Proud to be Working
This week was very meaningful to me, because it signaled the
beginning of my long awaited internship.
I am working for the Department of Education, Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services.
Although I cannot talk about my job, I can say that I love what I am
doing, and that as a person with disabilities, nothing feels better to me than
to wake up in the morning after a good night’s sleep, put on a business suit,
head to the metro, then walk in to work.
I am excited to find out what each new day holds, and what tasks I will
be given to accomplish. This week I sat
in on several senate hearings; the one for CRPD, and also one on the federal
recognition of American Indian tribes.
The CRPD hearing gave me hope that we are closer to seeing the
ratification of the treaty. As for the
Indian tribes, they talked about the long, painstaking process of petitioning
for federal recognition, a process that can take three and one half decades, is
very expensive, and can have unexpected outcomes. Tribe leaders and other
advocates testified and asked Congress to intervene.
I enjoyed the visiting attractions this weekend. On Friday I went to the National Aquarium,
and got to see pirahnas, electric eels, and baby alligators, among other
aquatic life. The electric eel gives off
a 750 volt charge, which is equal to the electrical rail on the metro. Afterwards, I walked past the Smithsonian
Castle to the Hirshorn Museum of Art. A
lot of the pieces were interactive, and made you part of the art itself. I appreciate this, as I used to volunteer
with a program called Art Goes to School, and I was always looking for
interactive ways to engage students in art appreciation. I ended the day at the Museum of Air and
Space, checking out vintage planes and the history of the airline industry
before catching an IMAX movie on the Hubble Space Telescope. I walked so much, I broke my favorite flip
flops and had to hobble home. I suffered
for art, and it was worth it.
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