Going to Philadelphia!

This weekend I will be going to Philadelphia for a day trip! :) I'll write about it... Work is going well. I will begin coordinating efforts for Phonebanking to NEA members to vote in the upcoming election (NOVEMBER 2ND)!! DONT FORGET TO GO VOTE!! :D My research is coming along...slowly! :b Tonight we had a "family" dinner of fish tacos with my apartment mates and David's apartment mates- we usually hang out and eat together by pooling resources: food and drink! :) I'm making Brownies as my contribution! :b Really missing my ACTUAL family about now though... <3 Loving DC! Went to the American Indian Museum in remembrance of "Christopher Columbus Holiday." Just had to do a quick update ya'll! Love and missing all my Cali folk!! <333333 Grace

Grace is SICK!

This weekend was good, I even slept early last night! But alas, the virus has caught up with me and during an Executive Committee meeting today I nearly threw up in front of everyone! Ugh...So I went home and have been in bed ever since. It did cheer me up that I was able to order groceries online yesterday and they arrived today! Free delivery for the first time. Yay! Miss you all! Got to see the American History Smithsonian this weekend, my friend Lyell!, and my good friends Koko and Patrick at their DC home (in Virginia...). It was a great weekend. Awful Monday. But it can only get better from here! Love you all!

Since Last Time...

So, since last we spoke, I went to NY! It was good to see my friends, but NYC is dirty! Exciting, but dirty! :b Work is going great- this week is Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (CBC ALC). I did a briefing binder for the President of NEA (Dennis, really nice guy! Sweet, friendly, genuine, not pretentious at all!), and it got copied and showed off to folks all over the building! Hehe! I am shadowing this Lobbyist in NEA who is taking me on many adventures/"wild goose chases." That I really enjoy! :) I hope I get more exciting work like this! :) I am going back to CBC tomorrow for some final sessions...and hopefully more free stuff! Tuesday I attended a luncheon with some NEA staff and met and pictured with Congresswomyn Barbara Lee (Alameda County! Woot woot!) and Congressman Andre Carson (Indiana representative!! Woot!! Super nice and sweet guy!). And free, delicious food. Also met the founder of Becky's Foundation- a non-profit for fighting domestic violence, she is hecka young too! It was awesome to meet her! :) More Free Food: -Dinner forum at the Center (where I live) with pizza and conversation with a staff member from the White House! :) -Crash dinner at the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) National Week: DELICIOUS fooooood! :D I'm working on not comparing myself to folks lately! This city/this environment/politics in general!! is very competitive and not laid back! haha so that is new for me! Working on the adjustments... Our womyn's group here is full of wonderful, supportive, insightful womyn I love being with- even though I was half asleep during our session today! :( :) I am exhausted!! I feel old and I never want to go out! But I think tonight, even though I am tired, hungry, sweaty, and stuff...I will go! Haha. There is a Cal game, and it is a good excuse to get my butt out of this building! :b Pictures to be posted later! LOVE YA'LL! Miss you every day! Wish my internet was functioning properly and I could be more and more connected to you! Although it would never be enough... :) <3

Grace Goes to NY: a quick weekend!

I am going to NY RIGHT NOW!!! I'll be there like 25 hours!! :b I'm going mainly to visit my BFF Clara Kim! :) Yesterday at NEA I ran errands for one of the org's Federal Lobbyists. I was very happy to have tasks and also to go around with him- he invited me a few blocks away to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation- there is a conference coming up for CBC he was preparing for. I was helping so much that I was invited to attend some of it's events! :D It felt good to be working toward an immediate, tangible cause related to social justice. And I may have gotten a babysitting gig out of it!!!! Off to the Big Apple! Hasta Luego DC! Also, wanted to pay some respects to everyone who had to suffer through 9-11. It was a long time ago, but some people may never fully recover from the tragedies of that day. For that I am sorry. I only hope it helps ALL of us learn how to live with more peace, patience, tolerance, anf love for others of all reeds, races, sexualities, etc. That event was conducted from hate, and if we live from something different, I believe the world can always be a better place. <3

TODAY @ NEA!

