Tales from the Internship

I’ve mentioned my internship a few times, but I haven’t really explained what I’m doing this summer.

I’m currently working as an intern in the Community Development Department for a local municipality. I’m going to describe my job in terms of the show Parks and Recreation, so try your best to follow along.

(DISCLAIMER: If you haven’t seen Parks and Rec, stop wasting your time reading this blog post and watch a few seasons. You can find it on Netflix or your preferred sketchy streaming website)

Parks and Recreation chronicles the lives of an eccentric group of government employees who work to provide services to their city. Leslie Knope, the main character, works especially hard to improve the quality of life in Pawnee and preserve the city’s character. She’s a bit awkward, yes, but I admire her character’s utter dedication to serving her city. Plus, Amy Poehler is just amazing.

My office is a lot like Parks and Rec, except that everyone is a Leslie Knope and there are no Jerry’s (seriously, you have to watch the show to understand this post). Unlike the mostly incompetent city workers in the show, my coworkers have multiple degrees and crazy expertise in their fields.

Being the intern, I would technically be the April Ludgate, but I like to think of myself as a Leslie Knope-in-training (slightly awkward yet dedicated workaholic is my middle name).

April Ludgate is the apathetic, lazy, and rude intern. While I love the character, she’s not exactly the intern I aim to be.

My job is to update the 1994 inventory of  historic properties. Since the inventory hasn’t been updated in 20 years, no one has any idea if the properties are still in tact. Using a super high-tech and expensive GPS mapping device, I travel the city each day with a fellow intern surveying sidewalks and mapping historic houses. We spend about three hours each day walking around the city, and then I return to do intern tasks (work no one else wants to do, consisting of lots and lots of Excel spreadsheets).

The work I’m doing will provide the city with information that will help it better preserve historic assets. I love that I’m out in the community doing something I’m passionate about. I’m also really grateful to have coworkers who are more than willing to teach me the ins-and-outs of local government.

TL:DR I’m doing work I really enjoy, and I hope to have a positive impact on the community while learning about local government. Basically, I’m becoming Leslie Knope.

#ootd: bright orange construction vests. It’s the new summer intern look.

My Day in Pics: SF Japantown

Yesterday, my roommate and I took the train to San Francisco. This weekend’s destination: Japantown.

Here we are on the train. I don’t think my roommate is too happy about my surprise selfie attacks. “It’s for my Snapchat story!” isn’t a good enough excuse for her, apparently. 

 

An hour and a half on the train and a bus ride later, and we’ve finally made it to Japantown. Please ignore my weird facial expression.

Lunch was delicious. Bonding over food is my favorite type of boding. Destiny Fact of the Day: I always order the spiciest option.

I didn’t get many pictures because I was busy enjoying the atmosphere and shopping, but I got my roommate to model for me. Ten points for recognizing the reference on her shirt. 

It was nice getting off campus and exploring the city. I love our campus, but sometimes you need the hustle and bustle of a city. Next weekend, I’ll be heading down to Long Beach on a Megabus to visit my friend and go to Disneyland. Stay tuned for more of my adventures.

 

What to Read: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

One thing you need to know about me is that I love Mindy Kaling. I loved the writing for The Office, I loved her as Kelly Kapur, I love her in The Mindy Project, and I now I can say that I love her book.

I’ve been wanting to read her book for a while, and I was delighted when my good friend (and ex-roommate) sent it to me in the mail. That was a week ago, and since then I’ve finished the book and re-read all of my favorite sections.

The book reads almost like a blog. It’s autobiographical, but it also contains small bits with her thoughts on just about anything including a chapter called “Karaoke Etiquette” and one called “Best Friends Rights and Responsibilities.”

If you’ve seen the Mindy Project, you’ll notice traces of Mindy Lahiri (her character in the show), but this Mindy is smarter and more down-to-earth. Mindy Kaling doesn’t sugar coat anything. She writes exactly what she’s thinking in a conversational, hilarious voice that is so Mindy.

I particularly enjoyed reading about the challenges she faced after graduating college but before becoming a successful actress and writer. As a college student chasing after my own dreams, it’s comforting to read about someone who has achieved success, yet is still relatable and real. She’s so relatable, in fact, that I felt like I was reading a book about myself written by someone infinitely smarter and funnier.

