Fortunate Friday! {First week in DC edition}

Hey everyone!

 

Hope you all had a great week. Today is the culmination of the second week at my internship and I couldn’t be happier with all that I am learning so far. I have to be honest--- the environment is a little bit intimidating at times. You may or may not know that the finance/investments world is ruled mainly by man. What does this mean for me at the present time? I am the only female intern in the investing department and probably the 2^nd female employee in the entire department as well (the other girl is a permanent analyst). Isn’t that crazy?! So pretty much in a room of about 50 people, there are only 2 females.

 

Another factor that has made me feel a bit out of place at times but that actually motivates me to work harder is that I am constantly communicating with individuals who know a lot more than me about investing (especially when it comes to valuations aka numbers and spreadsheets!). So, while that may not be my strength currently I am definitely in the process of crossing that hurdle and becoming an even better investor. Definitely looking forward for what’s to come.

Anyways, sorry about all the work talk. Let’s get in to my Fortunate Fives for the week:

1.    I was able to switch my housing (dorm room) in Washington from a quad to a double--- O.M.G so, I walked in to my originally designated room on Sunday afternoon and almost fell in to a black hole of depression considering: how super small the actual room was, the lack of privacy, and the idea of having to deal with 3 other different personalities for 6 weeks this summer.

      Instead of crying my life away I walked around a bit, pulled myself together, and then made  a call to the housing department for a room change. Thankfully a double opened up and I was able to switch rooms immediately! I may not have my own space any longer but dealing with one person is a million times better than dealing with 3. So, halleluiah for that! The person I am rooming with seems pretty okay, also an intern, goes to bed at a reasonable time, and doesn’t snore. I am super happy about those factors alone.

2.    Being walking distance from the White House and pretty much right in the center of DC for the summer--- that makes up a bit (or a lot) for the fact that I have to share a room with a complete stranger. I also have a whole foods and a trader joes at walking distance. Made a quick run to TJs the other day just to explore the route and look forward to running more as my stay here progresses. Here is a photo from my first visit to the white house this past Tuesday:

Picture of my 1 mile run :)

 

3.    My enthusiasm to explore—Since I’ve been here I’ve walked around a whole lot and am becoming pretty familiar with the area where I work as well as where I live. I love just walking around, taking photos, exploring the town and the people. I actually have been lucky to find individuals whom simply ask me if I need help with directions, etc. Is it just me or people in DC are a whole lot nicer than in NYC?!

4.    I have a visitor coming to visit me this weekend—he gets here today. I am super excited.

 

5.    Feeling more comfortable in my environment, making friends, having family near.

 

That’s all folks. I am looking forward to a great weekend filled with activities (affordable/free ones to be exact) and just enjoying everything.

 

Tell me, do you enjoy being in a new environments or are you one of those people that avoids change at all cost? Would love to hear your stories!

For me, new environments always make me a little scared/anxious but it usually takes me a day (or 3) to adapt and then I am good (for the most part ;)…

 

Favorite Meme of the Week:

I am moving to Washington, DC for the summer!

Good morning readers!!

Breakfast this morning:

 

 1 egg + avocado on 100% whole wheat bread + café au lait.

I was up by 6:45 am today! Doing laundry and continuing my packing. I haven't really elaborated on this topic much but about a month ago I quit my job in the Insurance industry. Back in mid-march I got an offer from a company headquarter in VA to complete an internship in their Equity Analyst department. If you have been following me on the blog for quite some time you know what an amazing opportunity this is for me and how excited/scared I am about whats to come! This came at a perfect time considering I just finished my graduate degree and I can now hit the ground running!

Finance & Investing is a huge passion of mine (in addition to health & fitness) and has been for many years. However, for nearly 9 years I would wake up each morning and get ready for a job I hated (for lack of a better word).  I have to be clear in that I don't regret the last 9 years--- I am extremely grateful for the experiences I have had, the multiple opportunities I was given, having the resources to save and travel and accomplish several goals but most importantly-- all the amazing people I met and who have become friends for a lifetime. The only thing I wish I would have done sooner was leave the industry, maybe 4-5 years ago. However, I also understand that everything has its time and its place and my time finally came.

I am so excited and so incredibly grateful that I have been given the opportunity to move in to an industry and a job that I am looking forward to loving. I cant lie and say I am not scared about entering a whole new field but I also know that it is now or never. I am well aware that all amazing things in life often start of with us being borderline terrified. Change is rarely ever easy. However, positive change always turns out to be amazing at the end and I have nothing but positive vibes about what's to come! God willing!

So yeah! I jumped ship and quit my job and now I am moving about 4 hours away from NYC to start fresh, even if just for a couple of month.

Random selfie before heading out the other day:

 



So the internship is in Virgina about 20 minutes away from DC. For the first week of the internship I will be in Virginia and the next 7 weeks I will be living in DC. Long story! I tried to find a good deal on AirBnB, however, I couldn't believe the prices for some of this rooms!! IE: Paying $1600 to sleep on an airbed for 30 days! I.Think.Not. So, I had to do a combination of places to find a more "reasonable" deal for me although at the end of day my stay will still be kinda' pricey. Thankfully the internship is in fact paid so that should help in a big way.

The housing I found in DC is close to the white house and in the epic center of everything so I am excited about exploring the great things around there on weekends and/or free time. Thankfully, I also have a couple of college friends that live in DC and family members that aren't to far so I look forward to hanging out with everyone. I hear the city is amazing and cant wait to see it for myself.

So there you have it! This is my big news. Job starts on Monday so I will make sure to keep you guys on the loop with how everything develops. If you live in the Washington, DC area and have any recommendations on what I should explore or interesting things to get in to let me know! My job offers free yoga and a free gym so I have a feeling I have the fitness part covered.

Cheers to new beginnings!

In honor of my new found daring spirit I leave you with this:

Tell me, how you ever dared to leave the familiar for a totally new experience? would love to read about it. Comment below :)