Sears Summer Internships

After the first week of my internship, I was hooked. Actually being at work was better than anything that I had anticipated. I had clicked with all of my coworkers, and was immersing myself all things German—the language, culture, government, and so on. As a phrase popular among English-speaking Germans goes, I was “learning by doing.”

Because I was “learning by doing,” everyday at work was a blast. But if one day stands out in my mind, that day was June 18th. On this day, a court case taught me a great deal about Germany and the European Union (EU). Allow me to explain, sagacious reader.

During the last two weeks of my internship, I got to spend a little time in law department of the Kreisverwaltung. After reading the case briefs and relevant documents, I sat in on several civil law sessions. All of these lawsuits dealt with disagreements between individuals and the local government of Mainz-Bingen. One case in particular piqued my interest. This case dealt with something so seemingly simple: a driver’s license. But, as I soon learned, sagacious reader, the simple can cannily change into the complex.

In the United States, getting a driver’s license is not too terribly difficult. When compared to Germany, the United States hands out driver’s licenses like candy. In order to obtain a driver’s license in Germany, one must make substantial investments of time and money taking both theoretical (written exam) and practical (in a car with an instructor) driving tests.

Although this might seem like a hassle, one cannot argue with the results. German drivers are among the best and safest drivers in the world. Germany is renowned for its low number of car accidents, and for its well-maintained autobahn system (i.e. highways). In other words, intelligent regulation on the part of the German government produces safe, well-trained drivers.

Nevertheless, there are those in Germany who try to circumvent these regulations. These German citizens attempt to get around these regulations by acquiring a driver’s license in another member country of the European Union (EU), where regulations are not as extensive or expensive. The bottom line: some Germans do not want to invest the time or the money necessary to obtain a driver’s license in Germany. Such was the case in this lawsuit.

A German citizen drove to the Czech Republic, took the Czech test(s), and obtained a Czech driver’s license. In the eyes of the German government, such a license is not valid, unless the driver in question has passed the theoretical and practical tests in Germany. This German citizen was being required to retake these tests, on account of alcohol-related driving incidents. Needless to say, he had not done either of the tests. This was one legal strike against him.

Bear in mind that a citizen of an EU member country can drive throughout the European Union, so long as he got his driver’s license in his native country. But instead of listing his German mailing address (i.e. his address in his native country) on the Czech license, the German man listed a false one—a Czech address. This pseudo-address made it seem like he was a Czech citizen who had received his driver’s license in the Czech Republic. In fact, this German man had paid the Czech version of the DMV extra money to list a false Czech address. This was yet another legal strike again him.

Unsurprisingly, the Kreisverwaltung had taken legal action against this man. The lawsuit against him had been in court for several years. The man had fought them every step of the way, through legal skirmishes and appeals at the local level. In the meantime, he was still allowed to drive using his Czech license.

The case finally found its way to the Supreme Court of Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), one of the sixteen states of Germany. This court, located in the famous city of Koblenz, has jurisdiction over the four million Germans that live in Rheinland-Pfalz. The trial was scheduled to start at 10:00 AM on June 18th in Koblenz.

At 8:30 AM on this day, two lawyers from the Kreisverwaltung and I left Ingelheim, and started on the one hour drive to Koblenz. We drove in a magnificent-looking Audi that belongs to the Kreisverwaltung.

We arrived in the picturesque city of Koblenz at about 9:30 AM, parked the car, and walked to the courthouse. The trial began on time, and lasted all of ten minutes. The defense—the German citizen in question—didn’t even bother to show up. The two lawyers from the Kreisverwaltung stated their case, and listened to some remarks from the chief justice. As you can probably guess, the tribunal (i.e. three judges) ruled in the Kreisverwaltung’s favor. Finally, after years in court, the case was settled—the German man’s pseudo-license would be revoked and he would not be allowed to drive until he completed the German driving tests.

An interesting quirk about state-level German judges is that they wear awesome-looking, red robes with plain white neckties underneath. They look really, really cool (see the below link). The two lawyers and I said goodbye to the judges, left Koblenz at about 10:30 AM, and drove back to from whence we came. Back in Ingelheim, my workday returned to normal.

