AHHHH!!!

If my title doesn't say it all, let me explain in further detail: I have the best freaking internship in the country; possibly even the world. The staff at USHMM are sooo laid back and carefree. I was so nervous going into it because I thought everyone would be grilling me about the dos and donts of the job, but it wasn't like that at all. Let me start from the beginning.

First off, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, of course. I was so excited; it was like a kid on Christmas Eve. I had butterflies, and I'd get fidgety then doze off only to wake back up and start the cycle over again. However, I finally fell asleep because I woke up to my alarm going off.

It is probably a ten minute walk between here and the metro. Once I got on I sat down and started reading my book. However, the train went out of service on the next stop (probably 2 minutes down the line) so EVERYONE had to get off the train and wait for the next one to come through. It was nerve wracking. Of course, the next train was super packed once we all piled on. This time, I wasn't able to get a seat. I was crammed right by the door by a guy blaring his Cascada music (Everytime we touch I get this feeling.. blah blah blah.. I swear I can fly). But whatever, to each his own. The train driver was getting very upset because there was literally NO WHERE for people to go, but people still insisted on cramming themselves into the train at each consecutive stop. Finally she just started telling passengers on the platform to not even try to get on. Once we came to the Metro Center stop, which is where I get off, things had become less crowded. However, up to that point, I was squeezed between four men in their business suits. I honestly am not sure if they even knew I was there. I was still just reading away.

The day went pretty smoothly from here on out, except for my walk home, which I will cover later. When I got to the museum, I had to wait to be checked in. While I was waiting, I realized I forgot to bring my lunch. That sucked, but it all worked out because they had extra food left over from a conference they had earlier so I was able to eat. The representative, Luke, who is basically over us during the internship is so amazingly cool. It's not even like he's my boss. He is so friendly and so hilarious. I can say that for everyone we came in contact with. We were kind of on show the entire day because we are the only "real" interns in the building. Every person we passed in a burgundy blazer had to introduce him/herself and we had to do the same. We first received a general intro into what to expect, then we were given a guided tour through the permanent exhibition, which is a three story chronological history of the Holocaust.

After lunch, we learned how to operate the elevators. Basically, we greet people as they come into the permanent exhibition, tell them to get an ID card, and point them into the elevators. Then we have to give a short "general info" briefing. "Welcome to the USHMM. Thank you for visiting us today. The ID card you have shares the personal story of someone victimized by the Nazis. Please read one page per floor, starting with floor four and moving down to flour two. As you go up, turn your attention to the screen in the back of the elevator for a short video. And please remember, no photography or cell phone use is allowed in the exhibition." ISN'T THAT COOL?!?!?! Don't sit there and act like you wouldn't enjoy doing that.

Next, we covered coat check. There's nothing great to say here- sometimes we have to man the desk where people hang their coats. Take their coat, give them a number, they bring the number back and get the coat. Other things can also be checked here, and the same process basically applies to everything. The guy covering coat check was super nice, which was to be expected since everyone is nice there, and it looks as if coat check is the one place you can (politely) get snippy with guests. Not that I ever would, but it's nice to know you don't have to smile and take their harassment about not wanting to hang their coat up or wait in line. So ha! "Coat check is a service provided by the museum at no charge to you, so please form a line, and I will begin assisting the first visitor."

Coat check was over at 5, and the museum closes at 5:30, so the remainder of the time was spent going over everything we had covered today, questions, etc. We had to wait around and funnel everyone out at 5:30. As we were leaving, the bomb sniffing dog made an appearance, so of course I got caught up giving her lovings. All of us interns fawned over her for like 15 minutes at least. Her name is Pep. Tomorrow Haley will be the dog on duty.

All of us interns catch a metro at the Smithsonian stop, so we all walked together down there. Everyone separated at that point to catch their different trains. The ride home was busy since everyone was getting off work, but I read the entire time so I didn't really mind. However, once I got off at Silver Spring, things turned sour. It was pouring the rain. I didn't even know it was supposed to rain today, so I was definitely unprepared. I had flimsy little ballet flats on (I bought them at Steve & Barry's if that gives you any idea of how old they are), and they do not work well in the rain. Also, Silver Spring gathers water everywhere, so I basically walked in puddles my entire way home. At one point, the wind was so strong that it literally knocked me over... not embarrassing at all. My khaki pants looked more like chocolate brown pants when I arrived home, and my toboggan was completely soaked. A quick run through the dryer fixed that though.

All in all, my day was amazing. The sour spots were completely overshadowed by the fact that I have the best internship anyone has ever had.. ever. Seriously: EVER!!!!