Halloween, Valerie Plame Wilson, and life in general.

College Trick-or Treaters near the embassies. Shirin (aka Audrey Hepburn - she had her hair up earlier) and I (aka the Gypsy). Bestest roomates ever!!!

Phew! The days seem to be sweeping past faster and faster it seems. Only 9 more days until Shirin and I take the bus to Connecticut for Thanksgiving and 32 more days until I leave for Winter break, but I'M not counting. =)

Halloween was fun, not quite as fun as I had imagined, but I did enjoy myself. Met my Leadership Gateway group and we all went down to the Embassies together but then most of them (okay, everyone but me, Khileen - UC Bio classmate who lives down the hall from me, and our mentor Evan - a really nice junior who is in SIS) decided to go off on their own. That was fine with us. We had fun continuing on our own. Overall, the trick-or-treating experience at the Embassies was interesting to say the least. Tons of costumed college students walked the sidewalks in crowds, going up to embassies and foming lines for candy. By the time we got there (around 4:30 or so) most of the Embassies had already run out of candy. It was still fun to see the embassies and walk past them though even if they didn't have candies related to their country.

I also discovered that many of the embassies have similar bushes in their yards and that those happen to be the ones that produce the little red berries that Dad taught us to eat long ago. So, I started eating them to the suprise of my friends. They warned me that they wouldn't carry me back if I got sick but wouldn't try any. Evan said he would only if I could tell him what they were called. I couldn't (which made my position look even better). Determined to prove their edibleness I tried calling Mom and then Uncle Don to try and see if they knew. I left a pretty funny message on Uncle Don's phone that was half laughter as Evan and Khileen were by this time cracking up over the circumstances. (Keep in mind that we're still trick-or-treating.) I wasn't able to tell them what it was called then but later I was able to reach Dad at his school and he told me he thought they were Juniper berries. Later that evening Uncle Don called me back and was able to confirm that they were not Juniper berries but sounded a lot like Yew berries, which, to Uncle Don's knowledge, were NOT edible. I told him he should call Dad.

He did and Dad emailed me later to tell me that he had looked up pictures of Yew berries and that yes, those were what we had been eating. As it turned out, both Dad and I, and Uncle Don, Khileen, and Evan were right. Yew as a plant is very poisonous (one cup can kill a horse), but the only edible part are the berries (the seeds pass through the system or are spit out so don't do any harm). Just as long as I didn't chew the seeds I would be fine (I usually spit them out, just to let you all know). Anyway, I ended up telling Khileen and Evan the story and we all had many good laughs throughout the whole escapade.

Last Thursday, I decided to go and see Valerie Plame Wilson speak here at AU. My friend had been lamenting the fact that she came to AU to take advantage of the speakers that AU brings, and yet she can't go because of a class. I listened to her and then realized that that was one reason I came, too and that I didn't have anything to do that night, so decided to go. I sure am glad I did!

The room was packed when I got there and they said there was only standing room, but I managed to find a seat. Valerie Plame Wilson was such an amazing speaker! She is nice, extemely, smart, was a CIA agent and has exceptional aim with an AK47 (apparently her husband didn't know, only learned about that from the newspaper articles on her, and likes to say that that greatly changed their married relationship). =P She basically told about how the Bush Administration revealed her covert identity as a way to get at her husband who wrote that he didn't support the war. She told us about her career and life with the CIA and expained all the events leading up to her being revealed. The most amazing thing for me was to realize, silly as it may seem, that she is a real woman. She was a CIA agent and can use a bunch of automatic weapons, and yet she is a real person. She was just one more reminder (from the WAND conference) that I really can do whatever I want to and be whatever I want if I really want it enough. And that's an amazing thought. Now all I have to do is figure out what it is I really want to do. But I guess that's what I'm here to do, right? =)

Now I have a bunch of work to do to prepare for this week. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I have pepband basketball games to go to, but have to miss Wednesday as I have gospel choir and we only have two more practices before our performance on December 1st! Should be a busy week, but managable. After all, it's only this week, then Spanish and work on Monday and Biology on Tuesday morning and then Shirin and I are outta here!

