EducationUSA

Per the suggestion of my boss, last week I "volunteered" with the annual DC conference for EducationUSA.

I got to wear a swanky red lanyard which identified me as an authority figure for the conference.

I use the word "volunteer" lightly since my primary purpose was to count heads. It was a pretty sweet gig: I got to sit in on all sorts of sessions where leading experts discussed various topics about domestic and international education. 

I was surrounded by professors, admissions officers, college representatives, state department officials, and all sorts of international experts there. The talks discussed such topics as how to prep your exchange students, what to know about certain regions of the world, and how to make your school/state more appealing to exchange students.

The guests came to share and to learn from each other. "Networking" is the scary word that DC uses for this. I never knew that a discussion could be so lively about state consortia. Heck, I'd never even heard of a state consortium before.

I was there to learn about international education, but honestly I was most interested in the food. 

Coming from a catering background, I get irrationally excited about well-done food and drink arrangements.

Their honey is in an open container with a SPOON. Their tea packet at in square glass thingys on a stair thingy!

Their ketchup is in bowls.

The french fries even have their own spotlight for dramatic effect. Heat is probably a component too, but mostly the drama!

At one point, I ducked out of my session to grab more coffee. I was taking pictures of the condiments when a waiter came up to ask if I was satisfied with my service. After explaining that I was merely admiring the beautiful arrangements, we struck up a conversation. 

Originally from Morocco, Mustapha has worked at the Washington Hilton for 31 years. He says that he has served both President Clinton and Obama. Obama was encased by security, he said, but Clinton went out of his way to shake hands with the staff in the kitchen. 

 

My two mornings with EducationUSA were educational and interesting.

I got to meet other interns, learn more about state department initiatives, and see another side of professional DC that I haven't before. Despite the intimidating business suits, everyone there seemed incredibly human--passionate about their communities and students. 

Also, I liked the carpet.