The Path Least Taken

I used to be. Man, I could post daily, edit, and post again, way back then as an undergraduate with an affinity for anime. But no longer. My life is full of silly grown-up stuff.

So, finding a federal job (to supplement the tour guiding of course!) is proving…impossible difficult. Granted, I’ve only REALLY been looking for a month and a half and, as I said earlier, the process isn’t nearly as speedy as in the private sector. Pretty much, the only way for someone like me to get a federal job would be:

• Through a temp or contracting agency
• Join the Air Force* and get veterans preference (or take advantage of any of their many educational benefits)
• Do Peace Corps/AmeriCorps and get VISTA preference

and on some level…

• Get my Masters in just about anything relating to numbers or the public sector

And I do intend to go back to school soon. Probably sooner than even I think. It just makes sense now…

(I am one of those people who simply cannot zero in on one activity and then get disappointed if something doesn’t pan out. Granted, I make it my business to finish what I start. But I tend to start quite a few projects or endeavors and I’m always getting into something. I always made good grades and was an independent and creative thinker, but my hyper nature made me unmanageable to some. One teacher, maybe it was second grade or even kindergarten, suggested that I be medicated and my mother would have liked to suggest that class be more mentally challenging.)

I have so many interests and I see, simultaneously, all of my options laid out before me. Just thinking and blogging about it is overwhelming. Anyway, I am at this point in my life:

Good:

• Mother taking up the slack of my financial responsibilities
• BA from UNC Chapel Hill
• Plenty of intercultural, worldly experience
• Plenty of teaching experience
• Healthy, ____ and wiser
• Low rent & low caloric needs
• Car
• Connections to a couple of interesting folks

Bad:

• Thousands in student loans & credit card debt
• Without a steady income stream (haven’t built up enough tour clientèle!)
• Living in the 7th or 8th most expensive city in America
• Not enough months of “specialized experience” for entry level government office work (need 1 year)
• Don’t know all of the computer software programs the government uses
• Previous positions did not have certain kinds of responsibilities now sought by feds
• No military experience
• No Masters
• Not enrolled as an undergraduate
• Crappy GPA for my BA (I don’t care what anyone says! I am ashamed of my 3.23!)

My Near Future Longish-Term Options:

• Join military as Officer & get lots of awesome training and credentials and school/language training totally paid for
• Take GRE again and Apply to graduate schools for International Studies/Relations/Development
• Take GRE again and Apply to graduate school for Teaching
• Apply to International grad school where I don’t need GRE
• Peace Corps…ASAP
• Teach English abroad again…and perhaps earn an MA through distance learning

I am quite sure that I am not joining the military any time soon. I have absolutely nothing against it and in fact I really wish I had done something like ROTC, but I am just not passionate enough now and I’ve been around it all my life and haven’t made any moves, so…yeah. It’s there, but not going to happen.

Mom also doesn’t think I should up and bail on DC just yet, as it’s only been a month, so for now, ESL abroad is tabled. My main draw to it now is pure desperation for money.  I know how to live cheaply in Korea and so paying down my credit cards would be a cinch ($1=1,180W) – in fact, I achieved a $0 balance while I was in Korea. Also I have fantastic 20/20 hindsight and can see how badly I handled situations in Korea and want a do-over. Even though it was money that drove me to Korea the first time, this time, at least I would have a brand new perspective.

I am totally filling out a Peace Corps application right now. Problem there is that my credit card debts would be lingering with no one to pay them. Pretty much, every paycheck I receive from here on out will have 10% taken for tithe and 50% for debt. In fact, I need to put $20 down on my Visa from the random Strategic Reflections mystery shopping I did. The only thing that appears to be a potential problem with PC is my medical history, but I will lobby the crap out of them as I haven’t had any problems for years.

So, yes. I think grad school is the way to go. Go into more debt, defer debt and emerge with a steady gig so that I can then pay off said accumulated debt. Some schools abroad I was looking at:

• University of Limerick (1 yr MA. I have always wanted to go to Ireland!)
• University of Edinburgh (1 yr MA that is research-based)
• Lebanese American University
• American University in Cairo (need the GRE)
• S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (Singapore. I <3 Singapore)
• University of Shizuoka (fine Int’l Relations program!)
• Kobe University (Would be slightly less frigid in winter)
• Institute of World Politics (Washington DC – never heard of it, but woop, there it is)

Since I am in DC, I should apply to Georgetown, but ugh. It’s too expensive. I don’t want to play into the backward tuition game higher learning has fallen into. If I’m gonna borrow from Uncle Sam, it’s gonna be predictably pay-back-able.

