Entries by Ralph, Alan

Thinking of applying for the Washington Ireland Program ?

If you are thinking of applying for WIP then you are taking the first steps in what could be a great adventure. Applying for WIP is a win- win situation. You have got nothing to lose. A lot of people seem to be turned off by the application process which is quite long, but in my view the questions give you a chance to think about different aspects of your life which you might not usually get to think about. The list of benefits goes on. You get involved in community service before you leave for Washington, during your stay there and when you get back to Ireland. One of the most attractive elements of the program is undoubtedly the amazing and wide range of internships on offer. What an amazing opportunity. You get a chance to do internships in places that most university students could only dream of. To complement the internship you also attend leadership seminars and listen to a wide range of guest speakers from all different backgrounds. You spend the summer with a host family in Washington, you get to spend time in the political capital of the world, you get to deliver a major speech in public and you make an amazing group of friends. It is incomparable with any other internship or leadership program you may have heard of. There really is nothing like this anywhere else. It doesn’t matter what background you have, the more diverse the team the better. I would love to be starting off with WIP all over again. It is hard to describe how well treated and looked after we were. It is always good to talk to people who have been there before and if you every want to ask me a few questions send me an email: alralphy@yahoo.co.uk and I will gladly help you out. So don’t doubt yourself, apply, see how you do and you might just get picked for the summer of a lifetime.


RE- Entry Weekend

The team arrived back in Ireland on the morning of the 4th of August. We said goodbye to each other at the airport. It was a strange moment. We had been around each other so much over the last few weeks and all of a sudden it was all over. Not for long though. In early September the team all met in Dublin City University for Re-entry weekend. This is a few days during which the team after having reflected upon our time in Washington reviewed and evaluated the summer. We provided suggestions on aspects that might improve the program for next year’s team. We also spent a day volunteering for an organization called Global Action Plan which was setup by Ballymun Regeneration Ltd to help with projects for inner city communities. We split into groups and did some upkeep on gardens in the local primary schools. It was a fun way to pass the day and catch up with each other on what we had been doing during the past month. Throughout the weekend we reflected on the summer but I felt it was almost too early to really comprehend the impact WIP had on us and perhaps it will take a few months for all our experiences to sink in. Before the weekend finished, we voted for our valedictorian, that being the member of the team who would make a speech at our graduation night in Belfast in a few weeks time. We selected John Callaghan as our valedictorian and everyone was happy that we would have such a decent and friendly guy representing us. The weekend was a success and it was good to see all the team again. People headed off in their separate ways. Myself and Chris Joyce watched the All – Ireland hurling final between Waterford and Kilkenny. When the game was over Chris headed home to Galway and I went out to University College Dublin where I was due to start the final year of my degree the next morning. Despite just leaving the team, I was already looking forward to being together again for our graduation in Belfast.



Summer Farewell

Our stay in D.C. came to an end with the summer farewell dinner held at the Capitol Hilton hotel. It was our last night in D.C. and it was dedicated to celebrating the great contribution the host families made to our summer and all our host parents came along. My host parents Pete and Liz and their son Brian made a big effort to attend the event despite having planned to be on holidays at the time. It was special to have them all there after keeping me in their home for so long. Myself and Judy Bamford presented the event and had some good fun. The evening involved stunning musical displays from some of the team. Aoibhin, Elaine, Colm and Johnathan Chesney all performed so well and at the end of the night all the team came together and sang a song called “Goodbye for now”. When the formal proceedings came to a close we had a disco and everyone got dancing and had a great laugh. Despite all the fun and joy, I was very sad to see our time in Washington coming to a close.



A night at the Irish Embassy

On our last Wednesday in D.C. an evening reception was held for the team in the Irish Embassy. A lot of the host parents and people associated with the program came to the event and there was a great atmosphere about the place. John Callaghan who had been interning at the embassy presented the evening and did a really professionally job introducing the other members of the team to speak on the night, those being Mary, Maria, Heather and Chris. They all spoke fantastically well and made everyone proud of them. It was a lovely night and everyone seemed to have a brilliant time.


