Slowly, updating!

I know it's been 2, maybe even close to 3 months since I was in DC, but I thought I'd still post some of the pictures from my last week or two out there. I had such a great time living there and hope I'll be back before I know it (cause i'm really missing it)...or wherever it is that my next "career" job will take me! haha
And as for those of you that are wondering where I am these days and how long i'll be wherever I am at...her is the latest (since i'm ever so slow at my postings on here): I am in Utah right now, just staying with my parents and friends. It's been nice to catch up with a few friends, but I have yet to actually be in Utah too much yet in the last 7 or 8 months. I have been doing a lot of traveling! I moved my stuff back to Utah and turned around 3 days later and headed to Colombia for a couple weeks, got back for a week, headed to Europe for three and now I am back and will be here till I find a new job. If anyone wants to sponsor any more trips for me, I'd be happy to take that! Or just sponsorship for my life/bills right now since I don't qualify for unemployment...just a poor post-graduated...person? I'm not even student status anymore :(

HERE'S WHAT'S TO COME ON MY BLOG...PICTURES FROM TRIPS!


COLOMBIA (above)...
and of course, some EUROPEAN lovin'!!



CARE CONFERENCE
I was able to attend the CARE conference and hear some of the most remarkable people speak! I really admire people that do such great work in this world, especially for women/girls and the work that goes into empowerment of women and girls in developing countries! I LOVE CARE's work and hope that one day I can work with them (yup, it's my end career goal...I'll be satisfied once I can say I work with CARE).

Yes, the pictures below are of exactly who you think! Yes, I DID indeed meet Richard Gere in person and YES, he is just as sexy in person as he is on screen and in the magazines! And he's nice too! I really admire the work he does in this world. As most people don't know, Richard Gere is a full time philanthropist and has his own organization (http://www.thetibetcenter.org/gere.html). Anyway, he won CARE's award for person of the year...or something to that effect, because of the philanthropy work he is involved in.



THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Hands down, the most beautiful building I've set foot in! At least in the States and it definitely competes with all the beautiful building in Europe too! I could not believe how beautiful it is!! I absolutely LOVED it!!





One of my last days in DC (at least for now), I had my friend Hilary set up a little somethin'-somethin' for me :) She got me my own personal tour of the White House (haha, okay it's not the White House, I realize this...but for some reason I ALWAYS call the Capitol building the White House! It's really weird...everytime though!) It was really interesting though to get the history of it. I should go do this tour whenever my pride in America begins to lack! It was so great and really made me want to dive into my history books!






A visit from Michelle! I worked with Michelle at the hospital awhile ago, and she just finished her Nurse Practitioner program through GWU, so she was out for graduation. We got together with Hailey (another nurse we worked with at LDS Hospital) and all went to dinner and sat, chatting at Starbucks the rest of the night. It was so great to see these lovely ladies!!


I love this cemetery by my old townhouse! It's pretty big, so I used to go running around the windy roads of it. It's so old and has got some of the coolest headstones! Not going to lie though, kinda would get creeped out walking by it late at night on my way home from the metro!



This was at the National Botanical Gardens...thought it was kinda cool :)

My wrap-up with PAHO

Bacon Flu, I HATE YOU! That is right. This exactly how we, at PAHO, felt when the Swine Flu first broke out. Meetings around the clock (literally...when you are coordinating between Atlanta, DC, Geneva and Mexico...had to be on multiple times) and work 7-days-a-week! However, because of this beautiful H1N1 Flu outbreak, I had a job following my internship with the Pan American Health Organization. Never thought I would have an official contract with the U.N.! It's kinda one of those dreams that sits in the back of your mind and doesn't seem like reality, even when it is. I worked with such a incredible team of people during my internship and while I was on a short-term contract.
I just wanted to post a few pictures of our team during that time...we were all under incredible amounts of stress, little sleep, and long hours, but still functioned amazingly and had a great time along the way! I am no longer with the team, since I was only on a short-term contract, however, I am sure they are working just as hard...just missing me! :)

Pretty sweet view from my old office window...view of all the planes flying in plus the Pentagon!


This was at a bday party we had during lunch for a few of the team members


Second day into the outbreak...we got a visit from the one and only...Dr Margaret Chan, Director General of the W.H.O!! I feel very lucky to have gotten to meet such a neat, sassy woman and work with her for the day!



LONG, hot weekends...love the picture of my boss (kinda portrays all the insanity that was going on!)



More and more meetings, including informing the rest of PAHO of the work going on in the EOC (Emergency Operation Center)


Awkward posed photo for the PAHO website :)


My last day, my crew threw me a goodbye party...a surprise goodbye party. They are so fantastic!


And of course...one last weekend with some of the PAHO crew Salsa dancing at Citron!



After all the goodbyes at the office were all said and done...we had the informal, fun party! Working with a bunch of foreigners, means good food and great parties! My favorite Spaniard that I worked with threw me a goodbye party, aka 'Tapas Night", inviting everyone from work and all the Spanish people he knew in DC! It was a good time till everyone from work left and I was left listening to Spanish being spoken a million miles an hour...which i tried really hard, but failed to keep up with on the conversation! Nonetheless, I had a fantastic time!

Pretty EXCITED about this one!