He's, like, fourth in line to be the President!

Later on Thursday night, I went to the AIPAC Summer Seminar Series. AIPAC is the Israeli-American Alliance NGO that my roommate Liz works for. We heard a democrat and a republican senator speak about the importance of that relationship - Israel is the our only true ally, and democratic nation in the Middle East. The coolest part was that it was inside of the House side of Congress - it was my first time in those buildings and it was so beautiful. There were so many important people there...



BECCA!



then another cool thing happened. The House majority leader Steny Hoyer just happened to walk by the room, saw it was for AIPAC, and made an impromptu speech. He is fourth in line to be president, you know. Everyone there was very smart - we had to wear name tags that said our school, and everyone's was like Vanderbilt, Harvard, etc. THEN ANOTHER COOL PART... Liz made a speech and introduced Senator Elliot Engle. She was so good. I felt like a proud parent. Plus - isn't she pretty!

What Do We Want? $50 Billion! When Do We Want It? NOW!

Thursday was one of my favorite days in DC so far. From marching through the Senate offices, to meeting the House majority leader, I got to be on both sides of the political spectrum - a crazy, liberal activist and a hoity toity Hill intern. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

On Thursday at work Justine, Michael (my boss) and I left to meet Ellie at a PEPFAR rally at Stanton Park. There were about 150 people there protesting to push America's Global AIDS Bill (PEPFAR) to pass through Congress with the standards we wanted. We want $50 Billion, more money on sex education (not abstinence-only) and more money into research/prevention.



This bill is being stalled by 3 senators, while other senators are trying their hardest to get it passed, and to get it passed fast. The theme of the rally was "SuperHero & Villian" so there were signs of the senators that had spent so much time working on the bill and trying to get it to pass as well as the senators we don't like on villian bodies. They photoshopped the senators' faces into superhero bodies with capes. The senators we were thanking included Obama and McCain, among others. After the rally in the park, we marched 5 blocks, in the street, to the Senate buildings.

These were some of our chants:
"I say 50, you say billion. 50. Billion. 50. Billion!"
"Pills cost pennies, Greed costs lives!"
"Don't be a jerk, PEPFAR works!" (My personal favorite...)
"Sex education is the name of the game, abstinence-only, shame, shame, shame."
"When people with AIDS are under attack, what do we do? Act up, fight back!"



It was about 146 degrees outside, but it didn't matter. It was such an amazing feeling. There were people from NYC and Phili that joined us, so it was about 300 people. There were also people there who were living with AIDS and it was great to see them. When we got to the Senate offices we split into three groups, each making our way to two senators offices - one we would thank, one we would get angry at. The first senator we went to, we pulled her staff aside (the senators weren't actually there) and presented them with an award, thanking them for their work on the bill. Then we reminded them all of the things we wanted it in, and urged them to keep fighting hard. They were happy about this.

Then we went to Senator Vitter's office, one of the people trying to stall the bill. We want it to pass by July 7 because on the 8th there is a summit in Egypt on AIDS, and if the US just passed a huge $50 billion bill, it would encourage other nations to offer up their funds to the cause. If the US hasn't, it's less likely AIDS funding will get as much money. Senator Vitter is from Louisania and believes condoms=ALL HELL IS GOING TO BREAK LOOSE. People in Africa need to learn about protection, not about what's morally right and wrong to Christians in the West. We presented his staff with a funeral wreath, symbolizing the thousands of deaths he would be responsible for by stalling the bill, as well as a death of leadership his office was bringing. The intern that was receiving the wreath for him had this little southern accent and looked really pissed off, it was awesome. She was all "Well shoot I dunno too much about this here bill, but i'll let him know you good people were here." Okay, she wasn't that bad. Here she is below with the attitude. I like the second picture, you can see me giving her an evil look.





This is Justine, Ellie, and Michael, (I'm behind him) How fab do we look?

My My, Here We Go Again

Lots to update you on. I'm going to write several posts, because this last week's happenings are deserving of their own separate titles and such.

I'm sitting here, at work, drinking coffee and trying to keep myself awake. I could easily sleep right now... right here in my chair and get the 12 more hours I need. I am this tired because of my trip to NYC. But before I get into that... I must elaborate on how last week played out, yes? Why, YES you say!!

