Networking #3

This pretty girl sits down next to me in Sunday School. I'm too nervous to say anything. Luckily she's more courageous than I. She asked if we'd met and what my name was. I told her we hadn't met and told her I was just an intern, but that my name was Jeff. She asked for my last name. Despain. She said she'd heard about me. 

Hahaha what do you even say to that?!?! I don't know anyone in the stinking ward!! How in the world had she heard about me?? What had she heard about me?? And from whom?!?!?! 

I'm thoroughly convinced half the world revolves around Michael Skeen. When he's present he's the center of attention. When he's out of town, which is almost always, he's still the main topic of conversation. Now fully comprehend why he's out of town so much. Now I know he's not just the main topic in Raleigh/Durham. The man owns DC too!!! How many other cities I've no idea.. Turns out he attended a conference up here this weekend, they know each other, and he'd asked her if she'd met me yet, knowing I was in the ward..

Well, now she can say she has :)

It's all about knowing the right people baby! Networking rocks!! (and so does Skeen ;) )

The Merchant of Venice

I must say however much fun or entertaining the baseball game Friday night was, Saturday night was definitely better. I attended Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice performed by the DC Shakespeare Theatre Company. It was awesome!!! So cool! They did an awesome job! They were very creative and although it was a Shakespearean play it had a 1920's twist to it, all the costumes and even the accents haha. It was actually very well done. I think it also helped to lift the dark and depressing mood that was apparent throughout the play.

Despite the unsettling religious arguments and wrongdoings both thought and enacted because of selfishness and greed, which I think was to show just how cruel and down right ridiculous man-kind can be, despite religious preference, it was an excellent production!!! Obviously there were some funny parts, scattered throughout, especially the last few scenes. Very clever. Very much worth the student-discounted price we paid.

Oh gosh.. does this mean that I actually enjoyed a more mind-stimulating event as opposed to a sporting event?!?! What's DC done to me?!?!? ;)

What was fun was while we were waiting for the bus to come to take us home I realized that some of the actors had exited the building from a door like right behind us! It was so cool! I felt like we were supposed to go up and attack them with cameras and ask them to signature everything we had. I resisted. Not sure that's appropriate DC behavior. It was a tough call.. I'm still not sure I made the right choice. But they're just normal people!! One guy even rode off on his bike! The last two to leave were the main characters who in the play hated each other. When they'd exited the stage after applause etc. they'd left arm in arm. But they even left the actual building together. I hope that's kinda how this life turns out.. the people with whom we quarrel with the most turn out to become our best friends because we've been able to work through our differences and have humbled ourselves enough to allow that to happen. Nice thought anyways.. It was neat to see really..

Take me out to the ball game

I attended my first Major League Baseball game Friday night! Washington Nats vs the Colorado Rockies! I was glad I chose to go with Gou, my chinese friend, cuz then it totally looked like I knew what was going on! I was able to explain all the rules to him and got him going on the basic trash talk.. umm which doesn't work too well from the 5th level..

On the way to the ball park tho we were stopped by a guy handing out nats hats! He just handed them to us and we stopped and were like huh? For free? Really? Sure it's free! For a donation for the blah blah charity.. it was so weird! I'd never had someone hand me the item and then ask for money always the other way around.. me handing them the money and me receiving the item.. course come to think of it that never has happened before! Genius! Well I didn't have any money but Gou did, gave him $10 and then the guy asked Gou if he could help me out since I didn't bring any money.. I just gave my hat back instead of making him pay. Yah I'm a lame barterer. Shoulda said $10 for the both of us thanks have a nice day. Instead poor Gou got ripped off haha. He was okay with it tho.. it was his first hat he'd ever had. Ever.

So the strangeness of the hats continued. I notice all these people walking around all have the same hat on. Not the same one as Gou, a red/white/blue Nats hat. Someone was handing out free hats!!! I looked and looked but couldnt find them. We found our seats and enjoyed the game for a while but the fact that someone was handing out free Nats hats and I didn't have one was just too much to bear!! When this group of girls got back to their seats and all had those dang free hats I knew it was time to act. I was able to locate the source of the free hats. And just so happened they'd just handed out the last ones. 'We only get 10,000 a night..' 10,000 free hats??? 10,000 free hats and I didn't even get one of em!!! Oh well.. I still have my white Wolfpack hat.. what more do i need!