Final Points:

There are jobs out here, though. I was watching CNN and the disturbing news was that while there are about 9 million jobs unfilled at this very moment, there are not enough qualified workers to fill them. This isn’t my field, but think of the consequences. What I want to know is:

What can be done to train low-skilled workers so that they can then perform these jobs?

Clearly, specialized skills (even the ones I don’t have that the government keeps asking for whenever I apply to low GS jobs!) require training and/or on-the-job experience and the job-less cannot purchase further education of the likes these machines require. So if the companies refuse to hire and train, how do they expect anything to happen? Indeed, what low-skilled unemployed person would refuse? I  know it will cost money to train them, but what’s worse? No jobs and no productivity and no spending OR jobs and productivity and spending? It’s not charity if both parties’ needs are met. At worse, it’s temporary bartering until standards can be met.

Anyway, I have a couple job prospects.

• Sister is lobbying Marion Barry for a little job at his office.
• Lady I met at a Japanese Tea Ceremony gave me the inside scoop on a secretary job at her law office.
• Just got an interview at Earthworks to do some administrative work.

Praying for a breakthrough!

Including my moving to Washington, DC.

I packed everything worth packing – except my bed and chair – into my ‘98 Toyota Carrolla July 11th and started out from my house in Charlotte at 6:20am, drove by Fayetteville to see gran’ma, and then headed straight to my new address of 1822 Bruce Place SE, which, if you Google, is the address of Princess’s Tours and Events!!

My landlord, the author of the RUNINDC Family of blogs, Chito Peppler, is a rather interesting fellow. First, he advertised the room for well below what I was expecting to pay, but he did this because he wants someone to help him maintain his website and do other random administrative things for his business (real estate, kinda). Then, just by coincidence, he left the country for 3 weeks after seeing me for just 2 hours, barely even that. But even so, I’m still doing ‘work’ and handling sensitive information for him! He also bought a tropical bird against the better judgement of his original two roommate/tenants (also single Black females) and the bird’s giant cage is in the kitchen/dining/office. He’s only had it for a month before leaving on this long trip, so it’s been up to me to deal with it, ie try to train it to not poop everywhere.

Anyway, he’s very nice and personable, but the most interesting thing is that he’s a former spokesman for the Pentagon, as he is/was a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy. We have together been trying to get me a job (*sigh* Yes, back to looking for jobs…) with the Asahi Shimbun as a Defense Staff Reporter (non-byline). I don’t know why I am praying so hard for this position, but I am.

As for the Career Fair I went to, it was kinda a waste of time and effort. The agencies who were supposedly taking resumes weren’t and it was sooo crowded and there were lines going in every direction. The most annoying part was the constant “Please apply for these positions at USAJOB.GOV,” and I was just like “DUH!” I don’t think a federal job fair makes sense because we all know that as much as we like the people or the recruiter you meet likes you, you have to get security clearance and jump through lots of other hoops. It takes months to get get hired and start working.

And the State Department…pfft! The line for their info sessions wrapped around the building. I didn’t even try.

Mom still wants me to write a letter to Clinton. My lack of faith makes me procrastinate.

I’m just praying that I have no stepped out from under God’s protection by moving here. It truly felt like the right move…

Oh, the tour guide jobs.

Sky Blue Tours: The guy doesn’t have a vehicle suitable for me to drive confidently. He hired someone and the person had an accident and so now he’s being extra cautious. He actually suggested I use my personal car to drive patrons around!!!! Cute.

DC Metro Food Tours: I kinda messed that interview up. <--Understatement. I'm in the middle of making a dietary shift to extremely low carbs and natural foods, told her, asked if I had to eat everything on the tour (yep!) and it was done. Finished. We didn’t see eye-to-eye. Income would be nice, but I guess I can’t lie and compromise my goals. Disappointing, but I should probably be grateful that they didn’t accept me.

