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My new home

3/1/2015

6 Comments

 
Hi folks! I'm taking a break from House of Cards to be an adult and do laundry. And to make my grand return to the blog! Thanks to Sara bullying me, peer pressure, and exciting things to report on, I'm back! Needless to say, my life is rather different compared to a few months ago...

After months of job-hunting, networking, and talking everyone's head off about my hopes for the future--I've finally moved to Washington, DC! It's all still a bit unreal--here I am, in the nation's capital with a fantastic job and about to move into my new apartment. I am content, I am blessed, and I am extremely thankful to all the friends and family who have been there with their encouragement and love. 

So what is up in the life of Sanaa? Work at EMILY's List is fantastic. I come in every day with a passion to work and help continue the legacy that the organization has achieved by electing women to government who make positive change. As a research assistant I get to do quite a bit, whether it's fact-checking press releases, editing letters and statements, and doing original research on current issues and possible candidates/opponents. I love the work because it requires an eye for detail and building relationships with people in the office who are getting their work revised. My boss is wonderful and such a pleasure to work with, and my coworkers and interns are great! I'm steadily getting to know some really amazing people! Below is a picture of the reception area in our fancy office. In January I was interviewed in that cool glass room! I remember going to the office for the first time, seeing the flurry of downtown activity around the building, and walking into EMILY's List, thinking, "I have to get this job." And now, here I am!
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And in other exciting EMILY's List news, we are celebrating our 30th year anniversary in style with a conference and gala tomorrow and Tuesday! The conference will feature tons of great panels on topics like feminism in the media, strategy for 2016, and work that Democratic women have done in the House and Senate. I'm really looking forward to it! Soooo many celebrities! Congresswomen and senators like Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer, Gabby Giffords, Al Franken, and more as well as celebrities like America Ferrera and Uzo Aduba (from one of my favorite series Orange Is the New Black) will all be there, so I will probably be fangirling and taking a lot of pictures. The gala on Tuesday night is expected to have 1,700 guests! We're gonna get fancied up, and Hillary Clinton will be receiving an award from EMILY's List. HILLARY FREAKIN' CLINTON. I got to see Bill in Paducah during the Grimes campaign, and now I get to see Hillary get an award! Mere words are not enough to express how I'm feeling.

I started my DC adventure on February 16th when I came to town with my mom, who stayed for a few days to help me get settled. All thanks to the wonderful Amber, I've been staying in a temporary sublet right in Dupont Circle, one of my favorite parts of the city! Amber found the studio on craigslist and recommended I look into it, and just my luck, the tenant needed someone to stay in her apartment for two weeks during her vacation to Costa Rica! The studio is very nice and cozy with all the amenities I've needed for my first weeks in the city. Seriously, this place has been great, and it's only a 25-minute walk from work! 

Job? Check. Place to stay? Check. Permanent home? I'm proud to say that that will be a check in a few days' time! Apartment hunting has been a whirlwind of getting to know the city, figuring out budgeting, reading crazy reviews, and honestly, some frustration. I mean, check out this article: "It’s more expensive to live in D.C. than New York, study says." Yeah, that's great, isn't it? However, let me focus on the positive because that's what any kind of hunt (whether it's for a job or apartment or anything else) is all about! I'm happy that I can finally say that I've found a cute studio in a very nice area of the city right down the road from the National Cathedral and Islamic Center. I mean, check out these awesome pieces of architecture:
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Move-in day is this Wednesday, which basically involves me bringing the three suitcases I've been living out of to my new home. I am incredibly excited to fill the place with pretty things and make it my own. This will really be, in every sense of the word, my home. 

I still wake up in the morning thinking, "So I'm going back to Bowling Green when...?" This all seems so dreamlike or like a vacation--here I am, doing what I love in a wonderful city, and the fact that it's real and permanent is slowly dawning on me. This is my new home.
6 Comments
Sara
3/1/2015 04:33:11 am

You are completely welcome for the peer pressure :) I'm always here for you!
Really, though, your new job and everything sounds awesome! I'm glad you've found a job you love in a place you love and you've found your new home! Good luck getting moved in this week, and I can't wait to see pictures and hear all about it!

Reply
Anna Beth
3/1/2015 01:13:22 pm

Wow, Sanaa! This all sounds amazing! Of course, I'm not surprised. It's always been obvious you were going to do great things. Congratulations! And oh my goodness, fancy celebrity galas and such!!! That sounds ridiculously awesome!
I wanna see pictures of your new apartment when you move in. Looks like you're in a great place. :)
Also, Amy says congratulations, too!
Thanks for returning to the blog!

Reply
Jill
3/3/2015 08:51:38 am

dude, you have your own interns? or are they just general interns?
either way, congratulations on all the awesome!

Reply
Sanaa
3/5/2015 03:33:37 am

Yep, my own interns! The research department hires 4 each cycle, and I get to manage them and dole out assignments!

Reply
Amber
3/3/2015 09:23:59 am

Yay!!! I'm still so glad that you're in DC! I hope you're enjoying the gala tonight- seeing all those people! Man, you'd better get some great pictures! ;) Enjoy moving in tomorrow too! I'm so glad you've got a great place :D

Reply
Sanaa
3/5/2015 03:34:17 am

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and good wishes!

Reply



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