In addition to teaching me a lot about German and European law, this court case was a microcosm—on a small scale, it encapsulated certain advantages and disadvantages of the European Union.

The Germans pride themselves on having an efficient society. The clichéd example of this is the public transportation system. The tiered school system and most workplaces are also structured to encourage efficiency. Indeed, one could say that German society inculcates attitudes that promote efficiency: learning to do more with less.

Quizzically, this very efficiency is largely absent from German law. Unlike the rest of German society, the German legal system is meticulous and drawn-out. In my estimation, the German concept of justice places a heavy emphasis on equality—uniform procedures that ensure fairness. Accordingly, the Germans achieve this evenhandedness by sacrificing some or all of their hallmark efficiency.

This court case also demonstrated some of the positive and negative features of the European Union. The EU is constantly ironing out the kinks vis-à-vis legal procedures between/among member countries. Attaining membership in the European Union means that a country gives up a certain degree of autonomy. Indeed, the EU adds another layer of government which can legally complicate matter. It can sometimes be difficult to square up a country’s local, state, and federal laws with European law. In other words, an EU citizen must strike a balance between interests—between thinking of himself as citizen of his native county and thinking of himself as citizen of Europe.

Regardless, the EU has successfully united an amalgamation of diverse peoples, with their own distinct languages, cultures, and legal systems, into a community that cooperates to work towards common economic, political, and social goals. And, for the most part, the European Union works like a charm. I think that America would do well to learn a thing or two from our European friends.

http://www.filibustercartoons.com/judges/ger2.jpg (picture of what a German judge looks like)

I am not as sagacious as you, sagacious reader. This unfortunate fact means that I have a habit of walking or stumbling into things, literally and metaphorically. Thankfully, this did not happen to me *much* on my first day of work. This day went something like this…

I woke up at 7:30 AM, ate breakfast, took a shower, got gussied up (i.e. coat and tie), and started walking from my host family’s house to the bus stop (about a 100 meter walk). The bus I was scheduled to take at 8:19 went directly to the Ingelheim train station. From the train station, I was to walk a short distance to the Kreisverwaltung. But beings as it was the first day of work, something had to go wrong. That something was me missing my bus; while walking through an alley on the way to the bus stop, the motorized monster zoomed right past me. Thankfully, my plight was easily resolved—having not left for work yet, Walter, my host dad, was glad to drive me to the Kreisverwaltung (a drive of about ten minutes). He dropped me off right at the main entrance.

As I entered the building and took the elevator up to the fourth floor, I felt a little nervous, for self-evident reasons (foreign county, foreign language, foreign people, foreign everything). And I was still a bit nervous as I walked into the office of Mr. Neumann, the Kreisverwaltung’s personnel manager. But after talking with Mr. Neumann (in German) for a few minutes, the butterflies in my stomach began to fly away. After he gave a brief explanation of what a Kreisverwaltung does, we chatted about Germany and America. Mr. Neumann told me that he had been to Washington D.C., New York, and Charleston, but he had never visited the greatest state in the Union—the Old Dominion State (i.e. Virginia, for all y’all Yankees). I told him that we will change this unfortunate fact one day.

Mr. Neumann then took me around (literally, because the halls of the Kreisverwaltung go in a circle) to meet the Landrat. He them introduced me to my coworkers in the Büro Landrat (the office responsible directly to the Landrat) and dropped me off there. Everyone that I met there was warm, welcoming, and eager to learn more about me.

After the pleasantries, I went down the hall with my coworkers to an organizational meeting with the Landrat. At the beginning of every week, the Landrat holds such meetings with the Büro Landrat to determine what is going on during the week, what needs to get done, and who is doing what. Needless to say, my German was getting quite a work-out during the meeting; everyone was talking so fast. After this meeting, we went back to the office. I should mention that the actual physical office was spacious, and did not have air conditioning (a common, energy-saving feature of German workplaces).