I told Worldstrides that I moved, but not in time to be included in the Boy Scout Jamboree going on this weekend. I was also contacted about doing a meet-n-greet/transfer for Chinese students Sunday night. Will either of these manifest in $? Hmmm…

Therefore, it’s time to start marketing my own tours my own self. And, yes, I will do food tours! Actually, I met up with an old couchsurfing buddy and he described a “progressive dinner“, which is NOT a political event. This is probably what DCMFT is doing, but not really. I believe they simply have two meals in 3.5 hours and are just now starting to do “progressive meal” tours, like Little Ethiopia. Anyway, the hardest part is learning and mapping my tour. Arranging the samples/meals will be easy.

ALSO, Bob Brennan Jr. proposed a very intriguing idea and I would be all for it if he was serious. I hope he is. More on that later…maybe.

So, all in all, I am trusting that God will lead me. July has been confusing, but all will be revealed and I will be doing whatever it is that I should be doing when the time comes.

So, I’m preparing to attend the Public Service Career and Internship Fair, which is happening on July 14th at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. It’s going to be awesome. Last year, there were 78 government agencies and 6,000 job and internship seekers. This year, only 75 agencies, but the number of job hunters is going to be bigger, no doubt!

I listened in on the webinar last Wednesday, in hopes of learning how to use this fair to catapult my way into the federal government. They had a hiring manager from FERC: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who gave some fantastic advice. I recommend signing up for one of the next three preparatory webinars. In fact, I’ll probably listen to another one because they may give out different and therefore even more helpful tips on how to get that Dream Government Job.

Because I have a feeling I will be recommending a number of books.

I just wanted to post a little bit about a recent mission trip some men from Generation Church Charlotte went on to the Dominican Republic. They spent a week there helping to build a church, playing with children, feeding and clothing the hungry and poor, and simply doing some amazing things by the love of Christ. They witnessed miracles and are better men for it.

What I have done in the past on my own was not nearly as pivotal as what they’ve done, particularly considering the lack of a spiritual base upon which to ground my works. Nonetheless, it helped to change me, soften my heart, think more globally, more selflessly.

My mother was the single most influential person in my life and instilled an awareness of my moral duty towards humankind. Like many, we participated in seasonal giving and volunteering, and I liked picking out presents for the children whose names hung on the tree in the malls. But another thing that I saw my mother do faithfully throughout the years, is tithe. I would not be surprised if half of the church on Kentucky Ave belonged to my mother simply on the grounds that she’s the primary contributor of funds for it. She has taken care of family and friends and some strangers, all with equal passion. Not all of her charitable causes pan out for the better, and sometimes she loses in some way. She complains and swears she’ll never help anyone again…only to jump right in and save another floundering person. It’s just in her DNA.

And it’s also in mine. The first time I went out on my own to voluntour was to Sri Lanka. I can’t even tell you why I chose it, really. I knew it was war-torn and I knew Habitat for Humanity was there. I Googled HH offices in Sri Lanka and got replies from two men. Chanaka Thilakaratna (in Nuwara Eliya) and Daniel J.P. (in Negombo). I flew from Japan to Columbo and was picked up and driven to the YMCA of Negombo. I made connections with the coordinator, and he also showed me residual Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 damage, a boys orphanage and some other things I haven’t forgotten.

Then I spent one lovely night in Columbo at the famous Galle Face Hotel, where I met a handsome Tamil Muslim who still sends me messages once in a blue moon. The next day I took a rocky bus ride to Nuwara Eliya, the Heart of Sri Lanka. I stayed at a convent and gave a couple of English lessons to the orphaned and/or disadvantaged girls, and also to the private school girls. We visited a HH house that the occupants had expanded brilliantly with money they earned farming.

One of my hosts said of God, “How can He exist and let all of these people suffer?” and another said “He – someone – must exist!”

Anyway, so I did this 10 day trip alone. I managed to donate a combined amount of about $2500 worth of supplies and money to both HH offices, including a laptop. I always think about them, thinking if only I had saved more money, I could have done more.

I’ve received emails from them since I left. The last email I got from Chanaka was asking for a USB storage device which I never sent. The last one from Daniel was him just checking on me, to tell me that my good deeds had not been forgotten.

So now, it’s my greatest wish financially to establish a career where I can confidently give. I get so excited when I tithe, because it’s indicative of how blessed I am, and so I want to continue doing that. And then one day, I want to be able to email Chanaka and Daniel, saying: “Ask and ye shall receive.”

