Courtyard By Marriott Columbia

... is in a great location high above the Potomaic River. This took about 5 hours (includes travel time) Then it was back to the Hotel for relaxing (brawl) in the pool. Breakfast: Le'Enfant breakfast buffet Lunch: Cafe at Mount Vernon Dinner: Hard Rock Cafe (Chinatown)

... or so. Everything was as I remembered it (except there were a lot less sharks) but there was a new Australian exhibit. It was fairly interesting and I guess it justified the increased price tag of the ticket but I could have done without it. However, I should say that the most interesting thing that I saw was in that exhibit. It was the last area before the exit and was a bunch of triggerfish. What's cool about them is that they shoot a stream of water at an insect ...

... politically neutral because they are part of the State Department. This shapes the work they do and the work they give me. We work by providing data or testimony and this gives me a chance to hear the stories of other FSO's which is giving me valuable knowledge and a better understanding of the Foreign Service. This weekend they sent me to the Out for Work Conference where I met with some of the top Fortune 500 companies to learn about resume building, their domestic partner ...

... I guess Canada is similar to the US in its internet accessibility, not a ton of internet cafes with computers, but with a fair amount of places that have Wi-fi connections. The problem with that is that my laptop weighs a ton so there's no way I could walk around with it.

... jumped and said, Oh my gosh you speak spanish, HILARIOUS! I think I need a big button that says, Hablo Espanol. Also on a Spanish note we had a few clients at my internship who were Spanish speakers so I got to go into the warehouse to help them out and throw furniture around IT WAS GREAT!!!! Although I still lack spanish speaking confidence. I need to work on that. I also went in to storage yesterday to go out on pick-ups so I could see how much fits in the truck ...

... there. One option would be to go through the community college - a 15-credit program; or I could go to a non-accredited school in Denver where I'd be certified after a month-long intensive program. I'm trying to talk to some contacts out here in the week before I leave to get any information and advice I can! THE DRIVE I was going to write my driving plans here, but now, of course, I've already done it, so continue on to the next entry for all the details... :-)

... today to see some sites in DC. First stop was a visit to Dubya's gaff. Walking around the centre of DC is weird because it is so quiet...************e around. It seems at weekends all the people working there go out of town leaving the centre desolute (good for my sight-seeing anyway). The White House was pretty impressive but smaller than I expected. Had a brief chat and took a photo of a guy who has been protesting against War for the last few decades ...

... let's get one that IDENTIFIES our suitcase. I find a hot pink one. That'll work. But the car is still bucking along, so off to the airport to exchange. Now this turned out well, for a change, because we go from a rather small Chevy Malibu to a four-door Gran Prix with leather seats and a sun/moon roof and all the bells and whistles. Good thing the Malibu was defective. Since we had at least four hours to kill before the condo was ready for ...

... one of about 10 women (definitely a case of "look but don't touch") and having a photo take on the lap of the hottest santa i've ever seen. - greek tapas friday night, sushi saturday night, ny bagel sunday morning. - being back in my favorite city in the world.  

... We also hope to publish our report and present our data at the next Global Health Education Consortium Conference in the next coming months. Overall, we both agree that our experience in Uganda was a successful and memorable one. Not only did we achieve what we set out to do in terms of our research study, but we also experienced first-hand the politics and culture of NGO's and foriegn aid. We've heard reasons about how NGOs can ...