Mr. Wendling, a 26 year-old who became one of my best friends at work, told me about some of the things that the Büro Landrat does: press releases, official letters, explaining things to the public, addressing citizen’s concerns, helping allocate money for schools, etc. He then gave me some reading materials about the Kreisverwaltung which occupied me for the remainder of the morning. The office was somewhat busy; people popped in and out to ask questions, pick up documents, or drop off this or that. I had lunch with my coworkers at around noon. After lunch, I was in for a real treat—a Kreisausschuss meeting.

A Kreisausschuss meeting is similar to a board of supervisors meeting, sans the public. In the case of the Mainz-Bingen district, representatives from political parties form delegations, and meet with Landrat Schick (who chairs such meetings) and other Kreisverwaltung representatives to discuss finances, policies, and projects in the county.

Although I could not understand everything discussed at the meeting (the German was fast and complicated), I did understand that there was a good deal of political jockeying going on. The meeting was as fascinating as it was fun to watch.

After the meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Stüber, the Green Party’s representative to Kreisausschuss and Kreistag meetings. Mr. Stüber is a good friend of Walter Luser, my host dad (who is also a member of the Green Party). Without Walter and Michael, I would not have received the opportunity to intern at the Kreisverwaltung. Michael is a trip—he speaks three languages fluently (German, English, and French), and has a great sense of humor.

By 5:00 PM, my first day at work was coming to a close. I walked a short distance to the train station, and took the train from Ingelheim at 5:17, arriving Heidesheim about five minutes later; the train was on time to the minute, as all public transportation in Germany is.

Upon arriving in Heidesheim, I started walking home to the suburb of Heidenfahrt. This 1.5 mile walk was relaxing and offered some absolutely beautiful scenery. Heidenfahrt is nestled on the banks of the Rhine River, in the heart of the Rhine Valley. This section of the Rhine Valley, known as the Rheingau (also known as the Weingau), is world famous for its superb wine. Long stretches of sloping vineyards make it one of the most picturesque sections of Germany.

When I arrived at humble abode I called ‘home,’ I realized that I forgotten my key to the house. Thankfully, Walter arrived home from work just minutes later, and unlocked the door. He had gotten me out of a jam, yet again. From then on out, I was a bit more sagacious.

This blog entry will give you, the sagacious reader, some insight into the specifics of my internship—wer, was, wann, wo, warum, und wie (who, what, when, where, why, and how).

I interned at Kreisverwaltung Mainz-Bingen from May 17, 2010 until June 25, 2010. Although my internship was unpaid, I gained invaluable insight into how German government operates, especially on a local level.

The German government is based less on precedence (like in America) and more on rules and regulation. There are laws for anything and everything in German society. For instance, there are extensive regulations—17,730 words—on the importation of caramel candy. Unsurprisingly, German bureaucracy is extraordinarily detailed and thorough.

Kreisverwaltung Mainz-Bingen is no exception. Governmental tasks are divided amongst five administrative departments. Here are some of the responsibilities that each respective department has.

1. Finance, taxation, bookkeeping, data processing, community colleges, trash collection

2. Construction and development, environmental protection and management, building and maintenance of public schools

3. Social services, vocational training, child welfare service

4. Agriculture, food monitoring, animal protection, wine-growing, tourism, health care, social-psychiatric care

5. Public safety and order, disaster management, community oversight, citizenship and foreign law, immigration, road maintenance, traffic fine collection, motor vehicle registration

All of these departments are indirectly responsible to Mr. Schick, the Landrat (the county commissioner/district administrator). The citizens in every county in Germany elect their own Landrat. Among a Landrat’s responsibilities are: chairing Kreistag meetings (County Council composed of local representatives from German political parties), representing the district both inside an outside the county, and carrying out the decisions of the Kreistag.

Mr. Schick has a department that reports directly to him. This department is the press department—my department. The press department handles public relations, issues press releases, and covers all of the activities of the Landrat (when he gives speeches, celebrates citizens’ birthdays and anniversaries, inaugurates new buildings and projects, etc.).