On Monday after work Jessi, Liz, Becca, and I went to the fundraiser for the Iowa Flood Relief. So we took the Metro after work to a building by the capitol. We donated our $20 to the event, ate 8 pounds of cheese and grapes, looked at all the swanky people, and went home. The event raised more than $75,000! We didn't stay very long because we are old women who need to eat dinner and go to bed by 11. :)

On Wednesday we went on a walk through Georgetown just to get out of the apartment. I just HAPPENED to run in to Kelsey on the street! I loved it because I never see anyone I know here... obviously. She was running and I was so excited to see her! On our way back we saw the President of the United States of America. Not really - but almost. He was deffffinitely inside this French restaurant. There were 2 dozen black SUVs in front of it, with all of the secret service people standing outside of them and in front of the restaurant. We walked by twice and they probably thought we were threats because we were creepy. Inside we saw more secret service people standing around a table. It was cool. We could also see undercover workers among the crowds of people and the people walking by... you could tell they were working for the president because they were all sly and stuff. AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL BABY.

Here is a picture of Georgetown, it's like a 10 min walk from where I am and it's one of the oldest neighborhoods in America. It's so pretty.

Whadda Week

I hope you enjoyed learning about what I encounter during my every day life in that last post. Last Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty slow in the office, but Thursday was more proactive.
During the morning, Justine, Ellie, and I went to this HIV/AIDS training event down the block with a couple dozen other interns in DC. It was held at the AIDS Alliance building, which was very sleek looking, and it was very helpful because it taught us all of the basic things we should know about U.S. domestic and foreign AIDS policy. Then later that afternoon Justine and I went to go help stuff packets at Jubilee on the Hill because they were in panic mode due to limited time before their conference on debt in Africa.

On Friday, my lovely day off, I slept really late and watched Lost. Productive, eh? I'm already like half way through the third season and I'm really afraid for the day when I catch up to where the show is now and I have to wait to see the next episode, I'm so used to being able to watch it whenever I want. Later that night, some of my roommate's friends came over.

On Saturday, I woke up and went over to Jessi's. We went to her pool (which is on top of her apartment building) and layed out for awhile. I stayed like 2 hours longer than she did because she went to get her hair cut. It was sooo nice at the pool because: 1. it's free 2. it's close 3. it's private(ish) and 4. it's on the top of the building with a cool view! Later that night Liz had to go to work (yes, on a Saturday night) so Becca, Abbie and I went to Abbie's brother's house. Later on in the night we took the Metro home and made friends with everyone on the train. First Becca started talking to this woman who was with her friend and then it started to involve three more people and discussion of marriage and children. She told us not to get married young, because she did and got divorced. Then this middle-aged father told us not to get married at all but to have children, because it was the best thing that ever happened to him. Interesting, interesting, I say.

On Sunday (Stupid Liz was still working) Becca, Abbie and I went kayaking on the Potomac River (the water mass in DC) in Georgetown with Abbie's brother and his friend. It was sooo gorgeous and a workout. My arms are sore today. Later on we went grocery shopping, cleaned, and watched Gossip Girl. Ha.

Today is Monday. I just got done calling/faxing a list of media sources to notify them of our Rock to Save Darfur benefit concert on Wednesday in NYC. I called the New York Times, no big deal. I can't go to the concert because it's too far away and we would have to miss work, only the other department interns get to. Boo. Tonight I am going to the Iowa Flood Relief Fundraiser on the Hill. Gov. Culver, both senators, and some congress members will be there to speak. I'm excited to go and be around Iowa people and do what I can from DC to support the flood relief. I'm going with Jessi and my roommates are sooo nice and are going with me to support the motherland.

This week is going to be really busy. On Tuesday we are having dinner at someone's house, Wednesday we're going to a museum, Thursday I think I'm protesting somewhere, and Friday we leave for NYC for the weekend.

Response to comments posted on my blog the last few post:

Jan - Thank you for sharing my blog with people, especially to those across the ocean! It makes me feel very accomplished.

Grandpa - Same to you! Thanks for sharing it, and thanks for reading it! I'm glad I found a way to keep everyone updated. Miss you!

Molly - Is it sad that people actually thought that could be my apt?

Mary Fraces - Thank you for reading the blog! I have always wanted to visit Ireland so I'll definitely keep that in mind!

Cheers.

10 Things My Life Consists Of:

1. A computer screen. My darling computer screen. How would I go on without you? I stare at you for eight hours a day, and you show me all of my important emails (from my mom and sister). You also provide me with Facebook, the Daily Iowan, and all other news sources. Sometimes I even do my work on you. You are my God.



