I love the student body here at Fletcher. I am continuously amazed by the amount of diversity that exists in what is a fairly small collection of individuals. This was reinforced last night, during an informal gathering at one of the neighborhood bars. Amidst all of the chatter, the clinking of drink glasses, the music, the television showing a college basketball game, and general chaos that characterizes a popular and crowded bar, I managed to have a long discussion at a corner table on the definition of “civil society” and the existence of “negotiation” as a concept. The individual with whom I was talking negated the very existence of the first item, and argued that the second should not be the subject of academic inquiry. He spoke from his experiences in Africa and I spoke from my experiences in India. We both quoted our favorite academicians, and related practical experiences of being on the ground. While we argued back and forth on these terms, we showed one another the respect that I have come to expect from an institution such as Fletcher. Although a conclusion was not reached and we made plans to discuss the issue further, there was tremendous value in the interaction itself.

This is the kind of academic and social experience that I value so much, and I am so happy that I have found it again here.

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It’s funny, I keep hearing people now, in November, getting all ancy about the weather. They think it’s cold now…. I try and not be brutal, but I am blunt. This ain’t nothin’ yet. Of course, winter in Boston is wimpy compared to Central New York, man we got a lot of snow.

I just realized that I have four jobs right now, about to add a fifth. Sort of silly right? I dunno, you sort of have to do it. You’ve got to get these little jobs that you can cram in a time period of a few hours in between classes or into the wee hours of the night. It’s fun, but you can’t leave home without your calendar, or your entire day is down the tube. Gotta love reliance.

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This past weekend, the Fletcher Community celebrated its annual Asia Night. Being the one in charge this year, I had the privilege of working behind the scenes, as well as participating in some of the acts. There are four cultural nights each year (Asia Night, Mediterranean Night, Fiesta Latina, and African Night), and we were the first to go. It was definitely intimidating to put on a show for 300+ people, but it was the most fun that I’ve had in a long time. We had food from six different Asian caterers with items as varied as Japanese sushi, Indian spinach and cheese, Bangladeshi chicken rice, Vietnamese spring rolls, and the list goes on. The fashion show was a stunning success, helped to a great extent by the addition of a 12-foot catwalk, built by Fletcher students on the night of the performance. It was wonderful to see everyone’s traditional clothing from their home countries showcased in front of the entire audience. The performances were alsoa resounding success, with everything from Indian dancing to Bangladeshi poetry to Chinese gymnastics to the much-anticipated Japanese skit. It was a pleasure to see the Fletcher students outside of the classroom, exhibiting their many talents.

For me, as the organizer, the highlight was definitely seeing the tremendous amount of teamwork and cooperation that went into making the event a success. I loved discovering the hidden talents and expertise of my classmates, and was constantly impressed by their ability to do things like crunching comlex accounting numbers, designing beautiful posters and playbills, coordinating food delivery of six different restaurants in the greater Boston area, putting together a slideshow (with music!) of photos from around the world, and working a light and sound board with ease.

I also loved being a part of Asia Night because it allowed me to interact with many Asian students that I did not know before. I felt that the community really pulled together in the last few days, especially during the dress rehearsal the night before the event. I also saw many of the students “come out of their shell” by being involved in this activity, which was truly a pleasure. Although it was a lot of work and definitely became my fifth class here at Fletcher, I would happily do it all again.

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The other day I found myself talking to a friend and prospective Fletcherite. It was interesting speaking with her because I must admit I’ve had some doubts since arriving here almost two months ago about why I decided to go to grad school. The work is a little overwhelming and it’s difficult to pick up and move to a new place and make new friends—something I always have a hard time doing even though I love it. I kept thinking, “Why did I want to go to grad school again?” But as I was talking with my friend I realized that I am comfortable and really happy about my decision to come to Fletcher.

Yeah, the amount of work is crazy, but the classes are great. Professor Najam cracks me up with his self-effacing humor and the fact that he can’t sit still. His enthusiasm and passion for Negotiations makes it one of my favorite classes. Who would have thought that learning to negotiate would be fun? The next time I buy a car I know I’ll be putting these methods to use. But the coolest thing about the classes is the fact that they all tie in together. What I learn in one class I’m easily able to apply to the other and I hadn’t really expected that.

Something else that surprises me is the fact that I’ve only been here for about six weeks and my traditional patterns of thinking are already being challenged. I guess that’s really going on more outside the classroom than in it—the late night talks in the Blakeley kitchen, the discussions that carry on after class, the study breaks outside the library. I know it’s cheesy and sounds fake, but it really is true that Fletcher is a community. It’s definitely the thing I like best about being here. Despite being here for such a short amount of time I already feel like I’ve formed some close friendships. We go through a lot this first semester—moving to Boston, the chicken game, midterms, braving the cold—and it brings us all closer together. I’m not sure if you can really understand the Fletcher community until you get here, but its impact is immediate and palpable. I know out of all the things I learn here, what I’ll learn the most will be from my fellow classmates and I remind myself that that’s the reason I wanted to go to grad school.

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