Strasbourg

And so begins my semester in Strasbourg. I arrived here today at around 4PM after a long, enjoyable 12-day seminar that brought us to Berlin, Wroclaw, and Prague and many monuments and "borders" in between. It was made all the more better by the great people that i've met so far; while I've known them only for 11 days, our group as a whole has already become close. Strasbourg's small program, 33 people in all, and the 24/7 interaction with everyone on the trip sharing the same experiences combine together to ensure that you and the rest of your group are well-bonded before getting here to Strasbourg.

I also found out, met, moved in, ate dinner, and discussed politics with my host family today. While it has only been 5 hours since I have been welcomed into their home, I know already that I will love it here. They are a very warm and cordial family that, you guessed it, speaks Italian in the house! So while learning French in school, I will be learning Italian at home and walk away from this experience either with a working knowledge of both languages, or utterly confused. I'm hoping it will be the former. I have taken a semester of Italian and so I've been able to catch words and phrases from the conversation, and I imagine things will only become better as the semester continues. The entire family is also fluent in English and is more than happy to converse with me doing so, which allows me a huge sigh of relief from my worries of not speaking the native French language. The house is beautiful, close to the SU center where I will take my classes, and the food is excellent. Horror stories of no internet and living an hour from the center are beginning to trickle in and i'm sure that there will be more stories to come. But as for me, I am one lucky and happy student here in Strasbourg as I look out my balcony and see the beautiful city alight.

Well, i'm off to bed, and so...

Bon soir, buona notte, and goodnight.

Au revoir,

Justin

Preparation

25 days and counting. My semester abroad in France is fast approaching, and I'm doing all that I can to prepare myself. French instructional CDs have taken the place of my car's radio, comedies and action movies have been substituted with movies rich in European historical context, and gone are the days of book titles like "Fight Club" and "Catcher in the Rye" and instead are filled with "World War II Europe" and "All Quiet on the Western Front." Needless to say, i'm scrambling and I'm still lightyears behind most international relations students when it comes to knowledge of my future country. I'm kept encouraged by the amount of information I have obtained, and retained, just over the past couple of weeks. These last few weeks will be spent doing very much the same. Then it's off to France! Well, not quite yet. We have a two week "Identity Seminar" beginning when we land in Berlin, Germany on August 26th. We'll begin in Berlin and travel to Warsaw, Prague, Nuremberg, and then finally arrive in Strasbourg. The itinerary looks incredible, with guided trips to a lot of the "must sees" of each city, yet at the same time offering a good amount of free time to explore the cities by myself. As for Strasbourg, there's still a lot of unknowns. I still don't know what classes I'll be taking at the University there. I'm hoping I got into all of my classes; with 34 students in the program the only circumstance I have to worry about is having enough fellow students sign up for that class or else they'll drop it from the curriculum. I don't know where I'll be living and we don't find out until we actually arrive in Strasbourg in early September. I won't know whether I will be able to secure an internship in Strasbourg until probably mid-September, although again, the fewer number of students traveling in the fall encourages me that there will be positions available. A lot of uncertainties, but none of which dampens my excitement of 4 months in Europe.

Thought I'd give a quick update of how my bucket list is coming...

1. Go to Saratoga to see a horse race. Complete

2. Check out the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown (I've been before to see Nolan Ryan get inducted, but I've never been in the Hall!)

3. LEARN FRENCH (at least conversational) In progress

4. Make a Coldstone ice cream with EVERY flavor of ice cream.

5. Run a half-marathon competitively.

6. Go to a major league baseball game.

7. See Hair on Broadway.

8. Go out to Cape Cod with firecracker.

9. Get a score of 10,000 or higher on Brick Breaker Complete

10. Update this blog AT LEAST once a week. FAIL

New running update:

I've had in my head for a couple weeks now the idea of running to work. After checking gmaps pedometer (the best GoogleMaps hack out there if you ask me) at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ I found that it was exactly 13.1 miles to work. Now if you're runner, you recognize that that's not merely a coincidence: it's fate. So I finally realized my goal this morning and made the run. Here's some interesting numbers associated with it:

15.06 - pounds of Co2 reduced by not driving to work

.81875 - gallons of gas saved

2.643 - cents worth of greenhouse gas emission reduction, based on current RGGI secondary market carbon allowance price of $3.51 for one ton of carbon dioxide emissions.

