It has only been a couple of days since I returned from Seattle, and for some reason, I find myself restless at night. At first, I thought it might be due to the change in time zones. However, I adapted to that within a day of rest.

Maybe I am still too wound up from last Sunday’s Faculty Within Your Reach event at the Seattle Art Museum? After all, there were more than 70 people in attendance and as always, Patrick Allitt, Cahoon Family Professor of American History, gave an energizing and witty lecture on Picasso in Paris before touring the exhibit with our alumni group.
See the photos here.

Perhaps I’m still running on adrenaline from being at the top of the world-famous Seattle Space Needle. At 607 feet, the views of Seattle were absolutely breathtaking!

No, I didn’t receive an unsettling TSA pat down; although, my carry-on bag was taken to a different area for further inspection. I guess the three packages of smoked salmon that I bought at Totem Smokehouse and the souvenir Space Needle Lego set looked a little suspicious on the x-ray monitor.

I’ll tell you why I’ve been sleepless. Love has been keeping me up at night. It turns out that I found my one true love in Seattle last weekend. No, it’s not like an early 90’s romantic comedy, because this pain is real.

I fell in love with Beecher’s “World's Best Mac & Cheese,” and it was love at first bite. I grew up eating the familiar baked macaroni and cheese made with elbow pasta and creamy cheddar cheese, and I thought that my mom made the best in the world. However, mom’s baked macaroni and cheese does not compare to Beecher’s, which is served hot and bubbly in a small paper bowl.

I’m not sure if it’s the penne pasta combined with their award-winning Flagship cheese or the surprising flavors from the spices that make their recipe so memorable. Whatever their secret, I experienced a few moments of personal bliss while sitting on a metal milk-jug stool at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese at Pike Place Market. Although brief, my cheesy love affair with the “World's Best Mac & Cheese” will definitely be an affair to remember.

-- Michael Parker, coordinator, alumni programs, EAA

On Saturday night, December 4, the Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD – haha, get it?) a.k.a. the Atlanta Young Alumni beat the winter blues by heading to Aurum in Midtown Atlanta for the 196.97th annual Holiday Party.

Aurum--whose doors are not coincidentally adorned with the elemental symbol “Au” (Gold, anyone? I hear Emory’s still accepting applications)--hosted this year’s group of 216 as we lounged beneath golden glitter ceilings, amongst golden chaises and against golden lame stippled walls (Yes, I thought I somehow stumbled on set of a Lady Gaga video for about five minutes, too. Overexcitement fail.)

With marketing that played off the catchy DirecTV-spurred tagline of “Opulence....I has it” (on a side note, can someone tell me where to pick up the mini-giraffe? Great stocking stuffer), the night kicked off with a vast crowd that ranged from the recently anointed-as-of-six-months-ago-alumni to those alumni whom we like to call "seasoned."

While the place was packed tighter than the Griswold house in Christmas Vacation, the best part of the night was coming across the faces I hadn’t seen for ages--it’s like the holiday party is the one magical night of the year when all the people I knew over the course of my college career come together to visit and reminisce (Hallmark, are you listening?).

All in all, the people, food & drink made the night an opulent success ... I’m just hoping I don’t get a bad voicemail from Santa in the near future.

-- Cassandra Young 07C, coordinator, alumni programs

Last Wednesday's presidential conversation on bioethics with Emory's Jim Wagner and the University of Pennsylvania's Amy Gutmann was such a success, we just didn't want it to end.

We've been to Philadelphia and even visited Penn's campus and we liked both a lot, but we really didn't know that much about the university's community. We also were intrigued about Gutmann's work on the bioethics commission, which met for two days last week at the CDC in Atlanta.

Before Gutmann left to return home, we asked if we could email her some questions to learn a bit more about the commission and her community.

She pleasantly obliged us, and here's what we talked about.

EAA: Tell us about your Atlanta experience. What was it like? Both with the commission meeting and our Wednesday evening conversation.

