Unexpected tour of the White House…

God never fails to amaze me everyday

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Lord Jesus always blows me away. He definitely surprises me when I expect it the least. When I was in Madagascar prior my being selected to be part of this Mandela Washington fellowship 2014, I’d heard so many people say something like “After the 6-week academic institute in different US universities, all the 500 Young African Leaders Initiative fellows will attend a 3-day summit with President Obama at the White House.” Of course I didn’t apply for that reason but honestly who wouldn’t be thrilled to enter the White House? 😛

Big surprise: God just decided I’d be among the selected 500 fellows out of the 50,000 applicants all around Africa. Ii went to Rutgers University during the very first 6 weeks and now it turns out that the summit took place in the hotel where we, all the fellows, were staying. It was a terrific summit. I LOVED it so much and I am still thankful for it but like honestly the White House thing still didn’t get out of my mind. haha. My fellows were quite disappointed at some point…but guess what? 2 weeks prior the end of our 2-month internship in the States, I read my email inbox and i just get aware the White House sent us an invitation to take a tour of the White House. Who do you think wouldn’t be excited about that? I did not necessarily jump like I always do but I was super happy 🙂

We actually were not allowed to bring cameras, video recorders, handbags, bookbags, backpags or purses, food or beverages, personal grooming items (i.e. makeup, lotion, etc.) That being said, I actually only took my room key, my phone and my passport with me. Also, I brought along my umbrella because it was starting to rain.

Taking a tour of the White House was pretty exciting to me. We got in a couple of rooms; to name a few we entered the Blue Room, the Red Room, the Green Room, the Dining Room…We got to see old pictures of US presidents and their First Ladies everywhere. Those are probably things that you could see on the internet but the fact that you actually made it there instead makes the whole thing different. You get to see on live where they are having dinner, where the important events at the White House are happening, etc. I also loved to see the family pictures on the walls. One of the photos that struck me was a photo where President Obama was playing on the yard with Malia, Sasha and their dog. It might not mean anything to people but it does mean a lot to me because I love my dad and I am among those people who are convinced that fathers can influence their children’s lives forever. Fathers should resolve to live by as the leader all along mothers. That is what the photo showed to me. He devoted time to playing with his kids and sharing a moment of joy with them. That is just fabulous. That also made me aware that if you are a president it doesn’t mean that you neglect your responsibility as a parent. I would personally judge a president’s leadership by seeing how well he is within his own family.

I am not going to make any comments on my photos but I will let you make them speak 🙂 Just feel like sharing how grateful and thankful to God I am for this opportunity to enter the White House and to be invited to see what it is in there. I really love to say “God is great” because to me He really is 🙂

 

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How would I describe my experience here in 10 minutes?

10 minutes would obviously be not enough to describe my experience here in the States. Honestly I could write a whole book about that but for the sake of time I know I would not have enough time to do so even if I wanted to….maybe one day 🙂

I actually devoted 10 minutes of my time to making this video in the hope of giving you guys a quick overview of my experience here. This is not the best description ever, YET but I will get there when I have time.

 

2-month internship in Washington D.C.! So much joy at Peace Corps :)

During my first days in Washington D.C, I missed my Rutgers family so much. I missed our jokes, I missed laughing out loud with them, I missed going to class with them, I even missed cramming with them at 2 in the morning haha, well I missed having them around,..I guess I just missed every single Rutgers person God has blessed me with. DC is a very beautiful city but still I missed New Brunswick, New Jersey.

But hey good news (one more blessing): Haïna Keke, my best Comoran friend from Madagascar also received an internship; and guess where her placement is: yaaaay!!!! D.C 🙂

To me personally, moving to Washington D.C equals to a new experience, new city, new friends, new skills, new opportunity, new hotel room (because I have my own now haha)… Peace Corps!!! 🙂

I have always been a very big fan of Peace Corps. I will devote a whole post to telling you guys about this episode of my life but for now know that there is a name behind that me being fan of Peace Corps; that name is Crystal Thompson. Crystal was an outstanding volunteer. Not only was she the very first Peace Corps I’d ever met but she’s also the one who caused me to have a super great image of the United States. Crystal rocks, she is a great friend now and I love her so much!!!! 🙂

Now….Peace Corps!!!

