My Experience at the 2014 Annual World Affairs Council Dinner

Hello readers,

Sorry for not updating this blog in a while- I'm currently inundated with schoolwork and college applications! :(

A while ago, I was one of the eight student scholars chosen by the World Affairs Council to receive a scholarship to attend the Annual World Affairs Council Dinner- one of the hugest events the Council hosts, besides the annual conference in March. I was delighted to be selected- each year the World Affairs Council and its Global Philanthropy Forum honor Bay Area leaders with a deep knowledge of and profound impact on the world.

This year, the main honoree was CEO John Donahoe and the companies he leads (eBay and PayPal), for its commitment to creating economic opportunity and fostering an inclusive global economy, including its pioneering role in creating the peer-to-peer economy. Besides Donahoe, the entrepreneurs and innovators such as Brian Chesky, CEO & Co-Founder of Airbnb would also be honored.  Needless to say, I was excited at the prospect of meeting these global movers and shakers.

At 4 PM, my father drove me to the CalTrain station in Mountain View. I eventually got off at Milbrae and hopped on the BART that would take me to Montgomery Street in San Francisco. From Montgomery Street, I walked to the World Affairs Council, a journey I was very familiar with because of my involvement as a student ambassador there. After the seven other student scholars arrived, Netta, the head of the Education program at the World Affairs Council, led a discussion about the readings she sent to us beforehand. We debated the merits and detriments of the disruption of traditional industries by services the Lyft and Airbnb provide, such as the conventional taxi and hotel industries.

Together, we all walked to the Four Seasons (the location of the annual dinner itself), which was not too far from the Council. Ksenia (another student scholar) and I found out that we were seated at the same table as the executive board at Chegg! The CEO sat directly across from us and we had an invigorating conversation about the state of public school education in America (I spoke about my experiences observing the Finnish education system!!!) and our future college plans.

At the Four Seasons

Hearing Donahoe speak!

The highlight of the evening was hearing Ted Donahoe, the CEO of Ebay, speaking about the transformation of the peer to peer economy, something Ebay is founded upon. He spoke about two main ideas that I found particularly compelling.

1) Commerce is the foundation for peace.
2) Technology is re-humanizing us.

When all we hear about today is the destruction of personal relationships due to the prevalence of technology, Donahoe mentioned that technology helps us forge relationships with people that we've never even interacted with before. For example, Ebay connects us to buyers and sellers all around the world. Airbnb allows us to establish connections with potential renters and rentees from all around the nation.

Me and the CEO of Ebay! This was extremely intimidating.

Just some food for thought!

Successful but hectic week!

About a month ago, I was invited by the Oracle Women Leadership Council to deliver a speech for their UN Day of the Girl ceremony because of my heavy involvement with the Silicon Valley UNA and UN International Youth Council. Although Day of the Girl is officially on 10/11, Oracle moved their ceremony up to 10/9, on a weekday.

This Thursday (10/9), my father picked me up from school at around 11 AM, and we drove to the Oracle headquarters in Santa Clara. After dropping me off at a building, I was escorted to a huge conference room where the event was to take place. For their catered lunch, I ate a beef and swiss cheese sandwich and started rehearsing the speech again in my head. The ceremony started off with an excerpt from the movie "Girl Rising"- which gave me chills. The first scene showcased a Thai woman, dressed in ethnic clothing, performing an ancient Thai dance, with a melodious Thai song resonating in the background. With elegance and grace, she executed a series of very sophisticated movements, her glittering clothing moving along with her. Suddenly, the scene cut to a little girl, digging through the wastelands and dumps of Thailand, sifting through the unwanted belongings of others, searching for anything salvageable. It was revealed that the young girl was the current girl, performing on the stage, except 20 years younger.Through education, an orphaned child in Thailand who used to spend her days digging through landfills transformed into an intelligent and beautiful woman, which attested to the power of knowledge and learning. My speech was on empowering women in Ningxia, China through my financial literacy initiative that I started with my friend Valene.

This Saturday, I delivered another speech to the Chinese American Semiconductor Professionals Association. Hosted at the Santa Clara Convention Center, there were SO MANY people in attendance- no less than 500. There were also a lot of important people who arrived at this event (which I did not anticipate), including the mayors of Milpitas and Sunnyvale, several state senators and congressmen, and the CEO of ARM, one of Britain's most prominent technology companies. I was proud of my speech- according to my mother, when the CEO was delivering his keynote address, no one was listening and everyone was one their phone, but everyone fixated their attention on me when I began to speak. It's strange and also humbling to think that I commanded more attention than the CEO of a multibillion international corporation...

I spoke about my speech impediment as a young girl and how my fear of speaking as transformed into wanting to use my voice to give a voice to the marginalized and unnoticed.