1502.43 - calories burned

Au revoir,

Justin

40 Days and Bellydancers

I can't believe how fast the summer is going. I was thinking today about how I've already spent two months at my internship here at Albany and, more incredibly, that I leave for France in exactly 40 days! So far, this week has been spent realizing how unprepared I am to study abroad, and how many more things need to be taken care of before I leave: buying webcams, figuring out finances while I'm over there, and the like. Even as I write this blog, I remember two things that I was going to do today that I completely forgot about. FML. But anyhow.

Sunday was spent in Utica, NY as I strapped on my running shoes and ran the 15K Boilermaker run. I have been ridiculously lucky when it comes to weather, as Saturday was met with torrential downpours, leaving Sunday morning a cool 60 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Absolutely perfect running weather. The race was CROWDED with over 11,000 participants, making it the 2nd largest race ever, and I made the mistake of starting way too far back. It took me almost 6 minutes just to reach the starting line. From there, it was a mad dash around 75-year old women out for their Sunday stroll and a hodgepodge of other ill-prepared runners. While I silently complained to myself for having to dodge and duck around these runners, it allowed me the opportunity to see the entire eclectic mix of runners that the Boilermaker regularly hosts. Everyone from a man in a chicken suit, to a man in a beer suit, to a clown was out there at 8AM running the 9.3 miles. I have to imagine that the Boilermaker is the only place you can run past a traditional Celtic band, be momentarily distracted by a demonstration of 50-year old bellydancers shakin their stuff, high-five a man on 10 foot stilts, listen to steel drum music, sing along to "Boom Boom Pow" 8 miles into the race, and yet still be left motivated to run as you pass the wheelchair racers that are going 9.3 miles with just their upper body. It was a hell of a time, I only wish I was old enough to enjoy the real draw of the race: free Saranac beer at the end of the race! I grabbed 12 or so Vitamin Waters and was content.

Now onto my next goal: the half-marathon. I'm pretty excited, because it sounds like my family is going to be able to make it to watch me run. It'll be a great way to end a long summer of training. But in the meantime, I'm traveling down to NYC next Friday to pick up my visa (long story) and the weekend after that I'm going out to Cape Cod with a bunch of friends that I'm living with senior year. Should be an exciting couple of weeks to bring me to August, and before I know it, it'll be...Au revoir USA, Bonjour France.

See, I'm learning.

Au revoir,
Justin

4th of July in the Capital Region

Well, it's Monday. After a (finally) nice weekend without hail and flood-level rains, its difficult to come back to work and sit in a cubicle, gazing outside to see the nice weather that continues, even though my weekend does not. But I made the most of the few days off that I had. Friday I went up to the harness race track up in Saratoga, lost some money, ate some funnel cakes, but most of all saw some fireworks with a good group of friends. I woke up early Saturday in preparation of the "Firecracker" 4-mile race that brought me right back up to Saratoga. It was a near-perfect day for a run, about 70 degrees and partly cloudy. Ran a good time and beat my goal that I had set for myself, then spent the rest of the morning watching a parade, looking at some classic cars, and just walking around 'Toga (as the locals say). I discovered why they call it Saratoga Springs (no, slinkies were not discovered there...dun dun chhhh), there are actually fresh water springs that are beneath the ground and get pumped up into these drinking water fountains that are in gazebos all around Congress Park. I believe there are a few different ones around the park, each spring named according to who discovered it, but I only came across one in particular. A sign next to this ever-flowing water fountain read "this spring water is known for its high carbonation, and alkaline and saline-flavored taste." And they weren't kidding. It tasted like seltzer saltwater that had a battery sitting in the bottom of it for years (the only description I could think of). I'm still not sure if it was safe to drink, but I made sure to watch someone do it before me and he seemed alright afterwards. This blog serves as documentation if I ever contract some life-threatening disease because of it. Still not sure if I can file suit against a body of water, but I'm looking into it.