Believe it or not but it took us less than an hour to find this building when it is supposed to be only a 15-minute walk from Carlyle Suites Hotel (that is the name of the hotel we are staying). haha

Here are the excuses I would give: neither Haïna nor I have a smartphone. And it is a fact here: I have never met anyone who does not have a smartphone or at least a phone with some sort of internet/GPS options. Funny thing though: we did have maps on and the two of us tried to find the logic in terms of streets, avenue, letters, numbers…but in vain. haha. Also, Google map…intelligent enough showed us the detailed itinerary BUT still we got lost. I am sure we are not dumb though, are we? lol

Drawn lesson: we should have an American person explain to us how this whole thing works because this is just so confusing 😛

Good news: we found Haïna’s work place quickly.We were glad we could spot Advocacy for Youth. And since in the map it showed clearly my work place is closer than where Haïna’s is, we headed back to see if we missed Peace Corps…We have been walking walking walking walking but still no Peace Corps haha

After walking around in the wrong directions, being lost and after heading back to the same spot where we were initially located a couple of minutes ago, we finally found Peace Corps!! Yaaaaayy!!!!! (relief) 🙂

First impression…

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 I have always been a very big fan of Peace Corps even back home. In Madagascar, I have always loved to help the Peace Corps Volunteers as soon as I could. I guess this is because I am concerned about what they are concerned about. And personally, when I tried to put myself in the volunteers’ shoes, I was like “If I were American, would I be ready to leave my loved ones and devote 2 years or 3 years of my lifetime to helping out as a volunteer in a country that is not mine?” Not so sure about that. One thing is sure, though: the more I help the volunteers, the more I want to help. And believe me, now that I intern at the headquarters, it am not surprised anymore why Peace Corps Volunteers are very effective in their countries of service like Madagascar. Not only are they amazing individuals but they are also supported by a tremendous team at the headquarters. My very first impression of Peace Corps has never deceived me. Instead I am very much impressed by that agency EVERY SINGLE DAY.

6 reasons why I am thankful for my internship placement at PC…

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1. Work environment of my dreams

You cannot imagine how much I am thankful for IREX choice. I am impressed IREX took into account every single word that I wrote in my internship application. The ideal work environment that I wrote is literally similar to Peace Corps work environment 🙂 I like it when the work environment is relaxed and friendly. I got the chance to experience that when I interned at the EducationUSA Center in Madagascar during 10 months. I didn’t feel the gap between my boss/supervisor and myself. Same thing, my supervisor(s) at Peace Corps are amazing people. They are very professional, supportive and on top of all they are VEEEEERY cool 🙂

PS: FYI this photo was taken when Karen treated me to frozen yogurt (yuuuuummmy!!!) on my very last day with OPATS

Karen Scheuerer is my 1st supervisor during my first 3 weeks at the Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support (OPATS). She is the Youth and Volunteerism Specialist, Peace Corps.  I will be forever thankful to that lady. She has taught me SOOO many things. Her team is amazing. Every single person at OPATS is very passionate about what they are doing. Karen is a very accomplished person.  I am not surprised if she is doing a tremendous job as a youth and volunteerism specialist at Peace Corps because of all the experiences she’s. You can check out this link and see how blessed I am for having such a great mentor 🙂

http://www.iyla.info/#!karen-scheuerer/c1p6d

Karen was among the panelists when we went to the World Bank during International Young Leaders Assembly. Not only did she inspire me with a lot of volunteer service model but she also made me feel comfortable at work. She would be like “I found an X, Y, Z…this might be very interesting for your project Gaelle”…or she would go “There is a non-profit which deals with X, Y, Z…are you interested in coming with me and learn from them?” or she would be the one who says “I just wanted to check if you are not bored” 😛 And OF COURSE I did not have time to be bored when I worked with her. To be honest, 3 weeks is actually not enough.

