After my first week here in the heart of D.C., I can safety say that I believe I have finally settled in. Life here, as you may imagine, does not quite equate to what a typical day would be like in Grafton, Vermont or Brunswick, Maine. Rather than pass by cow farms, historical one-room schoolhouses, and rolling green mountains on my way to school or to work, I am instead enshrouded by the hustle and bustle of city life: horns honk ceaselessly, buses and metro trains rush from one stop to the next, and people young and old alike emerge from the Starbucks lining each and every block and quickly stroll to their various destinations.
After a few mishaps taking the wrong bus or taking the metro a couple stops further than anticipated, I have (astoundingly) learned how to navigate the D.C. transportation system in order to get to where I need to go on a daily basis. I have also managed to locate the library on campus, printing stations, and a number of shopping areas. This is good. For the time being, it seems I will survive.
Our first set of classes was scheduled for this week, and so we spent the majority of our time discussing U.S. foreign policy on a broad, introductory level. We learned about U.S. national interests at home and abroad, and analyzed the current international arena. Much of our lecture was based around the role of various states, and their current (and historical) roles in shaping the international foreign policy sphere. After our lecture and debate, we quickly went to campus to hear former ambassador to Nigeria and current senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, John Campbell, talk about U.S. diplomacy in Africa and the increasing militarization of the continent.
I have spent the last few days working alongside my professor to narrow down my research paper topic, and have decided to tackle the issue of Ukrainian security and prospects for its integration into Europe by means of NATO or EU membership, amid its close ties with Vladimir Putin's Russia and its aggressive resistance in ceding authority over Ukraine to United States and the West. This topic is both new and exciting to me, as it's the first time I'll be able to integrate my interest in Russian with my fascination with international relations. I am hoping I'll find a way to travel to the Ukraine or to Russia next summer and continue my studies of Eurasia.
I am also thankful to have been offered a fall internship with the American Enterprise Institute's Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies. For two and a half days a week, I will be working for co-directors Thomas Donnelly and Gary Schmitt on issues of strategic studies, national security, defense, intelligence, and the role of U.S. leadership abroad. Hopefully next week I'll be able to elaborate on what my responsibilities will be, as I'm not sure exactly what I'll be assigned to do for the scholars.
There are a lot of new and exciting things happening each day, and I look forward to continue sharing my experience with everyone. It's been great keeping up with my friends' blogs, and I think it will be amazing once we all return to Bowdoin in the spring and share everything we've all learned and experienced.
'Till next week!
After a few mishaps taking the wrong bus or taking the metro a couple stops further than anticipated, I have (astoundingly) learned how to navigate the D.C. transportation system in order to get to where I need to go on a daily basis. I have also managed to locate the library on campus, printing stations, and a number of shopping areas. This is good. For the time being, it seems I will survive.
Our first set of classes was scheduled for this week, and so we spent the majority of our time discussing U.S. foreign policy on a broad, introductory level. We learned about U.S. national interests at home and abroad, and analyzed the current international arena. Much of our lecture was based around the role of various states, and their current (and historical) roles in shaping the international foreign policy sphere. After our lecture and debate, we quickly went to campus to hear former ambassador to Nigeria and current senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, John Campbell, talk about U.S. diplomacy in Africa and the increasing militarization of the continent.
I have spent the last few days working alongside my professor to narrow down my research paper topic, and have decided to tackle the issue of Ukrainian security and prospects for its integration into Europe by means of NATO or EU membership, amid its close ties with Vladimir Putin's Russia and its aggressive resistance in ceding authority over Ukraine to United States and the West. This topic is both new and exciting to me, as it's the first time I'll be able to integrate my interest in Russian with my fascination with international relations. I am hoping I'll find a way to travel to the Ukraine or to Russia next summer and continue my studies of Eurasia.
I am also thankful to have been offered a fall internship with the American Enterprise Institute's Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies. For two and a half days a week, I will be working for co-directors Thomas Donnelly and Gary Schmitt on issues of strategic studies, national security, defense, intelligence, and the role of U.S. leadership abroad. Hopefully next week I'll be able to elaborate on what my responsibilities will be, as I'm not sure exactly what I'll be assigned to do for the scholars.
'Till next week!
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