In other completely unrelated and altogether random news, I got an e-mail today telling me that Microsoft Hohm is now online! I've been looking forward to this program for a couple weeks after I read about it in an article. Hohm addresses an interesting point. Every month, we search extensively through our cell phone bills that provides line-by-line documentation as to the costs of our plans, allowing us to see if we've gone over our minutes or sent too many text messages and forcing us to curb our usage the next month and save money. Yet looking through an energy bill, there is absolutely NO documentation whatsoever, other than a report of your kwH used. If energy companies, or consumers themselves, could provide that same line-by-line documentation as cell phone bills do, I'm willing to bet consumers would recognize how much energy is wasted each month and how they can curb their activities to reduce their energy bills. "If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." Hohm is a free application in beta allows you to input different information about your household and it will actually calculate your energy usage and offer you up personalized suggestions based upon the information that you provide about your own home, tailored to you. Even cooler, if your energy provider has signed up to be one of Hohm's partners, you can upload your OWN energy usage data from your house. Check it out here: www.microsoft-hohm.com. Google also has a program in the works that has yet to be released called Google Power Meter which appears to have the same functions as Hohm. Check out Google's program here: http://www.google.org/powermeter/index.html.

Well, I'm off for a lunch-time run. The 15K Boilermaker's on Sunday, no rest for the weary.

Au revoir,
Justin

Burgers and Blues

Whoever says there's nothing to do in Albany just hasn't looked hard enough. After grabbing some brochures from my coffee shop yesterday morning, I found at least three different outdoor concerts that were going on. Now of course, I am from Watertown and so my idea of "fun and exciting" is surely different from most people's, but I ended up going to one of the concerts with three of my SU friends that are down here in Albany and I think it's safe to say we had a great time. It was a local rock/blues band and they had a food joint right next door that made a mean cheeseburger.

Yesterday was also exciting in the fact that I discovered that the building that I work in has a locker room on the first floor, complete with showers (a fact that I'm sure was additionally exciting to my cubicle-mate). It now makes running during lunch a lot easier. Now if they only had a washer and dryer here, I'd never have to leave.

And finally, I've put together a temporary schedule of races that I'm planning on doing this summer, culminating with the fulfillment of one of my goals: running a half-marathon.

July 4th - Coincidentally enough, called the "Firecracker 4," a 4 miler up in Saratoga Springs

July 12th - "The Boilermaker," a 15K (9.3 mi) road race in Utica

August 8th - "Camp Chingachgook Half-Marathon," a (surprise) half-marathon run along Lake George

Until next time.

Au revoir,
Justin

Fast Times in Albany, NY

So today I tried out something that I've wanted to do for awhile: run during my lunch break. There's actually a really nice trail that runs along the Hudson right in the backyard of my office building here in downtown Albany, so I put in a couple miles running along there. There's actually supposed to be a big celebration this weekend recognizing the 400th anniversary of Hudson sailing up this river and "discovering" this area (I use the quotations because Native Americans inhabited this area for hundreds of years prior) and a full-size replica of the original ship that Henry Hudson sailed is going to pass right by my building, I think. You can see the ship and find out more information here: http://www.halfmoon.mus.ny.us/.

Also, I passed by a gathering mass of people rallying on the steps of the Capitol here, protesting the power struggle that is going on here in Albany. It's being reported here: http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/top_stories/474866/march-on-albany/?RegionCookie=12. I walked by there this morning at 8:30AM and they were already setting up for a rally that was supposed to begin at noon. During my run they were in the midst of a speech and flanked on all sides by police, cameramen, and passersby. Exciting times here in Albany. I just wish that the circumstances weren't so chaotic.

Until next time.

Au revoir,

Justin

Summer 2009

So I've begun to compile a short bucket list of things that I would like to do this summer. I'm sure I'll add to it, but to start off...

1. Go to Saratoga to see a horse race.
2. Check out the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown (I've been before to see Nolan Ryan get inducted, but I've never been in the Hall!)
3. LEARN FRENCH (at least conversational)
4. Make a Coldstone ice cream with EVERY flavor of ice cream.
5. Run a half-marathon competitively.
6. Go to a major league baseball game.
7. See Hair on Broadway.
8. Go out to Cape Cod with firecracker.
9. Get a score of 10,000 or higher on Brick Breaker
10. Update this blog AT LEAST once a week.