2. Humidity. I get to go swimming every day - in the air. Gotta love DC.



3. Gossip Girl. My roommates have made me obsessed. We watch at least one episode a day, even now that we have an actual TV. You know you love me... XOXO.




4. Crumbs, dishes, and crap. We need to clean our apartment :)



JK! That's not actually our apartment. What do you think, we're ANIMALS?!

5. A brick building. It stands outside my office window and stares at me.
Such a creeper.



6. A ladybug. I encounter her several times a day when I pick her up and step out of the office. She is attached to a key chain and made out of beads. Apparently ever since one assault incident happened in a bathroom somewhere in DC, all of them have been on lockdown. But it's ok, I enjoy my time with the ladybug key.




7. Africa. Ok.. I don't actually see AFRICA but I see a map of Africa. It hangs on the walls all around me. I've been having fun looking at it because it's not a part of the globe we study in school very much or take time to look it. The main concepts I've taken away from looking at it is 1.) it's huge and 2.) it's huge.



8. People. There are lots of them. And they are in a hurry. Don't get in their way!



9. Cereal. We eat it every morning! Today we ate it whilst watching Saved By The Bell.



10. George Washington. I stay in his dorms and I see his monument every day. I'd say that makes us pretty tight.





Oh yeah.. and one more.

11. Iowa City. In my head of course!

Thanks Georgey Porgey

Quoted from the Gazette: The president is slated to return to Washington later today from a trip to Europe. After attending Sunday church services in Paris, the president issued a statement saying: “My thoughts and prayers go out to those who are suffering from the floods in our country. I know there’s a lot of people hurting right now and I hope they’re able to find some strength in knowing that there is love from a higher being.”

Yes, they may know there is 'love from a higher being' but that's going to be way more beneficial if it was paired with federal help to get their homes and lives back. I hope FEMA comes through this time.

Manic Monday

I wish it was Sunday.'Cause that's my funday! My I don't have to runday. It's just another manic Monday.

Have to catch an early train, got to be to work by nine. And if I had an air-o-plane
I still couldn't make it on time, 'Cause it takes me so long just to figure out what I'm gonna wear. Blame it on the train, but the boss is already there.



What a fabulous song, full of profound thoughts and word choices. Well the weekend is gone and it went really fast, though I feel a lot happened. I had the day off Friday so I slept in late, cleaned the apartment, and watched some Lost. Eventually we got out of the house later with some of my roommate's friends from school. Two of their friends stayed at our place for the weekend. On Saturday we all went to the Museum of Natural History, and it was sooo cool. Keegan will love it - we'll have to go there when you come Molly. Oh yeah, Molly is visiting July 9-15! It's official! Excitement in my bones, excitement in my bones. Anywhoo, the museum had huge dinosaurs and mammals to look at. It also had the "most perfect diamond in the world." It's called the hope diamond, and I stole it. In my head. Then I was a Queen! It also had an IMAX theater that we went to and we saw Sea Monsters. It was only my second time seeing an IMAX movie and it was hilarious feeling like those nasty things were almost touching my face.

After that we went out later with their friends and someone Liz works with named Attie. She's 18 too and goes to Princeton. You know, the best university in the nation. No biggie. On Sunday we didn't really do anything, butit was a funday, my idon'thavetorunday. We went grocery shopping and then Becca lost her wallet and it was sad times. :(

Today is MONDAY! (Have I said that yet?) So I'm going back to my workjob as Sam would call it. peace & love bruthas and sistas.

Nine to Five, What a Way to Make a Living

Ahh this week has been quite the busy one, eh? Sorry I haven't really been updating, I know it has been devastating to your well-being. Here are the highlights of each day this week:

Monday - During the day at work, I literally just sat at my computer. It was very painful. Later in the night, the roommates and I made a meal (Roommate Dinner haha Molly). It was probably the easiest meal to cook - just pasta and salad - but we felt very accomplished. We still REALLY need a TV for our apartment because right now we like, actually have to interact and stuff. We get one tomorrow because Abby's family is bringing it to us!

Tuesday - At 10 a.m., Justine and I went to one of the Congress buildings on Capitol Hill (I saw Loebsack's office!) We were attending a meeting about the obstacles to peace in Sudan, held by the Institute on Religion & Democracy. Several people spoke and discussed ways to hold Khartoum (Sudan's capitol) accountable so that peace can be found in the North, South, East and West of the country. Though the main focus of media attention in the past few years has been on Darfur, there are several other conflicts in the nation that have proven more deadly than Darfur, which is in the western region of the country. The civil war between the North and South of Sudan went on for 22 year years, and more people died and more people were displaced than in the conflict in Darfur. In 2005, the Bush Administration (surprisingly) took the lead to help the regions sign a peace contract, known as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, that ended the 22 year war. This was a good step. However, since that time, the rebel government has not complied with the agreement. They have repeatedly asked for more time and missed all of the deadlines the agreement calls for. It was fun being in the Congress buildings right by the Capitol, I'd love to work on the Hill someday.