So, it looks like I can’t escape destiny.

You see, my entire maternal side has faithfully served in the military through the generations. My mother, all four uncles, cousins, brother and even a sister have all served in the military for some amount of time, active duty, reserve, officers and privates. My brother is the poster child for exceptional military and law enforcement service. My mother has given, more or less, her entire life to the federal government as well.

The federal government is all that I know. It’s fed me, housed me, clothed me, enabled my family to be successful and relatively financially sound. I have never had anything against the government and have always entertained the idea of serving somehow, and this year of uncertainty and loss has inspired me to go ahead and accept what god has placed before me.

And so now I am going to wholeheartedly pursue a federal government position…or at least, a position where I get to enact visible, measurable and quantifiable programs that benefit humanity (NGO). I’ve always been a fan of the State Department and I’ve taken the FSOT, which is now the Foreign Service Written Exam, but I failed and I did not bother to check where I needed improvement. I already knew.

I think I would fit even better into USAID, because they do what State does, but with more action than words, and that’s the kind of woman I am.

Don’t worry – I won’t be going anywhere just yet. Federal jobs take months to begin. And in the meantime, I still need to pay bills, so as much as I am going to throw myself into getting my Dream Job, I’m also going to be doing tour guide gigs, petsitting, mystery shopping and whatever else I have to to keep my head above water. God has blessed me with a mother who is 100% supportive and friends who know people who know people or who know places or things that will help me.

The economy is shaky and a lot of people look to the government for employment. Competition is going to be tough, but I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

That, and I am a pretty creative, perceptive, ambitious, charming and competent young woman.

Visitors, I humbly advise you to comment and feel free to link to this blog. Also, follow me on twitter: Prinny_Small is my name. I’m also on LinkedIn, Facebook and GovCentral.

May our dreams come true!

Can’t apologize enough for neglecting this blog. Although somehow plenty of spammers seem to find it, it’s not so lonely.

I just finished up 4 tours in a row, and in the process managed to lose my 9-5 office job. The funny thing is that he simply did not tell me until I showed up for work last Thursday morning and he was like “Umm…I need to talk to you.” I didn’t get angry but I was surprised that he had the audacity to not let me know, claiming he “couldn’t get in touch with me” and that he didn’t have my email. My boss, the man who hired me based on my resume with whom I had worked for 1.5 months, had neither my cell phone number nor email address? Suuuuure. So I’m without steady income once again. God, how I wished I had take the Census job they repeatedly called about; at least I could have been making more money in the short amount of time.

As for touring, those 4 tours went very well compared to the first.

Foothills Montessori: 5 days (but really only 4.5 at the most) with a range of ages, but proper adult supervision. There were a lot of parents, parents with iPhones who could look up stuff if I didn’t know the answer. The Group Leader changed a couple of things, but not a lot, and they were extremely well-behaved. The driver was satisfactory, and I’m glad I printed out as many directions as I did. The only truly sad part was the lack of gratuity – it didn’t even seem to cross their minds, though one lady gave me METRO tickets she was never going to use. Thankfully, ETC pays so well.

TravelOn USA: This was a one-day gig, where I helped move 5 buses of high schoolers, 2 of which were consistently on time and three who consistently weren’t. Here I learned how important it is to keep things positive.

Westminster: THE BEST TOUR EVER. We all just seemed to connect so well and have a great time. The driver was awesome and always, somehow, magically, managed to get us places on time and meet us exactly when we’re ready to board, even when we were late. It was amazing! The Group Leader was also a phenomenal woman, and the teachers were great, too! The students loved me and I liked them. I don’t know – there was just a lot of chemistry, and I felt like I could do this job for a long time. They set the standard for the future, and they also said that they wanted to have me back again.

Parity: Also, a very wonderful group who asked if they could just have me back again next year, too. I had my most favorite comment uttered by a girl of about 7: “Did you make all these plans?!” Her grandmother and I just fell out laughing. She just really wanted to know, who did I think I was, making them go back and forth around DC like that. XD The driver, though knowledgeable, wasn’t as friendly or cooperative as I would have liked, but he served us well.

So far, I only have something – they won’t or can’t tell me details – scheduled for September. Performance groups. Over two months of no scheduled tours! Bah! I hope I get a call/email from someone soon.

