On the US election trail - Blog One
QUEEN'S University student Christopher Andrews is reporting exclusively for the News Letter website on his summer in Washington D.C.
A member of the prestigious Washington-Ireland Program, he will be interning with BBC America as the race for the White House heats up this summer.
Also undertaking a leadership training course with twenty-five other interns from across Ireland, the aim of the Program looks to encourage and develop the future leaders of Ireland, providing them with a unique insight into the life, culture and politics of the US capital.
The website is – www.wiprogram.org
Christopher's First Week
Upon arrival in Washington D.C. it was good to be breaking records from the start. At Ronald Reagan National Airport, 38.8?C (102F) was recorded, surpassing a record held since 1874.
As our internships do not begin until week two, we have been acclimatising (literally) to life in D.C. All participants are staying with host families, I for instance in the picturesque borough of Chevy Chase; which, I must point out, has no relation to the actor.
Such families are attached to the Program, but not receiving anything in return. Without the generosity and enthusiasm of such individuals it is impossible to realise how it could survive.
Early visits to the Lincoln Memorial, Union Station, Arlington Cemetery, Roosevelt Memorial and being as close as post-911 security measures would afford to the White House, it is easy to marvel at the architecture, history and significance of this city.
In orientating ourselves into the Program we have attended seminars looking at our personality traits, how we deliver speeches, our networking ability and how we perceive others. While I may be apprehensive and prone to underestimate the relevance of such teachings, it has been fascinating and very worthwhile; especially when considering we are a highly diverse group with regard to religion, politics and culture.
Last week we were very privileged in the Library of Congress to be witness to some of the most profound documents in U.S. history, which, although I disagree with, are not in public display. We were able to go through the telegram that announced Pearl Harbour as 'this is not a drill'; private letters from John F Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, and even the original letters from historic Supreme Court decisions among others. A rather interesting read was a letter sent from Abraham Lincoln to his girlfriend at age 28, kindly asking her not to reply 'for both our sakes'!
Along with an arranged meeting with Senator Patrick Leahy on the steps of Capitol Hill, these were very special events, and unique to the Program that most Americans won't be privy to. Leahy is heading up Barack Obama's search for a Vice-Presidential candidate, and also on a polar opposite level has a cameo role in the upcoming Batman movie!
Another key event was at the National Press Club, where four of our interns delivered speeches at a function held by the Northern Ireland Bureau, looking at the general theme of 'leadership'. As part of the Program, each intern must deliver such a speech, with other events for instance being at the Irish Embassy and United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Invariably the highlight of the week was not so glamorous, but perhaps more significant. On the last day of their school term we all went along to J.O. Wilson Elementary; a run-down, inner-city school; which in comparison to our other exploits was other-worldly.
We spent time teaching the kids songs, dances and stories from back home, and I feel it began to put things in a lot more perspective to how fortunate we are to have this opportunity.
Needless to say this has been an exceptionally busy week and I'm not sure I've really done it justice in this short entry. If I can conclude I would like to wish my Dad a very happy birthday for midweek! Although I may not be in Belfast, I'm still not sure my body clock has readjusted from it yet!
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Weather for Belfast
Monday 13 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