This is a great book for casual, light reading. By the end of the book you’ll wish Mindy was your best friend and you’ll desperately try to get her to Tweet you back (hypothetically, of course).

 

The Gym

Summer is like New Years. It’s a time where people enthusiastically promise to get their lives together. This summer, I was going to do everything I never have time for: read more, learn a hobby, keep up with current events, grow a garden, and start exercising.

I’m happy to note that I’ve made half-assed attempts at most of these things. I’ve read three books, taken up new TV shows (that counts as a hobby, right?), read a few articles each day on the way to work, bought a potted cilantro plant, and started going to the gym.

I have a weird relationship with the gym. I like the idea of going to the gym, but I don’t like the gym. Here’s what I mean:

Going to the gym makes you feel good about yourself. It’s nice to know you’re exercising. It’s cool to tell people that you just got back from the gym. You get to wear cute shorts and shoes and sports bras. I actually can’t wait for the school year to start so I can be one of those cool people who wear gym clothes to class so everyone knows I’m going right after. You even feel better about eating junk because you’re like, I’m doing forty minutes on the elliptical later. I deserve this.

Actually being at the gym sucks. At my university, the gym is always crowded. This means that a.) it’s very stuffy, even with air-condition, and b.) I’m surrounded by very fit people who judge me (they’re probably really just engrossed in their music, I need to get over myself). I usually go for 30-40 minutes on the elliptical (I hate running and all other exercise). During that time I manage to: get incredibly sweaty, mess up my  hair, put the settings on too high and go too fast to compete with the person next to me, get my ear buds tangled every five minutes, and fail terribly at texting because I don’t want to lose my balance.

The gym is not glamorous, and it’s completely normal not to enjoy it. However, there are some things you should force yourself to do even if you don’t enjoy them, and going to the gym is one of them.

Instant confidence boost: a new outfit. I went shopping with my roommate this weekend, and bought this new dress which I absolutely love. I finally found something to wear with my gray tights. Paired with my pink chandelier earrings and black flats, I feel like I can accomplish anything in this dress.

I’m always amazed at how clothing has the power to change my mindset.

 

My Day in Tweets: TGIF

I had an extremely unproductive day at work today. It was too beautiful of a day to spend in a cubicle, and I just wanted to get started on my weekend. Needless to say, I tweeted like crazy all day long. Take a peek inside the insane ramblings of a bored 20-year-old intern.

 

I started out the day in a Friday mindset, and it was downhill from there.

 

I wish we had a water cooler here so I could stand around it and talk about how glad I am that it’s Friday

— Destiny Lopez (@itsmedestiny430) July 11, 2014

 

At least I have a fun workplace, though.

 

I’m in the fun part of the office with all the nice ladies who gossip and bring snacks for everyone to share

— Destiny Lopez (@itsmedestiny430) July 11, 2014

 

I may or may not have obsessively read articles about Lebron James, since I’m originally from Cleveland.

I haven’t wanted to go back to Cleveland this much in a long time. I really want to see how everyone reacts #ClevelandNative

— Destiny Lopez (@itsmedestiny430) July 11, 2014

 

I wasn’t the only one who was distracted, though. Everyone in the office was looking ready to leave.

everyone is so unproductive on Fridays. we shoudl just leave

— Destiny Lopez (@itsmedestiny430) July 11, 2014

 

I got a stress-inducing text from my mom halfway through the day. I was able to work it all out, though.

 

My mom just texted me: “Did you get an email from FASFA? About a correction?” Enter: anxiety mode

— Destiny Lopez (@itsmedestiny430) July 11, 2014

I continued to disappoint everyone with my lack of technological expertise, despite being a 20-year-old Stanford student.

 

Being young means I automatically have the responsibility of helping with technology issues, for which I am completely unqualified

— Destiny Lopez (@itsmedestiny430) July 11, 2014

 

The closer I got to the end of the day, the antsier I got.

It’s Friday afternoon on a beautiful day, I have one hour left of work, and hear an ice cream truck outside. Not at my most productive

— Destiny Lopez (@itsmedestiny430) July 11, 2014

I was finally able to take off early and head to 7-11 for a free Slurpie on my way back from work.

