A World Not Our Own: A Public Diplomacy Blog

Can a simple compliment lead to rashes and bleeding from the eyes?

2012-01-27T01:19:00.000-08:00

It is almost February and my school is getting ready for the form one students to report. I am anxious for them to come so I can begin teaching. I am currently only teaching one class and am afraid I am getting relaxed and used to my light schedule. I also think it is not the best practice to have students show up to school more than a month after opening day. I am actually not looking forward

Allimeleon

2012-01-22T23:29:00.000-08:00

We are already in the fourth week of classes and this is off to a good start. The biggest change from last year is that I am the school counselor now and I absolutely love it. I never really thought I would enjoy listening to a bunch of teenage girls’ problems but it has been truly great. I am getting to know the students and I feel like I am actually helping them more than by being front of them

Home Again, Home Again. Jiggity Jig.

2012-01-14T02:28:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to see what a difference 6 weeks can make. When I left Mars, it had been raining for a few weeks. Everything was muddy and new greenery was just starting to peek out of the ground everywhere. Now, I have returned to a completely different world; it is beautiful. The grass everywhere towers over my head, the shambas (farms) are filled with maize 8ft tall, every tree is filled with

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T21:39:00.001-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving. I am sitting outside my hotel room in Nairobi watching the rain. I had pizza for dinner and a Spanish omelette for breakfast. I am waiting to get on a matatu that will take me to Loitokitok where I will be helping the new Peace Corps trainees. I had planned on being in Mars by myself for the holiday so I couldn’t be happier. I will get to spend thanksgiving with PC

Mvua Ilinyesha (The Rain Rained)

2011-11-12T01:49:00.001-08:00

I went out for a walk around the village during a lull in the rains and I realized what an entirely new world had emerged. My village looked like other places in Kenya that I have visited. It was green with lush, tall grass. Purple and yellow flowers dotted the fields, children played in puddles and vines crawled over everything. It is beautiful and I wandered around looking for a place to relax

DikDik: the Other, Other, Other White Meat

2011-10-31T04:12:00.000-07:00

Before I came to Kenya, I didn’t know anything about termites. Literally nothing. But I am starting to learn about them. For example: they are attracted to light, just like moths. Unlike moths, they are good at crawling as well as flying. This means that while the moths are flinging their bodies against my windows and door, trying futilely to get inside, the termites with fling themselves

Pull of the Wings and Fry 'em up like Popcorn

2011-10-17T00:39:00.000-07:00

It rained today. The sound of the rain hitting my tin roof woke me up at midnight last night. The din was so loud and I was so surprised that I had to get up and step out the front door with my palm out to believe it. I sleep deeply for the first time in a long while. I got up this morning with a smile on my face. It was my one year anniversary. I have lived in Kenya for an entire year. It feels

Campbell’s Cream of Goat Face Soup (Now Heart Healthy with Less Sodium!)

2011-10-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Turns out: finding an eyeball was easier than even I expected. I asked our lab guy, Jarso, on Monday if there was a local place I could get an eye (I figured that trying to get one over the weekend and then attempting to keep it fresh for four days would be a futile effort). He said he would take care of it. Tuesday, he went to town and picked up an entire goat head for only 250 shillings (that’s

Eyeball Logistics

2011-09-24T02:48:00.001-07:00

I am on the hunt for an eyeball. Two eyeballs would be better. In my Form three (that’s 11th grade) physics class we are studying lenses. Part of the syllabus involves the human eye. I thought it would be cool to dissect an eye to see all the parts. I did an eyeball dissection once when I was in seventh or eighth grade at a science camp. And yes, I was that girl- the dork who went to science

Gadamoji

2011-09-10T00:57:00.001-07:00

Last week I went to a Borana tribal celebration called Gadamoji. It took place near a small village called Kubi Dibayu and was extremely crowded. There were hundreds of people all dressed up in traditional tribal clothes. Most of them looked exactly like my neighbors look every day. The celebration was a coming of age ceremony and retirement party that only occurs once every eight years. The

Four More Days of Lassitude

2011-09-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

I have been in Mars for a week now and all I feel is apathy. I don’t even know if apathy is the right word. When I thesaurasize ‘apathy’, looking for a more appropriate word, I get the many choices: boredom, laziness, lack of interest, lethargy. All those seem to describe my feelings quite perfectly and I am much too lazy to pick just one. I do not know why I feel like this; maybe having a really

From a Sea Level Paradise to the Top of the World

2011-08-26T00:54:00.000-07:00

I left Marsabit on a very windy day. I was so excited to go on a trip that I had barely slept the night before. I got up at seven am and finished packing and cleaned my house. By 8 am, I was sitting on my couch twiddling my thumbs. I called for a taxi to come get me at 9:30 knowing that, this being Kenya, the taxi driver would be almost half an hour late. I had been told that the plane would be

Another Day, Another Dust Storm

2011-08-02T03:10:00.000-07:00

Fantastic, thought-provoking talk on why, even today, there are so little women at the top. How much of it is because we subconsciously do it to ourselves?