At Kreisverwaltung Mainz-Bingen, the press department is composed of five individuals. These five fine folks were my closest my co-workers. Here are their names, along with a short description of what each of them do.

1. Mr. Zöller: press spokesman

2. Mrs. Poßmann: cultural affairs representative (i.e. the government official responsible for raising awareness about cultural events—festivals, concerts, exhibitions, etc.—that take place in the county of Mainz-Bingen)

3. Mrs. Bill-Prasuhn: ombudswoman (i.e. a female government official responsible for impartially investigating citizens’ complaints against a public authority or institution and trying to bring about a fair settlement)

4. Mr. Wendling: assistant to Mr. Zöller

5. Miss. Barth: assistant to Mrs. Poßmann

During my time with the press department, I had a hodgepodge of roles—researcher, translator, stenographer, and newshound (i.e. combing the regional newspapers for local stories relating to the Kreisverwaltung). Above all, I was there to learn more about the German government, language, and culture. And boy did I ever learn.

For Further Reading, See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Germany

http://www.doppelklicker.de/Claus_Schick___Der_romantischste_Teil_des_Rheines_liegt_bei_uns_im_Landkreis.5348.0.html (Article in German about Mr. Schick)

Dear Sagacious Reader,

Allow me to give you some background into how I received this wonderful opportunity. It is not everyday that a country boy like me is successfully transplanted from a small farming town–Rustburg, Virginia–to a bustling city–Ingelheim, Germany–on the other side of the world for over two months.

In 2007, during my senior year of high school, my family hosted a German exchange student named Rene. He and I bonded, and to this day, remain like brothers to each other. Because of him, I was inspired to start studying the German language (and eventually pursue an academic minor) at Hampden-Sydney. In the summer of 2008, I visited him and his family for several weeks in Germany. He came back to the States in the summer of 2009, and visited my family for over a month. While he was visiting, the two of us discussed the possibility of me doing a public service internship in Germany during the summer of 2010. He promised that he would search high and low for the perfect internship for me. In January of 2010, with help of his folks, he made good on that promise.

Rene’s father, Walter Luser, is an active member of the Green Party in the small town of Heidesheim. Walter and his close friend, Michael Stüber, are the speakers for the Party. These two gentlemen brought me to the attention of a contact they have at Kreisverwaltung Mainz-Bingen (located in the nearby city of Ingelheim). This contact contacted me, asked for me my resume, and by the end of February of 2010, I had secured my internship with Kreisverwaltung.

In Other Words…Dumb Luck: The Story Of My Life.

Good Afternoon everyone. Hope everyone has been having eventful summers! Before I begin to talk about my internship experience, I’d like to 1) apologize for the delay in blogging and 2) thank all of the people that made this experience possible. Therefore, I’d like to give a big shoutout to the Wilson Center, Dr. Marion, Dr. Pontuso, Drew Prehmus, Laura Neidert as well as the Career Development Office, and those that provided support for the Sears scholarship. Without you all none of this would have been possible and your efforts are greatly appreciated! Shout outs to anyone else who I forgot, but thanks.

Senator Webb aka The Boss

The man above ^ is Virginian Senator Jim Webb or as many of my co-workers like to call him “The Boss”. Before I get into the specifics of my duties interning on Capitol Hill, I’d like to share some facts about “The Boss”. Although I never had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Senator Webb, he is highly respected on the Hill and has a pretty unique and impressive background. As a graduate of the Naval Academy, a highly honored Vietnam War Vetran- Webb recieve the Navy Cross, Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts, a widely recognized author, and former Secretary of the Navy for the Reagan Administration, Senator Webb has a past and background that stands out amongst his peers on Capitol Hill. Oh did I mention he was a Varsity Boxer in the Naval Academy? Although I could never provide adequete details of Webb’s background I encourage everyone to check out his website or look him up on wikipedia. Here are the links if you all are interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Webb

http://webb.senate.gov/index.cfm

Now on to my duties as an intern. According to Senator Webb’s website, “DC Interns research legislative issues, help give tours of the Capitol, attend committee hearings, and provide administrative support to my staff.” Since I have completed my internship in DC I can confirm that the office ensured that all of my fellow interns and myself experienced these duties. I’ll go into further detail about these duties later; however, I must say that for the most part these tasks were enjoyable and I was well prepared to handle these tasks.

