We have come a long way since apartheid, but we have such a long way to go:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/world/africa/30safrica.html?hp
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
one more post today
Ok so I just set up my fund-raising page with Team Run to Remember for the New York City Marathon!
Just a reminder I am running with the Alzheimer's Association to raise at least $3000 for this cause. My personal goal is $5000.
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=314993&supid=259783036
Even a couple of dollars will help!!
Just a reminder I am running with the Alzheimer's Association to raise at least $3000 for this cause. My personal goal is $5000.
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=314993&supid=259783036
Even a couple of dollars will help!!
Additionally..
I hope at least some people are reading this links:
Darfur:
This one is heartbreaking and at the same time fascinating.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7923247.stm
Somalia:
This scares me.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/26/AR2009062604261.html
Also - Africa Action is on Facebook for anyone who is also on the network. Add us as a cause, join our group and donate. For anyone else who wants to donate to Africa Action here is the link
www.africaaction.org We need all the support we can get! we are doing amazing grassroots work empowering civil societies in Africa. We are focusing on Zimbabwe right now and we are expanding soon to begin addressing the situation in the Congo.
Darfur:
This one is heartbreaking and at the same time fascinating.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7923247.stm
Somalia:
This scares me.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/26/AR2009062604261.html
Also - Africa Action is on Facebook for anyone who is also on the network. Add us as a cause, join our group and donate. For anyone else who wants to donate to Africa Action here is the link
www.africaaction.org We need all the support we can get! we are doing amazing grassroots work empowering civil societies in Africa. We are focusing on Zimbabwe right now and we are expanding soon to begin addressing the situation in the Congo.
Getting settled in
So I finally think I have the metro down, the roads down and the people of DC sort of figured out. Which feels great, I love being in cities and experiencing the energy and when I feel conditioned to the area it makes it even better. Last week was a lot of fun - I finally had my first day off!! It was tough going 7 days a week and training and working on stuff so I took my day off and just read for fun in the park by the Washington monument - got a little color, probably too much color. I also feel that I am finally fitting in the office, went out with a couple of the girls last week. We went to Jazz in the Park at the Sculpture Gardens where we got caught in a torrential downpour, I was soaked and my legs are still a light shade of blue after being dyed from my skirt. Last Saturday I went to a law school information forum. There were over 150 schools there and informational panels - I found a couple programs that really appealed to me. So maybe in a few years, after I get a few other things I want to do out of my way, it might be a possibility. I am looking forward to 4th of July!!! We are going to the fireworks on the National Mall and then my roommates and I are going to a barbecue with some Marines (I'm not quite sure about that one yet, we will see...). Other than that I just had a couple more classes this week about grant writing, speaking with donors and research - which have all been really helpful.
On a fun note - I met Rick Schroeder yesterday at the Holocaust Museum! and yes, I acted like a 15 year old in 1986. He came up with his sons to the table and started asking me questions and I just stared at him (very Toula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, for those who have seen it). Anyways it was fun to meet my first celebrity there.
Also - RIP Billy Mays. I don't know how many more celebrity deaths I can take, and the amount of time spent by Nastassia and I doing Billy Mays impressions is epic so I included a picture of him. "Billy Mays here....."
On a fun note - I met Rick Schroeder yesterday at the Holocaust Museum! and yes, I acted like a 15 year old in 1986. He came up with his sons to the table and started asking me questions and I just stared at him (very Toula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, for those who have seen it). Anyways it was fun to meet my first celebrity there.
Also - RIP Billy Mays. I don't know how many more celebrity deaths I can take, and the amount of time spent by Nastassia and I doing Billy Mays impressions is epic so I included a picture of him. "Billy Mays here....."
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Some interesting links
So as people know, I am very passionate about issues happening on the continent of Africa hence my internship. I decided that I would post some articles on a daily basis on this blog so that everyone can become more informed of the situations in Africa and how the United States has an impact in the progress, or sometimes unfortunately the regress, of issues. The place of my internship, Africa Action, is a grassroots advocacy group that targets empowering African people to help shift their situation as well as helping to strengthen US foreign policy on the continent.
Blood Diamonds:
We have all seen the movie. Check out this link from BBC about what is going on right now:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8116239.stm
AIDS Orphans:
A very real issue that can tug on your heartstrings:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/world/africa/25orphan.html?_r=1&hp
Congo:
This is a brilliant article published by the Washington Post. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most volatile war going on and for women reading my blog, it has been named the most dangerous place in the world for women - more dangerous than Pakistan, Iran or Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/24/AR2009062403558.html
Blood Diamonds:
We have all seen the movie. Check out this link from BBC about what is going on right now:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8116239.stm
AIDS Orphans:
A very real issue that can tug on your heartstrings:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/world/africa/25orphan.html?_r=1&hp
Congo:
This is a brilliant article published by the Washington Post. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most volatile war going on and for women reading my blog, it has been named the most dangerous place in the world for women - more dangerous than Pakistan, Iran or Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/24/AR2009062403558.html
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Here in DC!!