Ciao for now!

Love, Kaia

One more thing...

I got my World Politics mid-term back on Friday and am extremely happy to report that I got an A-!!!! I had studied all week for it so I'm really glad I did well. Also, I have a B in Bio Lab which is good considering I didn't do so hot on the mid-term and am not fond of the course itself at all.

Anywho, I'd best be getting to my work. Should be a crazy week and I'm trying NOT to get sick.

Ciao ~ Kaia

First Gospel Choir Concert!!!

So this evening we had our first Gospel Choir Concert and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! The Kay Spiritual Life Center (or "flaming cupcake" as it's called on campus) was jam-packed with people and the stage jam-packed full of 71 or so Gospel Choir members. It was so hot!!! Especially with our robes on. But it was really fun, the audience loved us and the soloists sounded great! My dear friend Jenn and her family were kind enough to look after my camera and take some videos and pictures. (For those with Facebook, I just uploaded the videos onto my profiel. For those without, I'm working on uploading them to youtube under American Unvirsity Gospel Choir 2007.) Afterwards, I went out to dinner at Neisha's, an awesome restaurant that has an interior modeled after a cave with stalagtites and stalagmites and a fountain in it. The food was delicious and a flautist and guitarist were playing live, too! It was great! A wonderful, relaxing eveing for a frustrating-transportation day.

This morning I tried to find a store to buy a shirt for Gospel Choir and my halloween costume but almost everything that could happen wrong, did. I tried to go to a consignment shop in Bethesda, got there 10 minutes before it opened (and ended up having to wait 10 more as the owner was late), only to find that it was a one room, tiny place with overpriced things and hardly any merchandise to begin with. I did however, find some awesome earrings for $5. So then I meandered my way back to the Metro, trying to figure out what to do as I didn't know where to go until I realized that the info people at Hotel next to the Metro could probaly help me. Sure enough, they directed me to Frienship Heights (one stop away from Bethesday back towards Tenleytown - AU). So off I went, only to find myself in a big, expensive mall with nothing I would want, even if I could afford it.

So by this time, I'm feeling pretty frustrated and depressed as I'm meeting everyone and their parents at a restaurant at 1pm and it's already 11:30am and this is the only chance I'll get to get a costume before halloween. In a attempt, I sadly go up to the information lady in the mall and ask if she knows of a place where I can get a black blouse for not too much money. Thankfully, she directs me out the door and to the left to Lowemans!!! Love that place! Tons of cloths for great prices!!!! (It's like a nice Ross). So I go and look find quickly find a nice black shirt (for $7.58) and then go to look for Pride and Prejudice-like clothing but to no avail. I'm really not happy. I decided to be Jane from Pride and Prejudice back in September and so didn't look up any other options. And I'm running out of time!!! So I go and start looking for something else only to realize that I'm missing my planned Metro!

I buy my shirt and go to find the Metro (which is weird, as the only entrance to it is by elevator - that caught me off guard) and follow the directions I printed off of the Metro planner before I left. According to the plans, I'm supposed to take a bus from the Metro station but once I get there, there are three bustops, some construction and I'm going to be late no matter what happens. It's gotten to the point where I'm tempted to just forget everything and just wander, lost, about the city... and then I see a taxi. But I don't know how to get one without people already in it. And then I realize that I have no cash, but I see an ATM and get some. But then there are no taxis. So then I try to get my wits about me and think logically. After all, I can navigate and it can't be that far away, right? I ask a worker which way is M street and off I go. But I don't seem to be getting to the right place. I call Chris. "Hey, how's it going? How are you?" "I'm lost, I've had a really frustrating morning and if one more thing goes wrong I think I'm going to cry." I tell him. Unfortunately, I learn that I am really far away from the restaurant. I don't cry. "Have any cash?" he asks. "I need a taxi. Where's a taxi? Oh, there! A hotel! Thank goodness for hotels!" I exclaim and listen to Chris's instructions before jumping in the taxi.

The restaurant was in Georgetown, so I get off at the cross street Chris told me to and then call him and try to figure out which side of the street he wants me on. He finally walks out and finds me and I have a wonderful time talking to Alisa and Chris Benson's parents and sitting next to Shirin's mom and Alisa's roomate from Equador. The food is delicious and it's fun to see everyone with their parents. (There were 40 of us all together, my group of friends and all their parents.) I have to be at the Kay Spiritual Life Center at 3:30 pm for Gospel Choir so I have to leave early and go to find the Metro. I take a bus that says it's going to the Metro and happen to ask a lady getting off at a stop if it's the Metro stop right before she asks the bus driver the same question. We depart and I discover that she and her friend happen to be from Beaverton, Oregon and they are stewardesses on their way to Mt. Vernon. I help them find the Metro and get their tickets before speeding off to get back to AU in time. I'm on the orange line so have to switch to the red at Metro Center. I wait for 8 minutes and get on the train. "Gallery Place, Chinatown" the announcer says over the loudspeaker. Crud, I'm going the wrong way. I get off and fortunately only have to wait 3 minutes or so for the next train, but that's already put me behind schedule. I finally get to Tenleytown only to find that the shuttle to AU has just left and so I'll have to wait for the next one.

At 3:25 one finally comes but I still need to go to my room and change. My friend Erika calls (she's in my College Writing class and also in Gospel Choir) to tell me she's running late. I'm too, I tell her and promise to call another friend of ours in Gospel Choir to tell her we'll be late. I find her in my phone and press send only to find I've accidently dialed the wrong person (they have the same name)! Oh, it could only happen today, I think to myself. But now I have to quickly cover for my mistake and sound like I meant to call her even if for a short time. I get to my dormroom and quickly change into my black skirt. Now, I've had to go to the bathroom since I left the restaurant over an hour ago so I REALLY need to go. I grab my brand new shirt, and run to the bathroom so I can tear off the tags and put it on while I'm there to save time. Off I go, speeding across campus in my nice Steve Madden Princess shoes, my black skirt and my new shirt with my bag in my arms. Past Shawn and his parents "Sorry, I'm 15 minutes late!" (I've never met his parents before), and finally I make it to Kay. It ended up being okay as there were a bunch of us late and we managed and the concert went great and all, it was just a really frustrating day with transportation.

After dinner with Kay I came back to my room to find Negeen, Shirin's wonderful younger sister in our room. I start discussing my costume options with her and before I know it, with a few encouragements and suggestions from her, I have my new costume! Gypsy Kaia!!!

So it ended up being a good day, it just had many parts that now make up a great story to tell. Right? =)

I should probably go to bed now and SLEEP In in the morning! Yahoo! Haven't done that in a while!!!!

Good night, y'all!

Love, Kaia

The Dalai Lama, Richard Gere and Gospel Choir - oh, my!

Last Wednesday (Oct. 17th), Shirin, Jenn (another UC Bio kid), and I went down to the Capital to see the Dalai Lama. There weren't nearly as many people as I thought there'd be but it was cool to see many Tibetan people in traditional costumes and Tibetan flags everywhere. One Tibetan guy held up a sign at one point that said "Thank you, USA." We got there just in time to hear President Bush speak and were in the security line while the Dalai Lama was presented with his medal. There was a big screen to the left of the Main Steps of the Capital that broadcast what was going on inside the Rotunda, so we got to see the Dalai Lama read his speech. It was cute. Sometimes he would stumble over words (he warned us he might) and so his aid would help him every once in a while. He spoke of how he didn't want Tibet to be independent from China, just that he hoped for autonomy. He had a cute chuckle, too that sounded like a higher-pitched version of our friend Kurt's. After the ceremony in the rotunda was over, the wait began. At one point the master of ceremonies for the public program outside told us that the program we just saw broadcast on the screen of the rotunda had just been broadcast to the rest of the world including Tibet, and India. It was cool to think of the information streaming into people's livingrooms and knowing the excitement it was creating just that second.