Wednesday - I spent the day uploading interviews that Africa Action staff have done over the past two years with different radio shows. It took a really long time because I had to find the radio clip somewhere on the Internet, listen to it, and summarize the discussion. Then I had to post it on the website for Michael to approve. Check them out here: http://africaaction.org/newsroom/index.php?type=16 All the ones you see on that page I uploaded. Later on Wednesday night, all of the roomies took the metro to the closest Target (like 10 metro stops away!) to get some necessary things like a boiling pot, a bath mat, and a swiffer. But holy crap, that Target was amazing (Molly- you would have been in HEAVEN). I couldn't find any of the stuff I needed, so I asked one of the workers where I could find it, and he said on the second floor. YES A SECOND FLOOR! So I was like SWEET DAWG, but what about my cart? This is when he pointed to the escalators. They had this thing that you pushed your cart onto and it took it up to the top floor for you. It just rode up right next to you. Coolest part of my stay here so far, easily. :)


Today - Oh what a jolly good day today has been. This morning some interns from Global Justice came to our office to watch a movie called Life and Debt. It was about the debt and financial situation of Jamaica. Here is the trailor:



It was really interesting to see how "globalization," something we have been taught is so good for economies, really destroyed Jamaica's goal for prosperity. The country became free from Britain in 1962 and, of course, as an independent state they didn't have that strong of an economy, and they needed time to build it up. They were forced to borrow money from the World Bank, but they could not create a 5 year plan or a 10 year plan of paying the money back because the bank would only lend them money for a very short amount of time. If they didn't pay it back (which of course they couldn't) they would have ever-increasing interest rates and ever-increasing debt (which they eventually did). The IMF and World Bank told the country that if they were going to borrow money from them, they would have to trade globally instead of just within the island. This eventually destroyed farmers' livings and put the country further into debt. I like the movie because it constantly showed tourists only seeing the really beautiful parts of Jamaica and not the slums. They showed them chugging beer and getting fried, it was disturbing to see what was happening just neighborhoods away.

Only 15 minutes left. Miss you, I bet!

Just In Case You Haven't Seen It...

Tis No Longer Bare

The shift key isn't working. Every time I press it, it gets stuck, and I have to use a paper clip to lift it back up. So now every time I need something caps, I just press CAPS lock. ISN'T THAT AWESOME.

NO. THE ANSWER IS NO. It's very annoying. I'm tired and cranky, if you haven't noticed. But still happy. Anyway, the roomies have officially moved in and my apartment isn't creepy and empty anymore. They are really fun and crazy - crazier than like me in seventh grade (Sasha - you know). You'd be sure to like them. I'm sharing a room with a girl named Liz. She is from Detroit and goes to school at a liberal arts college in Colorado (with the other two girls I now live with). She has gorgeous red hair and is really funny. She is working for APAC, the group that lobbys for Israel. It's really intense and she had to cancel her Facebook for it, isn't that sad? Becca and Abby (or Abbie, not sure yet) live in the other room. Abby has the sweetest job ever - she works for the Discovery Channel. She met the star of this new show, the office is HUGE and has like dinosaurs and stuff, and they give her free EVERYTHING (posters, waterbottle, keychains, baseball tickets) Becca works for a group that works for women with breast cancer I believe. They are equally nice and funny. Yay.

Sunday they got moved in (kinda) and we went to the grocery store. Later on in the night Becca's dad took us out to dinner with some of his friends... then he rented us a limo, yes a LIMO, to take a tour of DC. I'm not sure if this is a normal thing for them, but I was certainly enthused. I saw the National Cathedral, the WWII Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials.



Seeing all of them was really surreal for me. I think it's a little more fun for me than some people who have seen REALLY historic things in other countries. These monuments were only around 200 years old, but I was excited! The Lincoln memorial was my favorite, he was so BIG and detailed. I did notice there are no monuments to any women or black people. Susan B Anthony or Martin Luther King anyone? C'mon now.

