From Carpet Capital to U.S. capital

By Sarah Bailey

Special to The Daily Citizen

Standing on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 20th Street in the humid D.C. heat I said goodbye to some of the most amazing people that I had ever met. Hugs, best wishes and summer memories were exchanged, and then it was time to go.

As I ever so slowly made my way towards the JW Marriott in the heart of Washington, D.C., the tears poured from my eyes. It hit me — the most amazing internship and summer of my life was over. Had it all been real, or was it simply just a dream I wondered? Had I really met all those flashy politicos, the trendy television personalities, and friends that would last a lifetime?

When I arrived at my parents’ hotel room door I was greeted by my mother — I was still in tears. Reaching her arms out to comfort me with a hug and to wipe away the tears, my mother said that it was time to leave. We loaded up the van and headed down I-95 toward the warm welcoming embrace of Dalton where I was born and raised.

I decided to get behind the wheel first: sometimes driving and concentrating on the road made me escape from thoughts that often whirl around in my head. After a few hours, however, the lack of sleep from the previous 10 weeks that I had spent in D.C. had caught up with me. I pulled over, and my father drove. I managed to stumble into the passenger side, adjusted the seat to a more comfortable sleeping angle, put on my hoodie and slipped into a two and half hour comatose that I am sure even a stick of dynamite could not have awoken me from.

As I snoozed the memories of my summer came to me in my dreams. This past summer I had the opportunity to attend the Semester in Washington Journalism Program through The George Washington University and take a journalism class while interning at Georgetown Media Group. GMG is home to two community newspapers, the Georgetowner and the Downtowner.

Through my assignments I had the chance to meet legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, travel around the streets of Georgetown looking for high-end, luxurious patio furniture for a Le Décor (a collage of photographs displaying a featured item), test makeup products for a summer beat-the-heat makeup guide and conduct an interview with acclaimed photographer Ron Haviv and tour his exhibit at the Newseum.

My most memorable experience in D.C. was meeting stylist and TV personality Stacy London from TLC’s “What Not to Wear.” She was in Georgetown helping promote Urban Chic’s fashion blog launch. When I walked in I was greeted by cheerfully happy sales associates and a party buffet of dessert goodness that would make even the strictest personal trainer cave into pressure: scrumptious brownies with sprinkles that seemed to glitter in the light, enormously round chocolate chip cookies, plump chocolate covered strawberries, and an endless supply of champagne. Then at the back near the fitting rooms I saw her — Stacy London. I could not believe that I was actually seeing the woman I had watched for so long wishing, almost praying, for a chance to actually meet her one day.

My girlfriends that I had brought along with me and I mingled (pushed people out of the way) to get closer to her. When she looked our way I said hello and introduced my friends and then myself. We asked her some questions and then took our picture with her. I still could not believe it. I met Stacy London and managed to hold a conversation with her.

I learned so much about journalism through my internship. My publisher, Sonya Bernhardt, always told me, “Don’t ask, don’t get.” This has become my motto. Even if it seems to be a slim chance, you will never know unless you ask and try to make it happen. Through her encouragement and the support of the entire staff at GMG, I pushed myself pass my comfort zone and realized that I was a journalist. Not a student, not a researcher for an assignment, not just an intern — I was a journalist — a journalist in Washington, D.C.

To complement my internship I had a journalism class each Tuesday and Friday. This class was not your average college journalism class. My professors, Amos Gelb and Susan Morrison, took the class on tours and field trips to some of D.C.’s most elite places. Throughout the summer I had the opportunity to listen to many journalists such as John Donvan from “ABC News Nightline,” meet columnists from the D.C. Examiner and POLITCO, and tour XM Radio and CNN.

My favorite experience while in the nation’s capital, however, was going on the set of the State of the Union address with anchor John King. When entering the studio the first thing I saw was King sitting at his desk waiting for the next live segment. As he noticed us coming through the door he greeted us with his warm smile and told us to come on in and take a look around. I stood there just for a moment in awe. After it finally sunk in I willed my feet to move and made my way over to his famous touch screen, which was displaying a virtual map of the United States, and I tried to figure it out. One of the cameramen must have seen my confusion because he came over and asked me where I was from. I told him I was from Georgia, and he told me to take my finger and touch the state. When I did Georgia became larger on the screen. Now I was able to view cities and then counties. After all the fun with the touch screen, I ever so bravely made my way toward John King to thank him for having my class on his set, and to ask him for a picture. He kindly agreed.

My summer in D.C. was definitely filled with incredible opportunities and immeasurable life lessons that I will take with me always, but one thing that I never will forget is where I come from. Yes, I do want to one day move to Washington, D.C., and become a respectable journalist, but I will never forget the town that I will leave behind — the town I grew up in and the town that taught me morals and ideals. Dalton will always be a part of my past, present and future.