Volunteerism has always been part of me but now after these 3 memorable weeks with OPATS, I just made up my mind I will take it volunteerism back home into a higher level…I would love to engage youth in doing volunteer service back home by utilizing a TV show to start with.  I am actually planning to partner with the most viewed youth TV station back home. I have already taken the lead when I met a TV host from that TV station in the US but I will wait until I am back in Madagascar to plan everything more seriously. Need prayers, though!!! A lot of ideas…haha With God’s help, this will happen. Amen!! 🙂

 2. Super organized 

 Aside from their being very welcoming and friendly, their being super organized struck me a lot as well. I remember when I was still in Madagascar, as soon as I received the “congratulations letter for being selected for an internship”; Peace Corps started to send me a Welcoming Packet so that I can already get a taste of my 2-month internship a few months later. They would also set up phone interviews with me even if I was a ton of miles away from them. Guess what the calls were all about? They wanted to make sure my internship experience will be really a pathway to the success of my future plan. Peace Corps is very much interested in contributing in my future project. What more? I also remember Peace Corps has already had a very detailed calendar of what they wanted to offer as part of the internship experience even if I was still in Madagascar. Trust me, Peace Corps is not kidding about their work…I love their professionalism in addressing issues all around the world.

You might have guessed why I posted that photo right here while talking about Peace Corps being “super organized”. I just felt like showing you the faces of the super organized people I have got the chance to interact with at Peace Corps.

From left to right: Ally Snell, Director, Office of Diversity and National Outreach at Peace Corps and Nanayaa Kumi, Peace Corps Response

PS: Fan Yang is also one of those “super organized” people I keep telling y’all about 🙂

FYI I started my 1st week with Diversity and National Outreach this week and I learned a lot already. It is very interesting to learn how volunteers are recruited, selected, and then placed to their respective countries of service. I have already had three enriching days with VRS. I was really impressed when I was told this team has actually been newly formed since when I see them work it seems like they have been working together since forever. It is already a very solid and professional team which aims to the same goal. It is lead by Ally Snell. She is a very organized and I really love her leadership skills.  She is very fun to work with. I am excited to be with her team for 2 weeks.

These people and of course some other PC folks that I did not mention here are those who have done an amazing job to make my internship a very fruitful one. I owe them a billion of thanks 🙂 Fan Yang is AWESOME!!! Wish I could interact more with her, though! I know I will 🙂

3. Highlights diversity

Behind these smiles are hidden very rich characters with so much potential. That photo is an example of the message that Peace Corps wants the countries where they serve to understand: diversity of America! Their plan is to make sure that the volunteers that they send overseas are really representative of America. The world sometimes is not aware that America does not only host white Americans but there are also the native Americans, the Asian American, the Hispanic Americans, etc. Araba and I (YALI interns) are not Americans but felt very welcomed in that very diverse team….The spirit of diversity is very highlighted at Peace Corps. And when I say diversity do not think it is all about race and skin color. Diversity goes way beyond that…It is all about religion, sex, the skills you have, your age, etc…those are all part of diversity…

4. Informal

Believe me but at Peace Corps you cannot tell who the boss is. Hierarchy does exist and people do have titles but honestly even the highly-ranked people at the headquarters would consider you as their equals. I LOVE that because that actually prompts me to take a lot of initiatives on my own and makes my work twice as enjoyable and challenging. Besides it made me comfortable, it also encourages me to do my best and makes me time conscious.  What I am going to say is very common in America but let me say it again and again because I LOVE it. haha. I love it when I can address my boss/supervisor and anybody else at the workplace with their first names. I have colleagues who are my dad’s age but they all go by their first names. You probably wonder why I love that. To me, when I call someone that way, that makes me feel we are all equal. No one is more important or more superior than the other. Every single person is unique and important. To me you do not have to be a Hollywood star or you do not have to appear on Forbes Magazine to be a VIP. That way, everybody is equal and there is no gap felt at all.