My favorite dutie was by far researching legislative issues. From time to time, one of Webb’s assistants would ask a lucky intern to research an issue and write up a brief report of their findings. Such a task seemed fairly important and required a little more skill than our other duties. Throughout my internship I had the pleasure of researching issues such as the BP Oil Spill, new Airline Regulations, in addition to America’s response to China’s floating currency.

While research assignments were one of my favorite duties, one duty that I hated was constituent correspondence or mainly answering the offices’ telephones. Throughout the course of my internship I dealt with many angry Virginian’s who opposed Senator Webb’s votes on legislative issues. These constituents were relentless and called me everything from a mindless intern to an Anti-American Socialist. Despite the verbal abuse, I would apologize for the difference of viewpoints and simply say, “I’ll pass your opinion on to the Senator”. This task was rough, however it definitely gave me some experience in public relations.

Presenting in English is hard enough for me. Last week I got the opportunity to present something I’ve been working on for a good portion of the summer in Spanish.

An outside consultant came up with a set of goals to improve the services that Fundacion Mujer offers. The first is by 2012, 60% of the clients are to be classified as poor. Secondly, at the end of 2012 5% of the clients have improved their lives. Thirdly, they want to have 80% of their clients satisfied by the end of 2010; 85% by the end of 2011; and 90% by the end of 2012. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any way to measure these numbers.

Well, now they do. One of the other interns who is pursuing a masters in social work made questionaires to measure poverty levels of clients as well as another questionaire to measure empowerment. Also, one of the other volunteers who left a few weeks ago started a cuestionaire on client satisfaction. When I arrived, I started collaborating with her on this questionaire, and I finished it after her departure.

I was able to use my other experiences working in various restaurants and companies to come up with an original cuestionaire for Fundacion Mujer that identified and tested the clients points of contact with Fundacion Mujer as well as rated their experiences with their assesor of credit. The first questionaire we tried to give to clients failed miserably. It had too many open ended questions, and the wording was difficult for the clients to understand. So, we went back to the drawing board. 

In an attempt to simplify the questionaire, we lengethened the number number of questions, but we also eliminated the open-ended questions. Also, we realized that we must really tailor the questions to the education level of many of the clients that Fundacion Mujer serves. Most have little more than a grade school education because of a variety of reasons. Many had children at an early age and were not able to finish their education; others had to work from an early age and weren’t able to continue with school.

Finally, after many wording changes, the cuestionaire was ready to be presented to the Junta Directiva. The Junta is composed of 3 women who have taken out loans with Fundacion Mujer as well as lawyer and professor from the nearby university. The Junta’s main functions are to hold the director accountable as well as make decisions regarding the direction of Fundacion Mujer. 

Not exactly the easiest presentation to make in your second language, and I wish I had taken my public speaking class last semester as opposed to this up-coming semester. Of course I’ve had experience presenting in my classes at school, but It’s a little different feel when you are presenting in a job situation. Fortunately, Both presentations went well, and the Junta seemed pleased with our work going as far as to thank us because if they had needed to outsource these projects they would have needed to pay someone a good amount of money.

Well, I have about a week to revise the manual of functions, and next week I’m going to try and meet up with an alumnus who works in real estate here in Costa Rica.

Wish me luck.

Ciao

Now that you, the sagacious reader, have an idea of how the German government is set up, let me tell you a little bit more about the county—Mainz-Bingen—where I worked.

