I left Minneapolis on Memorial Day, traveled for two days, and finally made it to Washington, DC yesterday afternoon after a brief pitstop in Strongsville, Ohio. I had a friend with me, to keep me company and to help with directions because I get lost so easily. We drove through five states I’ve never been before; this opportunity is providing me the chance to see parts of the United States I’ve never been, and will allow me to experience a country I’ve also never experienced.
I’m excited to get to Canada and to get started with my fellowship. I’ve been in a lot of contact with Maribel, my fellowship supervisor, and think that she’ll teach me more than I can even imagine about the topic I’ll be working on, which is small arms, gun control, and domestic violence. It’s a topic I’ve never studied before and will be both challenging and exciting. I’ll also be working on the small arms peace treaty movement in Canada, which is a little different from the other fellows working with IANSA. Canada already has harmonic gun control and domestic violence laws, which the other countries IANSA fellows are going to do not. One thing I’m very excited for is the opportunity to experience a different political and social culture. The emotional impact this fellowship will have on me and the light it will shed on the issue of domestic violence is hard to comprehend, and I’m sure it will be huge.
There’s a lot to come in the next few months, and a lot to learn. I can’t wait to begin my fellowship and find out what Canada has in store for me.