Lost Changes Lives

Or at least Brian's. This is our convo from last night:

B: I actually think the show has made me a better person.
C: *Laughter*
B: Don't laugh. Like, my thoughts are more good.
C: More good?
B: Yeah, like when I was thinking about this situation the other day, and I was like, hmm I could take this approach, or I could just forget about it. There are bigger things to be concerned with. I'm starting to think, what would Locke do? What would Jack do?
C: Yeah...
B: Lost has also made me realize how much people lie. I look at everyone and I go 'You're lying to me, you have all these secrets.' Like why are you lying to me? Why are you hiding the guns from me? Why are you locked up in the hatch? It makes me think about things more. I'm finding my decision are more rational.


Someone has crossed the line between fantasy and reality, perhaps? Here is a little clip from our favorite show, when Sawyer steals the guns. Brian now thinks this happened to him in real life, I'm sure.

Roman de Gare

I saw this French movie tonight with Ellie. I actually ventured out beyond GW campus and as we were walking to the theater, I looked to my right, and there was the capitol in the distance. Anyway, this movie was freaky but good!

'Educated Women Are Difficult'

I didn't have to answer the phone yesterday or today. Thank the lord. But I did get to meet another amazing person. Dr. Karambu Ringera, a Kenyan human rights activist, came to talk with us about her cause and to see if Africa Action could help. First of all, let me explain to you how inspiring she is. In 2004, she became the first woman to run for Kenyan parliament, going up against 15 men. Despite her gender and the fact her funding lacked when compared to the majority of the men, she placed sixth. She said she ran her campaign very differently than everyone else because she was actually looking for change. She told us she would set up projects, like starting a new school or repairing a road, and then her opposing politicians would swoop in, finish the project, and get credit.

"It didn't bother me though," she said. " People kept saying to me, 'Karambu, don't drop out of the race, don't stop doing what you're doing, because without you, none of this would be getting done. And we need it to get done.'"

She was married for eight years, but left her husband when he didn't support her continuing her education in Nairobi (the capitol of Kenya). Since then, she has gained several masters degrees and a Ph.D. Now she speaks to women and girls about the importance of realizing who they are as a woman and tells them they can take control of their lives. She said that women often accept the fact they will never continue their education or will always be beaten by their husbands, because that's the way it has always been. She tells them to ask themselves, "Do I like being beaten every once in awhile because my husband thinks it's best? Do I like fetching water every day and staying home? If not, you can DO something about it." She has faced problems with her lectures because people have said she is to "Western." Even her own mother has told her that she is "difficult" because she is educated. She tries to explain that she is not difficult, she just has a sense of what is right and what is wrong for herself. Now she holds conferences for women and girls in Africa to come together and talk about their struggles. She also spends a lot of time with women struggling with HIV/AIDS every day. (I saw on her website that she has an internship position for someone to help her during the summers...)

I started reading about her when she left and found some articles from Kenyan women and girls. One 12-year-old girl wrote an article about her life in Kenya, and said she would like to be pen pals with American girls. I was thinking about starting a program like this between UI or ICCSD students and students in Kenya. I think it would be pretty easy to set up.

The rest of the day wasn't as exciting. I started to fold brochures and then Christine informed me they owned a folding machine. You just stick the paper in and it comes out folded!!! It was amazing!! I was extremely ecstatic about this, and I kept laughing every time it sucessfully popped me out a folded brochure. I'm pretty sure everyone in my office thinks I'm on crack now.

Today was my day off, but I went in to the office because the DPAC (department of analysis and communications) people needed to have a meeting. We distributed certain tasks we would work on during the summer. Here are mine:

- Send out news updates to the staff Monday and Tuesday.
- Come up with an Africa Action writing style guide. We are kind of inconsistent on some things that I can help with by knowing AP style. For example, when do we spell out the UN and the US and when don't we? Yay journalism.
- We are launching a blog in July, and I'm going to help research the best designs and layouts for this. I also have to help think of a name for it this weekend.. any suggestions? Alsooo Michael said that because I'm interested and knowledgeable about the media in Africa and how it affects democracy, I will probably have a weekly report regarding that!
- Update the websites links dealing with the African Union by June 23.
- We have these things called KUWAs every month - they are basically a time for the staff to learn about an issue we normally wouldn't learn about, something we're not working on a lot and that isn't really related to our three campaigns. In the past they have done child soldiers and avian flu and focused specifically on certain regional areas. This month we are doing the Horn of Africa... which is to the east and includes countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. Then in July we are doing one specifically on Somalia - this is the one I'm in charge of preparing for. Basically I have to find around 8 pages of reading materials, moderate the discussion, take notes, and write up a set of talking points. Kinda freaky, but fun.
- Help with the podcast... which will be a lot of work, and I don't know much about it.

