Oh, there’s no place like
home for the holidays
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine
Of a friendly face
For the holidays, you can’t beat
Home, sweet home

Spending Christmas with my family was simply divine. After living in South Africa for nine months, it has been such a blessing to spend the holidays relaxing with those dearest to me! After such a wonderful past few weeks, I feel very refreshed and excited to see what the year ahead holds.

Tomorrow morning I head to the airport to catch a flight back to South Africa! In the meantime, Happy New Year to all!!

Bennett Family Photo 2009

The Historic Chicago Theatre

The next stop of my “nation-wide excursion” was to visit with friends and family in Chicago. Chicago is home to my oldest brother (Mike), so my sister (Katy) and I had an opportunity to spend a little bit of time with him and to stay at his place in Lincoln Park. Chicago is an enchanting city, so it was fun to walk up and down Michigan Avenue looking at all of the festive window displays, decorated with Christmas cheer. Plus, it’s been snowing like crazy, which only adds to the idyllic ambiance!

Katy and me getting on the "L"

Sunset in DC

Washington, D.C. rivals Nashville as my favorite city in America. I love them both, but in completely different ways.

D.C. makes me want to be a better person. It fills me with inspiration and patriotism. And more than anything, the air is laded with possibility. It has been such a blessing to spend the last week here visiting friends.

In the midst of a long day meeting with supporters, my sister and I snuck out to visit the National Museum of American History. Upon leaving the exhibit, I saw the loveliest sunset I’ve ever seen in my life. Luckily, I had my camera : )

Plus, we had one day of intense snow, which left the ground covered in a soft white blanket. Nothing says “Christmas” like cold weather and snow storms. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Winter Wonderland

Food, family, food, giving thanks, food, football…and did I mention food? Of course that reference can only mean one thing: American Thanksgiving.

After my week-long visit to Nashville, my next stop was Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I’ve spent the last week and a half catching up with my sister (Katy) and celebrating Thanksgiving with some close family friends. It’s absolutely beautiful here, and the weather has been very pleasant. Additionally, Katy and I went see UNC women’s soccer team play in the Elite Eight (they went on to win the National Championship!) and we also went to see UNC men’s basketball team face off against our Michigan State Spartans.

UNC Soccer Game

Last Saturday I left South Africa, bound for the U.S. for the next six weeks.

My first destination was Nashville. I spent this past week at my beloved alma mater, Vanderbilt University. Stepping onto campus is like a breath of fresh air. No matter what’s going on in my life, or how crazy things may seem, or how jet-lagged I feel… all is well in the world when I’m at Vanderbilt : ) There’s something magical about those 300 plus acres tucked between West End and 21st Avenue. No matter how much the university changes and evolves, I always hope it feels like this, like home.

While spring was blossoming into summer in South Africa, it was still fall in the States. Autumn is by far my favorite season, and autumn in Nashville is simply breath-taking. The weather is gorgeous, a pleasant 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit most days, and the trees are the most brilliant shades of amber, vermilion, pumpkin and rust. Heaven on earth!

I had a productive week filled with meetings at the school, coffee dates with friends, and free Wi-Fi at Panera. What more can a girl ask for? I’m already looking forward to coming back in February! 

Note: After more than seven months of Starbucks withdrawals, I probably had nearly 30 cups of coffee this week. For future reference, not a great idea…

Kirkland Hall

In late July, President Obama announced 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Included on the list was the father of present-day microcredit initiatives, Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

The Medal of Freedom is awarded to “…individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Per the White House press release, all of the individuals chosen for the 2009 award are “agents of change.” Of the awardees, President Obama went on to say, “each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way. Their relentless devotion to breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens sets a standard to which we should all strive.”

Dr. Yunus is the founder of the Grameen Bank, and 2006 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He has been an inspiration to me since my sophomore year of college when I was first introduced to the concept of microcredit. Also, he’s a fellow Vanderbilt alum (he received his Ph.D. in economics from Vanderbilt’s Graduate Program in Economic Development in 1971) so I definitely have to support my alma mater : ) Yay Vandy!

If you’re interested to see who the other 15 recipients are, check out the full White House press release. (Special note: President Obama gave a little love to South Africa…Archbishop Desmond Tutu was also a recipient!)

To learn more about Dr. Yunus, please see his official biography on the Grameen Web site.

President Obama recently made his first trip as President of the United States to sub-Saharan Africa. Following visits to Moscow and Rome, the American President spent a day in Accra, Ghana–speaking to the Ghanaian Parliament about the future of the continent. Here are some highlights from his speech:

“…we must first recognize the fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: Development depends on good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That’s the change that can unlock Africa’s potential. And that is the responsibility that can only be met by Africans.”

“As for America…our commitment must be measured by more than just the dollars we spend…the true sign of success is not whether we are a source of perpetual aid that helps people scrape by–it’s whether we are partners in building capacity for transformational change.”

“Aid is not an end itself. The purpose of foreign assistance must be creating conditions where it’s no longer needed.”

[Speaking directly to Africa's youth] “You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities, and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can do that. Yes you can–because in this moment, history is on the move. But these things can only be done if all of you take responsibility for your future. And it won’t be easy. It will take time and effort. There will be suffering and setbacks. But I can promise you this: America will be with you every step of the way–as a partner, as a friend. Opportunity won’t come from any other place, though. It must come from the decisions that all of you make, the things that you do, the hope you hold in your heart.”

President Obama focused on four main areas throughout his speech: democracy, opportunity, health and the peaceful resolution of conflict.

The speech was not too controversial in content, but interesting nonetheless. Regardless of one’s personal opinions about President Obama, he definitely has a way with words. He also gave a little shout-out to the work that President Bush did in Africa–so kudos to him for recognizing his predecessor’s efforts and successes : )

 To read President Obama’s full remarks to the Ghanaian Parliament click here.

As many of you know, the United States celebrated its 233rd “birthday” on July 4th of this year. Our Independence Day happens to be my absolute favorite non-religious holiday. Perhaps it’s because I’m deeply patriotic…or maybe it’s just because I loooove fireworks : )  Could be a toss-up.

Regardless, I was worried that celebrating the 4th of July overseas would trigger a sense of homesickness. Inevitably, it did a little bit, but I was incredibly blessed to spend the holiday with some wonderful friends (both American and South African!). We had an especially good time sharing our American traditions with our eager South African friends. All in all, we had a lot of fun!

For a more thorough description of our holiday festivities, I’ll refer you to Greg’s blog : )