The 'Atlas' spirit!

A nice day at work gives us satisfaction; it brings forth confidence and pleasant experiences; diligence and focus shows our attitude and anger reveals the weak side of our character. If we manage our stress well, we can enjoy the pleasant results of living our everyday life at ease.
Work is a part of our lives, we've always done it, always will do it, and thus it becomes part of who we are. It is not just a way to get money, but it shapes us into the persons we become. I am glad to be at this professionally satisfying phase in my life. My work brings to me inspiration and life each day.

This was a real busy week. A whole lot of meetings, activities and events were lined up for the entire week. We left for New York after work on Wednesday and reached there late in the night. The kind of support network Atlas Corps has generated from all the corners is amazing. The New York friends of Atlas Corps provided us a comfortable stay for the night. Thursday was the day of ‘BIG’ meetings. The first meeting in the morning was scheduled with the Ford Foundation, which is a resource foundation for innovative people and institutions worldwide. The Foundation goals are to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement. They work mainly by making grants or loans that build knowledge and strengthen organizations and networks. The agenda of the meeting was to brief the Foundation about the work Atlas Corps is doing and the work profile of the fellows. We all introduced ourselves, talking about our backgrounds, work experiences and our host organizations under this fellowship program. They had a couple of interesting questions for us like the challenges we have faced so far, to what do we think is different about the non – profit sector in the United States. All the fellows of course had a whole of interesting experiences and perspectives to share.

Between this and the next meeting – we had a couple of hours to ourselves and we decided to do a little bit of sightseeing in the New York City. We walked around the Rockefeller centre, had lunch and clicked some nice pictures in front of the statue of Atlas. We also took the ferry to Statin Island and back, and then strolled around the Times Square. Honestly, New York gave me too much of a Mumbai feel. It was crazy busy - people running around, the old subway system, traffic jams, and high rise buildings. Phew! I think I really like the city feel of Washington DC. At least the buildings here don’t block the sun.

The second meeting was with the American India Foundation (AIF), which is a leading international development organization charged with the mission of accelerating social and economic change in India. AIF’s initiatives center around education, livelihood, and public health projects in India – with emphases on elementary education, women’s empowerment, and HIV/AIDS, respectively. The agenda was to brief AIF on the vision and mission of Atlas Corps and give fellow introductions. The meeting was very interactive and all of us (fellows) were asked to talk about our learning’s as well as contributions made during the first 3 months under the fellowship program.

Following this, we had the Atlas Corps reception at the Synergos Institute. Synergos is a nonprofit organization that brings people together to address the underlying causes of poverty and inequity in innovative ways that lead to meaningful, long-term change. The institute builds and supports networks of leaders engaged in efforts to reduce poverty and increase equity around the world. It was great interacting with a variety of people from various fields and organizations at the reception. We fellows did our regular ‘elevator speech’. After the reception, it was the drive back to DC. We were stuck in the traffic for long and finally got home at 2:30 in the night.

Well, this was not all. Next day was the Atlas Corps reception. After work, me and Gargi rushed back home to change for the event. Meeting Senator Harris Wofford and hear him talk was the best thing about the reception. He spoke about volunteerism, the foundation years of Americorps and Gandhi as an inspiring individual in this context. It was a special evening for Atlas Corps and for all of us.

During the weekend, my close friends (Vidhi & Prashantha) from New York came over. I was so happy to see them – had been trying to make plans to meet them all this while and there they were – finally! We walked around the Dupont circle – clicking pictures and went for Chinese food for dinner. We also watched a movie. After that, me and Vidhi ended up talking till 3:30 a.m. On Sunday, we decided to go to the National Mall but couldn’t get to any of the Monuments because Vidhi refused to walk! We had pizzas for lunch and after dropping me home, they were back on their way to New York. It's amazing - we friends meet after months and still it feels like we met just yesterday - we were back to our old times! Love you loads...

Life!

Another week has passed…these moments will last forever, not through words but through thoughts. Life is like a race…moving swiftly, with every runner well positioned on the track. With the gun shot, every individual runs his own course. Some people start well – others don’t and while some people have already finished the race, others are now just beginning.

Life…it is in steps, not in elevators and escalators.

Remember the little pleasures in life – (friends and friendship being the centre stage of our lives) laughing out loud, sharing smiles, talking a lot, doing as you please, singing songs, dancing in the rain, falling in love, listening to music (with meaningful parts), making funny faces, linking arms and walking down the street, hearing each other and giving advice – all those ‘so – called’ silly things and silly ways. Hmmm…I miss all those ‘silly’ moments.