 

Off early + free Slurpee = happiness

— Destiny Lopez (@itsmedestiny430) July 11, 2014

The Truth About Success (or How to Fake it til You Make It)

So far my internship has been going great. So great, in fact, that I have had no time to blog about it. I’ve been given a big project that involves mapping the city’s historic landmarks using an expensive GPS device and software. It’s everything a history and Urban Studies nerd could hope for.

This is a map of the city I’ve been using for my project. I’m strangely attached to this giant map I printed at Office Depot for $3

They’ve also been giving me side projects here and there, and to be honest, I’m killing it. Everyone is really impressed with the work I’m doing. My boss/mentor gives me all kinds of responsibility. You might think, at first glance, that I know exactly what I’m doing and have my life completely together.

You would be wrong.

The truth is, most of the time, I have no idea what I’m doing. When I’m given instructions, I usually only partially understand. I kind of make the rest up as I go along.

Take today, for example. My boss wanted me to edit some important government document, mainly by creating a Table of Authorities. “Yeah, no problem,” I confidently responded, even as I knew I had no clue what a Table of Authorities was. Twenty minutes of Googling later, though, and I was good to go.I scrounged together what I thought was a good Table of Authorities, and now I get to be in the acknowledgements section of the document.

My point is most successful people start off without knowing what the hell they’re doing. (Not to refer to myself as a successful person, although I do okay). I’ve BS’d my way through interviews knowing that I wasn’t 100% qualified. I’ve started jobs and taken classes without nearly enough expertise. There’s an old saying that goes, “fake it til you make it.”

You don’t always have to believe in yourself. You just need other people to believe that you do.

My Day in Pictures: Sunday Relaxation

10:00 AM: Woke up without an alarm. That in itself is a beautiful way to start the day. There’s nothing I hate more than the sound of my own alarm.

10:30 AM: Got dressed and waited for my roommate to wake up (she woke up around an hour later). I didn’t dare wake her.

12:00 PM After a light breakfast, we walked to the nearby farmers’ market where I bought a cilantro plant.

Got this little guy for $3. I can’t wait until he grows big enough to add to tacos or guacamole (also not sure why I decided to gender my cilantro plant)

12:30 PM: We walked into a nail salon and got our nails done. The place was pretty nice, and the woman who did my nails was very gentle on my hands.

Attracted to all things bright and colorful, I of course went for the bright coral. My roommate went with the sophisticated dark blue. What’s your favorite nail color?

2:00 PM: We arrived back at our apartment and decided to go to the pool, which was about a 20 minute walk from our dorm.

2:00-4:00 PM: We splashed around in the pool, laid out in the sun, and ran into a few of our friends. The water was the perfect temperature, and it was such a refreshing way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon.

The pool at one of Stanford’s gyms. It was a beautiful day today.

5:30 PM: We arrive home, shower, and make dinner. Tonight we’re having Indian tacos, a Native American take on tacos that replaces the tortilla with fry bread. Since my roommate is Native American and I’m Mexican, it;’s perfect. As I told my roommate, “If we had a baby, it would be an Indian taco.”

Delicious meal to end a day well spent.

On Being “Exotic”

Last week, my roommate and I were visiting San Francisco and were browsing small shops in Pier 39. Suddenly, a salesman came up to me and started making small talk. He asked me where I was from. When I answered, “San Diego,” he seemed surprised and said that he thought I would be more “exotic” and that “you should say you’re from Argentina.”

I am a Latina in California, where we are now the majority.

There is nothing exotic about me.

You cannot take one look at me and decide I am from Argentina (I am actually Mexican-American, born in Ohio).

In many cities in California, a white person would stand out more than me, yet no one would call them exotic. Calling someone exotic is just another way of othering them, of making it clear that they are not the default. It is not a compliment.

Summer Fashion and Beauty Tips for Brown Skin Tones

• Wear whatever color you want.  Literally anything. This includes orange, neons, and white.
• Same goes for lipstick and eye shadow shades.
• Get as dark as you please. Don’t avoid the sun. Enjoy the fact that you don’t burn easily.
• (But obviously protect yourself from UV rays/melanoma)
• Dye your hair any color and rock it.
• Ignore any  magazine’s rules about what you can and can’t do
• Laugh at people who spend money to get tans.