Before the Dalai Lama came out, they started a program of Tibetan singers and intstrumentalists. We heard one of the most popular Tibetan singers and another important artist play flutes and sing. It sounded great! Then the host of the program started to introduce the next speaker but said that they title of the book about him pretty much gave it away... "Everybody loves Richard Gere." We heard the title, but were confused as Richard Gere couldn't possibly be HERE. But sure enough, all of a sudden, there is Richard Gere standing on the stage and there's his voice! It was so exciting to get to see him! He talked a little about how exciting it was to get to see everyone, especially all the people in the back (us!!), and about how wonderful it was that the Dalai Lama had recieved the congressional medal. Then, to our excitment, we were informed that the Dalai Lama was preparing to exit the building and would therefore join us. Sure enougth, the traditional Tibetan court dancers started dancing and the Dalai Lama himself came out of the Capital. He was surrounded by people and shaded by a big red umbrella (see picture). After passing the dancers, he stopped to listen to the traditional Tibetan horns (I was told they sounded better in real life, not mic-ed) and then greeted the authentically dressed representatives from the Tibetan areas who awaited him on the stairs (also in the picture). It was amazing to think that such a kind looking man could be so wellknown, loved and respected. And to see Richard Gere standing at his shoulder, whispering in his ear was extremely awesome! We tried to get a picture of them together on the screen on our way out (we had classes to go to and things to do), but missed it.

Okay, so now about last Sunday and my first Gospel Choir concert. We (the Gospel Choir), were paid to sing at this church's 22nd Founder's Day celebration. We got there around 4 and left at 6:30pm, but it was still going on. It was very extravagant and lively with the Bishop seated on an ornately carved throne on stage, dressed in purple and gold with a fancy hat on her head. The "praise team" wore African-styled outfits and everyone was in suits and dresses. Even the programs were big and printed in color! As our ex-president of Gospel Choir said, it was an Island church. Each song was approximately 10 minutes long (it seemed) and eveyone was up clapping their hands and singing loudly. Some even cried as they sang. The whole congregation was African American and some of the speakers had slight accents. Two people testified how prophecies that the Bishop had made had come true and many people were annointed with 7 year old oil. Overall, it was a great experience, the people were very nice and appreciative (twice during the service we hugged our neighbors and everyone came to include us in their hugs), and very fun.

My First Thoughts on College... and an update

This is the first email I sent to everyone documenting my college experience. I really should have posted this first, but ah well. Better late than never, right? Tomorrow I'm going to hear the Dalai Lama speak after he gets awarded by the President. There'll be a lot of people there but it should be fun. Besides, we got excused from class to go to it! Other than that, I'm just studying for my World Politcs mid-term on Friday. Oh, and I got a B+ on my first College Writing essay! Yahoo!

I'd better get back to studying. Have a great week, all! I'll post pictures on Friday or later this weekend!

Love, Kaia


Hi Everyone!

I am finally situated in my new dorm with my awesome roommate who's Iranian
American and is from Connecticut. Her name is Shirin. She's super nice and
very easy to live with, not to mention that she has many similar favorites like
me. Shirin, another girl in our Bio class and a few doors down from us, and I are
going to have a musicals movie night because we love them so much. It should be
great.

So, anyway, I live on the first floor of Letts Hall, which is right across the street
from the entrance to Anderson Hall (Letts and Anderson are actually connected, but
double doors and different colored trim divide us). I'm in a special Biology
class that is part of University College (UC), a special program that has hands-on,
community-oriented classes which are taught by the heads of the departments. Each
class live near each other and have a sophomore Program Associate (PA - like a mentor)
who will be in the class and on all of the field trips with them.

So, I live next door to Stephen Kos, our PA, who is awesome, super cool, and really
nice. He let us have a dance party in his room last night =), and jokes around
with us constantly. The other UC Bio kids(there are 14 of us) all live in the rooms
around me. There is Andrew, Jaques, Shaun, Kudzai (from Zimbabwe - he hasn't
arrived yet so we don't know what he's like), Shirin, Shannon, Jenn, Khileen,
Katie, Katrina, Omomoble (she's from Nigeria - we call her Mobes because her
name is really difficult to pronounce, and I know I spelled it wrong. I try to call
her by her full name, the 'O' is silent), Blair, Xinyi ("shin-yea",
she's from China and is sometimes hard to understand/hard for her to understand
us, but she's really sweet and outgoing and loves teaching us things about China),
and me. We're almost always together and are like one big happy family. We've
adopted a few others who like to hang out with us but aren't in UC Bio. We
just pretend they are. =)