Work during the week was fantastic! I attended the Brown Bag lunch and Conference on Forced Labour, Human Trafficking and the Rule of Law for the poor, held at the World Bank office. The conference focused on questions like - Why poverty reduction efforts need to consider
Rule of Law for the poor and what it will take to build it. Mr. Gary A. Haugen - President of
International Justice Mission (IJM) was the speaker for the conference and did a presentation highlighting the IJM experience. It was found that forced labor/human trafficking is representative of a more general failure to provide basic law enforcement protections for the poor in the developing world. IJM's casework experience with thousands of individual poor people provided insights as to why "work- arounds" for broken public justice systems that may
work for economic elites or commerce do not work for poor people, and why the failure of the police, courts and supporting services to protect the poor in their person and property undermines poverty alleviation programs.

I also attended the panel discussion organized by the Human Trafficking Caucus & Human Rights Caucus on rural slave Labor in Brazil along with viewing of the documentary ‘Bound by Promises’. The documentary tells the story of men who set out in search of work and are taken to isolated ranches in the Amazon region, only to find that they have been lured into debt bondage. The U. S. and Brazil share a strong economic relationship and a common vision for the future. The briefing brought to light the issues Brazil has faced, the steps it has taken to overcome them and the blueprint it has laid out for ending the use of forced labor.

I also got the opportunity to speak at an after school civic program, organized by Liberty’s Promise, a local nonprofit organization that supports young immigrants in need. It was very interactive and I spoke all about myself, my background, my work experience and information on slavery issues and community involvement. The immigrant youth groups were very engaged and had a lot of questions to ask.

This was followed by 2 days of office retreat – which actually meant coming together of all the FTS staff, to share updates and strategize for next year. The staff from California and Connecticut office had come down – it was in fact great to put faces to people’s names – with whom I was communicating only via emails.

And then came Diwali – the festival of lights – celebrating the triumph of good over evil. We did a massive Indian dinner – invited a few friends over – did ‘puja’- lighted candles and had a great time together. The following day I had plans to go to New York, to spend the weekend with a really close friend of mine – but phew - I got up with some fever and terrible body ache, and had to cancel my trip. I hope to see her sometime soon – have been waiting to meet her since the time I arrived in US.

Oh yes – during the retreat – one favourite song of every staff was played. I loved Ama’s favourite song – ‘Talk to her’, which goes:

When you talk to her talk to her
Like you'd want somebody a
Talk to your mama
Don't get smart with her
Have a heart to heart
With her just like you
Would with your daughter
Cause everything you do or say
You got to live with every day
She's somebody's baby
She's somebody's sister
She's somebody's mama…

The song celebrates womanhood and the spirit of being a woman.

Cheers!

Happiness!

I can see happiness…in the brightness of the sun, in the lining of a cloud, in the blueness of the sky, in the cold autumn wind, in the colorful leaves, in the cheering of the crowd, in the smiles of my colleagues, in the lovely food we cook and eat, in the long distance family calls that I make and in the picture of my beloved that I have right next to my bed. Happiness…well it’s all about our ‘state of mind’!

The world is full of happiness… just that sometimes it's hard to recognize. But if we put our negative thoughts behind us…happiness can be ours – yours and mine. All we need to do is give a smile…a smile that is contagious…so that the smile can be passed on.

The week at work was real busy and good. I had to make some strategic fund raising plans and set out the priorities for the organization. We also had a session on fund raising with an expert Consultant, giving us an insight into what would and what would not work when applying for funds from the foundations. Following that, I did some research on foundations funding slavery and human trafficking projects, marking them by their assets and income, examined their investment activity and analyzed their historical giving patterns, recipients and trends. I used Metasoft’s Foundation Search for doing all of this. It’s amazing! Technology really surprises me everyday – it’s so powerful – information on anything (almost everything) is just a click away. I would prefer to call ourselves ‘tech slaves’ rather than ‘tech savvy.’ Can we imagine being without a computer at work even for a day.

Alejandra – Atlas Service Corps Colombian Program Director was in DC last week and a party was organized to welcome her short stay in DC as well as to bid her good bye before she left for Colombia. Alejandra – it was lovely meeting you and we wish you a life of nothing but bliss.