All the people you see in these three photos are VIP who have a very important role at Peace Corps….but STILL they were willing to join me and Araba for a Brown Bag Lunch as a welcoming lunch. Would you be welcomed that way in a very formal setting…pizza lunch haha? Nope, I do not think so. I guess that is PC 🙂

  

5. Safe and secure space

When you enter the Peace Corps headquarters building, you can sense on the spot that Peace Corps is not a joke. It reminded me of how it’s like to enter the US Embassy Madagascar. Safety is key to Peace Corps! Not only do they make sure their volunteers are safe and sound where they volunteer abroad and trust me, you can feel it even if you just get in the headquarters’ building.

No one can enter the building unless they have this pass on. You show it anytime you enter the HQ.

Now, do you guys all know what the photo below shows?

This “whatever it is called” blew me away when I first entered the building. This is actually like a “security fence” . You cannot pass the border unless you have the pass tag. If you have your pass tag on, you pass it on top and when it makes a beep sounds, “open sesam” and you can enter. Same thing, in order for you to get in the elevator. You have to pass your  press tag close enough to the floor level buttons. It is only after then you can press on the level buttons. Pretty cool, isn’t it? I know for some people it is very common but it is not common at all. Back home we use metal keys you know, nothing automatic. Here, everything is automatized 🙂 Very time conscious people! Believe it or not but I love that.

To me, all these things not only work together to make a fun work environment worth its name but they will also inspire me in moving forward in my future plans.

6. Answer to my prayers…

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I remember that in one of my prayers last year I said “Lord Jesus, you know how much I want to create that NGO and you also know I want your will to be done so please give me a sign if you want me to do this.” Not even one year later, God used a bunch of people and a lot of things to let me know this is actually His will. Just so you know, YALI is one of those signs. 500 candidates applied for YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative) in Madagascar. 10 out of the 500 candidates are people I know and some are even close friends of mine. You can imagine how competitive it was. I prayed hard about the whole process and I am amazed by God’s grace in this whole thing because He made everything way easier for me. I am not saying it was an easy application but instead I am saying that I really had a feeling God made it smoother than I thought it would be. Don’t me get wrong because I really worked hard. I remember I would go to bed only at 5:00 a.m to actually wake up at 6:00 am. My sisters and my dad were so worried because I wouldn’t sleep. Instead I stayed up writing my essays, editing my essays, proofreading the whole application, over and over again. But even with that hard work, I am convinced that if YALI was not God’s plan for me, He could have chosen someone else. But He did choose me so I am very thankful about that. He sent me to Rutgers University, the BEST academic institution I’d ever been to, he decided I would participate in a very enriching 3-day summit and to surprise me even more He just decided I’d be among the 100 out of the 500 fellows who’d received the internship. And guess where my host institution is? Peace Corps…http://www.peacecorps.gov/ one of the agencies that inspires me the most in the entire world 🙂 Isn’t that a blessing? I love Peace Corps and I am grateful and thankful to God I am interning at Peace Corps during 2 months.

Guys, I still have  A LOT to say about my internship but I guess it is time to hit the hay now. haha. It is 1:59 in the morning. I am glad my body cannot speak. If it could I know it would have said something like “you wanna kill me??? You stay up until 2 in the morning working on your thesis back home, updating your blog, thinking about your future plans, and connecting with your loved ones back home…and Gaelle you wake up at 5 to do work? Really???? You really wanna kill me, don’t you?”  😛

July 4 in New York City (NYC)

 

Hats off to Daddy God for all His plans in my life…Last year, I lead an English session related to July 4th…I invited two American friends to help me lead the session: Travis Pringle and Jessie Beck. They volunteered their time to come to my English Club, SMA-EC (Saint Michel Alumni English Club) 🙂  It was such a wonderful day!!!

