I have finally arrived in Maryland and visited the museum for the first time on Tuesday. I had my badging appointment to meet with Mr. Luke Leyh, my supervisor, at 10 AM. Setting my alarm for 5:30, I awoke with my cousins as they began to get ready for school and I for D.C. At 7:30 AM, I left for the Greenbelt metro station to catch the green line to L'Enfant Plaza. A drive that was only supposed to take thirty minutes took almost an hour, for D.C. rush hour begins at 6:30 and goes until around 8. I took I-95 as it was the easiest way to the metro station, but also the most heavily trafficked. After finally arriving at Greenbelt with an hour and a half to get to the Museum, I boarded the yellow line heading to Franconia-Springfield. I originally planned on taking the green line, but hopped on the first metro cart I saw. Luckily, it had similar stops as the green line and I was still able to get off at L'Enfant Plaza.
Interesting fact: It is named L'Enfant Plaza after Pierre L'Enfant who designed the layout for the streets of D.C.
Before heading onto the yellow line though, I had to get my metro card. One cannot board or exit the metro station without it. It costs $2 and acts as a gift card, where you can put any amount of money on it and refill it when it's running low. I did the math and leaving from Greenbelt to L'Enfant and back, plus parking, cost a total of around $6. It is $1.75 one way, and over $2 if you board during rush hour, which unfortunately I did. It also costs $5.10 to park at Greenbelt station. L'Enfant Plaza was the twelfth stop on the line as it took about thirty minutes to arrive, leaving one hour to walk to the Museum. The walk was very simple, as the Museum is right next to the Washington Monument and therefore if one were to head towards the monument, which is not easy to miss, then the Museum will be right beside it. I took Independent Ave all the way down to 15th Street and arrived at the back entrance of the Museum. The walk took about fifteen minutes and I made it 45 minutes early.
After going through security and telling the information desk about my appointment with Mr. Leyh, I was introduced to Mr. Wylee, another one of the intern supervisors. He informed me that he was the man to get to know for connections. He said he would love to help me meet people and explore opportunities, I just have to put in the effort. I figure he will be a good person to get to know and stay in touch with. I was then brought to the employee lounge and met with another one of the Spring interns, Bernice. After introductions ensued, we filled out some basic paperwork and then met with Mr. Leyh. Right off the bat, Mr. Leyh proved to be welcoming and joyous. He led us into another room for our fingerprinting and badge picture, then introduced us to some other staff members and gave us a tour around the Museum, seeing as both Bernice and I have never actually been before. The thing I found most interesting about the staff was that they were all very loud, outgoing and humorous. I assumed that with it being a Holocaust Museum, the atmosphere of the employees would be quiet and somber, but that was not the case. They were still respectful and helpful to the visitors, but were not shy of jokes. The atmosphere was more comfortable and laid back than I had expected, for Mr. Leyh said that no one can work in a depressing atmosphere without becoming depressed themselves. This was their way of staying sane in a place that taught about the insane.
I met a staff member who was an intern in 2015, graduated college in 2016, and then became a part of the staff this year. Working in a museum is not something I envisioned myself doing after graduating, however the atmosphere and positive attitude I experienced made me second guess my career path. I was only there for about an hour and yet they already made a significant impact on me.
Leaving the museum, I retraced my steps back to the L'Enfant metro station and caught the green line to Greenbelt. Driving back to my place, I made it just before rush hour. For some reason, it begins at 3:30 in the afternoon here and goes until 6. My orientation begins next week, and though the trek to the museum proves tedious, getting to work there would be completely worth it.
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