Weekend was bright and beautiful. Saturday was the cleaning day, followed by a visit to the National Mall on Sunday. We saw the White House, which to me looked pretty ordinary. Further, we saw the Washington Monument, built in honor of George Washington, which also is the most prominent attractions in Washington, D.C. Then we went to the National World War II Memorial, which commemorates the sacrifice and celebrates the victory of the of the WWII generation. The place is a fantastic balance of classical and modernist styles of architecture and blends beautifully with the natural surroundings.

Hmmm…all in all…it was a happy week. Happiness is the only drug we crave for and can’t get enough of, and it is also the ONLY ONE worth taking. Ever realized…happiness is all around us turning dull frowns into beautiful smiles. J

Sunshine!

Last week the sun refused to shine. The days were gloomy…dark clouds covered the bright sky…and it rained on and off like fountains. I saw myself searching for the sun everyday and telling Sun “Hey, I am waiting…waiting for a little bit of sunshine that you could shower on us…don’t be so mean”. I can feel the air becoming cold with each passing autumn day! It is chilling on my way to office and back but my thoughts keep me going.

Ever wondered what it would be if there was no sun! What would life be without the bright, golden sunshine rays, enveloping the air and breathing life into nature? Even the thought makes me uneasy. Oh sun! I love you.

Work during the last week was good as we at Free the Slaves progressed towards another week in preparing for Freedom Awards 2008. The Freedom Awards 2008 are global awards and would celebrate the visionary and courageous community based organizations, community activists, survivors of slavery, and individual leaders who are showing the way to a world without slavery. In this context, I did some research on William Wilberforce, who was an English politician who headed the parliamentary campaign that outlawed the British Slave Trade in 1807. This victory came in after more than 15 years of unrelenting work. Together with Thomas Clarkson and other abolitionists, Wilberforce’s leadership helped pave the way for the abolition of slavery throughout the British empire in 1833, and inspired many of the heroes of the United States’ abolitionist movement.

I was also invited for the Youth to Youth (Y2Y) 2007 UN Week Conference (Youth in decision-making: a global perspective.) Well, i got so busy with work that could not attend the conference but made it to the closing reception hosted by the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) at the Organization of American States office. It was a good way to network, meet interesting groups and individuals and also share ideas.

Then came the weekend. Gargi offered me to join her for hiking on Saturday, organized by her social sponsor Piya. I was excited but the only worry was ‘sun’! Well, sun finally heard me but tried to play naught with me for a while by peeping through the clouds every now and then and smiling momentarily. As we drove on the highway towards the Shenandoah National Park, the sun had come out bright and clear, spreading warmth, bathing the grass and making everything glow. The sun was there to relieve us from the cold pain and to make a perfect day for a trip like that.

We got off the car, walked out into the crisp cold air under the bright sun and stepped on the crunchy and misty leaves – red, yellow, golden and green, as we hiked up the waterfall. In between, we stopped to enjoy our lunch. Gargi had made some lovely ‘Uttapams’ and ‘Banana fritters’ and I relished it completely. I had a great time with everyone and I am sure if you see the abundance of pictures that we clicked, you would know what fun it was. (Piya and Eric, thank you so much for a really wonderful day out!)

Such a fun week was followed by the worst Sunday that i have had in DC so far. I guess that's the way life is...not shining all the time. But yes, the sun did shine the whole day and kept me going. As i went off to bed yesterday night, i prayed for the sun to come out the next day and keep my spirits high.

As we all can see...today is a bright glowing day...and so are my spirits!

Learning and teaching!

This is how i feel today...motivated by purpose, inspired by dreams - inevitable, indescribable. There are words for the future and previous pages of my life are helping me contribute today - in terms of educating others and also inspiring some. I am dreaming, believing, learning and sharing. I have spread my wings for this new phase in my life...and i want to fly...fly high!

I remember the first time when i heard about the Atlas Corps fellowship program - it seemed to be just a perfect program for me as a development professional at my age. I sat and pondered about it all and asked myself - why not take this professional dive. Then followed the filling of application - set of interviews - and the overwhelming mail informing me of my selection. And here i am today, completing 2 months as an Atlas fellow and writing my weekly blog.

A belief is growing within me that there i so much to try...so much to explore...so much to learn...so much to contribute... and the belief that if it's your own destiny then you can create it. I feel so privileged to be placed with an organization like Free the Slaves, which is helping me grow every day and making me a stronger professional in my area of work. Every person in my office inspires me - to dream big, fight for what is right and never settle for less. I know i am learning to be daring and differently bold...things are unfolding...and it is just the beginning!