An administrative reform created the district of Mainz-Bingen in 1969. Despite its young age, this county is home to over 212,000 people, and boasts sixty-six growing towns and communities. This growth is due in large part to Boehringer Ingelheim, an international pharmaceutical company that has its global headquarters in Ingelheim (the largest city in the county). The Kreisverwaltung (district administration) where I interned is also located in Ingelheim. Located near heavily populated city of Frankfurt am Main, Mainz-Bingen is connected to this metropolitan area via an excellent public transportation system—the autobahn (highways), the Rhine River (Europe’s largest waterway), and Deutsche Bahn (the state-run rail network). I will swear by Germany’s public transportation system. Practically everyday, I rode the bus to work in the morning, and took the train home in the late afternoon. True to the notion of “German efficiency,” both buses and trains are on time, to the minute. I learned this fact the hard way during the first week of my internship. After missing my bus and train, on separate occasions, I made a point to arrive at the bus stop or station at least five minutes before the scheduled departure time.

One of Mainz-Bingen’s distinctive characteristics is the extensive economic cooperation between small and medium-sized businesses and large companies. For example, during a five year study of Germany’s 300+ counties, Mainz-Bingen was ranked as the fourth best district for business by Focus-Money Magazine. Other studies, such as the “Initiative of the New Social Economy” by the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, highlight the county’s family-friendly polices and sustained economic growth. The numbers prove this fact: the purchasing power in this district is 21% higher than the average in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. From 2005-2006, the gross domestic product of the district rose by 9.6%, placing the district 7.3% above the economic growth rate of Rhineland-Palatinate. The strong economic power of the district is also reflected in the permanent, low unemployment rate (6%). In short, like Germany as a whole, Mainz-Bingen is a modern, economic powerhouse.

At the same time, however, the area has kept its original charm. Inhabited and farmed since Roman times, this area is rich in culture and history. The beautiful landscapes are dotted with half-timbered houses, thousand-year-old churches, and castles that look like something out of a fairy tale. The area of the Mittelrhinetal (Middle Rhine Valley), between Bingen and Bacharach, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. But above all else, the people that live and work here are what make Mainz-Bingen such special place. Indeed, the amazing people that I got to know during my internship turned my visit to Germany into a once in a lifetime experience. I will share my experience, with you, the sagacious reader, in my next blog entry.

For Further Reading, See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainz-Bingen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingelheim_am_Rhein

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boehringer_Ingelheim

Over the summer, I interned at the Kreisverwaltung in the Landkreis of Mainz-Bingen. The following blog entry will provide you, the sagacious reader, with an overview of the German government—and a wonderful government it is.

The government of Germany is divided into three parts—federal government, state government, and local government. The local government is further divided into three levels of administration—counties (rural districts), communities and cities (groupings of towns and cities with more than 25,000 people), and towns (individual localities). A rural county, otherwise knows as a „Landkreis,“ acts as a level of administration in between the state level (Bundesland) and local level (Ortsgemeinde). Localities are obligated to fulfill responsibilities set forth by their state and district, but they also govern themselves, to an extent. Accordingly, a county council (Kreistag) is elected to represent towns and communities. This council works with representatives from the „Kreisverwaltung,“ or county administration, to respond to citizens’ concerns and carry out federal, regional, and local laws. According to federal and regional laws, counties must construct and maintain public infrastructure (roads, schools, hospitals, etc.), issue driver’s licences, register cars, collect trash, ensure the welfare of children, and take care of the environment. Local laws, which vary from place to place, deal more with the management of community matters—tourism and culture—and neighborhood public infrastructure—sidewalks, libraries, and community colleges.

Looking out at the sun setting on my final night in Prague, it seems imperative that I thank the many people and organizations that made this wonderful trip possible: Dr. Pontuso, the Wilson Center, the Fulbright Commission, my parents, Jakub, Sears, Orville and Wilbur Wright, and many others. I cannot believe it has been a month, but I guess it is time to give you the final recap on my last week in Praha.