Habitat for Humanity

During our last week in D.C. we did a team service project. This links in with the concept of service and leadership and it was great to be able to give something back to the community after our unforgettable summer in D.C. We spent two days volunteering for an organisation called Habitat for Humanity in one of the more deprived areas of the city.
Since the founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has become a global leader in addressing substandard housing by helping more than 1,000 000 people of all races, faiths and backgrounds to have a simple, decent place to live.
Habitat for Humanity builds and renovates simple, decent homes with the help of homeowner families, through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials.
HFH homes are sold to low-income families at no profit and are financed through affordable long-term loans. We spent the two days helping to put large wooden panels on the walls of a house that was being built. This process was called ‘dry-walling’. It was straight forward; put the panel up and nail it in. Half the team was upstairs in the house, half were downstairs. It was a good laugh despite it being very hot at the time. We got quite a bit of work done over the few days there and it was the ideal project for a big group.

Last day of work with the World Bank Group

Yesterday, Friday July 25th I finished work at the World Bank.It is strange looking back to the first week I spent there when everything was new and things were moving at a fast pace. Once I got settled and made friends with the staff I really started to enjoy my work. I worked with a nice team who were always willing to talk or help me with any problems I encountered. The flags of all the member countries of the World Bank are displayed at the IFC and one of my favorite parts of the day was walking past these every morning and realizing that in some small kind of a way I was representing all the people who came from these places. This moment always evoked a sense of pride and responsibility in me. The bank has the financial power to change the lives of millions of people around the globe and I am sure I will look back in a few weeks time with a feeling of gratefulness that I got a chance to work there for a period of time. In the afternoon my boss and people from our team went out to a nearby café to say goodbye and reflect and laugh about some of the fun we had over the last few weeks. I then went back to the office, tidied up a few things and sent an email around to the whole department thanking them all for their help.
It was strange walking past security for the last time, knowing my ID badge would be out of date by tomorrow and wondering when I would be back here again. I walked up Pennsylvania avenue to Farragut square and then towards K street where I met Ian, Clare, Neal and Judy at starbucks café to start planning and preparing for the Summer farewell party on next Saturday in the Hilton hotel. It will be our last night together and it is bound to be special. After our meeting we headed to Chinatown, got something to eat and then went to see the movie “Mamma Mia”. It was all ABBA music and a funny story line. We all had a good laugh and it was a nice way to celebrate the end of our internships.

Talking the talk

Tuesday evening was once again a WIP success story. We had an insightful round table discussion with four very interesting men. The panel included Peter Fenn who is President of Fenn Communications Group (FCG), one of the premier political and public affairs media firms in the US. The company has been part of over 300 political campaigns, at levels from Mayor to President. Alongside him was John Feehery, a graduate of Marquette University, who has been an advisor to leading members of Congress, a lobbyist and public affairs strategist. He sits on the Board of Cooperation Ireland, an organization dedicated to peace building in Northern Ireland. We also had Alex Johnson; a Republican who began his professional career aged 23 as the youngest director at the Republican National Committee for one of their Major Donor Programs. In 1999 he worked on John McCain's Presidential Campaign and after a brief spell in the private sector he returned to politics as a fundraiser for the RNC for targeted Senate races. Probably the most well known of the speakers was Joseph Lockhart who served as White House Press Secretary from 1998 to 2000 during the administration of President Bill Clinton. He handled the press during the Clinton impeachment trials. He was also senior advisor to the John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign. What a fantastic line up! The discussion was presented by our very own Clare Herbert who did a very professional job of moving through the different topics and ensuring people got to ask their questions. There was a lovely atmosphere in the room and all the speakers were very eager to answer questions in a detailed and funny manner. The discussion gave us another key insight into American politics and I would say that it was definitely one of my favorite nights so far.

Meeting the Board

On Thursday evening the WIP team went to meet our board of directors in the Bricklayer’s union office building in Chinatown. We were supposed to be meeting on the rooftop but the heavens opened up and the rain poured down. We met them in the board room instead. It is easy to take for granted how well we are being treated and forget that the board work exceptionally hard throughout the year to fundraise and provide for the program. It was a good idea to meet each other. They are a nice group and I am starting to get to know them a bit more at this stage.