While I might have already labored many (alright hundreds) of hours attempting to obtain that coveted score of 10,000 in Brick Breaker, I think it's safe to say that #5 on my list, running a half marathon competitively, will require the most time and effort. I've been running on a regular basis now for well over two years, but 13.1 miles is a lot different than my daily 5K. It's going to require me to eat a little healthier (but the fruit gushers are STAYING) and more importantly, run consistently with a structured regimen. If anyone has any advice as to good websites for running training schedules, I'm all ears. I've got a couple, but I'd like to hear from one that has actually worked for someone. As I said, I JUST started this running schedule, but have already begun to plan my runs on days even when I work both jobs, leaving me busy from 8:30AM - 11:00PM. (I'll run up those grueling downtown Albany hills during lunch)

Saturday - 12.6 mi
Sunday - Strength Training
Monday - 7.6 mi and Strength Training

I'll be the first to admit, my runs so far have been too long. Most every training schedule I've seen advises against running the full 13.1 miles before the actual race (the furthest runs that I've seen suggested is a 10 mile run the weekend before the race). I don't know if I completely agree with that, I think it's necessary to get a feel for the length and how your body will respond to it, pace yourself, etc. but I do think that my Saturday run was too long. At this rate, it's easy to peak too early and be stale when I actually run the race later in the summer.

I'll be sure to update my bucket list with additions/hopeful subtractions as I complete my goals. Until then.

Au revoir,
Justin

Bonjour, je ne parle pas très bien francais.

One of the many milestones of any abroad experience is jumping through all of the bureaucratic hoops to gain access to the country. Well on Friday, I must have improved my vertical leap by at least 8 inches with all of the jumping that I had to do. First off, in this technologically-driven world dominated by e-mail and internet, the French consulate still requires you to travel IN PERSON to your nearest consulate. With mine being NYC, that meant a 3 hour bus ride and a place to stay. Thankfully, I have a good friend who lives right in Manhattan and so I decided to make a nice weekend trip to the city.

After a bit of bushwhacking through Central Park, and a long wait outside of the consulate in the rain sans umbrella, I finally was allowed into the consulate to wait in, you guessed it, another line. The silence of the office was interrupted only by what I assumed to be French curse words and enraged tones, as time after time people were being DENIED their visa because they forgot to make a copy of a form. So there I stand, forms in hand, sweat beginning to form on my brow, hoping that I hadn't forgotten to make a copy of that attestation or proof of student status. Getting to the front of the line, I was horrified to learn that I had the WRONG form. After a few scary moments of being afraid that I was going to be turned away and forced to return at a later date, I was told that I just had to fill out a separate form...that was completely in French. If you've read this blog, you're well aware that I am not at all familiar with the language (don't remind me) and thankfully received a translation soon thereafter. The rest of the visa application process went smoothly, except that I learned that I have to return AGAIN sometime between now and my departure date just to pick up my processed application! Nice to meet you too, France.

Anyways, the rest of my weekend was spent being a tourist. Getting overpriced cannolis in Little Italy, seeing art in the Chelsea district, walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, going on a tri-borough run, walking through SoHo, eating M&M's at the Hershey store, and seeing the new pedestrian Times Square (an AHA moment followed when I found out it was named such because the New York Times building used to be there) all left me with a very Holden Caulfield-like weekend. It was a great time, but its nice to be back and stationary in one place for more than 8 hours.



As for this upcoming week, I've just got a lot of work (I'm interning at the Department of Environmental Conservation's Office of Climate Change and working part-time at Coldstone Ice Cream) and then a New York State Habitat for Humanity conference on Saturday. I'll be sure to report on how that goes. Until then.

Au revoir,
Justin

Habitat on the Hill

I know what you must be thinking. Look outside and you might be able to catch a fleeting glimpse of a pig taking flight: I'm updating my blog. Let me defend myself and say that I started this blog with the best of intentions but alas, it fell to the wayside. But its been an exciting week and thus, I'm sending out an update.