Although the days leading up to a huge speech are stressful and nervewracking, it's all worth it when you know that you've moved people with your words.

National Merit Semi-Finalist and National AP Scholar!

Yesterday I received two snippets of great news--I'm a National Merit Semi-finalist and a National AP Scholar! Whether or not you advance to the National Merit Semi-finalist stage depends solely on your PSAT score, which for me, was 225, out of a possible 240. AP Scholar awards depend on the number of APs you take and the scores you receive. For National AP Scholar, you must take at least 8 AP tests and receive scores of at least 4s and 5s on all of them. 

California has one of the highest PSAT cutoffs in the nation- last year it was 223, which meant that if you scored a 223 or higher, you were eligible for the NMSF award. Although I got my PSAT results in December, I can now breathe a sigh of relief. I don't know what this year's cutoff score is, but I'm pretty sure it jumped no higher than one point (it may even have decreased a point or two, no one knows right now).

On Writing Essays + Potential Gap Year!

Oftentimes the best essay ideas come out of nowhere- while you're in the shower, or strolling through the park, or reading someone's blog post, or even just before you're about to go to bed and turn the lamp switch off. I'm thankful for these random bursts of inspiration, as these essays are the ones that are usually most naturally written and least mechanical. Staring at a blank word document desperately racking your brain for creative ideas = super unproductive.

In other exciting news, I'm looking at a lot of gap year opportunities next year! Of course I'm still finishing my college applications, but once I receive my acceptances (fingers-crossed!), I plan to defer admission by one year, if my gap year opportunities work out. I'm hoping to perhaps study abroad in Germany, Russia, Turkey, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Morocco, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, or Malaysia! Traveling is one of my greatest passions; I feel so strongly about it that I even crafted one of my supplements around the idea of cultural exchange.

Making progress!!

Claire Lu's college app essay spreadsheet. It's even color-coordinated! I avoided screen-shotting each college's name for privacy's sake, but I'm sure you can still discern several schools just by reading the prompts. 

Oops

My goal is to have the entire first column in green by the end of this week! I have two school that I'm completely finished with (the two schools I'm deciding on early-ing to) but I'm still wavering.

Amherst DIVOH 2014!

Ahhh I just got accepted to Amherst College's Diversity Open House!! I applied in July and apparently they only accept 90 students out of ~1,000 so I'm extremely honored! Basically, Amherst will fly me out (for free) from San Francisco to Massachusetts and I'll stay on the Amherst campus for the duration of the program (October 18-20), not only learning about the academic opportunities Amherst offers but also the extracurricular activities. There will be a ton of sessions sprinkled throughout; I'm especially looking forward to some of the panels that'll feature the Dean of Admissions and other members of the Admissions Committee. On the last day, I'll get to sit in on several classes and experience being a true Amherst student!

E-Book!

Hello everyone,

I have very exciting news- I'm considering publishing an e-book about my experiences in Finland! I've already received an ISBN code and I'm currently compiling my blog posts and refining the content.

I'll definitely update everyone soon when everything is finalized.

Thank you to everyone who has followed me on this life-changing journey!

Update on my life coming soon!

Some Pictures From my Last Day!

Camilla, Chalotta, me, Kari, Vikke, and Ann-Christine! Vikke looks a bit grumpy but he's still adorable!

Outside the front door. Ann-Christine was griping about how heavy Vikke was!

'

"Family portrait"! Vikke looks regal, like a royal lion.

Thoughts

It's difficult to wrap around my head the fact that it's been over a week since I've come back from Finland.

In my spare time, I love flipping through photos on my camera roll, reminiscing about baking pullas for the first time in my life, relaxing in front of the beach at the summer cottage, visiting all the enlightening museums in Turku, smiling with Camilla and Ann-Christine in Stockholm...

But sometimes, even small things remind me of memories of Finland. A deck of cards on the desk in my bedroom brought me back to the first night I played "koira" (a Finnish card game) with Marja, Suvi, Ida, and Camilla in the summer cottage--and simultaneously detesting, dreading, and falling in love with the strategic mind war. A picture of a reindeer on a magazine cover brought me back to the time I wandered about in the Helsinki flee market, before our ferry departed to Suomenlinna. Hunting for a souvenir, my eyes quickly latched onto an adorable, fuzzy reindeer with the Finnish flag embroidered on its miniature sweater. Going to the grocery store with my family brings me back to the time Charlotta and Camilla were teaching me all these Finnish grocery words, from "sipuli," or onion, to "karkkeja," or candy, in the "Majakka" store next to our cottage.

Such nostalgia.