As part of our UC Bio course, we are doing the Freshmen Service Experience which
means we're doing three days of community service together. There are around
500 freshmen working in groups at around 40 different locations and organizations
in D.C. We're working at the National Breast Cancer Coalition. They are the
main Breast Cancer government influence and organization and do an amazing amount
of stuff ranging from educating survivors so that they may sit at the table with
scientists to discuss which treatments should be funded to influencing congress
and the senate to give breast cancer research more money or to make sure everyone
has access to breast cancer tests and treatment through Medicaid. (Sorry, that was
a bit long winded and quite the run-on.) We basically work at the main office and
are doing things such as data input, folder stuffing, shredding, binder consolidation
and organization, and calling. It seems like menial stuff but we know it's
stuff that needs to be done. We just all agree that we would never want to work
in an office. =) Today was only our first day, but we did get a lot done.
I'm heading the binder consolidation and organization and really with that the
board meeting members in 1994 were much more organized as I've been struggling
to put their meeting minutes and agendas in order (or even to find them)! Anywho,
they're really nice people and we have a blast anyway.

Thus far I have met two other people from Portland and they know of quite a few
more so there might be 12 of us from Oregon. We'll have to start an Oregonians
club. =) Or at least a support group.

I start classes on Monday and will be taking "Leadership Gateway," "World
Politics," Biology, Spanish Intermediate, and College Writing. The book we
have to read for college writing is called "The Ponds of Kalambayi" and
is really good. I'm only on chapter 2, but the author, Mike Tidwell is coming
on Thursday, I think, to talk about it so I'm going to try to finish it before
then.

Well, I'd best be getting off to the book and then bed. I have a bit of a sore
throat but am taking vitamins, Airborne, and going to bed early so no worries.

Hope you all have a great week! I sure will!!

Love, Kaia

Mexico Fest 2007!

Today Khileen (UC Bio friend and lab partner), Jennifer (College Writing friend) and I went to the National Museum of Natural History to go to the Mexico Fest. It was so much fun! We got there in time to see some dancers perform and then each painted an animal! I painted a bird with a gord boddy, cardboard wings, and clay eyes and a beak. Khileen and Jennifer each painted a dried bean pod that rattles when you shake it. They're really cool and we got MANY complements while we were making them. One older lady (a volunteer) came up to admire mine and then I guess went and told her friends because then they came up to admire, too. The ladies kept saying how we should take art classes and just loved our animals. They were really sweet. It was great to get to do an art project. College students can do art projects, too! =)

We also went to a really good restaurant and walked across the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol on the way there. The sludge at the bottom of the pool had become all dried up like thick chips and made an almost explosive crackle when you walked on them. We also were thrilled to encounter quite a few dead fish skeletons, too. Then Khileen almost walked under a squirrel that looked like it was going to fall off the branch it was on, while she was singing a song about the dead fish of the reflecting pool. Other funnies: we got on the wrong train on the way to the Mall and then I got stuck in the doors when they closed on me, and on the way back Khileen accidentely got on a different car than us so we had to communicate through the glass door and run to join her at the next stop.

Overall it was a fun and funny day. Hope you like the pictures! I think I'm going to work on some homework for a bit and then watch a movie tonight. =) Should be fun.

~ Kaia

Some pictures...

This is me at the Native American Museum in the gift store with the Pendleton blanket. It was so nice to see Pendleton here in DC! The next picture is of me room here. I've changed the two sarongs hanging on my loft since then, but everything else is pretty much the same. Granny Kit took the next one before we left to go to the hotel.

Fall break is here!

Yay! Fall break is here and I've made it through my Spanish and my Bio Lab midterm with more sleep and less stress than expected! It's been a bit crazy as today I had a lab report due, and the bio lab midterm to study for, plus the usual little odds and ends for my other classes. However, I managed to finish my lab last night not too late and feel good about the test! Yay!