But what was cool was getting up to the main gates and getting ready to go through the check-out location when they stopped letting us in! Weird! And then I noticed everyone was faced towards the big-screen. They were bringing out the American flag and a quartet of brothers began to sing the National Anthem. How cool huh? Everything stopped out of respect. Pretty neat.

Despite a good-looking first inning the Nats didn't do much.. we were down by one (3-2) at the bottom of the 9th. A runner on 1st and no outs. We're getting excited and pumped and hoping for a big come-back finish.. yah the rockies get a double play. Bam. Epic fail. Oh well, can't win every time..

Identity Crisis

Ever since I was young I've had a special thing for ties. When I was 16 the Elders in our ward gave me two giant trash bags full of ties!! It was over 300 ties!! This simply caused this special thing I have for ties to augment. I never wore the same tie twice for years. Serving a mission to Japan where you can buy really cool ties for just $1 was heaven. It was the only item of a missionaries' outfit that could change. One's identity could be found in the tie. If you had cool ties your identity was cool. If you had lame-o ties, YOU were lame-o. 

I was no lame-o.

So you see I like ties. Now I get a monthly Asian tie from Meg who's in Taiwan right now. Let me embellish: really incredibly awesome Asian ties that have made all other ties I own seem second-rate. And remember, I wore no lame-o ties. That's how cool these Asian ties from Meg are. 

So. I was quite happy to know that I would be interning for an Asian-based organization. It gave me clear and direct permission and what I thought was blatant encouragement to wear these incredible expressions of my identity. So you can imagine the horror I experienced when my supervisor began telling me how ridiculous my ties were. How un-Washington they were. I responded that I knew they weren't DC-ties.. they were Asian ties!! I work for ASIA Policy Point!! She was not amused and threatened me by saying she was on the verge of taking me across the street to Brooks Brothers to buy me reasonably DC-looking ties.

Shot through the heart. Internal bleeding. Trying to breathe in Space.. No. Worse than even that.. my identity was squished. And just when I thought I was adjusting to and understanding DC..

Now. Just because she was the first and only person to ever insult one, okay or all, of my ties does not mean that I am beaten. No no. Remember I've experienced on two separate occasions to date 2 side-walk singers begin to sing about my tie as I walk by. It has served as means for inspiration to others as well as to myself in the DC area.

But. Being the innovative and entrepreneurial opportunity seeker that I am I have found the loop hole to the gross slanderings issued towards my identi.. I mean towards my ties: She's willing to buy me more ties since she doesn't like the one I currently own and wear. :) 

Operation 'Identity Boost': 

Action: Cease wearing the conservative Asian ties I've been wearing and bring out the big guns: the loud boisterous ties I haven't even worn yet.

Result: Enjoy an afternoon of shopping at Brooks Brothers for brand new ties to add to my collection, at no cost to me and at the approval of my supervisor. 

All players in the market benefit and prosper thereby. :)

I do believe I am beginning to get the hang of this DC thing.. ;)

Understanding DC

Much of the 'spare' time that we generally have has this week been spent meeting in groups for our internship class presentation. We've met every night and spent hours researching and discussing our topic and how to present it, or trying to do all that is more like it.

Here's the problem. Each of the 6 members of our group are apart of an incredible program that attracts some of the greatest college-aged thinkers and do-ers in America. Each person is ambitious, intelligent, highly opinionated, is a leader, and has lots of experience. (Haha and then there's me! Hehe I don't know how I got accepted into this club!!) But anyways.. you place them all in one group and tell them to create one idea. You come out with 6 ideas. You come out with 6 ideas and no one is willing to budge. Hours pass by and you realize that you haven't accomplished anything. Gosh this sounds awfully familiar.. where have I heard about his happening before.. oh wait!! We're in DC!!

No wonder all of our elected leaders have such a difficult time trying to get anything done!! You take our 'group project' situation and blow it up a billion times and that's congress!! You take a handful of each state's top picks, tell them to stand up for the citizens of their district/state and their beliefs and interests, put them into teams with team colors and team captains, and then throw them into a massive room with hundreds of other top-notch minds and leaders with the same resolve to their constituents who are on the opposing side and then try and come to a single conclusion with which everyone is happy and benefits thereby. Oh and let's not forget the cameras.. it's being televised too! It's a miracle anything gets done.

