A Fancy Dinner, Bowling, and Many Notes

On October 10, 2014 I received an amazing email; after applying to William & Mary’s Washington Winter Seminar, the email confirmed my acceptance into one of the many awesome extracurricular programs that W&M offers its students. When reading the email a surge of excitement and happiness ran through me and the first thing I did (of course) was call to inform my parents of the great news. All of this feels like just yesterday. However, here I am two months later thinking of the best way to sum up what the first two days of this program has been like! Crazy how time flies!

Yesterday (1/4/2014) evening students from both the U.S. Politics and Urban Education classes came together to feast over a delicious dinner at a fantastic Spanish restaurant in Crystal City called Jaleo. All of the food (and there was lots of it!) was absolutely amazing ; it included sautéed spinach with pine nuts, potatoes with a very tasty sauce, steak, and fabulous desserts. Although, the best part about the dinner was getting to know the fellow students partaking in this journey with me. Hearing their stories about why they chose to apply for this program, what they hope to do with their major, and of course a couple of good old fashioned round-table debates and thought-provoking questions (so do you think taxes should be equal or equitable? What exactly does a “promise ring” constitute?) left me feeling genuinely honored to be amongst such a bright and distinguished group of peers.

Today, all students gathered for Orientation at W&M’s DC Office in Dupont Circle to meet with the program directors and discuss important information regarding scheduling, expectations and requirements for the next ten days. Also, it should be noted that we all received a 50-ct. stack of our very own business cards – which, just being completely honest, left me ridiculously awed for a solid fifteen minutes. Risible thoughts included, “I have a business card now? Wow, I just became 50x more important! I wonder who else at a mere 21 years of age has reached this high a feat.” Don’t judge me!

After the orientation and meeting with our professors, it was time for lunch and bowling in Georgetown. Again, amazing food (really, for a bowling alley, the food was much better than I expected). Many things were learned over the past 48 hours and it was so exciting to hear in detail what the following days of this program have in store for us. Number one lesson – whenever avoidable, I should not bowl. But would I go again? Absolutely. Great food, fun atmosphere, and just because I should not bowl does not mean that it isn’t entertaining to try.