Hey all!
So if you don't know already, I have been in DC for the past three weeks interning with the Embassy of Chile...and because of the wonderful jobs my friends are doing with their blogs abroad (hey Jaime and Emily!!) my mother has once again requested several times for me to start a blog of my own. Mainly because I have no real reason not to, am having such a great time, and so all my family can learn about my experience...this is my summer in DC blog!
So far everything is going fantastically!! The internship is starting to quiet down after a visit from Her Excellency the President of the Republic of Chile Michelle Bachelet. It's a loooong title and I spent most of my earlier weeks at la Embajada translating programs, schedules, visa information, and hotel information all of which had that title at least five times. That's OK though, all the hard work was completely worth it!! The president was only here in DC for about a day and a half, but those days were so incredibly long. I had to be at the hotel at 6 a.m. on Tuesday in order to make sure everything was ready for the delegates who were to arrive around 7:30. Two Embassy people (Sandra and Carlos) and I put envelopes in their rooms containing invitations to meetins, luncheons, and receptions. Its amazing how much these people did in less than 48 hours. I got tired typing the itinerary. I spent most of the morning at the hotel for the delegates, though I often had to leave to the hotel where the press was staying to sort some stuff out. Later on in the day I went to an unveiling of a bust of the founding father of Chile, Bernardo O'Higgins. I never imagines that the founding father of Chile would be named O'Higgins but hey whatevs! After that began the real excitement...I got to shake hands with the President of Chile!! It was a whole room full of people and I never got to really talk with her. Then I went back to the hotel and helped the Protocol guy from Chile with the presents for the Obamas!! It was really really cool. I got to write the note for the girls too!! They each got two beautiful dresses/outfits, the President got wine and crystal, and they had lost Michelle Obama's gift (it was going to Mexico...oops.). I was more excited about all this than meeting the President of Chile, I'm not gonna lie...I mean, the Obama's saw my handwriting!! That's a big deal. After a bit more time at the hotel, I went to the Blair House (the guest house of the United States) and got a private tour. I got to eat there! It was buffet and people were just coming in and out...I had steak, avocado salad, this salad stuff, and an amazing mango pie desert. It was all so amazing!!
The second day wasn't so exciting or so long. It began at 8:00 a.m. when the delegates were supposed to check out. Well most of them just walked out. I mean they didn't even bother checking out and there were a TON of them and none of us knew what they all looked like. It was sorta hilarious. Anyways, after the fiasco of getting everyone out of the hotel, I went back to the Embassy where my boss's assistant (Paola) was frantically trying to find out information about one of the senators. Apparently this guy went into a Radioshack and bought a whole bunch of stuff but picked up an extra bag full of DVDs and CDs. All the cashier knew was that the guy had a Chilean ID so he called the embassy...turns out when this senator realized he grabbed the wrong bag, he didn't go back to the store or ask someone for help. No, this guy decided to just throw it in his bathrooms trashcan and leave it there. hahahaha it was a really funny situation.
Anyways, all of DC is still mourning Michael Jackson. On Friday the entirety of the Chilean news channel was on "El Rey de Pop" and you still can't walk down the street without hearing part of his songs. I spent the weekend with my good friend and former roommate Cristina and all her mom would watch was stuff on good ole MJ...ask me anything, I know all about him. Sorry to mention it, I'm sure you've all heard enough about it! haha well this blog is getting real long so I'll save the rest for a later one!! As they say at the Embassy...Ciao!!
So far everything is going fantastically!! The internship is starting to quiet down after a visit from Her Excellency the President of the Republic of Chile Michelle Bachelet. It's a loooong title and I spent most of my earlier weeks at la Embajada translating programs, schedules, visa information, and hotel information all of which had that title at least five times. That's OK though, all the hard work was completely worth it!! The president was only here in DC for about a day and a half, but those days were so incredibly long. I had to be at the hotel at 6 a.m. on Tuesday in order to make sure everything was ready for the delegates who were to arrive around 7:30. Two Embassy people (Sandra and Carlos) and I put envelopes in their rooms containing invitations to meetins, luncheons, and receptions. Its amazing how much these people did in less than 48 hours. I got tired typing the itinerary. I spent most of the morning at the hotel for the delegates, though I often had to leave to the hotel where the press was staying to sort some stuff out. Later on in the day I went to an unveiling of a bust of the founding father of Chile, Bernardo O'Higgins. I never imagines that the founding father of Chile would be named O'Higgins but hey whatevs! After that began the real excitement...I got to shake hands with the President of Chile!! It was a whole room full of people and I never got to really talk with her. Then I went back to the hotel and helped the Protocol guy from Chile with the presents for the Obamas!! It was really really cool. I got to write the note for the girls too!! They each got two beautiful dresses/outfits, the President got wine and crystal, and they had lost Michelle Obama's gift (it was going to Mexico...oops.). I was more excited about all this than meeting the President of Chile, I'm not gonna lie...I mean, the Obama's saw my handwriting!! That's a big deal. After a bit more time at the hotel, I went to the Blair House (the guest house of the United States) and got a private tour. I got to eat there! It was buffet and people were just coming in and out...I had steak, avocado salad, this salad stuff, and an amazing mango pie desert. It was all so amazing!!
The second day wasn't so exciting or so long. It began at 8:00 a.m. when the delegates were supposed to check out. Well most of them just walked out. I mean they didn't even bother checking out and there were a TON of them and none of us knew what they all looked like. It was sorta hilarious. Anyways, after the fiasco of getting everyone out of the hotel, I went back to the Embassy where my boss's assistant (Paola) was frantically trying to find out information about one of the senators. Apparently this guy went into a Radioshack and bought a whole bunch of stuff but picked up an extra bag full of DVDs and CDs. All the cashier knew was that the guy had a Chilean ID so he called the embassy...turns out when this senator realized he grabbed the wrong bag, he didn't go back to the store or ask someone for help. No, this guy decided to just throw it in his bathrooms trashcan and leave it there. hahahaha it was a really funny situation.
Anyways, all of DC is still mourning Michael Jackson. On Friday the entirety of the Chilean news channel was on "El Rey de Pop" and you still can't walk down the street without hearing part of his songs. I spent the weekend with my good friend and former roommate Cristina and all her mom would watch was stuff on good ole MJ...ask me anything, I know all about him. Sorry to mention it, I'm sure you've all heard enough about it! haha well this blog is getting real long so I'll save the rest for a later one!! As they say at the Embassy...Ciao!!
