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...
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