 

 

I can still recall the day when Jessie and Travis told us about what it is like to celebrate the independence day in America. So one year later when I get to celebrate July 4th in the United States of America, I am like “woooooooooooooow thank you Jesus for that amazing surprise!!!!!

Jessie and Travis told me about people wearing blue, red and white….3 colors of the US flag…And it was true 🙂 Of course, there are some people who did not wear any of those colors but most people did and it really was beautiful 🙂 I wore a red sweater and a red t-shirt….You can see me in the 2nd photo; seating at the back, smiling and cheering Mets even if I didn’t get it all. lol

You may have guessed how I celebrated July 4th, 2014 right?!? :p YALI fellows  from Rutgers University, including me, went to the New York City borough of Queens yesterday to watch a baseball game Mets vs. Texas.

The stadium we went to is called Citi Field. Since yesterday was my very first time to watch a baseball game, to my standards the stadium’s really huge_it’s like most of the things that I see in the States obviously 🙂

from the outside

from the inside

 

Before even the game started, a couple of names came to my mind; namely Bert Whetson, Deborah Orsini, Crystal Thompson, Kelly Robinson, Haïna Keke and a bunch Malagasy campers that I got to befriend with at camp EXCELL (Excellence in English Language and Leadership). This is actually during that leadership camp where I got the chance to play softball and know the ‘basic’ rules of the game. Baseball and softball are definitely not the same but they do have similarities so I guess that’s why I understood what was going on the field yesterday 🙂 I was super excited about everything there. Truly feeling blessed. I had amazing people around:fun roomies to be around with…..(from left to right: Kadidja from Djibouti and Christelle from the republic democratic of Congo)

…I got to celebrate July 4th, 2014 with 24 tremendous leaders from countries in sub-Saharan Africa and with 3 lovely American people from Rutgers staff. That experience made me aware of the saying “the more the merrier”; which is totally true at this point 🙂

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I definitely have so many things to be thankful for for this July 4th:

• Thankful to God that He brought outstanding people from the African continent my way…even if they almost hid my face in that photo haha

 

• Thankful to God for creating genius people who thought of making people smile by creating fireworks 🙂

 

It was marvelous to see the fireworks touch the sky. I could hear and feel people’s excitement while the fireworks were up in the air making the sky look even more beautiful on that night of July 4, 2014. Its sound was just like music to my ears…It made me think of how powerful this country is and how far its people have gotten to. It also made me think of my family and friends who are in Madagascar. I wish they were all here with me. But I keep telling to myself “God brought me to the States when I didn’t even think of it” so I am convinced and sure that He will also do what’s less expected for my loved ones back in Madagascar. One thing is sure: God’s plan is always the best plan EVER 🙂 I believe what He says in Jeremiah 29:11 is true. (New International Version), it reads “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

US flag: white, blue and red…BEAUTIFUL

• So thankful for the bus ride

 

 

 

We do have nice buses in Madagascar but the one we got into yesterday is probably the best bus I’d ever gotten into my entire life. The 50 minutes’ drive from New Jersey to New York was so enjoyable. The bus was so comfy. For the very first time in my life, I feel privileged I got to use a bus bathroom. In the movies, you would see that a lot but in reality it’s not that common, at least in my country… So it was kind of cool you know!! That’s what I love most about the tourism part of YALI. You get to see stuff that you would barely see in your home country.

 To me, July 4th, 2014 is a very memorable day. I am not American but I really belonged it here yesterday. I could feel their happiness and the vibe was really intense that I could be nothing but thankful for the happy day, for the food that I ate, for the friends I hung out with, for the game we watched…Bonus: we won the game, Mets made it 🙂

Will always remember how awesome it was to cheer Mets up there from our seats. ‘Wave move’, a lot of ‘aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh’s’, a lot of claps,…and you guys wanna know the sentence that just made my day: “Let’s go Mets” haha 🙂

Happy July 4th to all Americans!