Burn, Bury or Ditch

2011-01-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

I received a text message from Ryan this morning asking me whether she should burn, bury or ditch her trash. I was shocked and appalled to find out she was even considering any of the options, especially since she is one of the most environmentally conscious people I know. If you know her at all, you'll know that she single-handed founded the Recycling Club and the Environmental club at her

I Kissed a Giraffe- and I liked it!

2010-12-22T06:17:00.000-08:00

Slyvia, the medical officer, is a wonderful person. She knew Ana and I were depressed about being stranded in Nairobi for Christmas. She wonderfully invited us to her house for the holiday to spend it with her and her family. Her husband is Dutch and so we will be having a traditional Dutch Christmas, whatever that means. She also felt bad that Ana and I have no money to do anything but sit

Stuck in Nairobi

2010-12-17T23:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, so there are worse places to be stranded than this city. I have gotten over the disappointment of being stuck here. Peace Corps has set me and Ana up in a nice hotel with down comforters and pillows. There is free breakfast and free wifi. Peace Corps is also going to give us 1600 shillings per day to spend on food and fun. Ana is feeling better and we are having fun watching movies, eating

From PCT -> PCV

2010-12-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

I am now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! I am so incredibly proud of myself and all my fellow volunteers. This has been an amazing week. Nairobi has reminded me so much of America and I have had a wonderful time. We arrived here on Sunday and got to the hotel which has private rooms, hot-ish showers, and free, slow-ish internet. On Tuesday, I met my counter-part who is the person who will

Almost Done with PST

2010-12-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

Hey World! So I have only two more days until my Swearing In ceremony and I am ecstatic. Last week I took my final language exam. It was rough, I was pretty sure I failed. We are required to achieve "intermediate low" as a level to be sworn in as volunteers. I am sure that I am at least at that level and intermediate mid on a good day. The woman who was my tester was from the coast where they

American Dinner and Bacterial Dysentery

2010-12-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

I know I just posted yesterday, but when it rains it pours. I have two quick things I wanted to mention, my American dinner and dysentery. Despite the title, these two things are unrelated. First I wanted to tell everyone that I found out what I was sick with a few weeks ago. Yup, bacterial dysentery. Exciting, right? I found out that was what it was because last week, during Model School,

Mimi ni Mwalimu

2010-12-04T05:53:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not writing in so long. Time has been going by so fast and I have been very busy. I have only one week left in Loitokitok and then I leave for swearing in, in Nairobi. I have been meaning to write to tell you about Thanksgiving and also model school. This will be a long entry. Pole! (‘po-lay’) First I will talk about the holiday. Thanksgiving was an amazing day. All of us PCTs

A Perfect Weekend... sort of

2010-11-22T04:41:00.000-08:00

So Kenya and I have been having a battle. It has been trying its hardest to get me sick, and so far I have prevailed. But on Thursday, Kenya finally won. Mama had made the usual Thursday night dish: Ugali (like a cross between instant mashed potatoes and Playdough, but with less flavor). She did it with a twist though, instead of overcooked beef chunks, she made goat. It was very tasty, and a

T.I.A. (This is Africa)

2010-11-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I have been so busy and yet I feel like I don't have much to say. I will start with the title of this entry. T.I.A. It is what we say after almost everything. Example: "A swarm of two-inch long, winged termites invaded my kitchen", "Oh well, TIA, pull off their wings so they can't fly into the chai." Or "I spent 3 hours on a matatu meant for 20, with at least 40 people on it,

Halfway Through PST

2010-11-12T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I apologize for the lack of updates. The internet cafe is here, though a little slow, and we have electricity most of the time, I am just so busy I have no time. Everyday I have 4 hours of language training. It is pretty intense, one teacher, four students. I am finding the language extremely difficult, but today I had an oral test and I am now "novice high" in proficiency. That

Made it to Kenya

2010-10-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Jambo everyone! This is Ryan writing to say that I have officially made it to Nairobi in one piece. The flight was long and very uncomfortable. I am staying in a hostel that has hot showers, indoor toilets, and INTERNET! The food is good and I slept for the first time under my mosquito net. The weather is beautiful, a little chilly in the mornings and then it turns sunny and hot. I had my first

Kenya: Home Sweet Home??

