Friday, November 21, 2014

The Chinatown Gang Speaks, Part 1

Hi, Nicole here. For our blogs this week, Emman and I wanted to give you a little bit of an insight into our home life by chatting with our roommates, Maryl and Charlotte about our experiences in DC. The four of us live in a 9th-floor apartment one block North of Chinatown, a block away from a Safeway, a five minute walk from the metro, and across the street from another group in the program. I can truthfully speak for everyone when I say that we love our housing situation, and we are all satisfied with our internships now. Living with these three has been one of my greatest experiences so far, and I hope that in our interview you can see why. I give a little bit of background of each person below, and then the first part of the interview below that.

Nicole Hohnstein, CMC ‘16
  • Government and Biology dual major
  • House Democratic Caucus Intern
  • From Boise, ID
  • Celiac (allergic to gluten)
  • Roommate to Emman

Emmanuel (Emman) Hurtado, CMC ‘16
  • Government and Philosophy dual major
  • Center for American Progress intern, Race Policy Team
  • From Salt Lake City, Utah
  • No known allergies
  • Roommate to Nicole

Maryl Evans, Scripps ‘16
  • Politics and International Relations major
  • National Jewish Democratic Council intern
  • From Lake Oswego, Oregon
  • Lactose-Intolerant, doesn’t eat red meat
  • Roommate to Charlotte

Charlotte Bailey, CMC ‘16
  • Government major
  • American Bar Association intern
  • From Orangevale, California
  • No known allergies
  • Roommate to Maryl

Joe Koronkowski, U of U ‘16
  • Emman’s friend from home
  • Government major
  • Republican Representative’s intern
  • Liberal
  • From Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Allergic to penicillin
  • 5th roommate who lives on the pull-out couch one or two nights a weekend
  • Very lovable

Group Interview:

Maryl: “What does it feel like to be in a city with so much history all around you?”

Nicole: “It doesn’t really hit me that much when I’m actually in the city. I mean, I work in one of the most historic areas in the District on Capitol Hill, and I don’t realize how much history is around me, because I’m usually focused on beating the caterer to the room in the Capitol or something similar. But once I get out of the craziness for a bit, like on our day trip to Annapolis, I remember how much history is in DC and make a mental note to do more and see more while I have the chance.”

Emman: “It’s cool to see the Washington Monument and the Capitol all the time from our view at the apartment, too. That’s when I really remember how much history there is around us. ”

Maryl: “What did you think of our program day trip to Annapolis last Saturday?”

Nicole: “I thought the town was adorable, and it was really nice to get out and see something new with our program for a day. It also made me kind of want to join the navy? Except for all of the swimming.”

Emman: “I liked the cozy little tavern we went to.”

Nicole: “Oh that tavern was wonderful!”

Emman: “We have an awesome group, too, so it was fun hanging out with everybody on a planned trip.”

Maryl: “So we had Kristen Mallory visit, and she said that most of the time groups have little conflicts in one way or another. Why do you think our group gets along so well?”

Emman: “We are a smaller group than usual, and we made a conscious effort early on to form a close bond. Planning group events early on really helped us out, I think. I would encourage future groups to follow our example, it’s worked out well.”

Nicole: “I also think that we just aren’t a dramatic group. We’re all people more focused on having a good time, rather than creating conflict. When you enjoy the people you’re with, those issues don’t come up nearly as much… and all of us know how to take a joke and not take things personally.”

Maryl: “You’ve worked eight hours, you’ve gone to class for two hours , what do you make for dinner?”

Emman: “Chipotle unless I’m feeling like a chef that day.”

Nicole: “Gluten free grilled cheese! Just because I can’t make a real grilled cheese doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy my favorite food. It also helps that it’s simple and quick.”

Maryl: “Our living situation is a little unorthodox verging on unkosher. Emman, what is it like to live with three girls? What surprises you?”

Emman: “I’ve just accepted life living with women … honestly I can’t even REMEMBER what it was like to live with boys.”

Maryl: “How is it different?”

Emman: “ I just feel more pressure living with girls.”

Maryl: “To be clean?”

*entire group laughs*

Emman: “I just feel like girls have higher expectations for their roommates in general.”

Maryl: “Okay, Nicole, what surprised you about having a male roommate?”

Nicole: “It mostly surprised me just how similar it was to having a female roommate. I mean, the only issues are normal roommate issues like alarms going off and sharing the bathroom, not because he’s a boy and I’m a girl. I think he’s actually my most compatible roommate that I’ve had so far, just because we are both relaxed about things, semi-messy sometimes and have no real ‘sleep schedule.’”

Emman: “Yeah, I was actually surprised how quickly it became normal. I think within a few days I felt perfectly comfortable.”

Nicole: “Same! It only took about two days for me to feel normal in the situation.”

Maryl: “Does your readership know that you sleep on Tempur Pedics?”

Emman: “The beds are dope.”

Nicole: “Yeah we have a good set up.”

Emman: “Okay, now I have a question for you guys. How do you feel about Joe?”

Maryl: “I enjoy Joe very much! From day one, we just had a fifth roommate, so I got used to it really quickly. His company is enough payment, and he always puts away his bed in the morning and says funny things.”

Nicole: “Joe is awesome. I love our fifth roommate.”

Maryl: “Let’s switch it up, what is your favorite book for class so far?”

Emman: “The textbook for Congress.”

Nicole: “Gates. What about you Maryl?”

Maryl: “Probably Gates, but it’s a real tossup. Char? What’s your favorite book?”

Charlotte: “I’ve liked all of them, actually. Don’t say that, I’ll sound like a nerd.”


And that concludes part one! To see part two, look to Emman’s post this week, titled “The Chinatown Gang Speaks, Part 2.” You’ll want to read his, he got all of the really funny parts.

No comments: