Entries by McLoughlin, Maria

New York is a city of superlatives: America's biggest; its most exciting; its business and cultural capitals; the nation's trendsetter. The remarkable thing is that New York looks even better in person than it does in the movies. Whether you want to call it spontaneity or chaos, there are a million different New York moments that can catch you off-guard and sweep you off your feet. New York truly is a city that never sleeps!

So we arrived in New York City with high spirits, feeding off each others excitement and energy as the five hour bus journey passed swiftly by without compliant nor criticism. The first brief glimpse of the Empire State Building sent spirits soaring. We had finally arrived in "The Big Apple". Cameras flashed like a horde of papparazzi as we strenously tried to capture the essence of the city on camera. Converations erupted as many discussed how they wished to spend their first evening in New York. Myself , Cliona and a few others wasted no time in deciding how to occupy ourselves, Chinatown (Canal Street) was first priority. This place was nothing short of 'Handbag Heaven". My money burning a hole in my pocket, I began combing the area careful not to miss any soughtafter bargins. I was captivated by the sheer diversity of the culture as I tried to absorb this new setting to the best of my ability. Swimming through the endless ocean of people on the sidewalks, crossing the streets, hailing a cab, weaving in and out of random knick-knack shops...all these could take some getting used to. Needless to say, the hassle was well worth it. The remainder of the evening involved dinner at the Empire State Building and drinks at a previous Wipper's roof terrace apartment. A member of such a diverse bunch of unique and dynamic leaders, I will admit it takes a lot to impress us all together. However, I can safely speak on behalf of the group when I tell you, not only were we impressed by this apartment , we were astounded and amazed by it. Situated two blocks from The Empire State Building, the view from the rooftop was truly breathtaking. Seen from a distance or up close there is only one word to describe the Empire State Building. Imperical! As I gazed out over Manhattan City , the twinkling lights beneath and the Empire State Building brightly lit in blue, white and red in close proximity, I couldnt help but remind myself how fortunate I was to be there.

Sunday we were left to our own devices as to how we wanted to spend the afternoon. After breakfast in Central Park the group dispersed and went their separate ways. In the evening, we took the "beast" boatride to Ellis Island where the Statue of Liberty is situated. Before the boatrip we were informed that there was a possibility we may get a little wet. Those who emerged from the back of the boat afterwards may slightly disagree with that statement.. it depends your take on getting a 'little wet'!! After a superb dinner overlooking Brooklyn Bridge we departed for Times Square. We strolled around embracing the bustling energy and dazzling lights that surrounded us. The entire city shimmies and shakes to the beat of a dozen different individualised building-sized TV screens. As classic tourists we took several photographs, visited the M&Ms store, observed farcical street entertainment and wore I love NY t-shirts.

Our last day in New York, courtesy of Colm O Siucru, we were privleged to attend the UN headquarters. We engaged and interacted with guest speakers who answered many questions about the organisation. Both sessions were very informative and provided a direct insight into many aspects of the organisation and their future prosepcts.

New York City extended above and beyond my avid expectations. My only regret is that we could not have stayed longer!!

Today, I shared a phenomenal experience with my fellow interns that many people will only ever dream about. Today, I was honoured and privleged to meet previous First Lady, Senator Hillary Clinton. Translating today's events into words is a very difficult task , however I shall endeavour to bring my experince to reality to the best of my ability. There have been many memorable and poignant moments throughout the programme, from team building at Hemlock to fourth of July celebrations and on a more serious note our leadership moments. However, metting Hillary Clinton was without doubt the highest point of the programme for me. We waited for her arrival with great anticipation as we crowded the halls of the Russell Senate Office Building and formed a queue outside her office. Our whispers grew louder and louder as we wondered aloud when she would make an appearance. Any movement from secret service aroused curiosity amongst the group and we all shared each others excitement at the thoughts of her emerging at any given moment. She approached us with a beaming smile and greeted us warmly. She spoke briefly but sincerely as she praised the programme and welcomed us all to Washington DC.

