A City Full of Powerful People
I know Washington, D.C. isn't technically in a foreign country...
but when you compare it with Meadville, PA, it might as well be.
This city is a lot of fun; there's so so many places to explore and events to go to. A big personal goal I have for myself this fall is to really take advantage of all the things to do in this city. I have already been to some great restaurants, a political rally (Barack Obama!!), a jazz festival, an international fair, a few museums, and found the coolest bookstore/cafe ever, among other things. I love that there's always something going on here. As much as I love Allegheny, there's just not much to in Meadville.
Besides how great the city is, the program I'm enrolled in at American University is pretty incredible. I'm in the Peace and Conflict Resolution program, and I've already learned so much. The coolest part is that much of what I've learned hasn't been from books or articles -- it's been from first-hand accounts of experts in this field of study. My class has listened to some amazing guest speakers that have come to talk with us, as well as attending various forums and panel discussions around D.C. and visiting 2 foreign embassies. As my class is traveling to the Balkans (Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia) in 16 days, we are now focusing on the wars that occured there in the 90s. My academic goal for the semester is to make the most of all this experiential learning; I want to learn everything I'm studying as in-depth as I possibly can.
All in all, my semester has been amazing so far, and I think it'll just keep getting better.