East Coast Frenzy

After two weeks of wearing business suits and schmoozing with very diplomatic and articulate professionals on the East Coast, I have made my way back to sunny California and traded my dress shoes for flip flops. My former dean of the School of Intercultural Studies (SIS), the fabulous Doug McConnell, asked my friend Holly and I to do a feasibility study and assessment of two different projects/program opportunities for SIS students in both Washington, DC and New York City. In DC, our task was to figure out the feasibility of setting up an intensive course for Ph. D students from SIS (many of which are international students), which would be designed to expose students to practical models where politics and faith meet; the intent would be for students to experience what it means to be a Christian in a political setting and then take these models and bring them back to their own countries (where they would most likely possess a position of leadership). We had the opportunity to meet with several different individuals- pastors, NGOs, lobbyists, policymakers, and others that possess influence in the capital city. Highlights for me in DC, both professional and personal: visiting International Justice Mission (which also included an evening hanging out with Gary Haugen and his family at his son's pee wee football game and back to their house for pizza), seeing my childhood friend Melissa, and seeing some of the memorial sites at dusk.

Over the weekend in between DC and New York City, Holly and I took a bus up to Boston and stayed with Holly's best friend there. The colors of fall were amazing! The leaves were yellow, red, pink, and light green. I loved hearing them crunch under my feet as we walked the streets of Cambridge. I reminded me of those perfect fall days in Seattle...the ones filled with soccer games, scarves, pumpkin lattes, crisp air, and filtered sunshine through the changing trees. I loved the colors and sounds of the city and enjoyed walking through Harvard Square, eating great cheese, watching the Head of the Charles races, and re-enacting Zac Efron's Justin Timberlake emo-esqe performance of "Bet On It" from High School Musical 2 through the streets of this prestigious city.

New York City was great! Holly and I spent the week with World Vision's United Nations liaison office as well as the United Nations Headquarters. The purpose of the NYC leg was to assess the probability of partnering with World Vision for MA students to fulfill their practicum requirements (a substitute to an overseas practicum like I did this summer). We had the chance to spend a significant amount of time with World Vision staff and attend several UN meetings on development, gender equality, human rights, justice policy, etc. It was quite fascinating and made me realize the deep complexity of these international discussions. Some days I was dazzled by the UN, others I left confused about how they actually get things done (some of the spokespersons I heard like to talk around issues). I really enjoyed meeting the World Vision's UN liaison and learning from him; he possesses a deep well of knowledge, especially on Sudan and the DRC. Over the weekend, some of Holly's friends came down so we hit up the city quite a bit over the those couple of days. Some highlights while in NYC: experiencing World Vision and the UN, seeing Hairspray on Broadway, Rosie Thomas/Over the Rhine concert, Central Park, and Battery Park. I filled my stomach with lots of tasty treats and New York novelties...if I keel over with heart failure in the next couple of weeks, you can blame it on the Big Apple.
It is good to be back in LA now. It is hard to believe I "move" (and I say it in quotes because that's the plan for now...not sure when or if I'll be coming back to LA) back to Seattle 3 weeks from today. I am both excited and sad, but I look forward to making the most of my time here. Cheers to the East Coast, but cheers to being back.