Day 42, 43, 44: Last Days

On Tuesday, we drove 2 hours to visit Marja's sister, Kaarina, who lives in the town of Loimaa. Kaarina, who is 70, lives by herself with her loyal cat, Tassu. As I looked out her window, miles and miles of meadow land met my eye. The brilliant yellow rapeseed plants provided an illustrious contrast to the shining blue sky. She cooked us a wonderful and satisfying lunch consisting of some quintessentially Finnish dishes, which I've unfortunately forgotten how to spell. Before we were about to leave, she offered me a pair of her hand-knit woolen socks. I was very moved, as we had not known each other for long yet despite this, she extended her compassion and graciousness to me.

On Thursday, I went to Sarkaniemi, one of Finland's largest amusement parks, in Tampere. Before going to Sarkaniemi, my family and I walked around the city center and along the river, admiring Tampere's architecture. By sheer luck, I ran into another FUSYE scholar, Emma, who lives all the way north in Ala Vieska. What are the chances of running into a FUSYE scholar in a city as huge as Tampere? What's even crazier is the fact that she lives in Ala Vieska, which is about 6 hours north of Tampere, and I live in Rauma, which is 2 hours southwest of Tampere, and we just happened to be in Tampere on the same street at the same location at the same time! After eating lunch at Rosso and chatting a bit with her host sister Ida, we headed our separate ways. Overall, Sarkaniemi did not disappoint. Because the lines were no where near as long as Great America, Six Flags, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, or Disneyland, Camilla and I got to experience all the rides we wanted to! Some of my favorites were Tornado (the most ridiculously intense roller coaster), MotoGee (a roller coaster in which the seats are shaped like motorcycles--I almost felt like I would be flung off over the handlebars!), Log River (we sat in a log and then braced ourselves for a huge plunge, getting soaked along the way), Trombi (a roller coaster ride in which you lay on your tummy while getting tossed and turned and flipped), and High Voltage (Sarkaniemi's newest ride--basically you're strapped onto a seat that's attached to a claw arm structure, and when the ride begins, the claw arm begins to flip and spin you around. I would not recommend this ride to people who get easily dizzy). One of Sarkaniemi's main attractions is their Angry Bird land, where all the rides and food stands are Angry Bird themed and there are Angry Bird play structures scattered around the area.

Arrived back home!

Hello readers,

I have arrived back home safe and sound, but my emotions are bittersweet and are clouded by nostalgia.

I'll post more about my last days later.

Day 41: Rest After Exploring Two Countries

Today was my first true day of rest after venturing out into two separate countries in a single week. My time in Sweden and Estonia were some of the most memorable days of my life, but I needed to catch up on my Wellesley Italian homework and college essays.

I watched "Remember Me" with Camilla in the afternoon. One of the last scenes in the movie was an elementary school teacher scrawling the date, "September 11, 2001" onto the blackboard, which triggered an immediate, sharp gasp from me. Later, Camilla noted how the date had registered so quickly to me (an American), while for her (a Finn), it took a bit longer for the meaning to settle in. It is interesting to note how the memory of 9/11 is permanently ingrained into our collective national consciousness.

Days 38, 39, and 40: ESTONIA TRIP!!!

Right after I came back from Sweden, I rested for a day and left for my Tallinn, Estonia excursion!

On Friday afternoon, Riikka Pasanen, one of the YFU orientation leaders who also lives in Rauma, drove me and Meredith to her apartment in Helsinki so we could catch the ferry to Estonia on Saturday morning.

At night, I was almost too excited to sleep- tomorrow I would be reconnecting with some of the greatest friends I had ever made.

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 7:30 AM to pack my belongings and get ready for Estonia! Riikka, Meredith, and I caught the 8:42 AM train and headed to the main railway station in Helsinki to meet the other FUSYE scholars.

On the cruise to Estonia!

The proud Estonian flag.

After stepping off the cruise, we immediately headed to our hotel, the Tallink Express, to drop off our luggage. I shared room 429 with Caroline! Unfortunately, the tight schedule did not afford us any time to sit and relax for too long. 

Walking to the center of Old Town.

Me in Tallinn!

Reaching the center.

We met up with our tour guide in the center of Old Tallinn and she began to introduce some of Estonian history. It turns out that Estonia does not have a proud history, but rather a humble and trying history. Estonia was always the "conquered" nation rather than the "conquering" nation, which resulted in a stifling of unique Estonian culture. After the Danish invaded Estonia in the 1300s, it has been repeatedly conquered by various other nations, such as Sweden in the 1600s (often labeled the Golden Age) and Russia during the Soviet era of expansion. Despite Estonia's humble history and beginnings, it was still a beautiful country.

Medieval Marketplace

More of me in Tallinn.

Famous narrow cobblestone streets

Four red-roofed towers

Hiking up the stairs was so difficult, but the view was worth it!

More of the view

"The times we had." Featuring Anna!

Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral. We were not allowed to take photos in the cathedral.

Presidential Palace across from the Cathedral.

Kiek in de Kok Museum. It was a fascinating exploration of Estonian military tactics and gear from the medieval age to the modern era.

