Contentment

So, I can't help but be happy.

During the past seven weeks, I've met some of the most amazing people in the world, learned some great news things and done things I've previously only been able to dream about.

Washington, D.C. is an amazing city. And it's a city unique from any other I've ever been to.

Before this summer, I had high hopes: I wanted to live in a high rise apartment building on the top floor with a great view of Lake Michigan. I wanted to work for the Chicago Tribune (heck, I wanted to be the editor). Now, that's changed.

I've fallen in love with D.C. So many things happen here -- it's the nation's political hub -- but you already knew that.

The truth is this: I didn't care about politics at all before I got here. I wanted to be a journalist -- and objective journalist (unlike a lot of the media crap going on right now). I wanted to make a difference, being an example of not to polute your work -- to the best of your abilities -- with you political, social or religious (to name a few) stances.

Since then, everything has changed.

I've taken classes in ethics and economics -- both have rocked my world. I can look at things with new perspective. I know what I'm hearing now when candidates talk about socializing medicine or making tax cuts.

I was placed at a political newspaper. Everything's written from a conservative political perspective, but that's the premise of the paper, making it okay. There are no false claims of objectivity here.

I've learned so much, and I've come to love politics. My supervisor at work said it's like following a sport -- might I add, on steroids!

I plan on coming back to D.C. after I graduate from college. I don't know what capacity I'll serve in yet. But I do know that it will hopefully happen here.

I've also met so many amazing people here.

Sure, a lot of the interns in my program here (including me) complain about how incredibly busy, tired and stretched we are. But if we weren't we'd accomplish so much less. And ultimately, it's this program that has brought us all together -- that's something I wouldn't trade for even the most agreeable of schedules.

I'm going to miss these people so much in a few short days when we all part ways (notice the rhyme). Yet I know we're all destined to do great things -- we're all great people.

I have new hope for journalism in America. We're so different, and we all have different values. But thinking that we'll be a large part of the driving force in journalism in the years to come -- after hearing all the discussions in our ethics class and seeing a genuine desire in everyone to do right -- all I can do is wait patiently for that time to come.

These friendships are friendships for a lifetime, I'm convinced. We understand each other. At first it seemed a little creepy how we were so different but similar. Then I thought, "Duh, we're all political journalists."

Yes, sometimes I'm rather slow (in the head). But I love to walk fast.

Speaking of which, I don't say excuse me much anymore, I don't look when I cross the street, I walk in front of people to get on the escalator, I ever-so-subtly push my way to make room on the Metro and if I see those doors about to close, I run!

Washington is great. People and politics, I love them both.

Oh yeah, see the monuments too. They're great...

So circling back to my first sentence, it's for the reasons above that I can't help but be happy. I've done amazing things, accomplished so much (and yet so little) and met incredible people.

I just wish it would last forever. I'd be happy -- content -- forever.