Also, Monday was my first full day of work. I worked 11:30 to 4:30 and had fun with the kids in Green room (4 and 5 yr olds). I also got quite a bit of reading done for World Politics during nap time! I also managed to forget to eat lunch, but was able to run out and literall eat lunch on the run as the Green room only had one teacher that day. It's all good. I'll be sure to bring a lunch next time. =)

I also like my new Spanish teacher. She's from Spain, so I'm still struggling to get past her "lisp", but she's really nice and believes in practice and participation full of mistakes rather than multiple tests. So the only test we'll have will be our final. Another yay! I just have to come out of my little Spanish shell and get some sentences together and get used to listening to her. =) Her name is Maria de Bravo (I'm pretty sure) and has been wonderful enough to pick up our class after our old teacher up and left out of the blue (she had family issues she needed to attend to). So Spanish should be fun, still or more challenging maybe, but fun.

Other news... Shirin has gone home for fall break so it's weird not having her in the room. She left just a few hours ago, but still. I'm going to miss her. =) She gets back on Sunday. Tomorrow I plan on attending the CDC (Child Development Center)'s family potluck with the kids and their parents and might go to the National Cathedral or something before that. Saturday I plan on going to a México Fest at the National Museum of Natural History with my friend Khileen and maybe some other people. Should be fun. =) Oh, and I'm fish-sitting for Kurt's new son, Albus. Yes, he's named after Albus Dumbledore (yeah, I probably spelled that wrong) and is a beautiful irridescent, bright blue beta fish. Kurt got him yesterday and didn't quite trust his two roomates with him so he's taking Shirin's place (well, almost). =)

Other than that, not much has been going on... besides the usual. I'm just happy that I made it through the week with more sleep than I thought I would have. Next week will be my next challenge as I have my World Politics class on Friday, but I plan on studying this weekend a bit so I hope to plan ahead enough to not get too stressed out.

Well, hope you all have a great weekend! It's finally windy and cold and Portland like here! Autumn has come! I just hope it stays this way.

~ Kaia

"Women At The Table of Power" 2007 WAND/WiLL Conference

This is the paper I wrote for credit and extra credit (two different classes) about the conference. Hope you enjoy it!

“Women At The Table of Power” 2007 WAND/WiLL Conference

This past weekend, I attended the conference “Women At The Table of Power” which was put on by WiLL (Women Legislators’ Lobby) and WAND (Women’s Action for New Directions). WiLL is a nation-wide organization of women legislators (state and federal) whose goal is to “influence federal policy and budget priorities” while encouraging women leadership. It was created in 1991 as a program of WAND, which is also nation-wide and has members of all ages and backgrounds. WAND’s members are mostly women, but men may also be members and supporters. WAND’s mission is similar to that of WiLL’s but is for non-legislators. Every two years WiLL and WAND collaborate to put on a conference to educate, empower and provide support to its members, to network, and to culminate the conference by lobbying together on Capital Hill. This year, my Grandma (who is a WAND member) decided to come to DC to attend the conference and suggested that I attend, as well. At first I hesitated giving up a weekend of study time to participate, but now I am extremely glad that I did.

Every day of the 3-day conference provided many new and amazing opportunities and experiences. I had the opportunity to meet state and federal legislators from around the country and heard speakers such as Jane Fonda (who I also had the pleasure of meeting), Carol Jenkins (president of The Women’s Media Center), the newly elected Senator Laura Richardson, and Alice Lynch and the Honorable Dorothy Rupert (two amazing women who were nominated, as part of 1000 women from around the world, for the Nobel Peace Prize). The speakers spoke on subjects such as national spending (e.g. “Our Nation’s Checkbook: What does it tell us and how do we act for change?”), and encouraging female leadership (e.g. “Understanding Women’s Attitudes toward peace and Security”).

As a young person, I gained much from the conference. Everyone I talked to was extremely supportive and encouraging of me and my future endeavors - whatever they turn out to be. I received advice from women young and old, and felt wonderfully included and welcomed wherever I went during the conference. I came away from the conference feeling empowered, informed, but also shocked. I learned about issues that could have been avoided and that still could be remedied if only the general populace new about them. The best example of this is in the spending of our tax dollars.