On Sunday night I packed up my dress clothes and my love for Habitat and caught a 10:30PM bus to Washington, D.C. to attend the Habitat on the Hill conference, a gathering of Habitat affiliates from all across the country to advocate for affordable housing. And an advocating we would do. We spent two days attending lectures on how to incorporate advocacy into your Habitat affiliate, and listened as HUD deputy secretary Ron Sims and civil rights leader-turned U.S. Representative John Lewis caught and held our attention as we listened to the rhythmic, poetic delivery of their stories unlike any speech I've ever heard. I looked around the room during Mr. Sims' captivating delivery to find not a single dry eye in the room, myself included. Grown men were reduced to crying children with the stories that this man told and the way in which he told them. I'll never forget that speech as long as I live. After being instructed as to the legislation that Habitat supported, we were sent to Capitol Hill to lobby. With 150 participants, representing 42 states and Canada, we attended over 450 legislative meetings with U.S. Senators and Representatives from our respective districts. The highlight (or low point, depending on how you look at it) was going to my Representative's office to meet with Rep. McHugh himself. All of my previous meetings had been with staffers due to the representatives' busy schedules and so this was an exceptionally lucky event. When I entered, I got a regretful look from his secretary that I wasn't going to actually meet him in person, followed by the disappointing news that his schedule had indeed been changed. Only after speaking to his staffer did I found out that, oh you know, he just happened to get nominated by President Obama to the position of Secretary of the Army earlier that morning. Needless to say, I was able to bring myself to forgive him for not being able to meet with me. As someone who was spending his spring break in Albany in 2008 when news broke about Spitzer's wrongdoings, I seem to know all too well the importance of timing in politics. Congratulations to Rep. McHugh for the nomination and it will be more interesting I think to see who throws their hat into the ring for the 23rd congressional seat that will be left vacant with McHugh's promotion, assuming of course he's confirmed by Congress, something that I'm sure will go smoothly.

So as I'm standing here in the Albany bus terminal, an area not far from the Capitol yet lacking considerably in the same aesthetic appeal, I watch a taxi driver perform what I can only assume to be some kind of drunken ballet. I've seen a lot over the last couple of days, and as my schedule takes me to NYC on Friday to obtain my visa to study in France, I can imagine that this is only the beginning of things to come.

Au revoir,
Justin

Relay For Life

Family and friends, so as you might of read from my previous blog entries, Relay for Life is a cause that has become very close to my heart ever since Grandpa passed away of cancer in 2000. With another family member recently diagnosed with another form of the disease, there is no time but the present to help find a cure. If you find it at all possible to make a donation, from even the smallest amount to the largest, it would mean a lot to not only myself, but it will make a direct impact on our fight against this disease. I've included a direct link that you can click and donate directly to my effort of raising $100 for this year's Relay. Thank you all for your support. My Personal Page

Croghan Bologna and Sumo Suits

A friend approached me the other day and asked, "So what do you like to do in your free time?" to which I thought long and hard about and finally responded, "I don't remember."

Now that's not to say that I never find myself with any free time, but the rush and busyness of mid-semester is definitely now upon us. I did find the time, however, to travel home to Watertown this past weekend to show Tori the sights and sounds that Watertown has to offer. It seemed as though the most exciting place we ventured was the Cheese Store out on Route 3, where we found some amazing fresh cheese curd that we feasted on until we lactositized ourselves and felt sick. I still can't look at cheese today. We also picked up some Croghan Bologna for Tori's roommate Stacey, who has fallen in love with the delectably seasoned sausage ever since I brought her some over Winter Break. Getting back to the excitement of Watertown, it was a Saturday afternoon and it looked like a ghost town! You never realize while you're living there that seemingly NO business is open on a Saturday. The Paddock Arcade was bare as bones, with no business except the Paddock Club being open at 4PM on a Saturday. Public Square did not fare much better, as we could only find our way into a few select stores that were open. Come on Watertown, we wonder why businesses around Public Square are having trouble staying afloat...

Anyhow, it was nice to relax and be home with the entire extended family even for a day.

Sunday welcomed the newest APO service project to fruition, Knitting for Need! This project is a knitting project that brings together many of the fraternity brothers to knit scarves for children of local refugee families. For the first week, we had a great turnout of over 25 brothers. In fact, so many people came that we ran out of knitting needles. We have applied for a Youth Service Grant to cover most of the costs of buying the knitting needles and the thick yarn, but we will not hear back from the National office to notify us if we received the grant until March 2nd. In the meantime, I was left trying to decide whether to start the project early and gamble that we might receive the grant and be reimbursed for the initial supplies or whether to wait. This project is one that requires quite a long time, to allow for brothers to finish scarves that can take over 10 hours to knit. Starting it early is a gamble, but it's something that I felt needed to be done. I'll be sure to post at a later date the outcome.

