Bureaucracy!

And so begins my life as a diplomat.

That's right, I began my internship today. I chose to work for the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, which works with the Foreign Service.

It began this morning after a Metro commute with three of my fellow interns to Arlington, Virginia, where we caught a State Department shuttle and met our really nice boss, John Naland, Executive Director of ADST and former diplomat who recently returned from Iraq.

There's a lot of paperwork involved, including an intense security background check, so be forewarned: you may be receiving a call from the US government about me. No big deal. I even have to go in for an in-person interview tomorrow, which sounds slightly intimidating.

But afterwards, I'll get my very own State Department badge! How cool is that?!?! (Poli Sci nerd moment)

Because of the internship, I also went to my first DC social function today, an ADST dinner party/book release filled with retired diplomats in a mansion three blocks from the White House.

I'll explain later about what exactly I'm doing, but I just got back from all this excitement, and guess who's got reading? Hasta luego.