Last week I was lucky enough to participate in two U.S. oriented events. The first was a trip to the U.S. embassy residence, a beautiful Italian style villa, for a July 4^th celebration and the second was a Pat Metheny Concert. Both events proved to be a comforting expression of American culture to a patriot in central Europe. The Fulbright Commission staff, minus the U.S. bound Jakub, travelled to the U.S. embassy residence for the annual July 4^th dinner. It reminded me of a much more upscale NASCAR hospitality pass tailgate; for example, the various American vendors all had tents in the beautiful garden with all the food and booze you would like—TGI Fridays, Burger King, McDonalds, Starbucks, Marriot, Hilton, etc. The U.S. Army band supplied the cool jazz and the good ole’ country music. Most of the attendees were ambassadors, U.S. citizens or expats, or Czechs closely affiliated with the U.S. Government, like the Fulbright Commission. The keynote speaker was Vaclav Klaus, the current Czech president, whom I followed around for a few minutes trying to get a picture, but no dice. It was a great feeling to hear the national anthem and celebrate the 4^th at the U.S. embassy amongst others who love the U.S of A.

The next day was a busy one for me because it was the last day for Humphreys Fellowship(a Fulbright stipend) applicants to have me do their English proficiency test and I had my final writing presentation that evening; not to mention, my nightcap for this evening was a Pat Metheny concert. The Humphreys candidates and pretty much everyone else who comes into the Fulbright office is really interesting and super bright. This makes it a lot of fun to talk with them and milk their minds for insight. I talked to a variety of candidates— a ministry of agriculture official, a ministry of economics official, two non-profit organizers, an architect, and an artist. After these interviews, I put the final touches on my American essay writing presentation Powerpoint and greeted my 20 or so attendees. I felt like the presentation went really well and got quite a few compliments. Originally, I thought I was going to be done in a half hour, but I talked at a manageable pace and gave them five minute breaks to allow them to get a break from my continuous banter and to begin drafting their own personal statement. This put me right at an hour. After the presentation, I set sail for the Hybernia Theatre to go see one of my favorite Jazz guitarists—Pat Metheny. They opened with my favorite song “Phase Dance” and proceeded on with many songs of my favorite album “Pat Metheny Group.” All in all, it was a great show for a very respectable crowd, despite the 100 degree temperature in the beautiful old theatre. This was a beautiful way to end an amazing adventure, the memories of which I will surely remember the rest of my life. Once again thank you to everyone that made this trip possible or has advised me along the way, but now I must be homeward bound.

So, what if you have been studying in a foreign country for three years and have never gone to a concert outside of college events? Then a summer came and you have the fancy opportunity to go to a concert. Would you take this opportunity or would you let it pass? I am certain your thoughts form only one answer: ‘I would not miss that opportunity.’ Well, I have not disappointed you because I went to my first concert not confined to the grounds of H-SC.

102 JAMZ Supper Jam concert, an annual event in Greensboro, was a blast and goes atop my list of excitement for the summer. Leaving Winston-Salem to Greensboro on an extremely hot day, I felt tormented by the heat. The over 95⁰F temperature made the forty-five minutes journey seemed like an eternity. We made it to Greensboro on that dry Saturday afternoon, however, and the fun started and lasted. Isn’t it ironic yet comforting how annoyance can evaporate with good times with friends? I was pleased that our pre-concert outing was to a Jamaica restaurant (The Reggae Café) that I introduced to my friends. We ate, some with curiosity as to the delicious taste of the food and others with fulfillment, knowing that his expectation was rendered (that was I). In over an hour, we finished at about 6:30 p.m. and headed to the Greensboro Coliseum where the concert that featured the likes of Ludracis, B.o.B, Plies and Party Boys would take place. I need not mention that while the concert lasted, my three friends and I did not cease to enjoy and entertain ourselves. The concert continued for three hours, and we sang, DJ’ed, and vocalized the lyrics of most tunes that we knew. The ladies screamed for the artistes and the males whistled and roared to famous lyrics. It was a time of and for celebration. Later, we ended the night at a club; and we managed to return home at the dawn of Sunday, somehow.