In other news, Relay for Life work is going amazing. Myself and another person, Sara, are co-chairs for the Advocacy Committee at Relay for Life, a position that has generally taken a more passive approach to spreading the word about education and advocacy. Pamphlets are handed out, posters are made, and at the end of the Relay event no one remembers the information that was presented, or even if an advocacy table was there. I want to change that. Sara and I are taking a much more active campaign this year, with everything from a well-publicized Bone Marrow Drive to having an actual damaged lung on exhibit and show the effects of smoking to even a hopeful sumo suit fighting arena where people can "Fight Back" against cancer. I'll be sure to have more on that as the date nears, although I can already feel it creeping up faster than I can plan. March 28th. Mark it on your calendars.

Finally, today marked an important day pertaining to the second part of this blog's name: To Strasbourg. I sent in my application today for the abroad program and will be sure to update when I hear back as to the status of that and hopefully my acceptance into the program.

Au revoir et salut,
Justin

Long Overdue

Have you ever thought about, and then realized, that there just aren't enough hours in the day? Well I certainly have and thus you will find my excuse for not posting a blog every Sunday night like I so duly promised. Even now, as I catch a few minutes to update this, I am pressed for time because of my fraternity's inductions tonight. We're welcoming 70 new pledges to the fraternity, who will undergo 8 or so weeks of the pledging process, where they are required to do 17 hours of community service, attend fellowship events, and interview fellow pledges and brothers. Joining this fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, was one of the best decisions I have made since coming to Syracuse. It has provided me the opportunity not only to meet hundreds of new people I would not have otherwise had the chance to befriend, but it's an incredible outlet to do community service and other activities that I really love to do. Further, my position of Vice President of Service has me planning service events and coordinating logistical information for the brotherhood, introducing me to people within the campus administration and allowing me to work on my organizational skills, something I readily admit has not been my strongest points in the past.

I apologize if so far this sounds like a cover letter, I've just recently been engrossed with future planning of internships for this summer. I have set my sights on working in Albany, although the economy may intercede. I'm hoping to work in an economic policy research position (a plentiful internship, I know) or a political office down there to gain incredible insight into what I may want to do after graduating.

These past couple of days have been really exciting too as I plan out my next semester. While it's not completely official (I still have to fill out the application, blah) I have full intention on traveling to Strasbourg, France next semester. Smack dab in the middle of Western Europe, Strasbourg is a ten minute bike ride to Germany (the border is completely free and open because both countries are members of the EU) and 2 hours from Paris. It's a small town (in consideration to the other aboard programs) but I think it will fit me perfectly, as I'm well accustomed to that small town feel in Watertown and even Syracuse. Hoping/crossing my fingers/praying that some type of internship might be able to happen, as Strasbourg is home to the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, and many SU students in the past have been placed in one of those two organizations.

I'm definitely still something of an idealist when it comes to the summer internship and my abroad experience. Naive, pie-in-the-sky sophomore who thinks everything is going to work out just as planned. We'll see. Until next time.

Au revoir et salut,
Justin

From Syracuse to Washington

So I'm back to my computer at Syracuse after a long day of catching up on sleep and, more importantly, catching up on class after getting home at 1AM last night. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

After we stood in the cold, windy National Mall, warmed only by the radiating body heat of a million other people enduring the same frigidness, we were finally welcomed to a display of the "Who's Who" of American politics. After a short game of "Who's that slightly less recognizable national political leader?" came out the big guns. Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, Colin Powell, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Bill Frist, Newt Gingrich, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and finally the man himself, President Barack Obama. After a shaky start when Chief Justice John Roberts slightly misspoke the oath of office (which Obama today re-affirmed to ensure that there was no controversy concerning the mistake) Obama delivered a speech that I feel strayed from the norms of conventional canned political speeches.