The best part is the intern project that we work on all summer and then hopefully get published. I haven't decided on what I want to do yet. Do not fret, I will let you know when I do.

I'm going to the grocery store now and then to a French movie across town. I get to take a metro for the first time!

Banners for Darfur

Here is a slideshow of the rest of the banners (copy and paste it):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27399288@N06/sets/72157605454822517/

They May Not Be Polar Bears....But Maybe We Should Help?

I starting working today, though it's my third day at the job. Orientation was done, so I got to sit at a desk and pretend to know what the hell was going on. My first task: find headlines about Africa in major publications like the times, the post, and BBC, write a little summary, and send them out to the staff. Simple enough. I started typing and everything was going fine.

Then the phone rang. And it was my job to pick it up.

OK, I know how to answer a phone. I say, "Daily Iowan, this is Clara." But it was different this time, and it was unusually terrifying. After several rings too long, I picked it up, "Good Morning, Africa Action, how can I help you?" This is when I hear a British voice say something extremely fast, and I only caught the words *malaria* and *drugs* and the first thing that comes to mind is that someone with malaria is calling for drugs. That wasn't the case. At this point, I also have a British person sitting behind me whistling (love you, Ellie) and, let me tell you, I've never been around that many Brits at one moment. So I say.. um, I'm sorry, can you repeat that? She turned out to be calling from Global Media and wanted to interview my boss about the effectiveness of malaria drugs. That makes more sense. So I get to be one of those really fucking annoying secretaries that's like.. um, let me get your info and pass on the message. As I say this, I know what she's thinking. JUST LET ME TALK TO HIM YOU ANNOYING IDIOT, I'M ON A GOD DAMN DEADLINE. I HATE YOU. I HATE LIFE. You know how I know she hates life? She's a journalist. That's what we do. Anyway, I get her info and tell Michael she called. Phew, that was done. Little did I know I would have panic attacks every 15 minutes because of the phone ringing.

Then a woman walks in and comes up to me (because I have a desk at the front of the office so everyone thinks I know what's happening. False.) and she tells me she's there to talk to Gerald. He's our executive director. They talk for awhile and then he invites us all to join their conversation about the environment and climate change in Africa. The woman, who teaches law and lobbys for climate change awareness in Africa, spoke to all of us in his office about what's happening over on the continent.

So we all know about global warming. We all attempt to recycle and not buy SUVs, and we all know polar bears are dying and ice is melting and blah blah blah, but did you know that the continent of Africa and its people are suffering the most right now? The most vulnerable people on the planet are in the worst climate change situation. The Sahara Dessert is expanding rapidly, and droughts are occuring all over, which in turn create famine. But on the other side, floods are worse than ever before. Lake Chad, which used to supply water to Western Africa, is literally dried up. On top of that, America has recently decided to build a little under a dozen more pipelines (used for oil extraction) in Nigeria and surrouding areas. Of course, America didn't consult anyone in Africa before carrying this out. We did it because it was easy.... because no one could stop us. Another problem with oil in Nigeria is the flares on the side of the raod. When you make oil, there is a huge fire that burns 20 ft high, eliminating unnessary elements. In America we have technology to reduce that flare, but not in Nigeria. The flares give out toxic substances that cause cancer and miscarriages. Mothers walk by these on the way to work, children trip over pipelines on their way to school. America is directly contributing, and CREATING, this problem.

On top of all this, there are food shortages and waste problems caused by our energy crisis. All the nuclear waste is being put in Africa because America and Europe don't want to deal with it. America tries to put it elsewhere first by offering a Western or European country a billion dollars to take it. When they don't, America offers an African country a million dollars. And of course, they take it. This may or may not be a perfect example of environmental racism.

Sooo that was extremely interesting. After lunch, Justine, Millicent, and I had a new task. We were in charge of taking pictures of all of these posters and banners that people from all over the country made and sent to us. They all have handprints on them and plead for the government to help and protect Darfur. It was really cool to see where they came from. We took them into the park across the street, held them up and took pictures. This way passerbys could see them, too. I think I'm going to make a collage of them, and maybe we can use it for a poster.

