Julia Cohen
It’s not about what you’re doing, it’s who you’re with
Julia Cohen
Fall 2015
I chose to come to DC for my career. If I had wanted the parties, or the views, or the lifelong friendships, I told myself, I would have gone to Europe. Instead I followed a path less known in experiences but which I knew would pay off in the long run. When I arrived on my floor in late August, I only prepared to give my internship and my classes my all, friends, I said, could fall a distant third. Looking back on it that’s how we all started, unsure of what the social situation would bring, I sat in the common room by myself on the first night skyping my friends from home and wistfully wondering if I would have been better off staying in Boston.
At the end of orientation week I knew I had made the right choice. And now, three months into my stay in Washington, and four weeks before the end of the program, I stand by that feeling. I came to DC expecting to gain professional experience but not expecting to gain friends. Although I love this city and the thrill of being a part of something big, I can honestly say that when it comes time for me to board a plane in a few weeks, what I will miss most about my study abroad experience will be the friends I have made here.
Its not about what you’re doing, its who you’re with
Thus the purpose of this blog post is to implore you, the reader, to make friends and meet people while you are here. It can be so hard after a long day of working and class to interact with your floor when you get home. However, for me these have been some of the best times I have had here. It is never about what we do, more often than not we sit on the couch watching food network, just the fact that I can laugh and complain and sing and be happy with people who are there for me.
This schedule is punishing and is not easy for anyone, no matter the internship or the class schedule. If it were not for the jokes or Barefoot Contessa or being convinced to watch just one more episode of Reign on Netflix I would have burnout. There are many lessons to be learned in Washington, and yes many of them are how to work in difficult situations on the Hill or the best food within 10 min radius of the Deb (cough cough Open City’s B.L.T. cough cough). However, just as important is the lesson of balance. I have watched many people in this program burnout because they did not have enough of a balance, which leads to them being unhappy while here. For me this never happened because of my friends and my floor. Therefore, my main piece of advice for someone just beginning the program in Washington is: it is just as important to network here, as it is to make lasting friendships.
This might not be Europe and you might be working 35 hours a week. But, honestly, the food here is just as good, the city just as colorful, and the people you will meet in this program are worth more than just one semester in Washington.
Julia is a junior studying political science and statistics and interning on the Hill.
