Its 6:25 p.m. EST and I'm home, in my jammies, sniffling, sipping my Yogi tea and happy to be typing on my own baby Mac once again! Outside, raindrops fall from the high heavens – April showers, they say, bring May flowers. But what of the cherry blossoms? They're probably falling to the ground as we speak, and to think I didn't even get a peek :(. Week 10, Blog 10 Ladies and Gentlemen. Just another 5 weeks to go and I'm starting to think I should get down to some monument visiting and museum surveying. Someone from class the other day told me that the Holocaust Museum has a waiting of 2-3 months, which I cannot wrap my head around since I've been to a lot many museums all over the place and the worst wait has been no longer than 2-3 hours. I am very keen to visit the Holocaust Museum, having heard great things about it, and now in a position to compare it with other Holocaust memorials I've visited (especially the ones in Germany). Maybe I can use some Congressional "pull" to get in?!
This morning there was a ceremony in the National Statuary Hall in the Capitol, honoring and remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the eve of the 40th anniversary of his assassination. I listened intently as the Speaker of the House, the Majority Whip, the Minority Leader, and Dr. King's very own son (among others), spoke about his life and work. But 40 years later, I think we are still struggling with many of the issues Dr. King attempted spent his life addressing. Racism is far from being "rooted out" and though segregation under law has been abolished, cultural and social stereotypes that plague our thinking are widely subscribed to by almost all members of society. Perhaps the November election will tell a different story, maybe America will have its first Black president, but while I cannot discount the importance that landmark moment will have in history, I can certainly question why in a country such as this, based on liberty and equality, welcoming one and all, how come it took this long?
As I watch the Hillary-Obama scuffle unfold on the idiot box, I cannot help but notice how the media and the candidates' campaigns demarcate everything by racial, ethnic, or economic parameters. Hillary has the Hispanics, he has the Blacks, Hillary has the low-middle income working class, he has the intellectuals and college goers. My colleague at work just started a blog last week and wrote about the compartmentalization of American society, protesting how it was implied that all Asian Americans under 25 think the same way, or Hispanic women over 50. Since reading that, I've kept my eyes and ears open for such references and there have been plenty just in the last two days, most coming from mass media sources.
Earlier this evening I did my informational interview with the Executive Director of Asia Society, Washington, an organization that I would like to work for someday (hopefully at their Bombay center). He was very candid about his experiences in the non-profit sector and told me that I had a long, hard, road ahead if I wanted to make my way up this ladder. For me, I've always had problems narrowing down and deciding what it is that I want to commit myself to (academically or career wise). Hence I am currently pursuing two majors and four minors, and have college work experiences ranging from the Study Abroad Office to a museum and a Congresswoman's office. Although he strongly advocated gathering a wide variety of experiences, he did say that internships are only good for deciding what you don't want to do. So where does that leave me? I'm afraid I am a soon to be "Jack of all trades..."
Before I sign off, I shall applaud myself for getting my Burma paper draft in on time despite all the technical difficulties and applaud my sister on receiving acceptances and scholarships to excellent schools and my mother for being a tireless crusader to ensure we have the best possible life experiences. We are one happy family, perhaps happiest when in different corners of the globe (corners of a globe?!) ;)
Till next week,
Rattan
P.S. – I just watched this on You Tube and I think its worth sharing, especially interesting for fellow lovers of the cinematic arts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXJmT-zDbH8
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