This picture was taken close to the marketplace.

Dinner at the historic Peppersack restaurant.

Estonian food is hearty!

Raspberry ice cream cake! Which ended up being ice cream cut in the shape of a cake.

After dinner, we were allowed free time to roam around Old Tallinn! Kimberly, Caroline, Meredith and I found some very interesting pieces of architecture.

At night, all the FUSYE scholars gathered in Anna and Kimberly's room to watch the Brazil vs. Netherland's game on TV! Both Anna and Kimberly wanted Brazil to triumph (they thought it would be nice for the host country to win), while the rest of us rooted for the Netherlands.

The next day, the program consisted of going around the rest of Tallinn, since we already explored Old Tallinn the previous day.

Representative of Soviet era architecture. Riikka told us that this structure was created in preparation for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which 64 nations boycotted. The sailing competition was to be held in Tallinn, and the Soviet Union wanted to "show off" its preeminence in building concrete structures...

In a sailor's uniform at the Estonian Maritime Museum. 

Lunch at the Museum's restaurant.

Another ship museum.

Days 35, 36, and 37: SWEDEN TRIP!!!

This blog post will be in the form of a photo diary!

Our ship in the distance! We traveled to Sweden from the Turku port in Finland.

Waiting in the line to board the ship.

My ticket + passport (because I'm not an EU citizen)

Ann-Christine, me, and Camilla right before the ship started its journey. You can see in the background Turkulinna (which I featured on this blog 2-3 weeks ago).

Appetizers! 

Main course.

Deserts...the hazelnut crispy mousse-y balls were to die for.

The awe-inspiring sunset. There are no words to convey its brilliance.

Exploring the ship after our dinner.

At 11 PM, we headed back into our cabin so we could have a long night of sleep before exploring Stockholm. I slept on the top bunk of a cabin meant for four people (but only Camilla, Ann-Christine and I shared the cabin.)

Stepping off the ship into Stockholm was magical. In front of us was the breathtaking skyline of sprawling Stockholm. Did you know that Stockholm is comprised of 14 separate land masses connected to each other with bridges?

Stockholm.

We first walked to the Scandic hotel, where we had a huge brunch buffet. 

In Gamla Stan (Old Town in Swedish).

The narrow streets of Gamla Stan. Thankfully, because we arrived so early, the streets were nearly empty! When we came back at 5 PM, the streets were overflowing with people and various tour groups.

The famous rainbow buildings.

The Royal Cathedral where the Crown Princess of Sweden was married.

The Nobel Museum.

Inside the museum.

Going to this museum was one of the most enlightening experiences I have ever had. How do you gauge whether a museum was worthwhile? When you've become a better and more educated person when you step out.

Swedish Royal Palace! As an architecture, history, and politics fanatic, the Royal Palace was a treasure trove of fascinating wonder. 

No pictures were allowed inside the Royal Palace, and while I was disappointed at first, I soon realized that it was a blessing in disguise. By putting down my camera for the first time, I learned to truly appreciate and immerse myself in the essence of the moment. Before, I lived my Finnish experiences through the lens of my iPhone camera; whenever I perceived something to be interesting or beautiful, my immediate reaction was to position my camera, adjust the lighting and snap a careful, non-shaky photo of the scene. However, admiring the Royal Palace without the camera, I noticed intricate, subtle details that I would have never discovered had I been fixated on the quality of the picture. To quote my friend and fellow FUSYE scholar Elizabeth Yost, "Capturing experiences is important, but so is actually living them." 

After the Royal Palace, we hopped onto a "Hop On, Hop Off" bus that would take us around Stockholm! 

On the Hop On, Hop Off bus.

One of the stops was for the ABBA museum, and my family and I decided that this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. ABBA had been (and still is) such an iconic band, and has truly left its imprint upon the international music scene. At the time of their emergence, the Swedish left-wing political party tried to suppress its influence.

The ABBA museum! The museum's most prominent feature is its high level of interactivity with visitors. While in the museum, you can sing ABBA songs in a professional recording studio (and keep a recording of it), mix ABBA tracks, dance to "Dancing Queen" on stage with ABBA holograms, take fun quizzes about ABBA trivia, etcetc. Definitely not your average museum.

So much ABBA.

More ABBA.

We re-boarded the "Hop On, Hop Off" bus, which took us around the shopping and business district, where some of the embassies and most expensive real estate are located. Very chic. Stockholm is the epitome of the perfect modern-medieval blend.

While Ann-Christine and Camilla were shopping, Marja, Kari and I sat down in front of the Cultural Center of Sweden and watched a live demonstration initiated by Swedish-Iranians who were outraged by the theocracy in Iran and advocated for democracy. 

Swedish Parliament

Lovely.

Stockholm is endlessly beautiful.