Welcome to Independence Gay, Bryan Blanchard's weekly blog about his experience being a summer intern for BRAVO!. We love our intern blogs and hope you enjoy following Bryan!

Week 9
July 27 -July 31, 2015
Hey guys and welcome back to Independence Gay! I have some pretty exciting news to share with you all. As of this week, I have officially accepted a full-time position as project coordinator following the conclusion of my internship. There is no way I can convey my excitement and gratitude for the experience I have gained during my time here, and I’m so thrilled that I can carry that knowledge further into my BRAVO! career. On a side note, I can’t wait for the fall interns to arrive. I’m going to have interns… Isn’t that so insane? I love it.
It’s going to be a very fun and hectic events season and I can’t wait to keep moving forward on all our projects. As a part of my new role at BRAVO!, Nancy has asked me to take the lead on the Legal Community Campaign for the Walk to End HIV. Normally the wonderfully talented and sweet Lee from Whitman-Walker Legal Service would be taking the lead, however she is about to go on maternity leave with the cutest baby belly you’ve ever seen. At the kickoff meeting for the LCC, I was introduced to most of the legal committee tasked with pulling in sponsorships and driving team creation in the law firms around the city.
A definite shout out goes to Jason from Alston & Bird, who after the meeting, revealed he was on the Disney reality show “Bug Juice.” If you haven’t heard of it, the show was about tweens and teens spending the summer at Camp Waziyatah and their experiences as campers. There are video clips on Youtube, but I’ll let you find them for yourself. The kickoff was a total success, and although a little intimidating, I’m ready to take on this project full force.
From Whitman-Walker Health to another great health-related organization, this week began the venue search for the Children’s National Medical Center event “A Vintage Affair.” On Tuesday, Nancy and I joined Ann, the president of the Board of Visitors, to tour some very intriguing spaces around D.C. Our first stop was at Union Market to see DOCK 5, their warehouse-style space above the delicious food market. Insider tip: the grilled shrimp salad from The District Fish Wife is so flavorful and doesn’t kill your budget. As always, I’m getting off topic due to food, but can you blame me?
Another notable venue we toured was the Watergate. Yes, it’s that Watergate. Bring on the Nixon scandal realness. The hotel is actually under a full interior remodel set to open in November, but we got the insider tour. Decked out in hardhats, fluorescent vests and safety glasses, we walked the construction site with some sneak peeks at the décor renderings and the catering menu. Back to food for a hot second. The menu was gorgeously gourmet and perfect for Vintage’s audience. Fingers crossed because I’m all in for the Watergate!
Life in D.C. has been amazing so far, and now that I will be working here full time, the fun’s really just beginning. However, apartment hunting is no joke. Like come on D.C., help a sister out with this whole place of living thing. Anyway, I can already tell it will be difficult to say goodbye to the friends I came here with and the friends I made in my internship program. So Hanno, Nikki and Jess, if you’re reading this, just know that I will cry and be very emotional at some point in the next two weeks. That’s fine. I’m fine. It’s fine. If I keep going on like this, my keyboard will be covered in tears within a few minutes… So until next time, stay fab!