One month later...

So, exactly one month ago, I promised blogworthy stories if a particular thing worked out. It did work out, but then it has gotten me so busy that I don't have time to blog those stories!

Quick low-down: I started working with an amazing little NGO. We have a lot of different kinds of projects, but our work primarily centers around the idea of education for "active citizenship"-- peace ed, ed for social responsibility, personal discovery, non-violent conflict resolution all fall under that broad goal. I work in the adolescent interventions team, which largely has to do with carrying out workshops for high school students under our "From me to we" program, as well as supporting teachers in those schools with ways to integrate peace education into the classroom and regular syllabus. Our work is carried out almost entirely through games, role-plays, debates, etc... no good old fashioned lecturing here. The 3 1/2 weeks I have worked at this organization have been incredible-- very tiring, but very enriching. I'm realizing-- again-- just how much I love working with high school students... the teachers part hasn't been as enriching, but oh well! ;)

That's the work front for now. I hope to keep posting stories from there because there are going to be many incredible ones, adn I see myself staying with this job for a while.

Totally different note, the Class of 2008 just graduated! I can't believe they graduated while I was asleep (12 1/2 hour time difference!)... that just feels wrong. I feel more emotion at their graduation than I had imagined I would. But above all, I feel amazement and wonder that SUA's fourth class has graduated. The original complete SUA has all graduated. How happy Sensei must be! It feels like the end of such an important phase in SUA's history... and the start of a new phase, a new kind of growth. I feel fortunate to have been there in the beginning, and I can't wait to go back there in 5 o ten years and see how things stand by then. Class of 08: Congratulations! And good luck on the journey ahead!

OK, I'm not going to spend all my holiday looking at this computer screen, so more later. Fingers crossed.