I remember being asked by my Supervisor just last week about my work plans when i get back to my country. And honestly every time i hear this, I am taken back to my experience of working with and for the victims of human trafficking. The innumerable questions the victims had for me - "Can you take my hand and lead me out of this place - this place full of suffering and never ending grief? Can you lead me to a better land where love rules, where love can be real and where love is not just a fairy tale? Can you get me out of this sadness?". All this while, i have been trying to do something or the other for these survivors of trafficking and every time i get a feeling that there is so much more to do. From prevention issues of fighting poverty, illiteracy, unemployment to rescue of more and more victims out of the exploitative situations, to a 'LIFE' after rescue. I am lucky that Free the Slaves is helping me answer some of these questions that i have for myself - for what can be improved and what needs to be introduced.

With all this professional excitement, i am also experiencing the American culture, festivals and the ways and means. My weekends have been very exciting and this week i enjoyed the pumpkin carving 'pre Halloween party' with Gargi (another Atlas Corps fellow and my friend). Each person's imagination had gone wild with pumpkins - each one trying to carve different faces - showing a variety of emotions. Looking at the carved pumpkins i felt as if the pumpkins had life!

As i close my blog today, i want to share a beautiful thought that i remember reading somewhere sometime back - "Our lives are made of seasons and some will make us grieve, but if we just have faith, we will never be without our leaves."

The transformation has begun. Leaves are beginning to change colors – one can see the vibrant yellow, red and orange leaves fluttering freely with the wind in the sky and laid all over like a carpet. Here’s summer in one its last days, marking its good bye! The trees are coaxed to drop their leaves and sharp cold winds have started blowing. Slowly the October days will thrust into winter nights and soon DC will see the Christmas lights. What fun to experience the beauty of changing seasons!

On work front, the week was as exciting as it has been so far. This week I along with Gargi Saha participated in the 12th International Business Forum, organized by the World Bank. The theme for this year was ‘Business engagement for governance’. On the first day I took part in the Youth video consultation which focused on climate change and its impact on businesses. The focus of discussion was on current attempts to curb climate change, which are based on two types of activities: mitigation (reducing current greenhouse gas levels); and adaptation (adjusting livelihood systems to cope with environmental changes resulting from elevated greenhouse levels). The challenges for industrial units and businesses in tackling this issue and scaling up successful public-private partnerships for doing so were discussed.

The second day was even more interesting, wherein I took part in the youth video consultation focusing on Businesses and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The discussion focused on the transformation in both the understanding and expectation of business’ contribution to the MDGs. Most importantly, it was largely felt and recognized that the largest contribution that businesses can have – far greater than charitable philanthropy – is by running successful and responsible businesses: creating jobs, economic opportunities, tax revenues and goods and services.

Another exciting opportunity for me was to be a part of the U.S. Helsinki Commission Hearing. Free the Slaves along with ILO (International Labour Organization) and OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) were invited to speak and request the Commission to consider Combating Trafficking for Forced Labour Purposes in the OSCE region. FTS President Kevin Bales spoke about the inconsistent approach to trafficking for forced labour across the OSCE region. He also highlighted that while some countries strive to implement policies that address forced labour (for ex: Italy, Poland, Czech Republic), other governments within the OSCE do not consider it a significant problem.

The work week was followed by a splendid weekend. Saturday started with a delicious South Indian brunch, followed by a fun filled apple picking activity organized by Vanessa (Chairperson of DC friends of Atlas Corps). We hired two cars and drove down to the outskirts of DC. The drive to the Homestead farm was beautiful - crossing by the meadows, the huge mansions, fields…WOW! As I got off the car, I could feel the mixture of wind and sun – the weather was so pleasant. The farm was crowded…families, kids, old and young…all excited about apple picking – looked like quite an American day out! We took our baskets and headed towards the ‘Apple Alley’. I felt I had landed into an abundance of beauty and taste – apples all over – spread like a carpet beneath the apple tree. Green or red – small or big – we all filled in our baskets with a whole lot of apples of our choice. We took lots and lots of pictures. We also chose pumpkins for the Halloween party!

On our way back, we were a little lost but managed to give the rented car back on time (Just 10 minutes late I guess). We had an amazing and a really beautiful Saturday…thanks Vanessa for organizing everything.