First, he began his speech with "My fellow Americans..." and tossed aside the conventional introduction of "I would first like to thank the Inaugural Staff and all the dedicated members who put this together..." This to me shows that he is ready to get down to business. Now I'm not a naive, pie-in-the-sky type of person and I fully recognize that our financial problems and military conflicts will not immediately cease or even be particularly solved under an Obama administration, however I believe that inspires in a lot of people something we haven't seen in a long time. He's known for his oratorical abilities and for his rhetoric, but he recognizes that there's no time for that now. That was for the campaign. Now it's time to take a look at the failed economy, something he readily admits is currently in a crisis. Former President Bush was often criticized for not admitting fault or not acknowledging impending crises, yet Obama started off his very first direct speech to the nation stating that we are destined for demise if we, as Americans, do not look at our own lives and begin to change. Sure, he acknowledges the corrupt businessmen that have lost thousands of Americans billions of dollars, but he forces us to realize that part of the responsibility is on us as well. He made sure to reinforce his policy on opening up relationships between fellow nations, with the line that especially stuck with me, "We are ready to extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." Just being there in the moment, with the chants of "Obama, Obama" reverberating seemingly all across this electrified city was an experience I'll take with me for the rest of my life.

After the ceremonies were complete, we were unfortunately unable to attend the Inaugural Parade due to the fact that we had heard that the parade route was already filled to capacity, all 300,000 people they were going to allow in the high-security parade route area. We decided instead to keep warm and visited the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and saw the dinosaurs and the Hope Diamond. Soon we found that it was ready to head back to the Metro station with the end result being our bus. If only we knew the debacle it would be to get back.

In order to catch the train before the 300,000 people watching the parade, we decided to try to get back to the Metro Station we came in on considerably early, only to find out all Metro stations in a 10 block radius were closed due to the security surrounding the parade route. Thanks to the Google Maps application on my Blackberry (thanks Mom and Dad) we were able to track down the nearest Metro station and catch a bus that took us on a straight, uninterrupted train ride back to our bus and made it with plenty of time to spare.

Going into this trip, I wasn't sure what to make of it. I had recently become very discouraged with our government; never did I question the actual institution of democracy but instead the individuals who were at the helm of decision-making and business. The cause of my frustration was not concentrated with the Bush administration, because for too long did I feel that they were being used as a scapegoat for our nation's problems. As Obama says, we are all in some way or another at fault so let us not point fingers and write books and make movies about one man's mistakes, if we were to use even half of the amount of effort it required to construct this whole "failure of the Bush administration" media publication circus that it became we would be able to do so much good on the local level. Participate in your local school board or PTA, volunteer with a local service organization, VOTE. Stop complaining about what's wrong with our country and instead do something to make it better.

A cold morning in Washington

Standing with the Washington Monument as the view to my south and a large projector serving as the view to my north, surrounded on all sides by thousands of pushing people, a pressure I've come to understand with this morning's metro ride into this cold, yet energized city, I'm beginning to question my doubts I've had about government and politics. I've never met such extremely nice, welcome people from all across the nation whose spirit and drive to seek change isn't dampened by a chilly Inauguration Day. A place like this is the last place you would expect to see a man give up his seat for an elderly woman, yet I saw that very sight this morning.

My day has been an eventful one. Stood in line for two hours at the train station to be packed as tight as sardines for a half hour ride in. We're now standing watching the opening ceremonies and preparing for Obama's speech at around 11:30. We'll then head over to the inauguration parade route on pennsylvania ave and hope to catch a glimpse of that at 2:30. Until then, I'll just try to keep warm and enjoy the main event. Look for a post later.

Au revoir et salut,
Justin

On the Road

As I sit in a darkened bus traveling 65 mph somewhere in southern New York I can only liken this experience to what must have been experienced at the Million Man March of 1995. The millions of Americans that are at this very minute making their pilgrimage to our great capital just as I am doing has something almost unifying about it. Just as African-American men drove together in busses and vans and travelled the sometimes thousands of miles to gather on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, standing on the same hallowed ground that the great Dr. King had stood on 30 years earlier, there again is that pilgrimage today of souls seeking change. The crowd today though won't be full of solely one race or gender, but instead it will be a sea of black, white, yellow, and red males, females, and everything else in between. It is a great day for the African-American community but it is a greater day for the idea of equality. So as we near our nation's capital and I join the influx of millions that have put aside their differences in culture, customs, and ideas and join today as Americans I will sit quietly reflecting on what I will soon experience with nothing to interrupt my thoughts except for the quiet symphony of a dozen college headphones and the gentle lull of tires traveling at 65 mph somewhere in southern New York.

Au revoir et salut,
Justin

Blackberry bloggin'

Just set this up so I can blog from my phone so expect to see some updates on my long 6 hour drive to DC tomorrow. I'm not anticipating my 3am departure to be fun so I apologize in advance for the lack of enthusiasm.

