Already 9 Weeks In!

Hello Family and Friends!

Sometimes it is hard to believe that I have been on my #KyleMovestoDC Adventure for 9 weeks already! And then other times it feels like a lifetime ago that I was in familiar territory.

While I would say that my move to DC has been the toughest yet (compared to Canada, Michigan, or Georgia), I am trying to make the most of the great opportunity that I have!

In attempting to make the most of my time, I have been delving into the local experiences. There is a farmers market in Takoma Park every Sunday that I like to frequent as well as one downtown DC that has absolutely delicious cinnamon rolls! Though the budget is tight, I have attempted to try a few of the restaurants people have recommended, including the local coffee shop Capital City Cheesecake and District Taco, a great taco place not far from my office. Also, I have been visiting a few local churches, trying to find one that best suits what I am use to.

The past week and a half I have been cat sitting for my landlord. Calypso (the cat) and I have been having a great time meowing at one another. Also, for the record, I'm not a fan of wet cat food. However, having the cat can sometimes be great company, as the house can get eerily quiet. I am definitely not use to living with no other young people around!

Also, this past week I got to tour two very important buildings, the Department of the Interior (DOI) Building and the US Capitol. The other CVAs and I got to visit the DOI Building and meet with the team of people that is coordinating the National Park Service's Centennial celebration. It was really cool to meet with the people behind the whole campaign!

Touring the US Capitol has definitely been a highlight of my time here. Although people hold many different beliefs and seem to always be in disagreement with Congress, it was cool to be in the halls of our Nation's government, standing where politicians and others come together and important decisions are made. While there I past a few members of Congress in the hallway as well as NBC Nightly News anchor, Lester Holt. Again, I cannot stress how cool it was to be in the building where representatives from all over our country come together to debate, discuss, and decide how we as a country move forward.

Another week has past and so many great experiences were had! I hope you're making the most of your summer!

The DC Life; Where Opportunity Knocks...All the Time!

Hello Family and Friends!

Life is good here in Takoma Park, Maryland. It has been a month and a half FULL of adventures, newness, and great experiences! As there is a lot to cover, I will try to keep each topic brief :)

President's Park/White House

At the end of my two week on-site training the 6 Centennial Volunteer Ambassadors (CVA) in DC (I'm one of 'em!) were each designated to work at a specific park. We got a chance to state our preferences and luck would have it that we each got our top choice--my top choice and place of work is President's Park/White House!! President's Park is the 82 acres of green space surrounding and including the White House. I am really excited to work at President's Park. Opportunities to utilize volunteers are abundant and the job will include making a better volunteer program (quality), as well as expanding where volunteers are used (quantity).

Fun Fact: You may have heard the White House referred to as 'the people's house.' Well, the National Park Service (NPS), which is funded by you and I through tax money, is the manager of the property, and therefore it is indeed owned by the American people.

CVAs with NPS Director Jon Jarvis

Now I'll run through some of the fun things I have done/participated in in the past few weeks!

The week of June 14th was relatively nondescript, as I still didn't haven't computer yet. I spent this week doing a lot of planning with my coworker Diandre. She and I will work closely on a variety of projects of the next year. One thing I started to do was learn Microsoft Access, which is a application for creating databases. President's Park does not currently have a database to manage their volunteers. Stay tuned for my learning progress in the future.

On Friday June 19th I participated in the 2nd Annual Corps Network Day of Service. It was a great day of service where I got to help removed pooled water off of sidewalks around the Tidal Basin. I also got to meet the National Park Service Director, Jon Jarvis!!

The 6 DC CVAs

As part of our job position we have been asked to create a 'Find Your Park' video, showing the viewer where we connect with the land/nature/history (aka find our park') and encouraging you to 'get up, get out, and find your park! I had a fun day shooting the video with my fellow coworkers. Be sure to check out our video!

Mom, Dad, and I at the White House

On Father's Day I was blessed to have Mom and Dad come to DC to visit! They were in town for four days. We had a great time seeing where I work, seeing the sights of DC, and rebuilding my bed...thanks Dad :)  It was great to have visitors....hint hint....to anyone reading this and thinking about visiting me!

Friday June 30th was a NPS National Capital Region Youth Summit, which is a day where all of the youth employed or in a program with the NPS get together for a fun day together. The other CVAs and I helped lead activities and small group sessions throughout the day. It was a great day out in the woods at Prince William Forest Park, ticks 'n all!

Although I don't want to write about it, the blog would not be complete without me mentioning that I was sick for a number of days leading up to the 4th of July. After a trip to the doctor and some antibiotics I am feeling much better :)

In the parade!

My recycle station

The 4th of July was a crazy day! In the morning I got to ride in the Independence Day Parade in a '69 Mustang Convertible with the Superintendent of the NPS National Mall and Memorial Parks! What an experience! The rest of the day I worked on the National Mall with the recycling program. The day before I helped set up temporary recycling stations all around the Mall and then the day of I handed out recycling bags to visitors encouraging them to recycle (and clean up their trash) and to keep the park clean. After the parade, my water bottle fiasco, the thunderstorm, the recycling station, and the magnificent fireworks, it was a full day! Check out my blog post specifically about the 4th of July!

The following week I passed my government background check and could now get my government ID card, access the computer systems, and use my nps.gov email address. This means I could be more productive at work :) My photo on my govt. ID has quite the mugshot on it, haha! With my ID I am now able to park my car in the Ellipse at the White House (which is across the street from the building I work in). I also got my NPS name tag and a Centennial pin. In other words, that week was pretty great :)

Adult Ballpit!

The week after the 4th I had some fun times watching the Womens' World Cup Final with friends, attending a conference where I represented the Volunteer Program for the NPS, and helping to plan for the Lotus and Water Lily Festival. The festival was on July 11th and was a full day of managing and coordinating volunteers. The festival was in celebration of the blooming of the flowers in the aquatic gardens.

Then, this past week I had fun meeting other SCA interns and members at a pizza social, enjoyed going to the National Building Museum where I got to enjoy a huge adult sized ball pit, and enjoyed a night of classic soul music at Carter Barron Amphitheater along with 3000 other people.

All in all, the beginnings of my time in the DMV (the shorter way of saying DC, Maryland, Virginia area) have been pretty great. My coworkers are awesome, my job is starting to pick up speed, and it seems like I am being offered a new opportunity at every corner. It feels great to be living in the Nation's capital!