OCA had the pleasure of sitting down with Alexander Mayes, a portal student of NYU Shanghai and getting to talk about Washington, D.C. where he got to spend six weeks of the 2014 summer at NYU DC as an intern in the Environmental Crimes section in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice. Alex is a business and finance major with a double minor in Chinese language and international political science. For Alex, Washington is an incredible city, and the US Founding Fathers established it as such - the Constitution called for a new city to be formed specifically to serve as the nation’s capital. The city, therefore, is an easily navigable, near-perfect grid with streets labeled by either letters of the alphabet or numbers. The grid-like urban structure of DC was a somewhat refreshing break from the winding streets of Shanghai, whose meandering lanes can be similarly explained by history; as Shanghai modernized, the narrow rivers within the city were paved and converted into roads. Alex chose DC because it offered the opportunity to immerse himself in the American political sphere whilst remaining connected to the NYU community. Having lived in Cleveland, Ohio for 18 years, he could experience life in a different city yet still stay connected to NYU students. DC is vibrant especially in the summer and as an intern, he had access to many free events; for example, every Wednesday there was free jazz in the Park: you could go to the sculpture garden by the Smithsonian, grab a cool beverage, and listen to really excellent live jazz music. There was also great country music festival behind the National Building Museum. You get to experience different facets of American culture at such events, interact with a very diverse crowd, and still feel the professional atmosphere that is never absent in DC. There’s so many different avenues one can choose to follow in DC. For Alex, it meant attending several on-campus events including Monday trivia night, attending guest lectures from Allison Brown, former US DOJ attorney, as well as asking for a couple hours off work to attend talks at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars. The DC experience can be anything for anyone. It will for sure be an intellectually-stimulating and professional environment where one is encouraged to avoid showing up even in the lobby of the NYU DC building in sweatpants. The NYU DC campus is very like the NYU Shanghai Academic Building; 12 floors or so with the basement space and lobby area used as academic spaces with lecture halls and labs but with the residential suites on the higher floors. Each suite is equipped with a full kitchen and a dining area, two double rooms, and a large bathroom with two sinks. When Alex’s parents came to visit, they were astonished with the living situation – “I have two brothers who have both gone through college, and neither has ever lived in a facility as clean and spacious as the NYU DC dorms,” Alex pointed out. Alex also raved about NYU DC’s ideal location, only “a five to ten minute walk to the White House!” Food in its many flavours and tastes is abundant in DC, and very popular amongst interns are the food trucks that are common on many streets and relatively cheap. Alex’s favourite restaurant was definitely The Prime Rib, a fancy steakhouse that has live music and undoubtedly ranks as one of D.C.’s top restaurants. Besides that, while you need to be 21 and over to get into most clubs, many restaurants are open till late and the nightlife is lively since DC is well-known for the improv and stand-up comedy scene. In particular, Alex recommends DC Improv, where It’s common to watch sketches for around $15. With the upcoming 2016 election season, Alex is confident that DC will be an exciting place to be for students. In fact, DC is the right place to be at any point if you’re interested in politics and/or international relations. Each spring, the city hosts Passport DC, where embassies from all over the world have open houses and you can go around to the different embassies with a souvenir passport and get a chance to experience the different cultures for free. Free food, anyone? As the interview wound down, Alex pointed out that while you’re obviously expected to visit the White House, Capitol Hill, and the Smithsonian Museums while in DC, he also recommends taking time off to go to Annapolis, Maryland, another beautiful US town. For more on NYU DC, click here. On Century Avenue would like to thank Alex Mayes for taking time out to answer our questions and providing an insightful perspective on life in Washington D.C., and wishes him the best in all his future endeavors. This interview was conducted by Mercy Angela Nantongo. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Wendy Harman on Wikimedia Commons