My friends and I before the concert

That weekend was a deserved break from the weekday’s lab work that I carry out on the Reynolda campus of WFU. On a typical weekday, I get up at seven to prepare breakfast. Most mornings I make my favorite Oatmeal in warm water and condensed milk—adequate fiber and protein to take me to my next meal, which is lunch at noon. Often, I may top off my breakfast with peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and drink some chilled water. Then I ready myself to leave the house for work. My work starts at 9:00 a.m, and it takes only ten minutes to walk there. I always expect to have some task in the lab. Whether it is the synthesis a new compound, the completion of an overnight reaction or the analysis of spectra for a synthesized compound, I know I have to be focused and ready to take on the challenge of the day. I also do not worry about my task because, although I have been allowed to work independently, I can always ask my adviser or any other individual working in the lab for help. But when I am not working in the lab, I am normally reading articles and other research papers to update myself  and to gain new information about my research. The intensity and volume of that reading grew over the last two weeks in which I had to give two presentations: (1) a Journal Club presentation and (2) a presentation on my summer research.

The Journal Club presentation was on July 14, 2010 on the research topic “Identification of stable S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) analogues derivatised with bioorthogonal tags: effects of ligands on the affinity of the E.coli methionine repressor, MetJ, for its operator DNA.” Do not be alarmed by that long and jargonized title, because it is not as complicated as it seems! I will attempt to simplify and explain the presentation with as much detail and clarity as possible (that is my job, in fact). The description means that researchers were testing how different molecules having similar chemical groups affect the binding between a repressor, MetJ dimer, and its DNA operator, F-metC. That’s all, oops! The idea behind this research was to make compounds that can be used to trace DNA methylation and other biological processes in human beings. These processes are important to be followed because scientists can use this proof of reactions in our body to synthesize drugs and treat diseases. Overall, I believe that my presentation was successful, as I received positive feedback and a number of questions from the audience.

Basil Panton performing a separation to obtain the desired product

The audience in the second presentation on July 21, 2010 was as receptive as the first. This audience, however, was fewer (six) and included only the individuals in the lab in which I worked for the summer. The presentation captured my work throughout the seven weeks at WFU, and was titled “Synthesis of an Aziridinium-based S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) mimic as a tool for probing DNA methylation.” As DNA methylation and other post-translational modifications are important biological processes in genetic expression and similar transcriptional alterations, researchers are interested in knowing the specific sites in biomolecules where the changes take place. This information entails my project for the summer. The presentation itself went well as my lab partners pressed me on certain sections.

My co-workers and I in the lab

Now that both presentations are out of the way, I will spend the rest of my summer completing my research and having a great time with friends. I had a wonderful time watching the World Cup with them, especially when the knock-out stages started. After the elimination of the U.S. Stars and Stripe team by Ghanaian Black Stars in the second round, the enthusiasm among the researchers dipped. Nonetheless, there were some who were supporting other teams, and that number included me. I wanted Spain to win the World Cup because I believed they were the most organized outfit; moreover, they entered the World Cup with enough confidence due to their winning streak, albeit their loss to Switzerland in the first round. After that loss, the Spaniards regrouped and ultimately won the World Cup. I watched the final with a number of my friends. Although it was a nerve-rocking game, especially toward the end when it appeared as if the game was destined to penalty shoot-out, I personally kept my composure. In all, the jubilation was unstoppable.

My interaction with the guys during the World Cup Finals games and beyond has taught me a lot. I used to believe that students of bigger and more-recognized schools have the edge over students of smaller yet excellent schools. But this summer revealed several things to me. I realize that the education that we obtain at H-SC truly allows us to match any student in the U.S. There were students from Duke University, North Carolina State University, Colgate College, Wake Forest University, University of Massachusetts, and Colorado State University, among others; not once did I feel undereducated and less-exposed than the students from the mentioned institutions that are, in fact, highly ranked undergraduate schools in the U.S. I could parallel them in discussion about any educational topic or any topic outside of that category. This fact comforted me, and allowed me to believe that any H-SC man could do the same.

Keep reading! The final blog is next in which I will give more details about the benefits of an H-SC education and its faculty and staff in comparison to other schools. I have experienced those benefits this summer, both in and outside of the lab. Do not feel overpowered by any other college student; use the tools that H-SC equips you with (and there are several). Finally, I will be using such tools when I conclude my summer with a scientific poster presentation.

You want to know more, you got to stay on more!