Another week has already passed, and the amount of things I found to cram into it is unreal! Work continues to be rewarding. . .tiring, but rewarding. Two of my event announcements got published to the intranet and I have a story that's set to be published this week! It's exciting to see things pay off so early on. I also got to meet the Deputy Secretary, John Porcari last week. He was so nice and down-to-earth. We got to chat for a bit about what we've been doing, what he hopes we get out of the experience, and of course UD. The rest of the week was spent writing, editing, taking photos, and interviewing for future stories. It seems that work never stops here, which I'm happy for because it makes the time spent in a cubicle pass quickly.

This past weekend I went to NYC to visit some friends from school. Two of my friends are interning for a marketing company in the city so I got to stay with them, see the sites, and experience the night life. Let me tell you, I wasn't prepared for how unbelievable this trip would be. I got in at midnight on Friday, pretty exhausted, but determined to take advantage of every minute. We ended up staying out till 4 a.m. with an obligatory late-night pizza run with about a million other people.--this city seriously never sleeps. 

The next day my friend, Ali, and I had a picnic in Central Park, walked about Time Square, and wandered around looking at the different sites. I thought people watching was good in Washington and Barcelona--NYC definitely takes the cake. It was so cool to see all the different, interesting people walking down the street. That night we had dinner at Justin Timberlake's restaurant and stayed out till 7 a.m. A bagel run and a long 'nap' were necessary to keep up the New York lifestyle. 

On Sunday my friends and I went to Ground Zero to see the reflecting pools. It was an unbelievable and emotional feeling to be there, in person, after all the times I watched those horrific images on the television. Sitting there watching the water flow down deep into the ground reminded me that we all start from the same place and we all end up in the same place. It doesn't matter where we come from, how much money we have, what we believe in. We're all human, and if we start treating each other with the respect and dignity that every human being deserves, our world would be a much more peaceful place.

Okay, stepping off my soapbox. Overall, it was a once-in-a-lifetime weekend that I will remember for the rest of my life. I got back to D.C. late on Sunday, and it actually felt like I was coming home, which is a promising feeling since at this point last year I was crying via Skype, trying to convince my mom to fly back to Spain and take me home. It is definitely a learning experience, but I feel like I'm getting the hang of it. 

Well, I should probably stop writing this and go write the progress report I have due at the end of this week. Love and miss everyone back home.

Xoxo,

Kate