AG: The President’s Commission held meetings in Atlanta at the invitation of Jim Wagner. These meetings were also part of an effort to make sure that we hear from voices all over the country. Atlanta was an important stop for us because of the presence of Emory, the Centers for Disease Control, and other groups integrally involved in biotech, medical, and public health issues.

One of the personal highlights for me was our alumni event at the CDC. Seeing so many engaged alumni from Penn and Emory who wanted to learn more about bioethics was particularly heartening. Part of what makes Penn special is its unique mission of putting knowledge into practice to benefit the world, and this event was a perfect example — fielding questions from alumni on an important societal issue, sharing the stage with President Wagner to talk about our work on the President’s Commission, and benefiting from our eminent faculty, who facilitated an engaging and edifying conversation.

EAA: Why is advancing dialogue on bioethics important?

AG: Bioethical dilemmas by definition have no obvious answer, at least at the outset. Through respectful debate about opposing views and active participation by all citizens, we often can find common ground and, where we cannot do so, we work to cultivate mutual respect where irreconcilable differences remain.

Particularly in a society like ours, where we rely on informed consent and surrogate decision-making, it is critical that all citizens are empowered to make knowledgeable decisions in the best interest of themselves, their family, and their community. Ongoing dialogue is critical for individual education and collective policy development. It is broad public interest in such profound matters that makes advancing the dialogue surrounding bioethics critical.

EAA: How has it been working with President Wagner? Did you know a lot about Emory or our community when this partnership began?

AG: It's been a great pleasure working with Jim! I think we have very complementary strengths — his background in engineering brings a wonderful perspective to my work on ethics and public policy. Before my work on this commission, I was very aware—and appreciative—of Emory’s role as a leading research university with strong and distinguished programs in the arts, sciences, and professions. I also admired Jim’s particular focus on furthering the university’s interdisciplinary commitment to ethics, which made me confident that he was a very wise choice to serve as vice chair of the commission.

Jim and I both recognize the responsibility of universities to further deliberation about complex issues among people who disagree. It’s wonderful that President Obama did, too.

EAA: What's Penn's alumni community like? Not just here in Atlanta, but around the world?

AG: Without exception, whether I’m traveling to Atlanta or elsewhere in the United States, internationally, or if I am at home in Philadelphia, the Penn alumni I meet are passionately engaged, amazingly energetic, and proud of their Penn connection. Our global alumni number nearly 300,000, and we have 122 alumni clubs: 68 domestic clubs in the United States, plus clubs in 49 foreign countries.

These active members of the community serve as leaders in business, government, medicine, science, the arts, and the media. They also participate as trustees, as overseers of Penn schools and centers, and as leaders of class- and school-based initiatives.

EAA: Any ideas about future joint Penn/Emory events in Philadelphia?

AG: I would be delighted to host a similar event in Philadelphia for our joint alumni communities. I hope we have the opportunity! In the meantime, I extend a warmest welcome to Emory alumni to visit our campus.

-- Eric Rangus, director, communications, EAA

See the photos...

What did Penn say about the evening?

Universities on the Leading Edge: Advancing Dialogue in Bioethics.

The title of Wednesday night's co-sponsored presidential conversation may have sounded intimidating--particularly for those who are not bioethically inclined. But the attitude of the hundreds of Emory and University of Pennsylvania alumni, faculty, staff, and students who attended was so open and welcoming, any content-related anxieties disappeared faster than the hors d'oeuvres.

The event, which was the EAA's first in tandem with Penn, followed a two-day meeting at the CDC of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. Penn President Amy Gutmann is the commission chair, and Emory President Jim Wagner is vice chair. The evening also marked the first EAA event at the CDC, and if its success is any indication, it won't be the last.

From the beginning, Gutmann and Wagner had an easy chemistry. It helped make what in lesser hands would have been an impenetrable scientific wonkfest into an engaging, accessible, and enlightening conversation.

Moderators Kathy Kinlaw 79C 85T, associate director of the Center for Ethics at Emory, and Jonathan Moreno, David and Lyn Silfen University Professor and Professor of Medical Ethics and of History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania, helped in that regard as well, keeping the conversation moving at a brisk, but not unrelenting, pace.

