After a late night visiting monuments yesterday, we struggled to get out of bed today. We loved the pictures we took last night but were tired this morning. However, we were glad it’s finally Friday. Today we can proudly (but tiredly) say we completed a five day work week!
I have learned that not much gets done in the Senate on Fridays when it is in recess. Last week, we went home early when the men in the office began playing soccer. Today, Eleanor and I’s only task was to go to Tennessee offices in the House Office Buildings to trade passes that constituents receive to go visit the Senate and House Galleries in the Capitol (the rooms on C-SPAN). Since we are interning for Senator Corker, we only have Senate Gallery passes and must trade with Tennessee Congressmen to get House Gallery Passes. Using the underground tunnels and subways, we did this without going outside. We first took a subway from our Senate Office Building to the Capitol. From there, we walked all the way to the other side of the Capitol, to the House side. Another subway then took us to the basement of a House Office Building. Although it is pretty easy to get lost, we are finally getting our bearings straight. We are also making friends with the security guards and learning that heels are not appropriate for these errands (ask any of us girls, most of us have the blisters to prove it). We also used the walk through the Capitol to take pictures of all of its amazing architecture, since we are both in Photo.
In the afternoon, we went on a tour of the Supreme Court. Walking back afterwards, we were across the street from the Capitol. We realized that the street was completely blocked off by police and got excited, thinking someone important such as President Obama was about to come. We waited about 5 minutes before we pulled out our badges (we really like them…they seem to make us more important) and asked an officer what was going on. She explained that a suspicious package had been mailed to the Capitol Visitor Center, and that they had to investigate. Naturally, we wanted to either A) be on the news for this story or B) get stuck in the Capitol during a lockdown. Our last task for the day involved going to the Capitol, giving us the perfect excuse. Since the front doors were closed off, we quickly hurried back to our office building and caught the subway towards the Capitol. After completing our task, we headed straight to the Visitor Center, hoping something exciting was happening. Unfortunately, this was just a false alarm that occurs often in the Capitol. Disappointed, we headed back to the office.
Tonight’s dinner was an unforgettable experience, complete with a belly dancer and seven courses of food. We ate at Marrakesh, a well known Moroccan restaurant in D.C. with famous customers, such as Brad Pitt and Obama. The restaurant had bright colors, and we sat on low benches with pillows. Although we were all excited for the experience, I think many of us were worried that we would not like the food. However, we all ended up liking it and left feeling very full. Dinner started with some salad, which was followed by a pie of chicken, almonds, cinnamon, and powdered sugar (yes, an interesting combination), baked chicken, lamb or beef skewers, couscous, fruit, and finally baklava. The only catch to enjoying all of this delicious food? There were no utensils, so everything was eaten with our hands. Once we got over this American taboo, we all began to dig in and enjoy the food. Each course came out separately, with time in between each one. American culture teaches us to rush our meals, but in other cultures meals can last for hours and are a time for families to enjoy each other’s presence. Tonight we all had a great time slowing down and taking everything in. At 9:00 the lights went off, and a belly dancer appeared. We all loved her performance and wished that we could dance as well as her. Three and a half hours later, dinner was over. Exhausted, we headed back to the hotel, excited that we get to sleep in tomorrow. 