Friday night in Takoma

On Friday night the team was kindly invited to the house of Beth Knox and Bill Hutchins who were hosting Jean Scrimgeour from SAWIP . They are based in a place called Takoma, which is outside of the city on the red line of the metro so it was easy to get to. The party was more in honor of the South African students who would soon be leaving. I got to chat to some interesting people including a man who had worked in the World Bank for twenty five years. The family provided food and drink for everyone and a great time was had by all.

Celtic Cup Golf Competition

On Monday the 21st of July WIP had its annual fundraiser golf competition called the Celtic Cup. It was held in a Woodmore country club outside of the city. There was a really big tournout for the competition. Some of the interns went out to the event to help organize it and I was lucky enough to get to play a full round of golf for the day. Myself, the great Jonathan Chesney and two men from a company that supports WIP played in a fourball team. As we drove off in our golf car a man was playing the bagpipes which made the day feel all the more special. The game format was “scramble” or Captain Choice. This is a system where everyone hits their first shot and then everyone plays their next shot from the best positioned ball out of the four balls that were originally hit. It was a fair system and made for an enjoyable game. The day was very well organized and all the team came back happy. Unfortunately we didn’t win any prices but we had a great laugh. Afterwards there was an auction in the clubhouse for various prizes including a week in a holiday home in Kenmare with a few complimentary rounds of golf in nearby golf courses. After a chat with all the guests we then headed the National Mall, the green area in the centre of town, to watch the weekly film that is shown in the park. This week it was a film called the “Candidate” staring Robert Redford as an “honest guy “who runs for election as a senator. It was a cool atmosphere, everyone just relaxing and a nice way to finish up the day.

The Spirit of History

On Tuesday night the 22th of July the South Africans’ had their congressional forum. The event was held in a lovely room in Capitol Hill and was attended by ten members of congress; a fantastic turnout considering how the congress men and women are. Jean from the SAWIP management team and congressman Donald Payne worked very hard to get everyone to attend. All the members of congress spoke passionately about how far South African had come and the similarities the struggle had with the struggle for Civil rights for the black community in American throughout the sixties. Among the speakers was the great John Lewis who is one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights movement ever produced. At the age of 23, he was an architect of and a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington in August 1963, that awesome day when Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream” speech. It was a strange feeling being so close to someone who had worked so hard to turn history in the right direction and indeed succeeded. He put his body on the line for civil rights and was beaten several times and imprisoned during his search for equality. Five of the South African team spoke about the past and future of South Africa and they did their country proud by how well and eloquently they spoke. There was a fantastic spirit in the crowded room and that is a night that will be long remembered.

Farewell to our South African friendsOn Thursday the 24th of July everyone went out to “The Harp and Fiddle” an Irish bar in Bethesda where we had a fundraiser for the SAWIP team. Unfortunately, it was also their last night in Washington D.C. as they were flying home the next day. Their program is not as long as ours as they start back in college earlier. A band played good music and the South Africans took to the dance floor and cut loose for one last time. Good fun all around. It hasn’t sunk in just how much they will be missed. They were always willing to give their points of view on any discussion and always willing to participate in our activities. They brought diversity and a new aspect to the program. Losing 7 teammates is never easy, particularly after spending so much time in each other’s company. They were an exceptionally intelligent and friendly bunch of people and I am sure they will have a big impact on how the future of their country unfolds. Throughout the summer we developed long lasting relationships and hopefully, one day we will all meet again.

Monday 7th of July

On Monday we were lucky enough to have some guest speakers come in and talk with us. Our first speaker was Mark Shields (PBS, CNN) one of America’s best known political commentators. He was really funny and made some intelligent points about the election race. Next up was Harold Ickes who had been Bill Clinton’s deputy chief of staff and had also played an important role in Hillary Clinton’s recent election campaign. In the afternoon Dotty Lynch of CBS spoke to us about polling and the super delegate system. That evening we went to St. Albans high school where we took part in some harmless debating with some pretty bright students who were on some kind of a special summer camp at the school. Everyone enjoyed themselves. It is days like these that define WIP, the ability to access such sought after speakers is really impressive and makes our experience here all the more enriching.