Now I'm going to Jessi's house-warming party! Tomorrow is my last day at work for the week because I have Fridays off! :)

"An Opportunity to be Arrested"

Before I gush about Day 2 of my new life, I thought of three more funny/interesting things that happened to me yesterday that I want to share. Ready? Go.
1. I saw the White House. I know like half the nation has also had this experience, but I felt very special for some reason. It was like...the closest thing I've come to seeing a historic building. I know it's only like 200 years old, but I've never been to Europe, so there. I pictured Georgey sitting in the living room, watchin some cartoons, eating some chicken, drinking some oil. What a picture that would be! Anyway... it was littler than I thought it was, but it was still huge. It's about 3 blocks away from my office.
2. I learned I can take a break from work to rally by the White House. I took this little voyage to the White House with the other interns when Christine, an administrator in our office, took us to it during our "neighborhood tour," which consisted of a homeless man confessing his love for us, seeing 12 Starbucks, and passing important buildings like the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of the State and the Chamber of Commerce. Christine is hilarious and said that when she hears of a rally she's interested in, she goes to it for like 30 minutes and then goes back to work. I look forward to this.
3. I get to be arrested...if I'm lucky. Christine said that all the interns may have the chance to be hard-core activists and get a civil disobedience arrest during a protest or rally this summer. This could help us in the long run. Never thought I'd hear that. Though three of the other interns can't do it because they aren't U.S. citizens... and they would be deported. But I'm American. Lucky me.


OK. Now about Day 2.

Today we went through the orientation process at work again, but we focused more on specific things we'll be working on. Some of the tasks I'm really excited about are those focused on "new media." Our job (the other two interns and mine) is to prepare to launch a weekly podcast, produce a new radio show, and start a blog for the organization. I'm not quite sure what this will entail, but it will involve researching and recording a show for the podcast, as well as for the radio station. The blog will be updated frequently and hopefully bring more hits to the website (africaaction.org). I'm thinking about incorporating Facebook and YouTube, too.

Today we watched Have You Heard From Johannesburg? It is a documentary about the American movement to terminate the apartheid rule in South Africa. Just for background — There was a white, minority rule in South Africa between 1948 and 1990 that segregated whites and blacks. It was corrupt, racist, and violent. Towards the end of the apartheid movement, there was basically a civil war between the two ethnic groups. Innocent black protesters were shot and killed every day. Celebrities, congressmen, and most importantly, STUDENTS, in America protested and took time to formulate in numbers, which led to change. President Ronald Reagan refused, and never gave in, to helping the problem. He wouldn't start sanctions against South Africa (many now believe he did this for racist reasons). Reagan's reasoning for not putting sanctions on the country was that it would economically hurt the people they were trying to save.... he said that sanctions wouldn't work. But they work on the Soviet Union, Poland, and Cuba? It's OK and effective on those countries how? Sanctions WOULD work, and they eventually did. But because he refused, students began to protest their universities, asking them to pull their tuition dollars out of investments in companies that had ties to South Africa. Months and protests on college campuses all over the nation (including the UI) went by before Columbia University in NY finally took action. They pulled all of their stocks out of those companies, which, to make a long story short, triggered a domino affect. Colleges across the nation followed the lead. The House then passed a bill that would enforce sanctions, and the Senate passed it. When President Reagan vetoed the bill, he was overruled.

Basically, why I told that whole story, is because it was really inspiring that young people could actually pull that off. If you ever get a chance, you should watch that video. It showed me that we can care about a place so far away, and that we can make a difference. There were beatings and killings in South Africa, but there is a genocide happening as I write this in Darfur. The Sudanese government is doing nothing to stop the rebels, and the fighting is not getting better. The UN is taking care of more than 60,000 refugees from Sudan's Dar fur and thousands have been killed and raped. I just wonder if our generation is capable of standing up and addressing our consciouses. I guess that will be what I'm working on this summer.

Sorry that was so LONG, but it's really interesting to think about. 60,000 refugees living in Chad alone... that is probably just a number to you, which doesn't mean much. It's just a number to me too. It's almost impossible to imagine. Let's try.... that is the entire town of Iowa City, including all of the students. Allowing the genocide to continue is like saying it would be okay for all of Iowa City's residents to be forced from their homes, leave their families dead in the streets, and attempt to survive off of bread and water occasionally. That would never be OK. But it's normal to happen in Africa. They're black. That just happens there. Right?


OK. I promise my posts won't be this depressing in the future. Promise!

I'm attaching the documentary's trailor though.. check it out if you have time.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jnrsu5WvHJ8

White, Iowan, and 18 - got a problem?

