South Africa Embassy (7/29/09)

I can’t believe I have failed to mention that the Study Tour group had an amazing opportunity to be invited to a reception at the South Africa Embassy. This was what I would call ‘big-dogging’ it. In June, each study tour participant was asked to send invitation letters to our Congressmen and Senators to join us on our ‘farewell’ reception. Senator Risch’s office was represented by Michael Manning and two other individuals working as Senator Scheduler and Educational Policy—I wish I could remember their names off the top of my head, sorry.

The opportunity to visit with these three individuals was amazing. It took me some time to feel comfortable talking to these individuals, but eventually worked into a comfortable flow of conversation. It is amazing how many people can work for one Senator in Washington, D.C. Apparently, Senator Risch has a small staff of twenty-five compared to many other Senators.

The Embassy was a great experience. It was a very hot and humid night, so it was difficult to be comfortable inside. We would have had the reception outside but it was raining pretty hard, so you can imagine the difficulty of having nearly 100 people crammed indoors without air conditioning. The Embassy had amazing artwork and décor. One individual said that some of the paintings were worth $1 million…can you imagine. We were served finger foods that are typical for South Africa. We had various meat appetizers, cucumbers with couscous, cheese, fruit, and much more. For drinks we were offered wine and beer from South Africa as well as water and soda. The atmosphere was amazing.

I was able to meet the Ambassador. He was a funny man with a great deal of pride for South Africa. He welcomed us to his country and wished us well in our travels. Again, I am in awe that I am involved with this opportunity.