Greetings from DC! Since getting back from China on June 10, I’ve been interning at World Resources Institute. (I still have a few things I’d like to write about our Asia Foundation portion of the trip, but that might have to wait for a rainy Saturday). World Resources Institute is probably best described as an environmental think tank. They provide research, analysis and policy proposals to address environmentally sound and socially equitable development. The organization has several departments, focusing on everything from climate change, species protection, transportation, and base-of-the-pyramid sustainable development. I’m with in the Institutions and Governance Program, on the Electricity and Governance Initiative, which works with electricity sector decision-makers and civil society leaders to promote transparency, accountability and public participation in the energy and electricity sectors worldwide. Admittedly, that’s a lot of jargon, but basically we work with governments on how to reform their electricity sector to promote sustainable energy solutions.
I have two specific projects. The first is working with the Inter American Development Bank on writing a background paper on renewable energy in Latin America. The paper presents an overview of the current state of the energy sector, and offers several policy, technology and financing solutions to meeting the growing demand with sustainable energy. The second project is analyzing the balance sheets of state-owned utilities in Brazil and South Africa to identify their overall sustainability and who is bearing the risks for their regional investments. I’m sure many of your eyes just glazed over reading this paragraph, but I have to say I’m really excited about the work I’m doing.
I’m also happy to be in DC for the summer. I’m definitely making the professional connections I was looking for, and it’s been a ton of fun hanging out with the motley crew of other Fletcher students in town for the summer. My first weekend in town, Ivan, Brett Yellen, Scott Dash, Emily Neishem, Anna Farber and I went to Mt. Vernon for the day. You’ll have to hear it from Brett in person this fall, but during our short time there George Washington was revealed to be an anti-Semite and a womanizer.
Showing posts with label Dana Moore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dana Moore. Show all posts
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Observations
My previous posts have been about the crazy adventures of three Spanish-speaking Americans in China. Now that we've arrived at the Chinese Foreign Affairs University for the "official" part of our trip to China, I thought I'd take a few minutes to list some observations that struck me during the past few weeks traveling.
1. Timezones- China does not have different timezones. The entire country is exactly 12 hours ahead of Eastern Time.
2. Chinese Tourists - I never expected to see so many Chinese tourists. Most places I've visited don't have much of a domestic tourist market, so it was a pleasant surprise to see so many locals enjoying the picturesque towns and breathtaking vistas that we saw.
3. Strawberries - When we arrived in Lijiang, the first thing I noticed was the massive quantities of strawberries for sale for very cheap on the side of the road. I had them in my granola the first morning at Mama Naxi's, and they were as delicious as they looked.
4. Sleeper Bus - In China, the overnight bus means the Sleeper Bus, which instead of seats has two levels of actual beds, three across, an isle then a single. The back of the bus has one big queen-sized bed meant to hold five people. Joanna aptly described the experience (we took an 8-hour sleeper from Lijiang to Kunming) as sleeping in your own coffin. Sandy and I shared the big bed in the back of the bus with an adorable old Chinese couple that unfortunately began snoring as soon as the lights went out.
5. Flashpacking - While hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge, a Brit dubbed Sandy, Jo and I "Flashpackers" for our preference for staying in private rooms with en-suite bathrooms while traveling. I think I might be old enough that I really don't appreciate or enjoy staying in the hostel dorms with communal bathrooms. I love staying in the hostel and meeting cool people on different journeys from around the world, but I really like my own space at the end of the day. Thus, it was great traveling in a group of three since really wasn't much more to "upgrade."
Tomorrow, we start bright and early at 8:00 a.m. dressed in our finest business suits to start The Asia Foundation's study tour. I can't believe my time in China is already half over, but I'm excited to see what the next two weeks will hold.
1. Timezones- China does not have different timezones. The entire country is exactly 12 hours ahead of Eastern Time.
2. Chinese Tourists - I never expected to see so many Chinese tourists. Most places I've visited don't have much of a domestic tourist market, so it was a pleasant surprise to see so many locals enjoying the picturesque towns and breathtaking vistas that we saw.
3. Strawberries - When we arrived in Lijiang, the first thing I noticed was the massive quantities of strawberries for sale for very cheap on the side of the road. I had them in my granola the first morning at Mama Naxi's, and they were as delicious as they looked.