2010-10-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! I made it to Kenya safe and sound! I am exhausted and jet lagged and I am finally off the planes, out of airports, and in a hostel in Nairobi. So far it looks just like the US. Gas stations, restaurants, Abercrombies, and everything in English. I don't yet have any more details about my training or my host family but I love my fellow Peace Corps Volunteer's. They are all so friendly

Ryan is off to Kenya

2010-10-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

Alright. Okay. I am officially done packing for my Peace Corps service. If I haven't stuffed it into my bag, I will have to live without it for the next two years. I am pretty confident I will be fine with what I have. What I really will miss is my wonderful friends and family. And Sushi Studio. Saying goodbye has been impossibly hard. Some days I wonder what in the world I was thinking in

Ryan's First Post & the Beginning of her Peace Corps Adventure

2010-09-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Hello! This is my first official blog entry. I am new to blogging and I thank my sister, Kayte, for allowing me to share her space. My entries will be focused around my Peace Corps experience. I am leaving in October to spend 27 months in Kenya. I welcome advice, tips, letters, and care packages. Right now I am in the packing stage and I need all the help I can get. Anyone know anything about

The Queen & I

2010-07-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

After much panicking (admittedly a bit unfounded), I have joined the ranks of the employed!! In fact, I have joined the minority of folks who actually use their degree! This is indeed rare across all degree fields, and I couldn't be happier. Every since I learned about what Public Diplomacy was, I've loved the field. I became a PD believer from the start, learning all the different PD tools

Twelve reasons gay marriage is wrong:

2010-07-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

1) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning. Also apparently those homosexual animals have picked up some unnatural behavior. 2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall. 3) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never

A Letter to Laura Schlesinger

2010-07-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

At the risk of upsetting and offendmany, I had to repost this email I received: In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's

PD and Human Rights

2010-07-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

New Summer Issue of PD Magazine is out and it is a good one! PD and Human Rights: "Public diplomacy serves as a force multiplier for nonstate actors seeking to affect change within global civil society. To better understand the role of nonstate actors in promoting human rights in the international sphere, it is vital to first examine the theoretical frameworks within which these actors

Guest Blogger: Faris Alikhan & Afghanistan

2010-05-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

The Virtual Student Foreign Service is full of internationally focused students such as myself. I had the pleasure of meeting one of my colleagues, Faris Alikhan, through the program. His work with the US Mission to NATO is very interesting, as it deals with Afghanistan. I invited Faris to guest blog about his project: My friend, fellow intern, and crosstown college rival (Go Bruins!) Kate

America's New Past Time

2010-05-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

So as I officially finish my Master's in Public Diplomacy, I leave with a true sense of accomplishment and, well, mastery. Time and time again, for the last two years, I have been assured that my hard work, diligence (and expensive tuition for a BA and an MA) will pay off and I will have no problem finding a rewarding and lucrative career. So far, it seems like someone lied to me. The hours I

World Travelers as Public Diplomats

2010-05-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

As many of us public diplomats know, travel is exciting and educational, it is also the best public diplomacy. Travel allows us to see other worlds, other cultures, other walks of life. I have often found, when traveling to another country, there was so much that could be learned from travel that cannot be understood from a book. Have you ever been to a country that was completely different from

Transnational Advocacy Networks and Public Diplomacy

2010-04-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars annual conference which, this year, deals with transnational advocacy networks and public diplomacy. Anyone in the LA area, please feel free to come join us at USC. I will be Tweeting the conference from here: http://twitter.com/KatharineKeith and will be blogging as well for those who are unable to join. You can find the conference

The travelling Israeli Wall of "Genocide"

2010-04-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor; USC Daily Trojan:

Cultural Diplomacy

2010-01-27T22:35:00.000-08:00

Check out PD Magazine's new issue Cultural Diplomacy. The issue has new developments in PD, Perspectives from public diplomats from the State Department and UNESCO, and many interesting articles. Some of my favs;Nollywood DiplomacyPop Culture DiplomacyPublic Diplomacy in Lebanon..and I hear there is a fabulous interview by yours truly with Joe Mellot, Special Assistant for the Undersecretary of

I want to go to Africa and find more inturruptions in my studying..