I slept till late on Sunday. Got up and did the vacuum around the house. Sergio and Yunus did kitchen cleaning and Gargi prepared the lunch. I also managed to hurt myself – a big clock fell right on my head and also scratched my hand. Later, I had a late bath, listened to some music and took a walk around our neighborhood with Gargi.

Another week gets over…and a new begins. And with every new day…there is rising another me! :)

An eventful week

This was quite an eventful week. I am inspired by so many things that I see and experience around me. New moments ride upon the day and my hopes and dreams are displayed clear inside my soul. When I scan my mind, I see so many thoughts rushing in and this thinking inspires me to reach my goals.

At work, we were busy preparing for the big launch party of the book ‘Ending Slavery’. With this book, Free the Slaves President Kevin Bales has put forward a revolutionary proposal / plan to bring slavery and human trafficking to an end. The book shares a doable strategy, forces us to look at modern slavery from another direction and also drives the point that no country or industry would collapse if slavery ended tomorrow. The book also talks about the role that Governments, UN and other international bodies, businesses, communities and each of us individually can play to end slavery.

I have been doing some suggested readings as well. Just started with ‘How to change the world’ by David Bornstein. Again, every word in this book inspires me…to be the change I would want to see in the world. With reading, I have realized, we become part of the everlasting thing called imagination. This is sparked by reading that always fulfils. When I am angry, I am irritated…music and reading helps. When I am doing that, I have no rage. I feel nothing but what emotions I am reviewing and what the characters in the book are feeling. Plus, it’s a good way of keeping yourself busy during leisure hours.

This was a quiet and much needed weekend for me. On Saturday, Gargi, the other fellow invited her friend Nadia for lunch. We made some yummy ‘dal parathas’ and I think Nadia loved it too. We went to the Rock Creek National Park (though we didn’t explore it much). We did some biking, clicked pictures and it was so much fun. Sunday, I met up with Gargi’s family friends living in Maryland, who had invited us over for lunch. Tasted the authentic Bengali cuisine after long and relished it completely. In the evening, Kimi and Mike came over to the group house with some food and we all engaged in some brainstorming on a couple of issues. Thinking minds all around the table - agreeing, disagreeing, pointing, refuting, arguing…hahhhaaa…it was fun! Well, it was a fun Sunday except for the fact that I survived the day on painkillers. Had terrible stomach ache all day long and it is continuing…Sorry Scott, couldn’t manage to join you for your lecture at Muhlenberg University, Pennsylvania.

Just learnt something I was not aware of. My brother sent me an interesting and emotional forward about family and near and dear ones. At the end of it is written… ‘Do you know what the word FAMILY means?’ It means FATHER AND MOTHER I LOVE YOU! I am soooo… missing you mumma and papa. I’ll call you tonight!

(By the way, i am trying to upload some event pics to this blog and it's not happening! Grrrr...i am irritated!)

Memories for life...

Every day when I wake up, my thoughts run through nearly everything that happened the day before and then stops at something that I miss the most! Few minutes there and then the rush starts…knocking at the bathroom door for turns…getting ready for office…eating breakfast…packing lunch…running to the bus stop. I love the DC mornings…nothing is more beautiful…and nothing makes me more alive.

This was a good week. At work, I have been focusing on Free the Slaves India projects. I am basically looking at the reporting mechanisms, suggesting improvements, expanding programs to new areas, looking for potential partnerships. Understanding Global Slavery is the book that I took up for reading this week. Each of the chapters in Understanding Global Slavery explores a different facet of global slavery. Kevin Bales, the author, investigates slavery’s historical roots to clarify today’s puzzles of defining and understanding slavery. The book explores basic ideas about what slavery is and how the phenomenon fits into our moral, political and economic worlds. I particularly liked the chapter which describes how the demand for trafficked workers, servants, and sex workers shape modern slavery.

Most of all, I think this week, I have specially enjoyed my tryst with nature. We (Me, Gargi and Yunus) managed a picnic to the Theodore Roosevelt Island. Walking down the river, breathing in the air fresh and clean, soft breeze blowing, the sun beginning to set, sitting down along the wild green grass, wooden logs and talking about so many subjects… my Saturday surely couldn’t have been more perfect. Everything felt so right!