4. Sleeper Bus - In China, the overnight bus means the Sleeper Bus, which instead of seats has two levels of actual beds, three across, an isle then a single. The back of the bus has one big queen-sized bed meant to hold five people. Joanna aptly described the experience (we took an 8-hour sleeper from Lijiang to Kunming) as sleeping in your own coffin. Sandy and I shared the big bed in the back of the bus with an adorable old Chinese couple that unfortunately began snoring as soon as the lights went out.
5. Flashpacking - While hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge, a Brit dubbed Sandy, Jo and I "Flashpackers" for our preference for staying in private rooms with en-suite bathrooms while traveling. I think I might be old enough that I really don't appreciate or enjoy staying in the hostel dorms with communal bathrooms. I love staying in the hostel and meeting cool people on different journeys from around the world, but I really like my own space at the end of the day. Thus, it was great traveling in a group of three since really wasn't much more to "upgrade."
Tomorrow, we start bright and early at 8:00 a.m. dressed in our finest business suits to start The Asia Foundation's study tour. I can't believe my time in China is already half over, but I'm excited to see what the next two weeks will hold.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Tiger Leaping Gorge
The weather finally broke, and just in time for our epic hike along Tiger Leaping Gorge and the Yangtze river. We left the town of Lijiang (something like Disneyland for Chinese tourists, with completely rebuilt "historic" houses fronted entirely by shops selling everything from traditional Naxi jewlery to imported Thai and Indian clothing) and drove two hours north, watching the rice paddys slowly give way to fields of wheat as the elevation climbed to 3000 meters.
The two-day trek took us up into the Jade mountains, along a narrow path high above the Yangtze river. The first day was almost entirely uphill, but we spent the night in a comfy room at the Tea Horse Hostel. We hiked with a ragtag group of trekkers whom we met on the bus ride to the gorge. One of the best parts about traveling is the random people and fast friends we've met along the way. The Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge is a popular backpacker route, so we've run into many of the same people along the way, including an adorable couple from New Zealand and three fun Argentinians.
The view from the highest point of the trek was nothing short of awe-inspiring, and I have plenty of pictures to prove it. The second day took us down from an altitude of 3,600 meters closer to the river. The final hike down to the river to where the mythical tiger actually lept across the gorge was stunning, and cooling my feet in the icy cold water as the rapids crashed around us was amazing.
When we returned to Lijiang, we moved into the famous Mama Naxi hostel. Mama Naxi runs the place with an iron fist, treats the backpackers as her children, and is generally beloved by all the travellers we've met. When she saw me sneeze today she gave me a special tea for my cold, and last night I saw her helping a clueless Brit mend a whole in his pants. We've got one more day in Lijiang before heading to Beijing to start the Asia Foundation's program. The sun is out, so hopefully we can find a place to rent bikes and explore the surrounding villages.
The two-day trek took us up into the Jade mountains, along a narrow path high above the Yangtze river. The first day was almost entirely uphill, but we spent the night in a comfy room at the Tea Horse Hostel. We hiked with a ragtag group of trekkers whom we met on the bus ride to the gorge. One of the best parts about traveling is the random people and fast friends we've met along the way. The Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge is a popular backpacker route, so we've run into many of the same people along the way, including an adorable couple from New Zealand and three fun Argentinians.
The view from the highest point of the trek was nothing short of awe-inspiring, and I have plenty of pictures to prove it. The second day took us down from an altitude of 3,600 meters closer to the river. The final hike down to the river to where the mythical tiger actually lept across the gorge was stunning, and cooling my feet in the icy cold water as the rapids crashed around us was amazing.
When we returned to Lijiang, we moved into the famous Mama Naxi hostel. Mama Naxi runs the place with an iron fist, treats the backpackers as her children, and is generally beloved by all the travellers we've met. When she saw me sneeze today she gave me a special tea for my cold, and last night I saw her helping a clueless Brit mend a whole in his pants. We've got one more day in Lijiang before heading to Beijing to start the Asia Foundation's program. The sun is out, so hopefully we can find a place to rent bikes and explore the surrounding villages.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Drowned Rats
The rain in Dali continues. Undeterred, Sandy, Jo and I decided to rent bikes yesterday and ride around the fishing villages on the opposite side of Er Hai Lake. Our first stop was a demonstration of the traditional cormorant fishing. In this old practice, cormorants are semi-domesticated, with a string tied around their neck to prevent them from eating the bigger fish. When the fisherman take them out to the lake to hunt, the larger fish are caught in their necks, forcing them to return to the boat where the fisherman helps the bird regurgitate the whole fish. Cormorants are rewarded with smaller fish, which can slide through their artificially small necks. Because of overfishing, cormorant fishing is now banned on Er Hai lake. Thus, we watched all this take place in a tiny bay, with the fisherman throwing out pre-caught fish to the birds so we could see how the whole process used to work.
