Saturday, March 27, 2010

Kids of UCDC!


The UCDC Center, located on Rhode Island Avenue, is conveniently located just 4 blocks from the White House! It's about a mile walk to the Mall, I would estimate. I live on the fifth floor.


Here's all the Santa Cruz kids in the UCDC program posed in front of the White House. Notice there are only two guys... hahaha.


Roommates! Kelly, Natalie, Katie, and Me.



Washington Monument, taken on a walk my first night here.

Family Time

My baby cousin Ajala Poetry Fox.



Steps down Mesa Lane



Kimbo and Mom in front of our mailbox.



Pizza night!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Day 3 in DC (Hey, that rhymes!)

I am in a hoarde of rabid journalists shoved into a small, ornate room in the Capitol battling for Nancy Pelosi's attention. "Madame Speaker! Madame Speaker!" These eager cries, paried with a polite raise of the hand, follow an invisible code of law, an underlying and seemingly inpenetrable system to a newbie like me. By the end of this 10 weeks, I want to ask a question at one of these conferences!

My transition from tree-hugger to city-dweller, while only temporary, is going smoothly. (I guess I can be both, though I think I would get in trouble for climbing the trees around here...) Kimbo loaned me some of her nice work clothes so I feel like a member of the professional work force. I'm starting to feel less like a hairy-legged hippie wandering through the streets of Washington DC. Under the black tights and pencil skirt, thats what I am!

So after the Press Conference, I fought my way through the swarm of tourists and shoppers and grabbed a lunch to-go from Union Station. (It's so weird how the population here is half-professionals half-tourist here. I can still belong to either group depending on what I'm doing!) I sat and looked at the Capitol Building while I consumed my veggie wrap, and headed to the Library of Congress for my tour! It is the most beautiful library I have ever seen, and the tour was excellent - there is so much symbolism in the architecture and statues that I never would have noticed on my own. And the best part is - I got a readers card! Now I have access to all the reading rooms! They are SO AWESOME. Yay!

Pictures to come soon. Still need an ethernet cable for my room, writing from the 3rd floor computer lab with lame-o PCs. Thanks for reading!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Berkeley Campanile

The weekend before finals, I ditched my SC sluggies to visit my Berkeley bears. (They sure do know how to study at Berkeley.) Yassi took me on the tour of the town and Tessa graciously opened her apartment to me for Saturday night. These pictures are from the top of the Berkeley Campanile.

There's SF!

Yassi and me.


We hung out and played frisbee on this lawn on Sunday.

What a great trip!!! Thanks Tessa and Yassi!

Monday, March 8, 2010

March 4th Protest

March 4th was a statewide day of action for UC's, CSU's, CC's, and even High Schools and Elementary Schools. The UCSC campus was completely shut down , and I went to a protest in Sacramento with some City on the Hill Press people. Check out CHP's March 4th stories here.


















She goes to Berkeley and is in a class on the French Revolution and was inspired to dress up.






Had a nice chat with the policemen :)

Watch out SF, here comes Kwancerly

Prelude: A weekend in Castro Valley and San Francisco with my good friends Kwai and Nancy. Together, we are Kwancerly!



This was a fun thrift store.



Public art in SF



We're natural born gigglers.



More street art


Kwai's rabbit! It was hard to take a non-blurry picture. Any suggestions Nattie?


We went on a lakewalk in the rain


And rode the Bart!

The Vagina Monologues

Kwancerly just went to see the Vagina Monologues, and I have to say I am deeply inspired. I am so proud to be a woman after seeing that! Women should embrace and honor themselves and not forget to notice and appreciate our vaginas. The show brings to light how some women tend to be uncomfortable with talking about their sexuality (unless you play ultimate frisbee) and makes you feel good to have a vagina! Vagina is such a taboo word that its fun to talk about. Vagina! Vagina! Heeheehee.

If you haven't seen it, make sure you do!

Part 1 of the Wise Words of Nancy:
"We're obsessed because we're oppressed (with sex.)"