I hate to say it but from my experience here in DC so far the 'bright minds of the future' are an awful lot alike the ones of today.. but hey at least it'll provide for plenty of entertainment in years to come for America's most popular professional most-of-the-time-non-contact sport: Politics. Oh gosh that's an idea.. politics with full-body contact!! Oh man!! I think I just qualified the reasoning in my being here with these stubborn smarty-pants!! Gotta take advantage of those entrepreneurial opportunities! Innovation baby!! 

K gotta go write a bill about all this now.. 'i'm just a bill, yes i'm only a bill, and im sittin here on capitol hill..'

Let Freedom Ring: July 4th in DC

As the dark night sky blazes with color and smoke, ash from the colorful display floats gently down on thousands of heaven-tilted eye.

Chords of patriotism sound from the strings of the symphony to combine with the booming of fireworks to shake the earth.

Hundreds of tiny flashes of light from cameras struggle to capture the moment, all light combining to illuminate stone faces enshrined in monuments of respect.

The lights flash, melodies sound, and eyes turn toward heaven, all combining in one moment of thanks to those faces of stone who came before, who paved the way that we might live as we do; that we might not struggle in vain for that which they dedicated their lives:

Freedom.

Each flash of light, each chord that plays, each gazing eye can do so because they are free.

In awe, in thanks, indebted to them: the founding fathers of our freedom.

Let freedom ring.

Business Card Magic #2: Harvard Club

So signing up to have a mentor has certainly paid off. Not only did I get that free lunch and great blog post out of it but he also got me in touch with a friend of his who happens to be in charge of all the events for the Harvard Club! And it just happened that the upcoming event was a night at the Panama Embassy with the Ambassador! He told me to go ahead and sign up but when I looked more closely it was for members only and even then the members had to pay $40. :/ Woulda been nice.. Wait, except I have a mentor!! Not only did he get me into the event but got me in for FREEEEE!!! In exchange all I'd have to do was help Caren, the lady in charge of the event, pass out name tags at the beginning of the event which she later told me was just an excuse to let me in and in the end she wouldn't even let me help her, just told me to go talk to people haha. Cha-ching!!!

Umm but so instead of taking the metro I decided I had enough time that I could walk.. and then my google maps on my ipod wouldn't load while I was walking so I was stuck on what I remembered from the map.. In the end I ended up taking a wrong turn that lead me in the wrong direction.. I talked with a cop who came across as really self-important and I think was kinda upset that I had to ask him for directions.. twice hahaha. Umm mostly I think he wasn't too happy because he had no idea but since he was kinda supposed to be able to help and couldn't at all. Anyways, I FINALLY was able to hack someone's wifi long enough to load the stinking map, search for the address, and found out where I was and how lost I'd gotten myself. I decided that in order to not be totally and completely late I'd have to take a taxi.. ohh and plus I'd already walked probably close to 3miles by this point. So I started heading back in the direction of the embassy and along the way I'd try to wave a taxi down. Umm yah, didn't happen. Every taxi I tried to wave down already had a passenger and then the one taxi I missed of course was the empty one. And by the time I caught up to it at the light I was like a 5min walk from the place.. I weighed my opportunity costs and decided I'd keep my $10 and walk the 5min despite the fact I was 30min late..

Haha so I actually ended up walking past the place.. cuz see we were actually meeting at the Ambassador's residence and not the embassy and well the residence looked more like an embassy and I couldn't see the address or a sign but later on saw other Harvard-looking-people going inside so I joined them. Hahaha oh man it was great! Not only was the place immaculate and gorgeous but there were servants serving drinks and everyone had fancy glasses etc. Oh man I felt so weird!!! Hahaha. I was also a little worried about people's reaction to my not being affiliated with Harvard and yet being there and all.. Everyone I talked to was very friendly tho, I'm sure whatever they were drinking loosened them up a bit ;) I had ginger ale. Caren was nice enough to track some down for me. She was excited to hear in our previous conversation that I was a Mormon, knew Spanish, that my parents taught Spanish, dad had gone to Indiana University.. anyways basically we had a lot to talk about and she took good care of me. Hahaha but honestly I felt so weird walking around with the drink, looking like a Harvard person, that I gulped it down and got rid of it as fast as I could haha.

