New Direction

My apologies for having not written for several days, my school work has been rapidly accumulating on my shelves and my commitments to the Foreign Students' Association require more of my attention each day. The organization has experienced a number of significant victories in its campaign to bring affordable food options to campus. As of Thursday morning, the administration and dining services formally approved our efforts and backed off from their threats of shutting down the booth. Needless to say, my friends and I are very happy to have received this news and plan to take advantage of this situation to expand our efforts. Just tonight I spent nearly two hours with the four other individuals who make up the FSA's core leaders determining where we wish to sell food as to serve our peers best and how to alleviate some headaches that stem from trying to transport food to campus. It is funny how three weeks ago I had stopped by the booth on a whim and now here I am serving as the group's president. Thus far running the FSA has been very taxing, but at the same time extremely rewarding in that it has helped me grow as a person. For example, my Thursday afternoon consisted of several meetings with other student organizations' presidents to develop closer ties between them and the FSA. I am beginning to feel like a politician, employing diplomacy to further my organization's goals of helping other international students while also trying to not alienate them from the rest of campus. It has been a lesson in political tact, especially the art of compromise and knowing how to make an established system work for you. Hopefully after I return from Cairo I can find a way to employ these skills, maybe making a career out of politics at some point. Speaking of which, a friend offered to provide me with contact information for a lobby group in D.C. working on behalf of Palestinians. It might be a good option for employment after graduation for a year to build a stronger resume for law/graduate school. Also, I like the idea of helping people that have been underrepresented in American media and often portrayed unfairly. During the December break I'm hoping to get into Israel and Gaza to visit with some of the other members of the FSA.

Ma'salaama for now,
Andrew