Blog post 2
Sydney A.
This week had also felt kind of like a whirlwind. Everyday I've always done something different and challenging. But I see it as a blessing, just to be here and experience all of these things especially with the help and guidance of other people. Working at IPL has been...amazing. Which I know is not something majority of interns have to say about their jobs and work environments, especially in DC. But the company has such an honest way of operating which i really appreciate. Since they are a grassroots organization they definitely don't have the great wealth and resources that a lot of big name corporations like NAACP for example, but this is also something I appreciate. I don't have to sit in a office cubical and wear business professional clothes while sitting in on office board meetings or making calls all day. I get to wear comfortable clothes, work in a relaxed work enshrinement with other people who truly care about their communities and making people's lives better, while also positively impacting the environment around them. And I honestly love it. But, while I do really like the company I work for, they have made me do something recently that made me extremely uncomfortable.... make phone calls. Which they also refer to as "phonebanking", and I've come to notice that they all seem to have these special terms that I've never heard before for basic stuff but okay. Basically they are trying to set up a page on their website that features all of the churches in the DMV (D.C, Maryland, and North Virginia) that have solar panels. Which is a way to praise churches that have switched to cleaner energy sources, but also might encourage other churches to "go green" as well. Which sounds nice and all but, talking to strangers is scary enough for me, but on the phone? Although I do need to give myself props for finding the courage to power through 10 (!) phone calls asking church secretaries about their solar panels. One hung up on me and five other calls ended up in just me leaving a voicemail, but I still see it as a accomplishment. Also the other long term intern in the office, Maddie, is terrified of calling people as well and was also phonebanking and made a very detailed script for us to follow in case they tried to make small talk or ask questions. Yes it was as sad as it sounds, but alteast we did it. Also having someone else in the office who could relate to my anxiety and try to help me through it made me really thankful. Job aside, I've also been consciously trying to explore as much of DC as I can, so that I can get a good feel of a city I'll be living in for 2 months. Over last weekend I've already been to the Smithsonian, National Art Gallery, and National Botanical Gardens, which I'm kind of proud of since it's only our second week here. All of the museums were really fun to visit but my favorite was definitely the botanical gardens. I absolutely love nature and discovering different kinds of plants and flowers, so it felt like almost a healing experience for me. It helped to wash away some of my uneasiness about being in a different city and get to seeing the blessing in just being in this internship and genuinely enjoying living in D.C
This week had also felt kind of like a whirlwind. Everyday I've always done something different and challenging. But I see it as a blessing, just to be here and experience all of these things especially with the help and guidance of other people. Working at IPL has been...amazing. Which I know is not something majority of interns have to say about their jobs and work environments, especially in DC. But the company has such an honest way of operating which i really appreciate. Since they are a grassroots organization they definitely don't have the great wealth and resources that a lot of big name corporations like NAACP for example, but this is also something I appreciate. I don't have to sit in a office cubical and wear business professional clothes while sitting in on office board meetings or making calls all day. I get to wear comfortable clothes, work in a relaxed work enshrinement with other people who truly care about their communities and making people's lives better, while also positively impacting the environment around them. And I honestly love it. But, while I do really like the company I work for, they have made me do something recently that made me extremely uncomfortable.... make phone calls. Which they also refer to as "phonebanking", and I've come to notice that they all seem to have these special terms that I've never heard before for basic stuff but okay. Basically they are trying to set up a page on their website that features all of the churches in the DMV (D.C, Maryland, and North Virginia) that have solar panels. Which is a way to praise churches that have switched to cleaner energy sources, but also might encourage other churches to "go green" as well. Which sounds nice and all but, talking to strangers is scary enough for me, but on the phone? Although I do need to give myself props for finding the courage to power through 10 (!) phone calls asking church secretaries about their solar panels. One hung up on me and five other calls ended up in just me leaving a voicemail, but I still see it as a accomplishment. Also the other long term intern in the office, Maddie, is terrified of calling people as well and was also phonebanking and made a very detailed script for us to follow in case they tried to make small talk or ask questions. Yes it was as sad as it sounds, but alteast we did it. Also having someone else in the office who could relate to my anxiety and try to help me through it made me really thankful. Job aside, I've also been consciously trying to explore as much of DC as I can, so that I can get a good feel of a city I'll be living in for 2 months. Over last weekend I've already been to the Smithsonian, National Art Gallery, and National Botanical Gardens, which I'm kind of proud of since it's only our second week here. All of the museums were really fun to visit but my favorite was definitely the botanical gardens. I absolutely love nature and discovering different kinds of plants and flowers, so it felt like almost a healing experience for me. It helped to wash away some of my uneasiness about being in a different city and get to seeing the blessing in just being in this internship and genuinely enjoying living in D.C
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