We also managed a tiring but lavish Sunday night Indian feast… we cooked ‘aloo parathas’ and had a candle light dinner in the backyard of our house. Well, how can I not talk about the awesome dinner party hosted by Jan yesterday. All the fellows were there together with Kimi (our US Program Director), Mary Jo and Vanessa (DC friends of Atlas Corps). As we entered, I could feel the fresh aroma rise in the kitchen's air. One shot and I was good! With the scurry around, Jan finally managed to finish cooking the dinner and we all gathered around to relish the amazing meal. This was followed by some words of wisdom, some words of nonsense, talking and laughing about everything and nothing! Oh, we also did some work…pasted addresses on the Atlas Corps post cards. Whew! The post cards are going to get us a lot of visibility!

As I close my eyes every night and pray as I have been taught to do…I thank God for these lovely days and for helping me choose today as my path for tomorrow. I am learning…I am growing…I am evolving…

Moving on with the Host organization…

Action has been the keyword…each day…everyday…since the time I arrived in DC! The action has become as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. From working to attending meetings, cooking food, laughing, chilling out with fellows and other friends…everything has been full of energy and action. I am happy that I still have been able to make a clear and healthy distinction between my work and play, labour and leisure, mind and body and information and recreation.

My first day at the host organization (Free the Slaves) was exciting. I did my first assignment on the first day itself. I saw the documentary ‘The Price of Sugar’ and did a story on Father Christopher Hartley who gave birth, leadership and presence to a mission/movement, which fought for the rights of the Haitians (trafficked from Haiti to Dominican Republic to work as slaves in the sugar plantations), and broadly a mission/movement that has been working towards eradicating slavery. I also participated in the OAS (Organization of American States) Youth Symposium and Dialogues with Young people on ‘Empowering the future Leaders of the Americas’. I along with the other fellow Gargi Saha joined the working group session focusing on ‘Underserved young people and youth at risk’. We introduced ourselves as Atlas Corps fellows and gave an overview of Atlas Corps as an organization and our host organizations. The group had views from a variety of participants like the experts on the issue, development sector professionals from various organizations, academicians and University students. The exchange of perspectives was very exciting and we too contributed with global as well regional perspectives on the work of development and working with the youth. I also took the membership of The Emancipation Network (T.E.N.) as an Atlas Corps fellow and talked about the Atlas Corps program. T.E.N. is a network of young professionals and students, inspired to make a difference in the lives of human trafficking victims the world over. The network is involved in partnership, outreach, events and fundraising, research, information and promoting positive policy legislation. I would encourage other co – fellows to join the group and be a part of the activities, which would help us link with the larger networks working on various human rights issues and give more visibility to the Atlas Corps fellowship program.

Kimi took me out for a FREE and exciting soccer match(which sadly no other fellow voted to go to). It was wonderful to see accurate and inaccurate passing of ball…missing it most of the times but at the end managing a goal! I managed to see 2 goals in 1 hour…isn’t that awesome. Fellow girls, you missed watching some really cute looking guys running in the field!

I also made a weekend visit to Miami and had a great time there! Finally Yunus, the much awaited fellow from India has arrived in DC and I am very excited to share my experiences of first few days in DC with him.

Excitement seems to be getting just bigger and better with lots of fun in coming weeks. To know more about it, keep following my weekly blogs.

Cheers!

My first few days in DC!

My first few days in DC!

Landing in DC after hours of being on the plane was so relieving. I was so content to see Scott and Stephanie, who had come to receive us at the airport. Going for the first day of training was exciting. I never believed that we would be able to figure out the bus route ourselves the very first day…but we did…and quite successfully (Kimi and team, thank you for the notes).

For the first ten days, life was happening at the level of events for me and the other fellows. We had the most informative and interactive sessions focusing on a variety of topics like understanding the American culture and character, importance of global non profit sector, marketing and communication for the non profit organizations, the why and how to network, organizational challenges and opportunities and the glamorous life of non profit professionals. It was wonderful to have experts speak on these topics which helped me immensely in clarifying my doubts and planning out my work plan for the year ahead. We had a great time at the group lunches and dinners and at the special ‘Happy Hour’ evening, with Hosts and DC friends of Atlas Corps. I loved the late evening DC tour (thanks to Jan for giving us a background on everything that we saw!) We also volunteered at the GOOD Magazine’s Anniversary party, which was a lot of fun. My social sponsors took me out for an exciting dinner at an Asian restaurant and I relished the food completely.

We have a beautiful group house and thanks to Atlas Corps team for arranging everything and making our stay so comfortable. I love the backyard and I never miss the opportunity of sitting and having my breakfast with other fellows in the backyard of the house, which makes for a perfect morning!

I have started on an exciting note and I am looking forward to a great year ahead!

Atlas Corps rocks!