It's strange seeing the "system" from the inside. I am the bureaucratic red tape, the "please hold", the "sign this". I am what, according to Gallup, 67% of Americans disapprove of. However, being on this side, I do see that there is a lot more humanity in the system. When you call, it's a human that picks up. When you scream at them because you're appalled at the new immigration order, they are too. What most people don't realize is that you're speaking to a human. And, at least the people I work with, they care and want to help. When we say that we're sorry that there's nothing we can do to solve your Social Security problem, we mean it. We really do wish we could've done more. Sometimes, though, there just isn't. We don't make miracles, just navigate the insides of federal agencies that can confuse citizens who don't understand how they work. After the Needham town hall, a husband and wife came up to me to complain that the Congressman wasn't speaking out more. They were getting angry at me because I didn't have answers for them. They threatened to not support the Congressman and to speak out against him if he didn't do more for his constituents. After asking for their names I realized they were the parents of a kid at North who I know. After kindly asking if he was their son and telling them I was his friend, they realized I was human. They calmed down and even apologized. People don't realize the person behind the face and if they just understood that, I think things would run a bit smoother.
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This week was very interesting. Yesterday we held a town hall meeting down in Taunton. Lots of constituents from around the district have been complaining that the Congressman hasn't been reaching out enough. They've been wanting him to come talk to them as well as speak out more against the current administration. Since we held a meeting in Needham about a month ago they decided to go to the other side of the district for this one. We spent the week preparing for the meeting as well as doing outreach to let people know about it. In the meantime I've been working on a couple of different cases for staffers. These cases can range from issues with Social Security to housing problems, to Medicare and Medicaid cases. Every day is jam packed between this, phone calls, and whatever else needs to get done.
The office is a really great environment. There are five full time staff plus the two or three interns that work each day. Nick is the District Director although he really is the chief of staff of the office, Stephanie is the Outreach Director and also works on housing cases and local issues, Sean does all the Social Security cases, Rachel works on all veterans issues, and James is the internship coordinator plus works on Medicare/Medicaid issues. Everyone is super friendly. On slower days it's common for staffers to joke around a little or just chat. However, it is a congressional office so there is an certain level of professionalism that stays throughout. Everyone understands what their jobs mean for the people who need it. They care about the work they do and they want to help people who need it. They do try to get the interns involved and try to give us interesting projects to work on. The office is a place I look forward to going each day and it definitely makes it even more fun. This week marked the first official week of my internship. While technically I've been going for the past four weeks, it still did feel like the beginning of a new portion of the program. No longer would I meet with the other CAPS students throughout the week. I was more or less independent now and in full control. Thinking back to how I felt on my real first day, I was a healthy mix of nervous and excited. The day itself was a blur. We had an orientation on how the office worked, got to meet the various staff, and sat down with the Congressman himself. One of my biggest misconceptions about the internship was that going into it I thought I'd be doing more legislative research and policy work. In reality, the bulk of my work is constituent services and research on the district. As we were told, interns are the "front line of defense" for the office. We answer the phones, speak to constituents and do casework intake. When someone calls to give their opinion, complain, or thank the Congressman, 90% of the time they are speaking to an intern. I can understand where my misconception came from. Shows like the West Wing and House of Cards make it seem like there is nonstop action and crises to handle. However, the work so far has been way more fulfilling and I feel like I really am making a difference one constituent at a time.
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