By Sebastian Davis

The first thing you feel when you arrive in Washington D.C for the Internship is that it is all surreal. After reading and re-reading the booklet for the Washington Internship Program, it is a strange feeling to be standing in front of the United States Capital Building for the first time. This is the way that all of us interns felt when we started our Internships this week. Being in a new country, with different rules and ideas of what politics is, it can be overwhelming, but as soon as we stepped into our offices, us Australians were welcomed immediately. While finding our feet, most of us were given simple tasks, ranging from answering phone calls to recording business cards digitally. However, this gave us a chance to observe the different roles each member of the office plays and would provide the foundation of our time here. Outside of the office, we had plenty of chances to explore and enjoy our new home, especially the various museums.

This Internship has been described as being a life changing experience for us, and after just one week, this seems to be true. For many of us, office culture will be a new experience, as will be our time in a new country. Whether we are staying for 7 weeks or 17 weeks, the Washington Internship Program is sure to be an interesting time. Through this blog we will keep you up to date with our progress, and hopefully provide an insight for future interns about what they can expect.