I was overcome by a great sense of awe and admiration as her presence descended upon the group, a little star struck if you will!! At 5ft 2" I am notably the smallest member of our group. At the best of times being small has its disadvantages, however on this occasion, my height was working in my favour. Hillary stood beside me for the photograph. As Sue Atchley Ebaugh once said, "Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities". Seizing the moment with the stark realisation that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, I reached out and shook her hand and told her I was delighted to meet her. This is a memory I will fondly remember.

The remainder of the day was spent at the congressional forum where many congressmen addressed the group and five group members gave spectacular speeches! As I listened to many of the congressmen commemorate the programme and speak of their Irish roots and connections, I could never have been more proud to be Irish.

Monday morning saw the arrival of the SAWIPs. The SAWIP's are a group of students from various universities in South Africa. They are also part of the program and will be joining us at many events. It was great to finally meet them. We all introduced ourselves and made an effort to make them feel welcome.

This week I began my internship at Susan Davis International in Washington City. Susan Davis is one of the premier communications and public affairs agencies in the US. Not possessing a great sense of direction, I was delighted to arrive without getting lost or falling asleep on the metro and be forty minutes early! For some reason, unlike some of the others I was not nervous at all. I think meeting Jessica on Friday had set my mind at ease. Upon my arrival, I was introduced to all members of staff eagerly trying to memorise each persons name. Then, I was introduced to the other interns, Rubin, Megan and Gillian. They are all about the same age as me so we have a lot in common. Ruth-Ann another intern who is also Irish works here too. I was delighted to start work immediately and began working on some projects that the company have been working on recently. The office is beautiful and everyone is very friendly and helpful in a relaxed atmosphere. It is only my second day here but I am really enjoying it and have learned alot already. This week's group gathering is held on Friday at an ice-cream social where we shall all bring our fellow interns along. Looking forward to it. Stay tuned... laters!!!

This has been one of the most exciting, exhausting, exhilarating and eventful week's of my life. So we arrived to D.C with high spirits to be so warmly welcomed by our eagerly awaiting host families at the airport. We were all greeted with a mass of hugs, kisses, smiles and handshakes. We were finally living the dream. We had made it to Washington and we all knew that this was the beginning of what we expect to be one of the best experiences of our lives. Initially, myself and Pat (my amazing host mum) had some difficulty identifying each other at the airport, however after a few minutes scanning potential host mums Pat cautiously approached me and presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a massive hug. Myself and Pat hit it off immediately. Two people who love to talk, I can assure you there was no lack of conversation. After some brief introductions and goodbyes with the other families, Pat and I left the airport and made our way back to Old Town, Alexandria. My new home for the next 8 weeks is situated in Old Town, Virginia. As you can imagine Old Town is remarkably beautiful, needless to say I have become very attached to it since I arrived.

Sunday brought about a very early start for me.. 7am. A first for me without an alarm clock!! The afternoon consisted of a host family barbeque where I met with the rest of the Virginia crew and their host families at Megan's house. The food was great and we all got a chance to bond with each other a little more. One of the main things I remember from the day is the sheer volume of the heat that surrounded us. Even for me, a self proclaimed sun-worshipper, the heat was almost unberarable..42 degrees. Us Irish are not used of any hint of warmth and it was now becoming very obvious!!

Monday saw us off to a very exciting start as we all met at the White House. We proceeded to the WIP office where we were informed about all the activities that lay ahead for the rest of the week. The afternoon brought about the first big event of the week... a trip to the Newseum. The Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. Its a museum dedicated to the media and journalists. It definately met my expectations and while it was educational and inspirational, it was also alot of fun.