Well, correction – I already have. First, I was called by Grayline NYC, by an Eva Lee, whom you can Google and get some interesting results. But there’s no guarantee I could survive up there on what they pay/tips and even though I do have my license, I’m just not that into NYC. I much prefer DC. And so then comes another job offer from Skyblue Tours, which is a private car/van/limo tour service, though they have a coach, too. They do pay well and I told him I would gladly drive up on 18 hours notice, if he could get 2 days of a tours in a row for me. At the same time, business is slow, so who knows? I really would love to work and live in DC, though.

I’m apply for cruise ship jobs as well. That’s intimidating, since if I ended up hating it, I’m very literally stranded!

I’ve been all over the East Coast, up and down, working and training… I do apologize for not posting weekly as I claimed I would.

I had my first official tour the week before last and it was…difficult. Yes, of course, I made a couple of mistakes, but nothing that should have resulted in the fiasco that came about, and in fact, it was shocking and rather gratifying that the whole time, neither the 30-year-seasoned coach driver nor the oh-so-experienced group leader knew I was a novice and that their exceptionally odd group was my first tour. It was exceptionally odd because it was supposed to be a high school senior student tour but what with the group leader’s husband (who also happened to be the driver), her two babies of 4 months and 2 years, mother, grandmother, sister, family friend, her children’s godfather with his own two babies under 4 years old… Can you say “family reunion”? It threw off the entire trip. Oh, I forgot to mention that the group leader herself was 6 months pregnant. Mood swings and all, God bless her maternal soul.

Anyway, if you need further details, send over an email and I’ll forward my very long recount of the various events to which others have said:

Princess – Congratulations on getting your first nightmare out of the way!  Sounds like you did an amazing job given what you had to work with.  And a huge learning experience to boot.  Wow!!

I know this was not funny while it was happening and I’m sure still isn’t to you — but I’m laughing my socks off!!    I think I’d rather poke my eyes out with a dull stick than do what you did.  I’m quite sure that ONLY YOU could have pulled this off as well as you did.  Kudos to you!!!  OH— you may want to take Zanax on your next tour.  Heeeeeee

Princess, whew!!! What a nightmare-and it you did great. Now that the worst has happened, it will be all up hill from here-and you know you can handle the worst.

Wow! You are nothing if not tenacious.

Thank you all for your encouragement! Seriously. I am almost convinced the worst is behind me. But come on…BABIES?!

In the meantime, take a look at what I have been doing:

If I were to summarize my New York Tour Guide Licensing Experience for the lay person, I’d say it was a lot like trying to get one’s driver’s license. Flashbacks to trips to the DMV flooded my memory. Except this time, I passed on the first round. :p

Weekly Update FAIL!

But that’s okay. Clearly, I was engrossed in my studies and getting everything ready for the Big Exam Day.

I left off at having sent my application package to my “resident agent”. The utter, unapologetically slowness of the tax office turned out to be the most difficult part of this entire process.  They were actually serious when they quoted me about 10 days for this and that. It actually took maybe 7 for them to issue the certificate, but the thing is, I still never got it. Maybe it’s in Charlotte now, but when I got on the train on 2/26, I still hadn’t received it. Thankfully, my RA in DC did get the duplicate I asked them to send to him. And once I gave him my $168, he went to the DCRA and scheduled my 3/2 exam date.

In the meantime, as I said, I was preparing to actually come to DC to tour the sights. I returned some library books and packed all the sweaters I could stuff in my backpack. I came up February 26th and met my RA, Mike Waters, and Bob Brennan Jr., a most valuable contact from the ITMI Symposium in Tucson, AZ.

These two are planning to conduct a FAM (familiarity) tour course for the DC tour guide license exam in April, and I have been their guinea pig as they try to figure out the system and plan the FAM tour. They took me around the Capitol, the Memorials and even out by the National Cathedral (St. Peter and St. John). After I took the test, I went inside the Capitol for the tour. I’d been studying with little inadequate maps and books, so it was extremely helpful (and relaxing!!!) to go to the places. Mike also gave us pointers on how to herd the groups and get them in and out of spots. Anyway, it had been a long time since I “toured” DC, and I may not have even gone to the places we went last week.