Currently, we spend $502,000,000,000 (502 billion dollars) on the Pentagon. That’s 54% of the Federal Discretionary Budget and doesn’t even include money for Homeland Security or the Iraq War (Office of Management and Budget Historical Tables, Table 8.9 Budget Authority for Discretionary Programs). It would only take approximately $20 billion of that money to put all children on health care. Today, only one in nine children have health care, which is an abominable statistic for a country with such wealth and prosperity as ours. Even if we created national child heath care, we would still have plenty for military spending, and then some. As it is, the Pentagon is not even required to create a budget or tell us exactly where the $502 billion of our tax dollars are being spent. Is this really wise? Shouldn’t the money be going to education and healthcare - problems that are affecting our citizens now and that will affect the future? We spend twice as much in military spending than the rest of the world
does --combined -anyway.

Another interesting bit of information I learned was about women’s voting. Currently, young, unmarried women of minority are the majority of unregistered voters. Some register one year, but because of their frequent address changes, they are not registered the next. As 52% of the population are women, the large number of unregistered women could have a lot of weight in the next election (Lake).

Despite the lack of women’s involvement in politics, it was very reassuring to see all of the questions that were asked during panel discussions being asked by Representatives and Senators. It felt really good to see these women speak up with specific questions on how they should use this information to better represent their constituents and steer this country. I found it very reassuring to know that there are people who are genuinely working to make this country a better place and, with all the government scandals in the papers, are really working for the benefit of the people of the USA.

This conference taught me so much and gave me a much better understanding of myself and life in general. These Senators, Representatives, famous people... I realized that they are just women, too. And meeting them and seeing them (and almost rooming with one of them) helped me to remember my potential and and the that my dreams may not be as unattainable as they occasionally seem.


Lake, Celinda. “Understanding Women’s Attitudes toward Peace and Security.” 2007 WiLL/WAND Conference. Washington Court Hotel, Washington, DC. 1 Oct. 2007.

An interesting website: < www.defenselink.mil/contracts >

"A Dialogue that Bridges Age Barriers"

This picture is from the the "Dialogue that Bridges Age Barriers" dinner and talk where Alice Lynch (the African American woman in green), Hon. Dorothy Rupert (the woman in black near me - I love this woman!), and Emily Bourne (the woman in yellow) talked about their lives and gave us advice. It was such a magical evening with three amazing and wonderful women.

My Schedule

So, for those who have been wondering, this is my schedule for this semester. Appologies that it has taken so long to get it out there. =)

Monday:
8:30am - 9:45am Spanish Intermediate
11:30am - 4:30pm Work

Tuesday:
8:30am - 9:45am UC Bio
11:20am - 12:35pm College Writing
3:35pm - 4:40pm World Politics

Wednesday:
8:30am - 9:20am Spanish
10am - 2pm UC Bio Field Trip
3:35pm - 5:25pm Leadership Gateway
8:10pm - 10:50pm Gospel Choir

Thursday:
8:30am - 9:45am Spanish
11am - 2pm Bio Lab
2:30pm - 5:30pm Work

Friday:
8:30am - 9:45am UC Bio
11:20am - 12:35pm College Writing
3:35pm - 4:50pm World Politics


My Job:

I have officially finalized my job hours and will now be working every Monday and Thursday at the Children's Development Center (CDC). It is a pre-school for 2.5 - 4 year olds and is three minutes from my dorm room. CDC is the little brick building and playground located next to Anderson Dorm (which is connected to Letts, my dorm, but the entrance is accross from the Letts Dorm). The people are really nice and the kids are adorable. I like it thus far, but next Monday will be my first Monday of work.

Other news: My Spanish teacher just resigned today due to "personal matters." She's very sad and couldn't even tell us during class as she felt so emotional about it. We'll miss her, especially as we have a test on Monday and have assignments due next week. But also, she is a really wonderful, energetic, enthusiastic, young teacher. I hope our new teacher will be fun!