Au revoir et salut,
Justin

Me? A blog?

I've never felt as though the excitement of my life warranted a blog.  When excitement comes to you in the form of a good rousing game of "Name that American statesman by recognizing his/her face" or finding a great classic novel to read (in your inexistant spare time), you begin to doubt the validity to the claims of an exciting life. 

However, I am planning to study abroad in Strasbourg, France in the Fall and I thought it would be interesting to capture everything about the application process and my journey leading up to that plane ride across the Atlantic.  Hence the name of my blog, as I am currently a sophomore studying public policy and...(fill in the blank here) at Syracuse University and I will soon be placed into a completely foreign environment in Strasbourg.  

Foreign is of course a relative word but believe me, in my case I use it in its most extreme interpretation.  I don't speak a lick of French.  Beyond "bonjour" and Muzzy's noble infomercial teachings of how to say "I am a little girl" in French when I was a kid, I am completely illiterate in the French language.  Am I scared to go to a foreign country and live with a host family, being immediately immersed into a culture where I can't speak a single word or phrase of the language?  In fewer words: yes.  Some people would dismiss the thought of studying abroad right there.  But the question I continue to ask myself, and the reason I have decided to go is: Will I grow as a person as I experience a culture that is new and foreign to me, a language that will be challenging to impossible at times to understand, and an environment that is neither going to be comfortable or enjoyable all of the time.  The answer to all parts of that question is yes.  

That is my decision to go.  

In the meantime, I'll muse over my life here at Syracuse.  I've really enjoyed my time here thus far; I've surely grown as a person academically, but more importantly I've grown as a person socially.  I've found incredible organizations such as Alpha Phi Omega, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, and First Year Players that have allowed me to befriend others with similar interests and establish an incredible group of friends that blow me away with their involvement and subsequently motivate me to work even harder. 

Alpha Phi Omega has been my primary focus since I returned to campus last Sunday.  I'm Vice President of Service this semester and thus charged with the task of coordinating every service project that our 100+ active brotherhood will participate in this semester.  I've received help from some of those aforementioned incredible friends and would be unable to do anything without them.  A couple projects we have lined up this semester is a "Knitting for the Kneedy" project where the brothers (we are co-ed and call both boys and girls "brothers") will get together every week to knit scarves and other winter garments for children of the large refugee population that is very unique to Syracuse.  We're also working on a bone marrow drive that will possibly be a collaboration with Relay for Life, a Merit Badge Day for local Boy Scout troops around the area to take classes and complete merit badge requirements, and a number of weekly projects ranging from playing Bingo with senior citizens to working at the Francis House with terminally-ill residents.  

Habitat for Humanity has been an organization that I've worked with really since I stepped foot on this campus last August.  I've been to New Orleans last Winter Break to help with the Katrina relief effort, to Albany last Spring Break to take classes about housing affordability advocacy and actually met with state legislators to lobby for a housing bill that was going up for a vote, and went back to New Orleans this Winter Break to help again with the Katrina relief effort.  I anticipate traveling to Florida or South Carolina again this Spring to continue my work.  I also serve on the Board of Directors as a Director of Finance for our campus chapter and help coordinate fundraisers and grants that our campus is involved in.  We are a very active chapter.  We raised over $60,000 last year to fully finance the construction of a house, we held a 3 day advocacy event called the Shack-A-Thon where students slept out in shacks on the quad for 3 days where we raised around $12,000, and we were ranked in the top 5 campus chapters in the entire nation last year.  This is a really exciting and incredible organization that I love being a part of, if you couldn't tell.

Well, in honor of Martin Luther King Day I am off to go do a little part to help change the world by finishing up a Youth Service grant I am applying for through Alpha Phi Omega.  Combine that with homework, a small article I have to write for Habitat for Humanity, and going to the gym, I have a full day ahead of me.  

I almost forgot.  I'm traveling to Washington, D.C. tomorrow to attend the public inauguration ceremonies for Barack Obama.  I'm sure I won't get anywhere near the address, as about 2 million people will beat me to it, but the city is sure to be electrifying and exciting.  I'll blog about it from my new Blackberry that I just got yesterday on the bus trip home tomorrow.  

Au revoir et salut (I admit: I copied and pasted that, but I WILL be learning),

Justin