Hillary Clinton and the Congressional forum.

Today was a proud day for WIP on the political front. We met in the Russell senate office building in the afternoon to get a group photo taken with Hillary Clinton. Aoibhin O Hare who is interning with Clinton organized the event. The build up was quite exciting. The chance to get so close to someone who got 18 million votes from the American public is a pretty special feeling. We lined up on the stairs and waited for her to arrive. She eventually came around a corner and everyone started clapping. She said a few brief words to us, took a group photo and wished us luck for the summer.
That evening WIP held its annual congressional forum, an event where some of the team make speeches usually attended by a few members of congress. This year we got a record number of members of congress, such as Patrick Kennedy, Donald Payne, Peter King, Jim Walsh, Joseph Crowley and Patrick Murphy. It was touching to see them support the program. Lauren, Laura, Catherine, Luke and Fiona McCarrick also spoke from our team and they did us all proud. After the event Gary Simpson offered me a ticket to go watch a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the Arizona Diamond Backs. The nationals won in a rather quiet affair, but it was still a great chance to see the stadium and watch my first baseball game.

A Time to Retreat

On Friday morning the team attended a breakfast with the association of Catholic Businesses which was held at a Dominican Friary in Virgina. Breakfast was tasty and then some of our team made speeches. Aoibhin, Fiona Buggy, Chris Andrews and Peter all spoke excellently. Afterwards we had a retreat for the rest of the day where we talked about some of the issues facing our future and just chilled out and got to know each other better. That evening we met at Bethesda to play a game of soccer which was competitive and highly enjoyable.


New York!

Each year the WIP team goes for a weekend to New York. Everyone was looking forward to this weekend and it lived up to the hype. We got a bus from Washington at about 10a.m. and got into New York at about 3p.m. We were based in a central location about a block from the Empire state building. Everyone settled in and went for a quick look around town before meeting up for dinner at the bottom of the Empire state building for dinner. After dinner we went to the apartment of Paddy McGacky a member of the WIP team in 2005. His apartment was really high up in a building so we had an awesome view over the city. We also got to go out on the rooftop of the building, a really cool way to spend Saturday.
On Sunday morning we went to the Bethesda fountain in Central Park and had breakfast. Afterwards we all split up. I went with a group to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and had a super time. That afternoon we went on adventure speed boat ride called “the beast” during which everyone got soaked. In the evening we had dinner together at pier 17 beside the river. A group of us walked the Brooklyn Bridge afterwards and got to see magical views of the city at night time. To end the evening we stopped off at Time Square to see it all beautifully lit up.

UN visit

The UN visit in New York was our big event on Monday. In the morning we had a meeting about the general strategy the UN takes followed on by a presentation about the UN peacekeeping missions. In the afternoon we all split up into sub- groups and attended different speakers. I attended a talk on UNOCHA: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It was interesting and provided us with great insight into how these organizations work. Well done to Colm in the management team who worked very hard to organize this event. The whole management team worked very hard to ensure the weekend was a success and their hard work certainly paid off as everyone had a weekend to remember. We got the bus home in the evening and most people tried to sleep after a busy and exciting few days in the Big Apple.

MEETING THE AMBASSADOR

Every Monday we spend the day in our WIP office on 1625 I Street. It’s a city centre location only two blocks from the Whitehouse. We usually discuss topics on leadership and this week we focused on the future of our countries. We tried to put together an image of the island of Ireland in the year 2020, focusing on a number of topics such as immigration, the role of the EU, political situations, the environment and what kind of economic situation we would be facing. The Irish Ambassador to the US, Mr. Michael Collins dropped in to talk to us. He gave us a brief overview of his involvement in the Foreign Service and then let us ask him some questions. He seemed like a nice guy and it was very kind of him to take time out of his busy schedule to drop by. After lunch we went out to Georgetown University where we got a lecture from a professor who specialized in post conflict resolution. It was informative and different and the team got to ask some questions at the end of the session.