The first person I really talked with was Johnathan. He's from Panama, studied at Georgetown, American University, and University of Louisville, had done International Law, got bored and turned to Public Affairs..  and I didn't find out until near the end of our conversation that he was the Ambassador's Deputy!! He was like, 'oh excuse me I must call the Ambassador now, it's time for him to come meet people and deliver his speech, please excuse me..' hahaha oh if you've got to I guess!! So he calls the Ambassador and tells him it's time and a door above me opens and here comes the Ambassador walking down the stairs!! Hahaha boy did I feel like I had totally planned it all out but in reality was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.. haha I mean right place at the right time.. I was the first person to shake the Ambassador's hand!! Johnathan introduced me briefly and said I had perfect Spanish.. haha oh what a nice liar Latinos can be sometimes :)

The best word I can describe the Ambassador is jolly. He was just a happy happy guy!! haha didn't stop smiling and laughing the whole time!! Great guy!! I'd read up on Panama the night before so I'd be a little more prepared for conversation and to understand the speech etc. Paid off. Understood everything he was talking about what Panama has and is experiencing.

In short, I was able to talk to several people. Instead of going for quantity I went for quality. I hope it pays off.. Most of the people there could speak some Spanish and most had been to Panama before (or had houses there!!) so maybe I shoulda just gone around and tried to meet everyone and then come back around to those who would be the best contacts.. I don't know.. Anyways I talked to quite a few people. Got close to several of them and was able to exchange business cards with them and even gave some of them an envelope which contained my business card and my resume. I asked them to just look over it and maybe give me some suggestions or tips on how to improve it... (oh and if you have any friends who might want to hire me give it to them too hahaha ;) ). Everyone I talked to seemed very interested in me and was happy to help. Sneaking into the professional development series on resume/interview tips I wasn't signed up for that morning paid off.. good tips.. "people love being asked to help" thus my help-me-with-my-resume ploy, plus it gives a soft committment for them to get back in touch with me and if they don't approach me? well I've got their business card I can follow up with them :) I also committed one of the ladies I spoke with to get me in touch with her friend who is in the Foreign Service to ask her questions about her experience.. hahaha also a single female she added.. "always ask people for contacts". Check. Oh man.. taking over DC baby..

So just in case you think I'm boasting about myself just remember I got dreadfully lost earlier AND another few things that I gotta work on is knowing when your brains are getting sucked out of your head by a bug when talking with important people.. kinda embarrassing. I was talking with the Deputy when that one happened.. had a big ole red bug bite just in time to meet the Ambassador.. hahaha great.. AND when we were in line to get food one of the men I'd met earlier walked in and was going to get in the back of the line but I told him to hop in front of me.. He's Japanese and was very much impressed with my Japanese.. umm like all I said was 'are you japanese? oh it's so very nice to meet you! I lived in japan for 2 years as a missionary' and oh that was about it.. anyways he liked me :) So i let him hop in front since we're friends.. very Japanese-esque of me really. A guy a few people behind me tho was not happy about that hahaha. He didn't do anything but he did complain about it till he got to the food, not to my face but loud enough I could hear.. 'there was actually a line.. oh I guess he's more important than us..' things like that.. I felt bad at first but then he kept going on and I didn't feel bad anymore haha, what a disagreeable jerk face! I made him wait seriously an extra 15sec!! You're gonna get ur rich-people food in 45sec buddy!! Anways.. take home lesson for him is it pays to have contacts when waiting in line to get food.. had he walked in and had I known him I woulda let him in.. I can be a good contact too ;) But still.. bad form on my end..

But besides the blistered feet, swollen face, and ticking off the rich Harvard man, I'd given out 3 resumes and 4 business cards and received 4 cards in return and met maybe 8 others with whom I can easily get in touch with from Caren. Doubt I'll get a job from anything that happened that night but I've got more excellent contacts now from which I can gain great advice and even more contacts.. and let's not forget yet another single female Foreign Officer contact to add to the list ;)