space so many times, traveled a path that some took that morning and wouldn't take that evening. Now it hits closer to home, it's this place I've always dreamed of, a place held up on a pedestal that no one could knock down.
To those who think the media needs to tone down coverage, look at the babies who never met their fathers, look at the girls who won't have their father on their wedding day and the boys who have no one to place catch with in the yard.
The men, women, and children who died that day were unknowingly the first soldiers in the war on terror. They died doing everyday tasks on that beautiful late summer morning. Thank you to the soldiers that followed in their footsteps. Thank you to the families that sacrificed everything so that we can live in country as great as this one. Thank you for protecting our freedoms and allowing the American Dream to flourish in this new age. Thank you for allowing me to live my American Dream.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Season of Changes
Well, it sure has been awhile. Since my last post, I finally landed an actual job! No more internships! It's not an actual salaried, vacation, benefits type job, but it has the potential to turn into that very quickly. So I moved back down about 3.5 weeks ago and started training. In my head I know it's a job and not an internship that will be over in 3 months, but it still doesn't seem real. It seems like someone will wake me up and I will be back to square 1 again. I know I'm doing a good job now, but at first it seemed a little scary to think that they trust me to be doing these things. I will be forever grateful to my friend K for passing my resume along and letting me crash with her until I found a place.
That's a whole 'nother story...it's almost as bad as trying to find a job. But here I am finally in an apartment, it's a very nice apartment with 2 roommates. But again it's one of those things that they don't teach you in school. There is no guidebook, no how-to method. This is the real world and you have to just close your eyes and dive in...and hope you don't crash into the bottom.
Let's see, in my first month, we've had an earthquake, a hurricane (with 2 more on the way), the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and the fall of Lybia/Syria??, and the continued ramping up of the next presidential campaign. I guess you could say I've started out with a bang.
I think part of why I can't actually believe I'm here is because this is not the way things are supposed to go. All the guidebooks and how-to books tell you to start small and get your feet wet before swimming into the big pool...well I like doing things my way I suppose...I've never done things the easy way so why start now? In some ways it does finally feel like life is moving forward again and it's nice to be surrounded by a group of colleagues who are around my age. It feels like our version of Gray's Anatomy...we are all going through the same things at the same time and actually have someone who truly gets it...though there aren't enough males to create the relationship drama like the show. Hopefully they continue to be impressed with my work and I can move up into permanent status soon enough :)
That's a whole 'nother story...it's almost as bad as trying to find a job. But here I am finally in an apartment, it's a very nice apartment with 2 roommates. But again it's one of those things that they don't teach you in school. There is no guidebook, no how-to method. This is the real world and you have to just close your eyes and dive in...and hope you don't crash into the bottom.
Let's see, in my first month, we've had an earthquake, a hurricane (with 2 more on the way), the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and the fall of Lybia/Syria??, and the continued ramping up of the next presidential campaign. I guess you could say I've started out with a bang.
I think part of why I can't actually believe I'm here is because this is not the way things are supposed to go. All the guidebooks and how-to books tell you to start small and get your feet wet before swimming into the big pool...well I like doing things my way I suppose...I've never done things the easy way so why start now? In some ways it does finally feel like life is moving forward again and it's nice to be surrounded by a group of colleagues who are around my age. It feels like our version of Gray's Anatomy...we are all going through the same things at the same time and actually have someone who truly gets it...though there aren't enough males to create the relationship drama like the show. Hopefully they continue to be impressed with my work and I can move up into permanent status soon enough :)
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