Sunday, June 2, 2019
By:
Week One -
Upon arriving in Washington D.C. I was struck by the heat. I am not used to walking outside and immediately having a wet shirt from the humidity. I can truly be thankful for technology and a thriving economy that provides air conditioning in the metro and in the apartment, I am stationed at. That being said, the heat could not strip me of my awe and wonder as I looked around the city and the thriving vegetation that is intermingled between man-made structures. All I could think was, "What a privilege it is to be an intern here". I didn't realize how true that statement was until every experience after solidified this passing thought into a personal truth.
To be honest, I was nervous. Nervous that I wouldn't live up to the expectations of my mentor and other superiors/coworkers, and maybe those feelings still linger but to a much smaller degree than before. I found my mentor to be understanding, and quick to correct any misconceptions I had about the work given to me. I also found all the other interns to be supportive and willing to share in the experience we all signed up for. I am surrounded by friends with strong work ethics and by leaders who want to see me learn and develop.
My first task was understanding the work of previous interns and also in the task I would work on for the next week or two. This may seem like a small thing, but when in the situation I felt daunted. There were a few times when I read over the past intern’s instructions where I wanted to just shut my eyes and take a nap to rest my mind. Learning the process needed to acquire data from the national database that can then be analyzed and used in public graphs and statistical information was no walk in the park. I rose to my first challenge and succeeded in verifying the method I was using by taking old data and comparing it to published data from previous years. As I continued to learn, my excitement grew until I would get on metro with a broad grin on my face while sharing my excitement with those that traveled with me. The thrill of learning something new and the satisfaction of accomplishing a task has always motivated me to work harder.
Aside from the work that I am doing, I also am enjoying Washington D.C. and all of the wonders that it offers. I am excited to explore and better appreciate the history of the country I live in. My wife Sariah and I had the opportunity to visit the Lincoln Memorial and also a Memorial Day parade in town. Being from a small town/city, I was blown away by how many people there were. It brings high expectations and anticipation for the upcoming 4th of July. I plan on visiting more museums and institutions where I will no doubt be swept away in the vast stores of knowledge and the grandeur of the city.
To sum everything up, I don't think I could be happier here. Time will tell, and I will surely experience many new things together with my beautiful wife and my good friends. I would like to thank APS for hosting me and providing an environment where I can thrive.
Andrew Phipps