Wednesday, April 2,2008

Hey everyone!
Wow, today was absolutely fantastic! Definitely one of my favorite days of the conference so far. We started out the morning bright and early as we headed over to the USDA with the rest of the conference delegates and chaperones.
As you all know, part of the purpose of the National 4-H Conference is to discuss different issues that we want to see addressed within the 4-H Program, as well as what direction we want to see 4-H headed. After compiling these ideas during our roundtable discussion groups, they were given to Cathan Kress, Director of Youth Development for the National 4-H Headquarters, who then presented them at the USDA assembly. After Cathan Kress presented our recommendations at the assembly, we got to hear from the Secretary of Agriculture himself. Following the assembly, our delegation, being the talented group that we are, was able to shake hands and take pictures with the Secretary of Agriculture!

Following the assembly, our delegation split up as we set off to meet with our Congressional Representatives. Ashlyn and I were able to meet with Congressmen Tauscher's Legislative Aid, Matsui's Legislative Director, and Congresswoman Matsui herself.

During our meetings, we spoke to the representatives about the 4-H Program, the purpose of the National 4-H Conference, our current role and responsibilities as State Ambassadors, and the issues we wanted to see addressed within the 4-H Program. Personally, I found that meeting with Congress was absolutely awesome because we were able to ask for their continuing support for the 4-H Program and I felt like the representatives really listened to what we had to say and they took an interest in the purpose of the program. We also found that it was really easy to meet and talk with the representatives, and it was really exciting to actually have a say in what goes on within our program, especially on a national level.

Following Capitol Hill Day, we made our way over to the Odyssey where we prepared to cruise down the Potomac River for a night of fun! We ate a delicious dinner followed by a crazy night of dancing. With two seperate dance floors, there was plenty of music to go around.
Everyone had an awesome time and, although we were all exhausted at the end of the night, it was by far one of the best evenings of the conference! After the cruise was over, we loaded up the buses and headed back to the conference center where we all collapsed from exhaustion and tried to catch a few hours of sleep. Although we were tired, we couldn't have had a better time!

Hey Everyone!
Today was insane! With the sun barely peeking through our windows, the group dragged their tired, sore bodies from their comfortable beds. This was the first day that our delegation could go and site-see on our own. After a quick breakfast, the delegation set out on their long and busy day.
Our first stop for the day was at the United States Holocaust Museum. This was the first time anyone had visited this museum so it was an amazing experience for everyone. Basically, the museum was divided into 4 different levels. It was very interesting to visit the museum and develop a totally different perspective about the holocaust. Reading about the tragedy of this event in a textbook does not cut it. There were some moments in the museum when I just wanted to cry. It's amazing to comprehend the effect the Nazis has on the lives of millions of innocent people. The most powerful room to me was near the end. In this room they had piled all these shoes that the Nazis had taken from the Jews after killing them in the gas chambers. I can't explain why, but seeing and smelling the shoes totally killed me. If it had been a picture, I don't think it would have bothered me as much. But the foulness in the air from the shoes made me sick to my stomach. The Holocaust museum was definitely the most life changing event during the whole conference. And to think that Genocide is still occurring right now. What's sad is that I know nothing about it and thousands of people are suffering and dying at this very moment. I guess Americans have still not learned their lesson.
Though we had to start off our day at a more depressing place, we continued our journey and headed over the Bureau of Engraving were they print money. This place was really cool. We got a V.I.P. floor tour because our advisor had a good friend that worked for the government. We got to see the complicated steps that went into printing the dollar bill. There are 4 steps and each step required high-tech and specialized machinery. These machines are able to produce hundreds of thousands of dollars in one day. I even got to touch 64 million dollars! That’s the most money I will ever touch in my entire lifetime.
















It didn't surprise me that after the Holocaust and Bureau of Engraving our delegation was extremely hungry. With a few of our advisor's friends, we went to the Old Ebbitt Grill. This place was pretty sweet because it was a super old saloon that many politicians dined at in the past and today. The food was awesome and I almost had to have Carolyn grab a wheel barrel to wheel my tubby body out the door.








Unfortunately, when we exited the grill, the rain was pouring down. Our journey had to be cut short and we headed back to the metro. There was still so much to do and our delegation was really depressed.
After the metro, however, our delegation decided to go shopping a bit before getting on the bus to head back to the conference center. At the Chevy Chase Pavilion the group shopped a bit and had some coffee at Starbucks. I think that it was nice that our group got to take a break from all the hardcore walking we had been doing for the past few days.
When we finally got back to the conference center, we realized that many of our friends from other states had gone home. However, being the coolest delegation ever, we managed to find crazy ways to entertain ourselves all night long. With only one more full day in Washington DC, our super massively awesome group went to bed, stoked for Fridays unending possibilities.

April 1st, 2008

Hello from Chevy Chase everyone!!
We are having a wonderful time at the conference. There’ve been so many activities and meetings for all of us we’re always going from when we wake until when we go to sleep. And it’s not uncommon to find a few delegates finding time for Zzz’s, during a speech workshop or activity when you have time to sit. But of course those people are never from California. Today we went out in our roundtable groups which were conjoined with another group while we toured the Capital. Although shortly after departure the bus that Kelsie and Ashlyn were on took a wrong turn onto a narrow street. While trying to get back onto the original path they attempted a U-turn on the narrow street and somehow the side of the bus hit a tree which shattered two panes of glass on the outside of the buses dual paned windows. Everyone was perfectly fine, in fact the only person who was flustered in any way by the accident was the bus driver.
Depending on the group we were in today we toured different areas with many of us attending Arlington National Cemetery, and the Lincoln Memorial. We also went to a Science Museum that was holding an exibit on Global Warming and Infectious Diseases which pertained to our Green AID theme. Once we arrived home after working abut 9 miles (three times as much as our 5k), we went to our night time activity. The activities for that night included inflatable games such as jousting and snowboarding. This was a great activity because it allowed us to meet new people in a comfortable environment which is a perpose of the conference. After our night we went to our state meeting and worked out our schedule for the rest of the conference and what we wanted to do on our free days and for Capitol Hill Day. And finally after a long day we were finally able to go to bed.

Thanks for reading

Workshops and Town Hall Meeting

Round Table Discussions and Citizenship Excursions