The Beginning: Program Kickoff in DC

Discussing immigration, transatlantic relations, and EU values these past few days in DC with experts in these fields & getting to know the 16 diverse fellows in my group (pictured above in front of the GMF DC office) have been a refreshing change from the daily grind of my technology bubble. It's been quite interesting so far being one of the token fellows from Corporate America.

Some highlights:
* An intimate discussion with fellows from the Transatlantic Academy who recently completed a study on immigration, selective migration & integration across the U.S. and several European countries;
* An overview on transatlantic relations & how Europe fits into the Obama administration's global agenda;
* A phenomenal lecture on the differences between European and American values to give us context on understanding the European's system for behavior.

The GMF staff has done a remarkable job in putting together our itineraries in DC: our first group dinner was a good preview of the social networking format of our future dinners, the speakers were engaging and excited me about exploring the transatlantic relationship, & the topic of immigration compelled me to draw from my own experiences as a first-generation Asian-American.

And now...
We are off to Europe!

First stop: Brussels.