MIDWEEK ACTION

Wednesday was a pretty eventful day. In the morning the team got to go on a tour of the Whitehouse. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get into the Whitehouse so we were lucky to get the chance. It is a surreal feeling being in the home of the most powerful man on the face of the planet. Later that day I was in work when I found out someone had gone into one of the World Bank buildings supposedly claiming he had a bomb in his bag. Security soon dealt with him but a few of the buildings were still evacuated for precaution. We were on standby but thankfully didn’t have to move out. Security at the bank is really tight and everyone needs a special ID to get in. Originally I thought it was a bit over the top but incidents like these remind us that there are some dangerous people out there. In the evening the team went to the DC Bar Association where there was an interactive media forum with a panel of four journalists. Zelda Cunningham chaired the event and ran the show smoothly and professionally, continually asking searching questions of the panel. When the media forum finished there was a debate between three of our students and three students from Georgetown University. The motion was whether the Guantanamo Bay detention camp should be closed. The WIP team of Phil Allister, Matthew Thompson and Cliona Enright Ward were proposing the motion. They were very well prepared and dealt well with the issue. The Georgetown team were accomplished debaters and also spoke well. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and afterwards we went to a bar for a chat and a laugh. The evening ended well as I got a lift home with Luke O Donnell and his host dad Dave O Brien in his BMW convertible. Cool.


CLEARING THE AIR

On Thursday evening John Callaghan took the initiative to organize a get together in our WIP office downtown after work. We had a discussion on Northern Ireland and Ireland in general. Each person got three minutes to express their views and feelings on the whole issue of the north, ranging from nationalism to unionism, Catholics, protestants, the Good Friday agreement etc.. basically anything that you wanted to get off your chest. When everyone had spoken we then had a questions and answers session with each other. The whole idea of the night was to get a clearer understanding of our feelings and it probably also prevented confusion over the next few weeks. I felt it went well and everyone was respectful of each other’s opinions.

4th OF JULY ---INDEPENDENCE DAY

I knew this was going to be a day to remember. It got off to the perfect start. At 9a.m. about sixteen of us met up in Jonathan Chesney’s house where his host dad Bob Van Heuvelen organizes a game of “ultimate frizz bee” each year for the WIP interns. We played it on a football field close to the house and afterwards had a lovely breakfast. We then read the Declaration of Independence on Bob’s porch.
Later in the day we went to Catherine Green’s host family Tim and Kathy Lynch where food was provided and everyone got to have a laugh and meet the other host families. At about half six we left to go to the fireworks on the national mall. When we arrived in the city it was pouring rain and we sheltered at the entrance of George Washington University Hospital for about ten minutes. Thankfully the rain stopped and we walked down 23rd street and took up position at the Lincoln Memorial to watch the fireworks display. They were spectacular. The sound of the exploding fireworks reverberated off the Lincoln memorial and created a real atmosphere. I just sat there and kept quite. Looking up at that special colored sky and surrounded by a by a team of extraordinary people, the one thing that kept going through my thoughts was that anything in life was possible.

ZOO and The ART GALLERY

On Saturday morning Gary Simpson organized to meet up at the zoo. A bunch of us met up nice and early and went to see the animals. It is free entry so we just strolled in and it was quiet at that time of the morning.
The Sloth bear was a big hit among our group along with the renowned great Panda. We saw plenty of animals and it was as nice a way as any to pass a Saturday morning. On Sunday morning Joyce Schwartz Chris and Gary’s host mom offered to bring the group on a tour of the National Art Gallery. It is a lovely building and it was all the more enjoyable to have a guide to explain particular pieces of art and the history behind each one. In the evening time Andrew McCullough’s host parents Tamera and Joe Drozd kindly held a Barbeque for all the six host families in Virginia. We played a baseball game among ourselves in which Zelda and Andrew excelled but I struggled and failed to get anywhere close to a home run. All in all it was a relaxing way to spend a Sunday evening and brought week four to a close.

4 DOWN, 4 TO GO

I am now half way through my time here in Washington D.C. I have down 4 weeks of a 8 week stay and it seems to have gone incredibly fast. At the same time we have done so many things and met so many people. It is an intense team building exercise. We are together a lot and even when we are not together emails and text messages are always been sent around. Looking ahead, I can only assume things are going to get even faster as we seem to have a lot more evening events after work. So far it has been a blast. What a unique program and what a time and place to be young and free. Roll on the next four weeks !

