D.C. Adventures: My Life as a Congressman

My fellow congressmen and I

Acting as a congressman is tiring, time consuming, and emotionally draining while simultaneously being a fulfilling experience. Everyone writes and proposes bills to his or her own committee (or refers it to another committee). Each bill is dissected and thoroughly review by the committee . If the bill is passed by committee it moves on to the House of Representatives which would then transfer to the Senate and if the two agree, the president would sign the bill and make it a law. Although prior to my Washington DC excursion, I had some sort of idea of how Congress works, I never truly understood until I competed as a congressman in this mock congress competition.

Sitting in the airport, going home a winner

The Congress itself is very complex with its rules and parliamentary procedure. In addition, its very easy to see how issues between sides may arise; prior to my participation in this program I assumed that all Republicans were wacky right winged conservatives who only care about money. However, since I had to represent a Republican congressman from Oklahoma, it was interesting to see  how Republicans and Democrats share the same idea which is to protect the American people. It seems only clear differentiation between the two parties is the way they choose to go about executing specific policies. I am glad I participated in a program that could seamlessly educate competitors about politics and legislation without emphasizing competition. The mock Congress felt so genuine and I am so fortunate to have been able to take part in something of this nature.

As a congressman, I've learned how to properly author, sponsor, and submit legislation. I have made friends and future contacts. Most importantly, I realized why voting for the district representative and state senators are so important. I can't wait to be a congressman again.

D.C. Adventures: Night Time Exploration

My team and I were hungry so we went out in the freezing cold rain to find food. We all sat down, ate some really genuine Vietnamese food, and got to know each other better. It was dark, but not too late so we went on an adventure to find some desert. We seemed to be strolling for miles until we decided to walk to the White House. We made it to the White House and there was a surprisingly high population standing outside the presidents house for the middle of the night. We were just going to take pictures, but then some random guy in missed matched clothing patterns and social awkwardness walked up to us to attempt to engage in conversation. typically when strangers approach me, I like to ignore them to send the message that I do not want to participate in whatever he or she is offering, however, one of my teammates actually listens to this guy.  Said teammate talks to the stranger for a solid ten minutes and the rest of us are getting restless. One girl storms off to walk back to the hotel solo and in the chaos of trying to reason with her, my teammate  has actually followed the stranger over to a tent across the street with a man who claims to be a polyglot sitting on the inside. At this point it is late, I'm tired, and I had taken so many poorly lit selfies that I too was getting quite impatient. I gathered up the straggling teammates and reconnected with the rogue teammate to head home. We wanted food for the hotel and stopped to ask for directions. When we stop, we notice a man in mismatched patterns and messy hair walk past. Yes, it was the creepy stranger from the White House and yes, he did follow us for half a mile (0.8 km).

Moral of the story: Always walk in squad and look behind you every now and again :)

D.C. Adventures: Meeting my Congresswoman

Library of Congress <3

I could feel the fast pace energy of the city from the very moment I landed. The minute I arrived in DC I hopped in an airport shuttle, dropped of my bags at the hotel and took the subway for the first time to make a meeting with Congresswoman Franklin. I had never been through so many security stops in my life ( TSA, then the congressional office security, then the library of congress, etc.). After getting cleared by security, I walked to her office which had orange juice ^_^. My team and I entered her office and got to have a personal question and answer session with our congresswoman. It was very interesting to hear what she said about where she came from and the responsibilities that come with representing a district. I also enjoyed looking at the architecture of the building itself. Everything looks so official and expensive. After our photo with the congresswoman, we stopped in the Library of Congress. It was beautiful functioning as a library, an art museum, and a historical landmark all at the same time.  Definitely an experience I'll never forget.

Photo opp with Congresswoman Franklin

100th Post - Asking for Help

Personally, I hate asking for help. I feel it's more honorable if I can achieve and conquer my obstacles without the help of others. However, there's not one famous person that doesn't have a team for people supporting him or her. So instead of trying to do everything by myself, I'm going to start asking for help more.  It makes life's difficult processes more bearable if there are people available to support me.

I was silently struggling in Trigonometry until I put my pride aside and asked my friends for help. As a result, I did so well on the last test, it brought my class score up an entire letter grade (YAY :D). I was silently stressing about filling out all these scholarship applications while trying to complete quality work by these never ending deadlines until I asked my mom to fill in the tedious parts (Name, Phone number,etc.). It was important for me to realize that asking for help is not accepting defeat, admitting to weakness, nor a sign of laziness. Asking for help is just my last resort when I know I can't complete everything by myself.

As a successful person in training, it’s important for me to let my team help me and to accept their support so that as a group, we can all reach our full potential.



P.S.
This is my 100th post. I have written more than 130 pieces, but I want to make sure that everything being released is a quality and heartfelt piece that I would be proud to have my viewers read. Thank you for joining me on this journey through 100 posts. I can't wait to see what happens when I write 100 more <3

I Gave My Pizza Away

I went to a club meeting and there was leftover pizza. The coach gave me a box to take home which I planned to give to my family. I walked outside of the meeting room and I see college students sitting on the floor. they comment as I walk by saying "Looks good" and "Oh is that for me?" I stop and turn around. I ask them " Do you want it?" One of them says " Oh no, we were just kidding" as the  male behind him says "Are you serious?" I say "Ya, here. There's not that much in there but-" Before I could finish what I was saying, five hungry college students attacked 3, maybe 3 and half slices of lukewarm pepperoni pizza. I leave quietly and they yell "Thank you!" after me with their faces full.

I'm glad I gave them my pizza; now that I think about it, the pizza was never mine.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my beautiful Valentines! Over the years, I've noticed that you don't have to be in a romantic relationship to have a valentine.  Valentine's Day is just a day for people to appreciate the loved ones they have in their lives. So when a friend of mine asked me if I had a valentine this Valentine's Day I said "Of course. Everyone is my Valentine."  Especially my amazing blog viewers <3

Motown the Musical

Motown was AMAZING!!! It is an amazing show that embodies the emotions, stories, and obstacles in creating Motown Records while simultaneously including major events in American history. The actors and actresses were so talented-representing the true spirit of Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, and Stevie Wonder. It was like taking a step back in time which I appreciated because I did not grow up with the sweet music of the Supremes; the closest thing I know to 60s and 70s music is Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson. The music had a voice and quality that is lacking in modern music.


The awesome thing about music is that its universal, timeless, and immortal. Which would explain why I know almost all the words to "Square Biz" by Teena Marie which was released almost 20 years before I was born. Motown the musical is more than just a show with songs; its an unforgettable experience that allows one to see history through the eyes of music.