Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The question isn't "what are we going to do," the question is "what aren't we going to do?"
- from Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Since my last post I have officially started school, which more or less explains my long absence here on the blog. In an ode to school, I decided to sum up the past three weeks with
Becky's Back to School ABC's:

A: Anne - The name of a Turkish guy I just met. Fascinating guy, but my guess is that making sure people spell his name Anne with and 'e' is not the priority.

B: Bill Clinton at the Security Council - I attended a meeting of the UN Security Council on September 9th as Clinton gave a report on his work in Haiti. The gist of his speech? "We must do something, because we can."

C: Cinema Fellow - Here at International House we have a variety of programs (tutoring for children from Harlem, round table discussions, language exchange) all run by fellows. Lucky for me the Cinema Fellow position was open when I arrived and I just received an email that I was selected for the part! Basically I will choose a film to be shown every Sunday evening. Get ready for Dhoom 2 IHouse!

D: Development - In SIPA (School of International and Public Affairs) every student must choose one of six concentrations. I have settled on Economic and Political Development. As such, that brings me to my first of five classes - Introduction to International Development.

E: Economics - My second class which is also synonymous with dread/anxiety/discomfort/etc. for many SIPA students. However, as challenging as this class may be, it is also pushing me way out of my intellectual comfort zone which is always a good thing in grad school.

F: France's Foreign Minister - Today I attended a discussion with Bernard Kouchner, the co-founder of Doctors Without Borders and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of France (Hillary Clinton's counterpart). It was fascinating to see such a powerful politician up close. The gist of his message? "My dear American friends, do not forget that Europe exists."

G: Getting Groovy on a Ship - SIPA is known for its great parties and last Friday was no exception. We celebrated our second successful week at school with a boat party. It was pretty fantastic to dance to Lady Gaga while passing by Lady Liberty.

H: Hockey - After ten hours of classes and studying yesterday, I decided to take a break and play a little floor hockey at IHouse. After scoring two goals and working up a sweat I left relaxed and with a sweet bruise on my chin from getting whacked with the ball. My friend Karoline thought that I hadn't wiped food off of my chin when she saw me today. Nice. Hopefully the folks at the Career Fair tomorrow won't think the same thing.

I: International Politics, Conceptual Foundations of - This is my third class. For those of you who want to talk about Hobbes, Kant, Waltz, or Jervis this is the class for you. Also very cool is that Jeff Sachs will be our guest lecturer in two weeks!

J: Jina langu Becky (see "S")

K: Kristof, Nicholas - On Monday night he came to SIPA to speak about the new book he just co-authored called Half the Sky. It was wonderful to see him live. The gist of his talk? "The best way to fight poverty and extremism is to educate and empower women and girls."

L: Late nights - Just in case anyone was afraid that I might not fully enjoy New York, never fear. This night owl has found her place in the city that never sleeps. It really is amazing to be on a full train at 3:00am on the weekend. So many people going so many places.

M: Management - This it the title of my fourth class. I'll let you use your imagination on this one.

N: Net Impact - The name of my favorite SIPA club. It is all about using business to enhance development - corporate social responsibility and all that jazz.

O: Overwhelmed - This is the best word to describe my feeling in these first four weeks. However, it is definitely used in the best sense of the word. Overwhelmed by the opportunties, overwhelmed by the amount of work (though good because that is the reason to be here), and overwhelmed by the caliber of all of my peers at SIPA and IHouse. Would be pretty disheartening to be underwhelmed in any of these areas, I think.

P: Parks of New York City - Can I just say that Central Park is one of the most beautiful and fascinating places I've ever been? So many people out in wide open green spaces just doing their own thing (whether that be frisbee acrobatics or walking around in a bikini).

Q: Q* - I don't know if Q will ever mean anything else other than "quantity" to me anymore. (See "E")

R: Rafiki - As most of you know, this means "friend" in English. I don't think this blog entry would be complete without me saying that I miss all of my family and friends back home. Here is a big round of cyber hugs from me to you.

S: Swahili - My fifth, final and favorite class. My teacher is from Kenya and she is marvelous. She is sharp, funny, demanding, respectful and bright. I'm learning so much.

T: Trekking - Every walk here is a feast for the senses - a people-watching-paradise.

U: Uzbekistan - Just one of the many countries that my classmates/housemates call home.

V: Very - In case it hasn't come through yet, I'm very happy here.

W: West Side Story - I went to see the Broadway production of this show on Tuesday. The choreography, strength of the dancers, and set were spectacular. The performances by Maria and Anita was gorgeous. Also, half of the show was in Spanish which added a very cool flavor to the whole thing.

X: X Marks the Spot - NYC/Columbia/International House are all the right places at the right time.

Y: Yes and You - Yes, I would love to hear from any of you that feel inclined to drop a line or text.

Z: Zzzzz. I've done it again and stayed up until 3:00am. Time for some shut eye!