Tuesday morning began with a seminar at the Department of Education about personality types. Accoding to the Harvard Model, I am a red! In other words, this means that I am very much a people person and love talking. I wont argue with that! It also means that I can be quite guillable.. again, I shall not disagree!!Tuesday afternoon we took the Oakley death tour. This involved visiting the different memorials throughout the city. Through the blistering heat we managed to make it to Arlington cemetery first. We saw the graves of thousands of soldiers, the grave of the unknown soldier that of President John F. Kennedy. I also witnessed the changing of the guard. Next we moved onto the Lincoln memorial. We concluded the day at the Roosevelt memorial- my favourite of all three where many resorted to paddling in the water to cool themselves off. Though the weather remained almost unbearable for the duration of the day, we all enjoyed the tour immensely.


By Wednesday the extremes of jetlag had set in. Today, I began drinking coffee.. another first for me! The intensity of the fist few days had taken its toll on me and exhaustion set in. However, today we were privleged and honoured to gain access to some of the rarest documents in the world. At the Library of Congress we were presented with manuscrpits which included the original telegram sent proclaiming that Pearl Harbour was under attack and personal letters from JFK and Lincoln. Afterwards we were taken on a tour of the library. It really is a truly remarkable building with exqisite architecture and paint work. So far the week had been truly adventerous and there was more to come!!

Thursday morning we made an appearance at J.O Wilson school. The school educates children who come primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds. Unfortunately, we could only stay for an hour, However, we tried to intoduce the children to as much Irish culture as possible in that short space of time. Myself and Neal were the presenters while the other four groups taught the children an Irish song, an Irish dance, cupla focail as gaeilge and an Irish drama. The children, as well as ourselves enjoyed every minute of it. This was the highlight of my week and I was only disappointed that we could not have stayed longer. Then we celebrated Neal's 21st birthday and presented him with a cake at the school as the children all sang happy birthday. The afternoon approached fairly rapid and it was time to get dressed into full suit attire (not the most pleasant of experiences in the blistering heat) and meet Senator Patrick Leahy on Capitol Hill. Senator Leahy chatted with us outside the Capitol about various things including the upcoming election and on a lighter note his appearance in the latest Batman movie. Like many Americans he shares a great love for the Irish and had many great things to say about the time he spent in Ireland and his friendship with U2 singer Bono. Many photographs were taken with Senator Leahy on the steps of Capitol Hill and afterwards we took a tour of the building itself. After hours of walking and climbing stairs in heels.. even I was impressed!! The Capitol is breathtaking.

Friday the 13th was a very important day for the group. We attended a lunch at the National Press Club sponsored by the Northern Ireland Bureau. Many of our work supervisors attended the event and after meeting Jessica, my supervisor, I was more at ease about beginning my Internship. Four members of the group, Elaine, Gary, Andy and Sarah gave speeches at the event. Well done guys.. you set the standard high!! In the afternoon, we went our separate ways to prepare for the biggest social event of the week.. the fancy dress party with a 1990's theme at lenore's. Neal stole the show at the party arriving in a dress, purple wig, pink feather boa and stockings, dressed at Dame Edna. There were many other great costumes including Cruella de Ville, Edward Scissors Hands and Pocahontas.. the list is endless!!! The night was a huge success and thoroughly enjoyed by all!! Lenore's margarita machine, as well as her amazing monkey bread went down a treat with everyone.

Saturday was a day of relaxation. Myself, Cliona, Neal, Sarah, Judy and Zelda went to Pentagon City for a bit of retail therapy. After hours of shopping we retreated to Virginia to prepare for a night out in Georgetown. The weather was not in our favour, however we did not allow this to dampen our spirits. The management team met up with us and we all allowed ourselves to unwind after the hectic week.

Sunday was one of my favourite days of the whole week. No sleep-in as I had anticipated... myself, Zelda and Ginny-(Zelda's host mom) went to Ocean City for the day. Ocean City is amazing but as we all agreed, its a Vegas for kids. The sun, sea, fairground, tacky shops and pizza houses provided the setting for a great day out. After soaking up the sun rays, eating junk food, riding the rollercoaster and buying inexpensive merchandise we decided to head back to Virginia. The first week in Washington proved as a truly memorable and dazzling experience... it couldn't get much better!!