Hemlock

On Saturday morning the WIP team and the SAWIP team headed off to Hemlock team building / outdoor activity centre. We were split up into different teams and went about doing different challenges in a wooded area about an hour from D.C. It was all about team building and overcoming challenges, that sort of thing. The challenges were great fun and we all helped each other out. Having the South Africans with us proved an interesting addition. Until now I hadn’t really had the time to get to know them and since we were all in an informal setting, people felt relaxed and eager to have a laugh. From there we went to the house of a great friend of the program Hugh o Hara. Hugh and all his family were great hosts and had a BBQ for us and let us use their swimming pool. As the evening closed in we got the bus back to D.C. and had some fun on the journey. We have spent over 3 weeks together now and I think we are now starting to become more comfortable in each others company and the team seems to be bonding well. The SAWIP team adds a bit of spice to the mix with their humor and their personal views. Today will definitely go down as one of the most enjoyable days so far.

Mt Lebanon Baptist Church

This morning the WIP team and the SAWIP team went to Sunday service at Mt Lebanon Baptist Church. Not your usual Sunday service. This was very different. A relatively small church but the congregation sure knew how to sing. They sang songs the whole way through the service and we joined in or clapped along to participate. Thami from SAWIP spoke very well at the end of the sermon and the congregation was really pleased with his words. Afterwards they had lunch ready for us and what a lovely lunch it was. Some of our group then sang some Irish songs and did us all proud with their musical abilities. I went with a group of the lads to the Chris Joyce and Phil Allister’s house where we watched the soccer final between Spain V Germany. Chris and Phil’s host mom Lenore made everyone feel welcome and it brought to a close a very exciting, eventful and memorable week.

Ice Cream Social

Time is starting to move fast here in D.C. The days are rolling into each other quicker all the time and it is now nearly three weeks since we arrived in America. A quick glance through the week starting from last Friday, when we had an “ice cream social” after work. The event took place on a rooftop in Chinatown. Each of us tried to bring a few other interns from our office, the goal being to ensure we were making friends in our workplace. It was a lovely way to finish off a first week in the office and a nice opportunity to get together with the team again and talk things over. The venue was really cool and ice cream and drinks had been brought along by the management team who made sure the event was a success.


A blast from the past

On Saturday Chris Andrews motivated a few of us to make the most of our spare time here in D.C. and check out some of the museums. Chris, Sarah, Gary and I went down to the National Mall and went to the National Museum of Natural History, the National Archives and the National Air and Space museum. All the museums were free and despite it being quite a busy time with tourists we had a very pleasant day and got to see plenty of really interesting things such as the original U.S. constitution, the Bill of rights and the Declaration of Independence.


Happy Hours

On Wednesday evening at the IFC there was a “happy hour” to celebrate the ending of the financial year. Everyone in our department took some time off towards the end of the evening and went to a reception on the ground floor for some food and a relaxed chance to talk to each other. One thing that makes working at the IFC / World Bank so special is the fact that there are about 120 different nationalities represented in the staff. Everyone has different accents; they have come from all over the world and are all specialists in their respective fields. I talked to as many people as I could and then left at about 6pm to go meet my host dad who was going to play a game of soccer and invited me to play as well. We had a good game. There really is no more enjoyable a way to pass a summers evening then getting some exercise and fresh air.

Question Time

On Thursday Declan Heery, one the WIP alums from the team of 2002 kindly organized to meet myself and Thulani ( one of the SAWIP team members ) for lunch at the IFC. Declan had interned at the IFC back through WIP in 2002 and came back to the World Bank quite a few times after that and is currently working there at the moment as well. It was nice to catch up with someone who had been through the whole experience before and interesting to note the changes that have taken place over the years. Later on I popped down to the ground floor to watch the last few minutes of the Spain V Russia soccer game in the quarter final of the European Cup. There are plenty of Spanish in the staff and they made themselves heard as Spain got through to the final. That evening there was pub quiz for the host families which was held in Murphy’s Irish bar in Virginia. The very generous owners of the bar provided delicious food for everyone and also donated a prize of 4 tickets to an upcoming baseball game for one of the winning teams. The questions were a mix of Irish and American culture. The host families seemed to enjoy themselves and a good night was had by all.


