Work Update: Paid Vacation?

I know I haven't talk too much about what I'm actually doing at work, so I'll elaborate a little bit. I have spent a considerable amount of time at work reading about a variety of topics to get a feel for what my department does. I believe I will be helping Dr. Stuart Butler out in researching how to lower the cost of college to make it more affordable for more people. So far the reading has been fascinating and I've been enjoying being paid to read and think.
The intern program has also been great about getting us around DC and meeting people. I've been to two talks by Sen. DeMint about school choice and the economy. We also took a trip to the Library of Congress yesterday. I thought it was going to be tour of the Library...not so much. We spent two hours learning how to research at the Library of Congress. It's a very complex system. We also go to weekly lunches that features speakers on the founding principles of our nation. Today we engaged in a conversation of the fundamental principles found in the Declaration of Independence and how they relate to modern policy problems. One of the things that struck me the most, was the discussion we had on rights. We contrasted different ideas about where rights come from and how that impacts how we view rights. The two schools of thought seem to be either there are certain rights (natural rights) that are ours simply because we are human (these are the rights enumerated in the Declaration, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness), or the idea of rights is evolving and rights are added by society (or government) as we progress, grow and become more enlightened. It was fantastic discussion.
So far, this internship has seemed very much like a paid vacation (except for when my alarm goes off in the morning). I've had the opportunity to see and and learn so much!