I had the opportunity to spend Fall quarter in Washington D.C and intern for Congress. I expected to learn a lot about legislation and the inner workings of the government; however, looking back on this experience taught me more about myself than I ever expected. I grew up in California, so attending UCLA was no change of pace – I was literally just an hour or two away from home. This allowed me to heavily rely on my parents for everything and anything. Truth be told, I was home every single weekend. So, although going to college was different from anything I had ever done, it was still comfortable because I was just a car ride away from home.
It was not until I got to D.C. that I really had to be independent. And the first few days were extremely difficult (more than difficult; I was literally dying to get back on California land). It took a few days and more time than I had hoped getting lost on the metro, but eventually, I was able to figure things out. Yes, the UCDC building held the worst washing machines in the world and I had to wash each load of laundry multiple times. And the rumors are true, my shoe did indeed break when I was 10 steps away from getting on the metro to work. But regardless of every horrible thing that happened – and let me assure you with my luck there were many – at the end of the day I was able to figure it out. All these inconveniences at the time made me want to ball up and cry for eternity; however, looking back, I am glad that all this happened because I came to realize how much I am capable of. I had always assumed that when it came down to it I would be able to handle issues and get things done, so it was refreshing to be completely independent.
Washington D.C is plenty beautiful and exploring the city was amazing. There was more history than one person ever needed. And I mean this very literally; it was like every single building I looked at had some sort of odd historical context to it. Although I was beyond excited walking through museums the first few weeks, eventually they got a bit repetitive. I think the beauty of D.C. really set in throughout the quarter as the trees started changing colors. Now, I have seen a few orange trees in my life, but D.C. had the most vibrant fall colors I had ever seen. Overall, the area was amazing, and before the winter started to set in, I definitely enjoyed Washington D.C.
For anyone thinking of applying to participate in the Quarter in Washington program, I would recommend it. However, take this recommendation with a grain of salt. Even though exploring and being independent was amazing, the program itself is a bit of a hot mess. There is not much support or anyone you can really direct your questions to so it is definitely like being thrown into the deep end. And be prepared; UCLA will randomly add you in a new class Week 3 and then expect you to catch up with all the missing work. Even with all these flaws, fall quarter to me was the most important one yet, as I learned life lessons and gained experiences I never would had if I had been in Los Angeles.