Hi all!
I am finally settled and getting into my routine here in DC. My apartment is great. It is right by the capitol building! My roommates are awesome as well - there are 5 of us girls sharing a row house on Constitution Ave. I am in a triple room. My one roommate goes to Ohio University and my other goes to Harvard. The other two girls share a room upstairs and one goes to Mt. Holyoke and the other goes to Marquette. We are from all over and we are all studying different subjects so it has made for interesting dinner conversations.
I started volunteering at the museum first. My first day was actually the first day the museum was re-opened after the shooting. So it has been pretty intense. Volunteering is great though they have me doing everything! It is really great to work one on one with visitors. My very first day I had a survivor give me a hug and thank me for coming. So every morning I am tired, I think of that.
Africa Action has been amazing! I am taking classes at the Foundation Center and at the Social Action and Leadership School for Activists about everything from how to write a grant to how to put together a budget to how to interact and cultivate relationships with potential donors. All of these things are really going to help me in the future with potential non-profit jobs. My long term project plan with the organization is to write grants to gain better technology for Africa Action and to pursue a grant for my passion: women rights. I am still researching possible funders but my personal goal is secure funds for Africa Action to launch a campaign specifically targeted towards African women and gender equality. The workplace is great. Everyone is laid back, but highly productive. It is interesting to see a workplace where everyone pushes each other to get to that next level and share common values. It really reminds me a lot of AmeriCorps.
On the personal side, I am just staying busy. I am working on a potential Fulbright proposal by researching and emailing experts in the field I am interested in. I also bought a GRE study book (yiiiiiiikes, already have to start thinking about after next May) and I am reading lots of books. Additionally, this is my official announcement, I am training. I will be running in the NYC marathon on the Alzheimer's Association Team. For those who don't know, my paternal grandmother battled the disease and passed away in 2004 after a hard fight. Not only was she a wonderful grandmother who helped raise my sisters and I, she was a one of a kind woman whose strength really influenced who I am today. To see Alzheimer's on a first hand basis, I have become really passionate about the disease. So I decided: I have always wanted to run a marathon; this would be a great way to raise money; and it would be a way to challenge myself in a way I have never done before. So don't worry I will post the link later for my fund raising page so you will all feel obligated to donate hahahahaha!!!! and I will be complaining on the blog!
Alright so as promised to my ladies at the Career Center, I will be much better about posting here as I have constant internet access. Thanks for all of the support I have received and I have already learned so much about myself (and its only my 2nd week!).
I am finally settled and getting into my routine here in DC. My apartment is great. It is right by the capitol building! My roommates are awesome as well - there are 5 of us girls sharing a row house on Constitution Ave. I am in a triple room. My one roommate goes to Ohio University and my other goes to Harvard. The other two girls share a room upstairs and one goes to Mt. Holyoke and the other goes to Marquette. We are from all over and we are all studying different subjects so it has made for interesting dinner conversations.
I started volunteering at the museum first. My first day was actually the first day the museum was re-opened after the shooting. So it has been pretty intense. Volunteering is great though they have me doing everything! It is really great to work one on one with visitors. My very first day I had a survivor give me a hug and thank me for coming. So every morning I am tired, I think of that.
Africa Action has been amazing! I am taking classes at the Foundation Center and at the Social Action and Leadership School for Activists about everything from how to write a grant to how to put together a budget to how to interact and cultivate relationships with potential donors. All of these things are really going to help me in the future with potential non-profit jobs. My long term project plan with the organization is to write grants to gain better technology for Africa Action and to pursue a grant for my passion: women rights. I am still researching possible funders but my personal goal is secure funds for Africa Action to launch a campaign specifically targeted towards African women and gender equality. The workplace is great. Everyone is laid back, but highly productive. It is interesting to see a workplace where everyone pushes each other to get to that next level and share common values. It really reminds me a lot of AmeriCorps.
On the personal side, I am just staying busy. I am working on a potential Fulbright proposal by researching and emailing experts in the field I am interested in. I also bought a GRE study book (yiiiiiiikes, already have to start thinking about after next May) and I am reading lots of books. Additionally, this is my official announcement, I am training. I will be running in the NYC marathon on the Alzheimer's Association Team. For those who don't know, my paternal grandmother battled the disease and passed away in 2004 after a hard fight. Not only was she a wonderful grandmother who helped raise my sisters and I, she was a one of a kind woman whose strength really influenced who I am today. To see Alzheimer's on a first hand basis, I have become really passionate about the disease. So I decided: I have always wanted to run a marathon; this would be a great way to raise money; and it would be a way to challenge myself in a way I have never done before. So don't worry I will post the link later for my fund raising page so you will all feel obligated to donate hahahahaha!!!! and I will be complaining on the blog!
Alright so as promised to my ladies at the Career Center, I will be much better about posting here as I have constant internet access. Thanks for all of the support I have received and I have already learned so much about myself (and its only my 2nd week!).
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