Following introductions, Wagner and Gutmann delivered opening statements, then traded answers on questions provided by the both the moderators and the audience. The pair played off each other well. Subjects included the definition of bioethics, an exploration of universities' roles in bioethical discussions, and much more.

The evening had many memorable highlights (No Strings Attached's pitch-perfect renditions of the University of Pennsylvania Anthem and the Emory Alma Mater was one) and lots of memorable quotes .... some of them are below, with moderator questions included where applicable.

Opening statements ...

Wagner: We need people who feel confident in our abilities to exercise judgment based on ethics and our ability to make decisions based on moral principle. And I suggest to you--in fact, I insist--that our colleges and universities may be almost exclusively the intellectual breeding ground to produce people and ideas to meet these vital and timeless needs of society.

Gutmann: It is really important to bring the theoretical together with the practical, both inside and outside our universities. It is wonderful to see how this is happening on the president's commission. Everyone here recognizes the importance of universities to furthering the disposition and the ability to deliberate among people who disagree. That's something that brings Jim and myself together--engineer and political philosopher, differences aside.

Bioethics ... what does it mean?

Gutmann: The expansion of science, technology, and medicine has called into question how doctors should treat their patients, what kind of hospital practices there should be, and what are the benefits and the risks of emerging technologies, such as synthetic biology, neuroscience, nanotechnology, and genetic engineering. Bioethics spans a whole range of questions about distribution of resources, the treatment of individual, vulnerable people, and also the best use of new, emerging technologies.

Wagner: In the early days, bioethics was almost entirely concerned with medical issues. But much of what we are talking about now in bioethics has to do with things we call 'organisms' that not too many decades ago we weren't even sure were life.

What does the future hold?

Wagner: It might not be far from the truth to imagine the last century as a century focused on technologies of transportation, communications, computing, and synthetic materials. We may now be in a century that one day will be called the bio-century.

How can universities foster ethical behavior?

Wagner: Many universities as part of their undergraduate curriculum have writing-intensive courses. You need so many "Ws" on a transcript. What would it mean if there were "E" courses? When a biology professor is talking about genetics, he or she would have the opportunity to introduce ethical considerations into the classes and the examinations.

Gutmann: When H1N1 broke out, there were big questions about the production of the vaccine and its distribution. Who gets it first? At how much cost? What are the best incentives for experimentation? For instance, if you experiment on human subjects, what do you owe them? All of these questions ... if universities don't ask them and try to come up with really good answers--even if they are not universally accepted answers, but at least well-reasoned answers, nobody else is going to do it.

What are the values and skills that university presidents bring to the commission?

Gutmann: One of the takeaways from this evening for all of us, I think, certainly from Jim and my own experience on the commission, is how far universities have come in demonstrating the importance of the integration of knowledge and how important it is to be committed to showing what knowledge can do for society.

Jim and I really believe that we are stronger as individuals and our institutions are stronger to the extent that we can attract an incredible diversity of really smart people and encourage them to want to work together to produce something--whatever it is--that is bigger and better than anything they can do by themselves.

-- Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA

When I accepted the position of coordinator of regional volunteer programs at the Emory Alumni Association (EAA) in August, I was told that managing Emory Cares International Service Day fell under my job description. “Sounds good,” I said. “I went to Emory for college, so I know all about Emory Cares.”

I had no idea.

I knew Emory Cares Day was worldwide and open to all members of the Emory community. I assumed the EAA and Volunteer Emory (VE) staffs worked pretty hard organizing it. But until I started communicating with project coordinators and volunteers across the nation and around the world, I didn’t quite understand the scope of Emory Cares Day.

Yes, the EAA and VE staffs work tirelessly, and we’re happy to do it. What really impressed me was the dedication of the alumni, student, staff, and faculty project coordinators. Some of the project coordinators have led the same project for years. Others are people who found a great organization or wanted to be part a part of connecting the Emory community to the larger community. They helped organize projects, spread the word, and made sure the volunteers had a fun and rewarding experience.

