Week Two: A Rollercoaster Ride

Wow! What a week it has been. So many of my initial perspectives of D.C. have changed, and some have even changed back again. The remainder of my first week on the job and front portion of this week has truly been like a rollercoaster ride. I am sure that during parts of this post, I will sound like I am whining but truth be told I am not bitter at all and only intend to portray the lessons I have taken away from these events. With that said...

Last Wednesday evening I attended my first class session with The Washington Center. The course I am taking is Intercultural Communications: How Washington-based Organizations Prepare for a Global Marketplace. The course itself seems like it will present me with a generous amount of information while the professor and my classmates really seem eager to interject politics into the mix. I will not lie, I am equally as eager; after-all, this is Washington, D.C.

On the work front, the tail end of last week was not nearly as elegant as were the first few days but this was no fault of anyone with whom I work. Remember that boxing fight I mentioned in my last report? The one between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather? Well on Friday of last week, Mr. Mayweather retired rendering our press tour obsolete. There will be no fight and there will be no press tour. Needless to say I was beyond disappointed. To this moment, I do not think a single hour has gone by that I have not thought about the opportunities and experience that flew out the window with the three simple words—“I am retiring."

One part of me feels selfish for thinking of my own aspirations and missed experiences while the other part reminds myself that Floyd just did what was best for him. It is no secret that Golden Boy Productions (Oscar De La Hoya’s company) would like to fill the date with another fight, however the potential for that remains to be seen. I was reminded of my earlier thoughts before leaving home when I thought and expected something to halt my plans or something major to occur which would prevent this summer from becoming reality. As it turns out, it was not until I arrived that reality set in. So here I wait, pondering the fate of my summer all the while urging myself to continue to make the most of my 10 weeks here.

After I took the weekend to allow everything to sink in, I decided that I would face this week like any other and try to let the past be… well, the past. What is that old saying? No sense crying over spilt milk?

This week has been quite productive; on Monday I learned many new aspects of PR that I never would have thought to be related to the business. And then just yesterday, I was able to take off work early to attend an event at the Newseum (no, that is not a typo) on Pennsylvania Ave.

The Newseum is (no surprise here) a news related museum with six or seven floors of the most extensive compilation of news related memorabilia you have ever seen. I was definitely intrigued. The September 11th exhibit brought me back to that day and I swear to you, I felt the very same feeling I felt nearly seven years ago.

Newspapers' front pages from every U.S. state and a few foreign countries

Part of the September 11th exhibit

Lightning rod/antenna from the top of one of the World Trade Towers

The event that took place was a taping for a television show with former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Partisan politics aside, I always enjoy hearing from an accomplished, well-known public figure such as Mr. Gingrich. I was also able to attend an event with our company last week where rapper T.I. spoke against violence. The event took place at the Boys & Girls Club on the southeast side and the former Mayor of D.C., Marion Barry was also in attendance. Although this was not nearly the scale of say, traveling to New York to close the stock exchange, it was still a pleasure to meet him.

So basically that is my week. I did some tourist-like events over the weekend and basically absorbed all of the information I had taken in over the last week. Until next time…

.e