Sunday, July 03, 2005
Hello Class, Welcome to the Empire State Building
Our jet lagged yet bright-eyed Afghan associates assembled in a conference room in the Empire State Building through Women for Afghan Women's (WAW) connections with the New York Foundation. What a glorious start to their three weeks. After Toni and Gwendy set the theme of the Style Road Trip program, Kate gave our ladies a quick lesson in networking; Athena inoculated the concept of the "Success Map;" Jamie assessed their expectations; and WAW's Sunita Mehta facilitated an honest discussion on the women role models in their lives. And that was all in one morning.
Lest anyone think we were rigid taskmasters their first day, we then swept the ladies up to the top of the Empire State Building, followed by a rainy-day tour of Manhattan with their own private bus and tour guide.
While visiting Ground Zero, the ladies discussed the horror of the loss of lives and expressed sadness for the American deaths and said that that tragedy made the world aware of Afghanistan and the nightmare Afghans were living through.
That evening, Susan picked up where Jamie left off that morning, discussing their expectations for the Style Road Trip program. They ended the long day with their first American pizza (at their request). The Häagen-Dazs dixie cups were a bigger hit.
Lest anyone think we were rigid taskmasters their first day, we then swept the ladies up to the top of the Empire State Building, followed by a rainy-day tour of Manhattan with their own private bus and tour guide.
While visiting Ground Zero, the ladies discussed the horror of the loss of lives and expressed sadness for the American deaths and said that that tragedy made the world aware of Afghanistan and the nightmare Afghans were living through.
That evening, Susan picked up where Jamie left off that morning, discussing their expectations for the Style Road Trip program. They ended the long day with their first American pizza (at their request). The Häagen-Dazs dixie cups were a bigger hit.
