Week 5 and 6

Time is going by so fast! I can't believe that I am almost half way done with my internship. A normal session usually goes 12 weeks, but luckily for me, everyone says it will go longer. I've moved in with my dad in a nice little Condo just two blocks away from the capitol and we are staying busy. Every night we go to one or two receptions. Honestly, I love going to them just to observe everyone's social skills. It impresses me that people are able to walk up to people they've never met before and carry on a conversation like they have been friends for years. That is one skill I have been trying to develop since being up here and those receptions are definitely testing those skills. Here's what's been happening the last 2 weeks:

*** I tried cougar stew, bear pizza, elk stuffed mushrooms and deer enchilada's, none of which were very good FYI***

*** Mitt Romney called me***

*** I went to a tiny town called Melba for Capitol For A Day. CFAD is when Governor Otter and members of his cabinet bring the government to the people in little towns so they have a chance to ask the politicians questions***

*** I am still taking many many pictures, but that's one of my favorite things to do. I get to see how Governor Otter interacts with them, and I get to meet a lot of neat people, like the Ambassador of Tanzania, Consul General of Japan, Consul General of Canada, and a Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. But my favorite was when his granddaughter's girl scout troop came in. She was so proud to have the Governor as her grandpa and was holding on to him the entire time***

***I wrote a letter to former Governor Dirk Kempthorne, which Governor Otter hand signed, so it was pretty never racking to me because I knew the letter had to be perfect***

***When I first started interning I would answer phones and I would have people go off on me, about an issue that usually they had misinformation about. Well, while the other secretary I work with would always try and correct them, I never dared. I didn't feel like I knew enough of the information to do the same. But about in the middle of my second week a lady called me with complete wrong information, so I decided to correct her, but she just started yelling at me. So I hurried and got off the phone with her, and just let her have her way. Well, She called back again this week. And I was so proud of myself. I didn't even get scared when I started telling her that that was not how a certain issue was happening. People like that are still unreasonable and will never let you win, but that is beside the point***

***I bought my plane tickets to Florida!***

I am staying pretty busy up here and am absolutely loving having my dad here with me. I'm getting a little spoiled :) Work is still going great and I am still learning a lot.

Jenn pictures of the condo will come next week hopefully...