I do have a life beyond children's books. I am the AFS exchange student sending coordinator for the western half of North and South Carolina. That means I assist US students who want to go abroad. It's a passion of mine, ever since I lived abroad on an exchange in Peru and hosted a girl from Chile during my senior year in high school, and my daughter lived abroad in Australia, and we hosted a girl from Venezuela. So I'm pretty invested in this whole concept of peace through cultural exchange.
I'm headed to Washington, DC this week for a conference on government sponsored programs. We're to meet and train on Thursday. Then on Friday we're suppposed to go to Capitol Hill and advocate for programs that send our students abroad. The news last night, though, reports that President Obama has asked all legislators to clear their schedules until the health bill vote. Does that mean me? Does that mean that I can not talk to my representatives about the importance of raising a child to think globally? Our timing couldn't be worse, but think of this. I'm going to Washington to see democracy at work. What an exciting time to be on Capitol Hill.
The conference I'm attending will aim high, even without a visit to the hill. We will work toward world peace and we'll make a difference, one child at a time.
Gretchen
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