I love politics. That is probably why I decided to spend a semester studying as a United States Senate Page. I met some of the most powerful people in the world all while learning more than I ever thought was possible in such a short time.
The one of the most valuable thing I learned was how to function without sleep. The hours were always long and sometimes boring. I went to bed in the early hours of the morning (but will keep between us, everyone knows I went to bed at eleven o'clock lights out). I woke up before the sun everyday. Breakfast was served at five thirty and school was held at six fifteen. We were sleep walking most days but we somehow managed to finish every piece of homework. That did not mean, however, we could get everything right.
Despite our lack of time, in every Pages mind a late night was always welcome. We would barter with Senators to talk just an extra five minutes. Sometimes that was all we needed. If we worked until nine we got an extra day for homework. If we managed to convince people to debate until ten o’clock, we got out of school. SLEEP! That’s all we cared about. Now it seems kind of ironic. If we got out earlier, we might have gotten the same amount of sleep. Nevertheless, early nights seem to cause more stress than help. We spent free hours worrying about not getting things done instead of actually finishing them. I felt I could not go to sleep because that would be a waste of my precious time.
My favorite moments in the entire experience happen to involve Senators. I loved listening to their speeches. Sometimes they droned on but their rhetoric amazed me. These men and woman could take nearly any phrase and slant it to fit any topic. Every word was recorded, so language always had to be precise. I admit I was jealous of their talents. It is hard to find people who can command a room, and stay under constant watch any possible misinterpretations. Some Senators could even speak without notes or posters to help them stay on topic. I hope to be as skilled an orator as one of them some day
I think overall, the ability to work without enough sleep was not the only gift I received as Page. I learned how to work harder than I have needed to before. This was not just my first job. I worked for some the hardest working people in our country. I learned how to balance time and live on my own. I was completely independent of my parents. I paid for my food, clothes and rent. It taught me about life. The most important thing I learned was how much I want to get involve in my country’s political system. See, I absolutely love politics.