Picnic in the Woods

Today was the best Friday ever. The IFC were holding their annual picnic at Bretton Woods located about 40 minutes outside the city, so all the staff took the day off and brought their families out to the all day picnic. The facilities at the Woods were really impressive. There were 5 soccer pitches, tennis courts, a swimming pool, volley courts and a small fun fair for kids. In all about 3000 thousands people attended the event. It was very warm, very warm indeed. I was playing with my department in the soccer tournament. Our first game was at about 10.30a.m. and by then things were really heating up. It was 7 aside games, and it was great fun, despite the gallons of sweat lost in the sticky heat. In the end we actually made it to the final, but we were beaten by the Treasury department who boasted talent from across the globe, talented bankers that is, but they were handy at the soccer to. A BBQ was laid on and everyone got some food and had a relaxed chat. The day was organized well and it brought a good week’s work to a close.

On Tuesday morning I started my work at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which is the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. The IFC's mission is to promote sustainable private sector investment in developing countries, helping to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. The IFC programs and activities are guided by its 178 member countries, which are also IFC's shareholders and members of the World Bank. The IFC has over 2600 staff of whom 55% work in the Washington D.C. headquaters. The staff come from all across the world and some of the places I had never even heard of. The IFC building is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, a great location in D.C. and quite close to the WIP office. I met my supervisor on Tuesday morning. She was friendly and welcoming and went through the work I would be doing for the next 6 weeks and since then I have been pretty busy. The material can be quite specific and unlike anything I would have studied before so it is challenging and interesting. Some of the guys at the bank invited me to play soccer with them this evening and we had a really enjoyable game not far from the Lincoln memorial. So far it has been a busy and challenging, but exciting at the same time and I am really feel lucky and privileged to be working here. I am getting settled in at this stage and hopefully the next few weeks will provide an opportunity to learn as much as possible about the IFC and the World Bank.

I have been in Washington D.C. for over a week now and so far I have had a wonderful time. It has been all go since we arrived, so here is a quick run down of what we have got up to. On arrival at the airport the team was greeted by the families who would be hosting us for the next 8 weeks. Their generosity is amazing and they really are kind and decent people. I was placed with a temporary host family, Betty and Jack O Connor and we got on really well together. They are two of the nicest people you could meet. On Sunday I went to a barbeque for the interns in Virginia and our host Megan ensured we all had a great time. It was also a good chance to meet some of the families and other people involved in the program.

Then started what was to be probably one of the most eventful weeks of the summer. It was an awesome few days, so many high moments. On Monday we got a general introduction to life in D.C. and found out what was planned for the next few weeks. In the afternoon we visited the Newseum, which is a newly opened media museum in the city centre. On Tuesday we did a seminar on what type of personality/ character we each have and in the afternoon we went on a tour of Washington D.C. On Wednesday we got a guided tour of the Library of Congress. On Thursday morning we visited a primary school and shared some Irish culture with the children and in the afternoon we went to Capitol Hill where we met Senator Leahy from Vermont. On Friday the Northern Ireland Bureau held an event in the National press club where Gary, Sarah, Andrew and Elaine all delivered fantastic speeches and really made everyone in the program and all the other Irish people feel excited and positive about the future of our Island. That evening one of the host families, Lenore and Mike Martinez held a party in their house and a great time was had by all, they really made it a special night for everyone. On Saturday I moved in with Liz McCloskey and Peter Leibold in Falls Church Virginia which is a very nice neighborhood about 20 minutes metro ride from D.C. The family are great and are fantastic hosts. On Sunday evening a few of the guys played a game of soccer, and on Monday we had our leadership seminars, got great advice on speech writing and discussed the internships we were about to start.
When I look back at the last few days everything seems to have happened so quickly, yet we did some many different things. What a brilliant start to our summer in Washington D.C. !