Then came the big day. Bob and I had breakfast at the Greasy Spoon. We got to the DCRA well ahead of time and when time came to open, we still had to wait another 30 or more minutes for them to print and copy the paper tests. Yes, they’re ol’ skool. There were about 12 people there to take the exam. Bob and I learned that the DC Tour Guide Guild now acts as a placement company for tour operators, so the day I confirm I’ve passed, I can contact them AND Worldstrides. It also appeared as though everyone had the same advice, coaching and materials given to them by someone. However, as we would soon find out, DC is still a hard case to crack.

The group was called up to the testing room, but not me. Somehow, even though my RA hand delivered my stuff, they’d lost my entire application and I was, somehow, not on the list nor scheduled for the test that day. Rather than throw a fit, I stayed calm, since I knew Mike had done right by me and I had my proof (I brought a copy of the receipt) as well as the word of another employee there (one of the ladies remembered Mike bringing in my papers). So they allowed me to sit for the exam that day. I guess if someone’s fortitude had to be tested, it should have been mine.

There was no test area; it was simply a conference room with tables, equipped with pencils. Ms. Douglass made it a point that they would not answer any inquires about the test over the phone and that they will not have results – of a paper based test! taken by 12 people! – until 3/15, and to not ask them anything until 3/15. I got test #4, so there are at least that many versions. Around 100 questions. It looks like the tests have a combination of 3 sections, picked out of multiple choice, T/F, fill-in-the-blank and/or picture ID’s. My question about whether I should memorize street addresses or intersections was answered: both! And years? Decades or specific dates? Both!

Generally, I’d say that the test was random enough that you can’t go wrong studying as much trivia as you can.

And Black/African American history, specifically on Frederick Douglass.

And regulations about the two licenses.

And obscure architects.

I left the test feeling good about it and I do believe that I passed. I prayed, entered and tested in surrender. And now I’m going on to the next exam: New York City.

This one, apparently, is going to be much easier and Bob is an “expert”. ^_^ I have started studying and researching. It also appears as though NYC’s test has more about practicalities, where a bus can go and what it can do, which I find wonderfully refreshing. I’m also looking forward to NEW YOOOOORK!!!

Recommended Books

Blue Guide Washington DC by Candyce H. Stapen: This book has everything in it. It is a complete guide and probably suffers from information overload. If you have nothing else, get this book. Make some flash cards and be proud. Problem is that no one – NO ONE – has it in stock and you have to order it.

Very Washington DC by Diana Hollingsworth Gessler: Recommended by Bob, it’s a little bit more fun and pretty keepsake than it is an informative guide.

Imagine: Becoming a Washington DC Tour Guide by Maricar Donato: Next to the Blue Guide, this is probably sufficient study material for the entire exam, but it costs a very pretty penny. She gives examples of multiple choice questions with answers, grouped by topic; fill-in-the-blanks; T/F and then “things every tour guide should know[sic]“. HIGHLY recommended. No need to take the course until you have no idea how you might lead a group tour.

Well, off to New York City!

Good luck!

Evening, folks.

Well, I sent my package to my resident agent in DC to hand in to Ms. Douglass at the DCRA. However, I am waiting for my business tax registration form to be issued. It will be sent to Charlotte, but I can also call them to have a duplicate sent to my agent. He will then hand deliver it and schedule me – God willing – for the March 2nd test date.

Because I’ve become an insider to the mechanics of the DC License not simply by applying but being a part of the training to obtain said license, I’ve encountered quite a few resources for study.

Certain tour companies need want their people to get licensed, so they supply “study guides” (ie. actual questions and answers to tests) to their contractors to get them licensed ASAP. I’m referring to the large student tour companies. To get these guides, you’ll have to ask current contractors to email them to you. Or maybe the TO will even give them to you with the promise to hire you as soon as you pass. If you decide to distribute, just be careful about removing names.

Recommended Books

Off the Beaten Path Washington, DC by William B. Whitman: This is an all in one travel companion for people who really want to have a rich, well-rounded cultural experience in DC…involving a lot of food. There are tiny maps to help you orientate yourself as he explains the little known sites and he’s very good about addresses.

We the People: the Story of the United States Capitol by Lonnelle Aikman: Here’s a neatly illustrated and concise history of the Capitol Building, fit for children of all ages. It explains the building in detail intricate enough for any tour guide. The diagrams are awesome and I enjoyed it – could have read it in a day.

More books forthcoming.

Stay tuned.