I meant to start this blog yesterday, but I failed. Even though I moved into my dorm room yesterday, the (genius) people at GW didn't give us internet supplies until today. Do they not realize that I have important things to do on the internet that can't be put on hold? I had two Facebook notifications just WAITING to be clicked on. But I suppose I lived...they were only invitations to Dogbook or Petbook or whatever (who does that) and an invitation to Brian and Olivia's birthday that I can't attend. Bumma. But anyway, I'm apparently in D.C. now. It all happened so quickly and I felt high during the entire traveling process.

Here is a recap of my first two days in this city (because I know you're dying to know!):

So I left Sasha's dorm at Northwestern at the same time the rest of the building was finally getting to bed. 3:30 a.m. Yes that's right, 3:30 a.m. It was sad because everyone was actually crazy at Northwestern on Saturday for DILLO DAY!!! and I couldn't join because I had to be responsible and go to bed. Somehow I managed to wake up after two hours of sleep, shove all my shit into two bags, get into a cab, check in at the airport, find my gate at O'hare, get on the plane, get my 564 Ib. luggage down from baggage claim, get in another cab, and arrive at my dorm, all in a very sleepy and dazed state. Once there, lovely Jessica Gordon greeted me with a smile and hug as always and took me up to her friends room in Ivory Tower (my dorm building). Because the (again, genius) people at GW would not allow me to check into my dorm until six hours later, even though I had all my stuff and was sitting 7 floors away.So I chilled with JG all day. Then when I could finally check in at 3 p.m. - there were 1,000 people in line (literally), so I didn't make it into my room until around 6:30 p.m. Definition of Irony: when I went to my room later, it had been unlocked the whole time. Smiles.

I ended up helping Jessi move all her stuff into her apartment, which is only a few blocks away from my dorm. She had stuff all over the campus, so that was fun. At first they had rented a ZipCar (apparently they are super common but I haven't heard of it) to move everything, but later in the day, they returned it. Because of these unfortunate circumstances, Jessi and faced desperate times. She had a really heavy box, so we put it on a pink, tiny chair and rolled the damn thing seven blocks. Well, actually, Jessi rolled it seven blocks and I just stumbled behind her and laughed. We were both to the point of insanity the entire day, stopping at times to laugh at pigeons or an unusually long hair on her leg. Later that night I moved into my dorm room, which is extremely large and nice. Though it's very empty and weird because I'm the only one in it. I passed out as soon as I hit my pillow around 10 p.m.

Today I went to work. and it was the best day of my life. I woke up around 7 a.m. and met Ellie (another intern) and we walked together to the office. We finally found Africa Action tucked away in a large building with lots of offices. We got there 20 minutes early and met a girl named Uduak, another intern. The office is really cool, but small. There are posters everywhere of Africa and activist sayings. Today we had orientation and I met 5 of the most amazing girls I have ever met. Let's go through each of them.


Ellie: The only other white intern. She is from Britain and says things like "I'm over the moon about that" and "quite" and such. She is from Britain orginially but moved to PA and now she goes to college at Wooster in Ohio. She is really nice and only lives like a block away in New Hall, another dorm on GW's campus. She has been to South Africa and is studying abroad somewhere on the continent next year.

Uduak: She is from Nigeria and goes to school at the University of Miami in Florida. She is gorgeous and has braided hair and wore cool jewelry. She seems really funny and I think we'll get along well

Atlang: This girl just makes you laughhhh... and laughh... and laughhh. Her laugh is so contagious and sincere. She is from Botswana, which is right above South Africa and she is just a completely friendly person and makes you smile. She, along with Uduak, work in the Department of Public Education and Mobilization (I work in the Department of Policy Analysis and Communications).

Justine: She works in my department and is from North Carolina. I clicked with her really well and she seems down to earth. I think we'll hang out a lot. Her mom works for a senator so she said she could get me a tour of the White House... so yay!

Millicent: She is a volunteer, not an intern, and is the only girl my age. She is HILARIOUS and from Sierra Leone. I didn't talk to her much but she knows a lot about Africa and I'm sure we'll be friends.

Basically they all have more interesting stories than me. After they got done telling their stories, like where they're from etc. I sounded like a lameo.

"Hi, I'm Clara Hogan. I live in Iowa. I'm from Iowa City. I go to the University of Iowa. I've never been to Africa. I've never been to DC. How do you do".

After work, I went to the grocery store and met some girls across the hall who are really nice. My roommates don't move in until Saturday :(

Off to bed, another good day at the office tomorrow.