kaitlynpeel

One last hoo-rah

kaitlynpeel — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 05:56:53 +0000

Toay was our last full day at WJMC, and it was the best by far. We heard two very interesting speeches today. The first was about student law and our first admendment rights which was very eye opening to the restrictions imposed on student’s basic rights. The second session was a panel of interns led by the internship coorodinator at George Mason; I found it to be some helpful, but I have already held an internship so alot of the parts I already had the experience under my belt. After those two tours we headed to Capitol Hill. Union station was like nothing I have ever seen before because I am from the south so there aren’t really big train sations where you can hop on a train to someone like Boston. After Union Station I headed to the Library of Congress which I had been forward to the entire time. First off i want to say that all the buildings in DC are rediculously beautiful. So I go to the LOC and I’n trying my hardest to figure my way around this crazy place. All I orginially intended to was go in the reading room pick up a book and sit for like 20 minutes– thats when I didn’t know that you can’t go in there johnny on the spot. But, when I walk in I see some stuff about exhibits, so I think, “When in Rome…” I just breeze through these first exhibits then I decided to head up stairs to the great hall. Once I rounded the corner and saw how abosolutly stunning it was my jaw imediately dropped. The beauty and detail in the entire building cannot be descibed trough words its something that just needs to be experienced. After I took in the beauty I headed upstairs to more exhibits. I just walked into the one that was by the stairs I wandered up. Its funny how fate works in mysterous ways. I walked into the exhibit and I was like UGHHHH move icky exhibity things that you have to read and just can’t experience it personally then i looked up and saw what appeared to be books. I could only think, “SALVATION!! BOOKS! YAY!” If you haven’t already guessed I’m a huge nerd. I walk into this spiral looking thing of books and i come to find out that it is Jefferson’s private collection. As I’m walking around the spiral I see books printed from the 1500′s and up itis just amazing to me, and what else alsoamazed me was how every bookthat had a marking ribbon was marked at some place in the book it just let you know that he refered back to his books often and I just found that to be so ispiring. I continue to walk and I Monteque’s books and this just wave of emotion hits me and all of a sudden I am holding back tears. I keep going and my eyes stumble upon Homer… I lost it. I was standing in front of the greatest epics ever written which were read by on of the greatest men who ever lived. That was such a powerful and moving experience that it will last in my mind for forever.

The morning from hell

kaitlynpeel — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 05:23:25 +0000

A basic fact about me is that I am in no way a morning person. In my past lives I wasn’t a morning person. In my future lives I will not be a morning person, so I was an act of God that I got out of bed this morning to my first alarm to take my shower at 6:30 in the morning. I get up, prep my shower, and by force of habit shut my bedroom door behind me on the way to take my shower. The problem was that my card key was still in my room. GREAT. I am standing there with no shoes, no phone, and no patience. My amazing roommate Katie was kind enough to lend me her shoes and cell phone so I could get my key situation figured out. I then walk down to my floor adviser who directed me to the lounge where a number was supposed to be post– of course it wasn’t. I even took the initiative to go look on the floor below mine’s lounge to see if there was one posted. Nope, again. So I travel back upstairs to the floor adviser and she lets me in and gives me the number to call. I call and he tells me to travel to Eastern Shore me and my floor adviser find Eastern Shore on the map and I set out on my involuntary adventure around George Mason’s campus. Literally after 20 minutes of me getting lost the guy calls me back and asks if I knew where to go. I say yes but I was a little lost and trying to find the building. He then decides instead of giving me directions that I should just ask some random stranger I see where to go. Who is there to ask for directions at 6:50 in the morning? Nobody. I finally think I’m close, and I even asked someone, but they didn’t know either, so as a last resort I call the guy again and tell him that I am standing in front of Pilot Building. All he says in response was okay you are getting close. Thankfully I have good vision, even through sleep-crusted eyes, and managed to make out the Eastern Shore… it was the next building on the path. He seriously couldn’t have said that? So I go down and he lets me in the building and we begin the process of getting a new room card. He asked me what my name was and I respond like any normal human being with my name. This guy had to think he was a genius and automatically knew how to spell my name… which nobody does. He spells my first name wrong like 5 times and he just keeps rushing through. Honestly if he would just listen to what I was saying we wouldn’t be having issues. I just give up on my first name and try my last. Its 4 simple letters. How hard could it be? Apparently very. I say, “Peel. P-E-E-L.” He comes up with crazy letters in it like o and y and i and every time I correct him he keeps screwing it up. I even put it into as plain English as I could, “Peel, like a banana peel.” Still didn’t work. Eventually we figure out who the hell I am and he swipes me a new key and tells me I have two days to return it. I thank him, take it, and trek back to the dorms. While on my trek I get creeped on my some older man which made me feel VERY uncomfortable. So by now my adrenaline is already pumping like crazy and it kicks into over time because I was thinking I was going to have to physically run away from this man. I get away from him and safely into my dorm. I go upstairs and open my door, leave it open, and shower. I get out and get ready no problem. I think I’m all ready; I made sure I have my key and I even leave the new one because I didn’t want to accidentally lose it and be responsible for it, so feeling confident i shut my door. I then go and brush my teeth and I get water all on my chin so I want to use my towel to wipe it off. I go to use my key and it won’t let me in… The guy neglected to tell me that my old card would be deactivated. Locked out 2.0.

On the other side of the tracks

kaitlynpeel — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 03:49:50 +0000

If you know me, you know that I am terrified of flying. The smallest amount of turbulence will send me into an immediate panic attack, but everyone should be proud that I only gripped the armrests to the point of leaving indention once my entire flight to Washington D.C. Did I mention that it was my first time flying by myself? So, that was one of many worries of my trip over and done with; now the hard part began: interacting with complete strangers. I made a little small talk with about a few people, but it wasn’t until I met my first roommate Katie. We hit it off instantly and have been inseparable since. Joining Katie and I in our color group is an amazing selection of kids who bring so many different things to the table I knew from the start we would have great discussions. I have to brag a little that in our getting-to-know-everyone game I purposely went last to see if i could remember everyone’s names; don’t worry I got all 25 names in 15 seconds- pretty sure that a world record if not at least a WJMC record. Our first speaker was Chris Chillizza who was AMAZING. He was funny, relateable, and an inspiration to go “on the other side of the tracks” and do your own thing and put your neck on the line for what you believe.