After the fishing, we boarded a ferry to take us to the other side of the lake. Although the morning rain looked to be clearing, we did not take into account the prevalence of micro-climates in the region, and the possibility that the other side of the lake would not be nearly as dry. Still, at this point it was more of a drizzle than actual rain, so we set out down the road, with mountains to our left and the lake to our right. Our first stop was a Bai temple on the side of the road. After paying our respects (and a few yuan coerced out of us by the woman in charge) we continued to a small village right on the lake. Ditching the bikes, we started exploring the town, and were soon followed by a small group of children who delighted in flashing us the peace sign, having us take their picture, then checking out how they looked on the camera's preview mode.
By now, the drizzle had become a downpour. The kids disappeared into their homes, and we sought shelter under and overhang in the Municipal Building. We were sharing a granola bar and trying to decide what we should do when a woman appeared and beckoned us to follow her upstairs. She took us into a large conference room and made us some hot green tea. Three other men were also in the room, drinking tea and watching news about the earthquake. Looking around the room, we noticed the prominently displayed Communist Party organizational chart on the wall, and realized we were in the local Party headquarters, soaking wet, drinking tea with the communists.
We hoped to wait out the rain, but also did not want to miss the last ferry back to Dali. So, just as the storm seemed to be picking up again, we were forced to say goodbye to our new found friends and head back. The ride back to the ferry was surreal. The lake was an angry black and churning and the clouds still menacing.I was entirely soaked in minutes, what the rain didn't hit, the puddles more than made up for splashing water all the way up my legs. The road was a river of red mud, and my hands were white from cold and from gripping the breaks to avoid careening out of control down the long and winding hills.
We finally made it back to the ferry landing, looking like drowned rats. The ferry appeared within a few minutes, but its sea-worthiness was questionable. As the lake churned, a visible crack appeared in the middle of the boat, widening every time we hit an exceptionally large wave. When we finally reached the opposite shore, I was more than ready to be on (semi) dry land again.
After the fishing, we boarded a ferry to take us to the other side of the lake. Although the morning rain looked to be clearing, we did not take into account the prevalence of micro-climates in the region, and the possibility that the other side of the lake would not be nearly as dry. Still, at this point it was more of a drizzle than actual rain, so we set out down the road, with mountains to our left and the lake to our right. Our first stop was a Bai temple on the side of the road. After paying our respects (and a few yuan coerced out of us by the woman in charge) we continued to a small village right on the lake. Ditching the bikes, we started exploring the town, and were soon followed by a small group of children who delighted in flashing us the peace sign, having us take their picture, then checking out how they looked on the camera's preview mode.
By now, the drizzle had become a downpour. The kids disappeared into their homes, and we sought shelter under and overhang in the Municipal Building. We were sharing a granola bar and trying to decide what we should do when a woman appeared and beckoned us to follow her upstairs. She took us into a large conference room and made us some hot green tea. Three other men were also in the room, drinking tea and watching news about the earthquake. Looking around the room, we noticed the prominently displayed Communist Party organizational chart on the wall, and realized we were in the local Party headquarters, soaking wet, drinking tea with the communists.
We hoped to wait out the rain, but also did not want to miss the last ferry back to Dali. So, just as the storm seemed to be picking up again, we were forced to say goodbye to our new found friends and head back. The ride back to the ferry was surreal. The lake was an angry black and churning and the clouds still menacing.I was entirely soaked in minutes, what the rain didn't hit, the puddles more than made up for splashing water all the way up my legs. The road was a river of red mud, and my hands were white from cold and from gripping the breaks to avoid careening out of control down the long and winding hills.
We finally made it back to the ferry landing, looking like drowned rats. The ferry appeared within a few minutes, but its sea-worthiness was questionable. As the lake churned, a visible crack appeared in the middle of the boat, widening every time we hit an exceptionally large wave. When we finally reached the opposite shore, I was more than ready to be on (semi) dry land again.
