How SC turned to DC overnight

T-Minus 6 days


A little over a month ago while I was home for Thanksgiving break I asked my mom what she thought about me spending a semester in DC. I'm not sure at the time she thought I was serious...for the record I'm not sure if I knew I was serious either. In any case, she gave me the theoretical green light after convincing my father that DC can't be any less safe than South Central. So I returned to SC and looked into the idea on a whim (it was finals week and I was running out of other semi-legitimized ways to procrastinate).

 It turned out the USC School of Policy Planning and Development has a Semester in Washington Program where they send students to George Washington University to take rigorous political science courses and work in the internship position of their choice. The bad news was I had missed the deadline to apply for the program by a few months. The good news was USC was only sending 4 other students in the spring and the program coordinator felt fairly confident she could convince the head of the program at GW to consider my late application.

Fast forward to the next day when I received an e-mail congratulating me on my acceptance to the program, followed by 8 or so e-mails from the internship coordinator at GW with places she thought I should start applying for internships because I was getting such a late start. I was obviously thrilled that so many doors were able to open up for me so quickly, resulting in this incredible opportunity, but then the panic set in.  What had started out as just another one of my crazy ideas spawned by boredom and who knows what had somehow rapidly evolved into an impulsive, last-minute change of academic/personal plans for the next 4 months of my life. Then I realized that because it all happened almost too quickly and easily, this was obviously what I was supposed to be doing... DC and I were clearly meant to be for Spring 2010.

So I started working backwards...okay I'm not going to be here next semester, can I get out of my housing at SC? will I still be able to graduate with both my degrees on time? can I still get an internship?what the hell do you wear in the snow? Fast forward to a slightly nervous and apprehensive but extremely excited and anxious present me attempting to move cross-country without a car for the first time in my life (apparently this requires a severe consolidation of my wardrobe and the packing of my things in boxes to be shipped??).

A new year, a new city...er district thingy?, a new adventure; and I'm excited to share it all with you!