After worrying that we wouldn't be able to reach our destination of Washington D.C. to see our oldest daughter (see yesterday's S.O.L.), I am happy to report that we made it!
This weekend was everything that a mother of a post-college age child could want.
Kate, our oldest daughter, moved to Washington D.C. last September. When she moved there, she didn't have a job or a place to call her own. Luckily, she had great friends that allowed her to bunk with them until almost Thanksgiving.
Fast forward a little more than 5 months. We arrived in D.C. this weekend to find the following: she lives in a townhome in a great neighborhood with some nice roommates, and she has been hired as an intern to work in the Office of Foreign Affairs. In her short stint there (she's only been working 4 weeks so far), she has met every Representative that serves on this committee, she has met our Vice-President, and just this past week she met, and had her picture taken with, the Secretary of State. If you're a twenty-something living in D.C., how cool is that?!!
Unfortunately, intern translates into "unpaid" so her hope is to move into a paid position in the near future. For now, she lives off the money she makes working two other jobs. She is quite busy, but incredibly happy. She somehow has managed to see her high school, college, and study abroad friends that live in D.C., as well as establishing new groups of friends.
As she showed her sister, her dad, and me around the town that she is proud to now call her home, it was a delight to watch her poise and self-confidence. From the minute we saw her, I was taken aback by how she is just standing taller and prouder.
Sure, seeing the monuments and sightseeing was fun, but it was watching how Kate has blossomed into a confident young woman that was truly the highlight of my weekend.
Glad you had such a great weekend. I knew I could come here to find more of the details I missed in our conversation today. So glad for Kate!
ReplyDeleteI went to college in DC and will tell you, the city has a great way of making you grow up. It's a wonderful place to become figure out what it means to be an adult.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, it's great that museums and so much cultural stuff is free. Maybe it's to compensate for the meager salaries the 20-somethings earn.
Thinking about your post makes me hope my daughter has the same type of experiences in about 10 or so years.
ReplyDeleteGood for Kate! What a fabulous opportunity, one that will lead the way to many more interesting opportunities. My daughter has interned her way through some extraordinary experiences, too...aren't we lucky to be able to live vicariously through these remarkable young women?!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you, Karen, on raising that lovely young woman. "Blooming" of anything generally takes a lot of care and nurturing. You and M have given her both. Stand tall, too! You deserve it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the conclusion. It brought a tear to my eye. That's what writers do sometimes.
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