Friday, May 16, 2008
China: Day 3
China is the first time I've been to a place where neither I nor my travel companions speak the language. However, thanks to a couple of phrase books, some wild gesticulation, and a few creative drawings, we've managed to direct taxis, purchase bus tickets, and even buy a cell phone. I still wish I had done some language prep before coming, but at least I'm starting to master the pleasantries.
We've left Yunnan Province's urban center of Kunming and travelled about 250 miles north to Dali. After not sleeping very well the first two nights (the room over the club certainly made things interesting, though) I was ready to escape to a more rural setting. Kunming was a good place to spend a day recovering from the 24-hour trip, but didn't have a lot to do. However, we did manage to find the requisite expat-run coffee shop that supports organic agriculture and sustainable development. In addition to sampling the famous Pu er Tea of Yunnan, I also had the best bowl of pumpkin soup I've ever had. Also, as Sandy's post already mentioned, we also experienced the best of the local cuisine when we stumbled into a restaurant just below our hostel for dinner our second night in Kunming. We had just woken up from a jet-lag induced coma, were starving, and didn't want to venture too far away since it had just begun to rain. The restaurant had one English menu, but seemed pretty easy to decipher. We decided to share a pot of soup, and chose standard ingredients like dumplings, tofu, and chicken to throw into a steaming pot of broth. The dumplings and tofu were just as we expected, but it was a bit of a shock when a whole (complete with the head, beak, eyes and feet) chicken was ceremoniously set down at our table. After repeated attempts by the wait staff to help us put the chicken into our pot, we finally decided it would be rude not to at least attempt to eat the bird. In truth, the chicken tasted pretty good once we thoroughly boiled it in our pot, and made the broth taste much better. However, I never fully got over the beady chicken eye staring at me throughout the entire meal.
We're now in Dali, an ancient walled city built during the Ming Dynasty. A moat flows along the main city streets, and its situated right next to one of the largest lakes in China. It's also definitely a town that knows how to cater to the growing backpacker population. Coffee shops and hostels, each with their own funky decor, line the "Foreigner Street", where we're also staying. From here, we can bike to the lake, hike around neighboring villages, and see the famous "3 Pagodas". Unfortunately, the rain is getting in the way of our efforts to explore the area, but it's supposed to clear up tomorrow. In the meantime, we're content taking tai chi lessons and drinking tea.
We've left Yunnan Province's urban center of Kunming and travelled about 250 miles north to Dali. After not sleeping very well the first two nights (the room over the club certainly made things interesting, though) I was ready to escape to a more rural setting. Kunming was a good place to spend a day recovering from the 24-hour trip, but didn't have a lot to do. However, we did manage to find the requisite expat-run coffee shop that supports organic agriculture and sustainable development. In addition to sampling the famous Pu er Tea of Yunnan, I also had the best bowl of pumpkin soup I've ever had. Also, as Sandy's post already mentioned, we also experienced the best of the local cuisine when we stumbled into a restaurant just below our hostel for dinner our second night in Kunming. We had just woken up from a jet-lag induced coma, were starving, and didn't want to venture too far away since it had just begun to rain. The restaurant had one English menu, but seemed pretty easy to decipher. We decided to share a pot of soup, and chose standard ingredients like dumplings, tofu, and chicken to throw into a steaming pot of broth. The dumplings and tofu were just as we expected, but it was a bit of a shock when a whole (complete with the head, beak, eyes and feet) chicken was ceremoniously set down at our table. After repeated attempts by the wait staff to help us put the chicken into our pot, we finally decided it would be rude not to at least attempt to eat the bird. In truth, the chicken tasted pretty good once we thoroughly boiled it in our pot, and made the broth taste much better. However, I never fully got over the beady chicken eye staring at me throughout the entire meal.
We're now in Dali, an ancient walled city built during the Ming Dynasty. A moat flows along the main city streets, and its situated right next to one of the largest lakes in China. It's also definitely a town that knows how to cater to the growing backpacker population. Coffee shops and hostels, each with their own funky decor, line the "Foreigner Street", where we're also staying. From here, we can bike to the lake, hike around neighboring villages, and see the famous "3 Pagodas". Unfortunately, the rain is getting in the way of our efforts to explore the area, but it's supposed to clear up tomorrow. In the meantime, we're content taking tai chi lessons and drinking tea.
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