Oh my gosh...Today at NEA...The Good, The Bad, The Amazing... The Bad: So, I was looking for a patio to eat in the outdoors because ever since I've been living in this East Coast metropolitan area- where my windows don't open! -I've been missing the air and the sun! My west coast sun!! And my Berkeley air!! But instead of getting the patio on the 8th floor, I got the President's Office Suite!!! Where I was kindly escorted back down,down,down to the 1st floor! Then I go sit outside the cafe- "Miss, you can't sit here unless you buy something! I'll let you this time..becuase I see you are new...but no more, okay?"....Okay...What, you can't sit OUTSIDE in DC?! Hmmph... The Good: I cleaned allllll the old interns desks out (on my own volition) and found NEA yo-yo's, NEA floss!, NEA landyard, NEA business card holder (I think...), NEA election pins, stickers, etc etc! I brought a large, unopened frame to my boss and she said: "Well do you want that? You know what that is, don't you?" "No...I couldn't really see into it...What is it?" "That's a signed picture from Obama...You can have that." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The AMAZING: I went to an Open House for the NEA Foundation, a separate, but connected organization that raises and distributes money to educators across the country. This was an INCREDIBLE open house! Wine, beer, meatballs!, cheeses, crackers, fruit, etc.! I met a BUNCH of really nice, really passionate people in education, raising money for hard-working education professionals. Wow. I learned about them, their careers, their work in NEA, their journey to fighting for education rights. Wow. I met this incredibly energetic womyn that my supervisor told me to connect with, running this exciting project that gives money to schools for voting on their "favorite" issues in their schools...Wow. THEN I WON THE RAFFLE!! AFTER ENTERING MY NAME IN 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE DRAW!!! AND I WON A FLIP CAMERA?!!!!!! WOOOOOWWWWW! :D It is my 2nd Day working here!!! People joked with me that some have been working there 30 years and never won these raffles!! haha...I felt kind of guilty! But my internship coordinator said that's what I get for taking initiative and I deserve it! :b All in all, a "bad," good, and AMAZING day at NEA! :) Off to my first play for my Theatre elective class- The Vibrator Play! I've seen it once in the Bay so we'll see how DC measures up! :b LOVE TO ALL!

Obama on CSPAN: A Love Letter

Tonight I watched my President talk about education, jobs, and Middle-Class tax cuts. I watched him address the American public as educated adults, capable of understanding the U.S. decision-making processes and train-of-thought. I watched him explain his vision of our future...after we he was elected...After his talk, I watched my President shake countless hands that reached out desperately toward him. He shook the hands of these community college venue attendees thoughtfully, patiently, and perhaps with a bit of love... Tonight, I fell in love with my President Barack Obama...Again. May the Higher Powers bless YOU!

Grace Goes to NEA!

First day at NEA was beautiful!! All friendly, kind, welcoming womyn at my office! :D I read up on the organization, got an NEA email, a temporary badge, had my bagged lunch in the atrium/cafeteria area, and talked to my rad Internship Coordinator about the org and education in the US and about how the first Female President of NEA (established in 1857) served her term in 1911-- before womyn could even vote in this country!!!! :D Amazing...NEA's vision is to "provide quality public educaiton to EVERY student"...and that is sadly progressive...!

Then I went to a networking event for Berkeley students and Alumni at the Office of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, South Capitol Hill entrance.. :D Took pictures on her balcony, roamed illegally around the Capitol, took a million pictures with my fun and friendly UCB UCDC cohort! :) Picture uploads to come... (PS. there are only 2 statues of womyn in the Capitol building as I have seen so far- and one of them has left a marble slab to be engraved for the First Female President...its been waiting there nearly 100 years...hope it doesn't have to wait too much longer...

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First Week in DC!

Hey Folks!!

I officially completed my first week in DC!!! I arrived on Virgin Airlines, Monday afternoon, August 30th, to the UCDC Center, near Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. Even taking the shuttle over from Dulles Airport, I was in awe at the trees and beauty of Virginia into the District of Columbia...and as we approached the city, I was struck by the Washington Monument and Capitol Hill within eye-shot!

I've settled in, unpacked EVERYTHING (yes...EVERYTHING!), hung my pictures on the wall, and seen plenty of sights so far! I've already "bumped" into the White House, Capitol Hill, a famous "Five Guys" burger joint, Obama's favorite "Ben's Chili Bowl" restaurant, a night tour of the most popular monuments, visited the "National Zoo," etc. etc.!

Above is a picture of a few of the friends I've made in my cohort, and amongst the other school's students, here in UCDC so far! They are all such great people. Already we have had 3 communal dinners, where we all pitch in food, labor, and/or money and eat all together- a different person's kitchen/living room each night! We plan to continue this tradition once/week all semester. :) We are also starting a WOMYN'S GROUP this week! I spread the word about FemSex life and people want in!!! YAY! :D

I cannot wait to get to know this city better! I start my internship tomorrow and I am so excited about that too!

More updates to come soon! Miss everyone and thinking about you/bringing you with me everywhere I go......

MUCH LOVE!

Grace