2009-12-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

A good interruption to my international law paper.. entering YouTube video contests! Go rate my video and wish me luck so that I get picked to join Nick Kristoff in Africa! And try not to laugh at my dorky video. Thanks ♥

Women Who Want It All... Don't Forget To Have Kids

2009-11-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

Morning Joe's Mika Brzezinski wrote a HuffPo article yesterday about career women and kids. It really struck me, as a career driven women who wants to have it all. By "all," I mean the successful, long, happy marriage; healthy, well adjusted kids, and the exciting, never boring, meaningful and good paying career. Am I being naive in thinking I can have all this? I find many women of my age group

Phone call with the Ambassador

2009-10-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Very interesting day today.. Had the amazing opportunity to sit in on a phone interview with Ambassador-at-Large Melanne Verveer who heads The Office of Global Women's Issues. I admire her work with Vital Voices so if you care about women's issues and are unfamiliar with their work, check it out here. The interview was for an exciting new project I am working on with Foreign Policy Roundtable (

Photography As Public Diplomacy

2009-09-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

My friend and colleague, Paul Rockower opened a beautiful photo exhibit that "pays homage to 'The Family of Man' exhibition that opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1955. The exhibition’s world tour proved a tremendous public diplomacy success for America." The stunning compilation of photos from his world wide travels, chronicles the human condition. I was clearly not the only one

Are you racist and don't know it?

2009-09-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

I heard about this Harvard study that created an online test you can take to determine your biases. Are you racist? I think most people would say "of course not." But are you really? Do you have a bias against handicapped people? or old people? or fat people? or men? Try these tests to find out. I would love to hear feedback from people about their results. If you don't want to admit your bias

Top Secret Security

2009-09-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

A couple articles brought to my attention by Paul about the Security Clearance for State Department Interns..State Department struggles to clear interns State Department Interns Wait (And Wait, And Wait)I found the process to be long, difficult and frustrating. I have done a lot of traveling and I will tell you that when you study abroad and go back-packing across Europe, you don't think to write

Locked Up Abroad

2009-08-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

So I don't have a TV in my apartment so I watch very little TV besides the news at work and episodes of the Daily Show online but I found a show I can't stop watching. National Geographic's Locked Up Abroad shows the true stories of people who either get jailed in countries outside the US or kidnapped by rebels overseas. The first episode, shown below, showcases two really dense girls from

The Cab Driver, the Diplomat & the President's Birth Certificate

2009-08-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

So on our way to a meeting at the main State Department building two other FPC-ers and myself jumped into a cab to head over to in Foggy Bottom. The group included a my diplomat mentor. The friendly, boisterous cab driver immediately sparked up a conversation, asking us what kind of "shin dig" we were heading over to at the State Department. (I tried to not take offense to his immediate

Olive Tree Inititavie

2009-08-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

We're in the media again.. which is nice. I miss that lovely beach in Tel Aviv and all my OTI friends.. For my personal diary of the trip, read back in the September 2008 postings. Second group is about to go soon.. If you are interested in seeing them off attend their bon voyage party August 30, 2009 (Sunday) at Taleo Grill, 3309 Michelson Drive, Irvine. Find more info here.

Virtual Student Foreign Service

2009-08-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

So I signed up for the Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) Internships program and waiting for my assignment. This is a brand new program announced by Secretary Clinton at the 2009 New York University commencement. This program is "part of a growing effort by the State Department to harness technology and a commitment to global service among young people to facilitate new forms of diplomatic

Digital Diplomacy

2009-08-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

Embedded video from CNN Video

In Re Duchy of Sealand

2009-07-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

The question of Statehood and the Independent Republic of Sealand. This is great!

Secretary Clinton’s Travel to Africa

2009-07-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

At today's press breifing by Spokesman Ian Kelly,"Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will begin a seven-nation trip to Africa on August 5 at the 8th U.S. – Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum (known as the AGOA Forum) in Nairobi, Kenya.This trip will highlight the Obama administration’s commitment to making Africa a priority in U.S. foreign policy. This will be the

The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan: Malalai Joya

2009-07-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan: An Exclusive Interview with Malalai Joya "I am young and I want to live. But I say to those who would eliminate my voice: 'I am ready, wherever and whenever you might strike. You can cut down the flower, but nothing can stop the coming of the spring.'" "Dust has been thrown into the eyes of the world by your governments. You have not been told the truth. The

World Opinions of the US- New Pew Survey Release!

2009-07-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I journeyed upstairs to the National Press Club for the release of a new Pew Global Attitudes Survey of 25 countries including; Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, the Palestinian territories, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Spain, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States. The report was

Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy

2009-07-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today I sat in on a State Department Daily Press Briefing which is a briefing by the Press Office to inform Americans on what's happening at State- public affairs. This is different from the Foreign Press Office I work in which directs its briefings to Foreign Offices- public diplomacy. The briefing included an update of the Secretary and Special Representative Holbrooke and then allowed press to