Gah. March already?

And a week into March, no less. Jeez. I have officially passed the halfway mark, seemingly much faster than in Spain (and that was pretty darn fast).

Finally, Spring Break has arrived, although it doesn't seem too much like a break at the moment, since I interned today and will again tomorrow. I didn't necessarily have to go, but since I'm missing the three weeks of it due to my travels, I figured I might as well go.

Trip countdown: 2 weeks, 2 days

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last week, we visited the embassies of Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey to hear each side of the Cyprus conflict, as well as whatever other information they wanted to share with us. It was a really interesting opportunity, and one I'd talk more about were it not for the fact that these speaking engagements are supposed to be confidential. Therefore, I have been entrusted with important information and am special.

Some of PCR at the Turkish Embassy. Note the statue of Ataturk in the background.
I think the eyes are about to start glowing red.

Earlier last week, we took advantage of city life in a couple of different ways. First, four friends and I took the Metro and then a bus out to a slightly intimidating part of town where the Rock and Roll Hotel is located. No, it's not actually a hotel; it's a concert venue. We saw White Rabbits, an indie band, performing in this tiny little venue, and it was a pretty great show. These guys were really energetic and had some great songs. As always, here's a song by them:

(This song may have caused me to drum using a newspaper during the entire Metro ride back)

Then, the next morning, a few of my fellow interns and I had the opportunity to attend an event at Brookings, one of the biggest think tanks in Washington. The talk was on the revolutions in Egypt and Libya, and how they relate to the so-called "Turkish model." It was interesting not only because of the recent news coming out of the Middle East but also because we talk a lot about Turkey in PCR and therefore had a decent understanding going in to the event. It was pretty fantastic - besides the extremely qualified panel itself, the audience included professors, members of other think tanks, and former ambassadors (and more, I'm sure, but these were the people who identified themselves during the question-and-answer segment).

Needless to say, after a week spent at think tanks and embassies, I'm sick of business formal attire.

As of Friday night, Mom has been here in Washington, visiting me, which is lovely since I only got to see her for five days between my programs. It's been wonderful getting to spend more time with her, visiting some of the Smithsonian museums, and eating a lot of good food.

On Wednesday, we're heading up to New York for a little bit. Hopefully, this will include a visit with a friend from Auburn and some good ol' touristy sightseeing.

Oh. And we might have tickets to see The Daily Show!!!!!!
(And by "might," I mean that we actually have tickets.)
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.