All of this hard work resulted in another record-breaking year for Emory Cares: 76 projects in 27 cities in four countries on four continents with approximately 1,500 volunteers worldwide, including roughly 1,100 in Atlanta alone. You can see some of our photos on the EAA's photo page. We'll be adding cities as they come in.

Emory Cares has gained recognition outside of the university community. The Arlington Food Assistance Center (A.F.A.C) has named the Washtington, DC Chapter of Emory Alumni its “Volunteer Group of the Year 2010.” The DC chapter has volunteered with A.F.A.C. every year since Emory Cares Day was founded in 2003.

Oxford College’s project making gift boxes for children in foster care was featured in the Covington News, the local newspaper of Covington, GA. And on campus, we made it into The Emory Wheel.

Emory Cares Day also succeeded in reaching new regions and countries. The EAA introduced a new program this year, Emory Cares Everywhere. It allowed alumni outside of Atlanta to plan their own volunteer project and join in the spirit of community, no matter where they lived. This program attracted alumni in areas as small as Sherman, CT (population 3,827) and as far-flung as Amsterdam.

We sent them Emory Cares t-shirts to wear while volunteering, and they sent back photos and notes saying how meaningful it was to know that they were connected to the Emory community even when far away.

The success of Emory Cares International Service Day 2010 shows that Emory does care - about the global community, and about one another.

-- Kate Gregory 09C, coordinator, volunteer programs, WAA

Monday night, November 8, with the help of Mark Wallis from Atlanta Wholesale Wine , many members of the Emory College of Arts and Sciences' senior class had the opportunity to learn about wine tasting in the first Life 101 event of the year.

Each year, the Student Alumni Association (SAA), an interest group of the Emory Alumni Association (EAA), hosts Life 101, a series of events and seminars that is designed to teach students important life skills they may not necessarily learn during their normal college experience, such as etiquette at a business dinner, how to change a car tire, or what a credit score means.

For this kickoff Life 101, the Class of 2011 sampled eight different wines. Although some of the attendees had already had some exposure to wine tasting, this was a great event for seniors to not only continue to learn about wine, but also to spend time having fun together.

It was a great night and everyone had a wonderful time and learned some valuable information about wine and wine tasting!

Photos from the event can be found on the Senior Experience Facebook Group.

The SAA also co-sponsors the 100 Senior Honorary Award, for which nominations are now being accepted online. For more information on the SAA or the Life 101 Series and other events offered for students by the EAA, visit www.alumni.emory.edu/students.

-- Stephanie Cohan 11C, vice president, senior experience, SAA

The Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of Emory Alumni hosted a "Welcome to Dallas" party at Villa-O in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood of Dallas on October 28. It was a great mix of new Metroplex residents (the welcomees) and long (and short)-time Dallas-Fort Worth hometowners (the welcomers).

No word on whether scouts for the Cowboys were on hand looking for talent, but you never know.

See more photos here.

The title of President Jim Wagner's October 28 address in Atlanta was Why We Need Universities More than Ever: A Forum for Difficult Dialogues. Actually, the event, which featured a dialogue between Wagner and Ron Sauder, vice president for communications and marketing (above, right), couldn't have been more civil.

Sauder deftly set Wagner up to discuss a variety of subjects, including the responsibility of a university, why Emory is aggressively acquiring the papers of well-known authors and, as the title said, why Emory should be a forum for difficult dialogues.

Keep reading for highlights from the conversation, like what Wagner said ...

About whether Emory will add an engineering school. Wagner, an engineer by training, prefaced his answer by nothing that Emory’s ninth president, Isaac Hopkins 1859C 1883H was the first president of Georgia Tech: “We started one engineering school and we’re very proud of it. We don’t have any intentions of starting another one.”

About the responsibilities of a university: “The opportunity to bring people together and challenge them as a community is something that will always be the responsibility of a university.”

About difficult dialogues, part 1: “Free speech is insufficient for communication. Free speech is that guarantee that I can say whatever I want to say, so long as it doesn’t put anyone in harm’s way. But the communications we’re talking about is less about a guarantee that I can say what I want to say and more about a guarantee that what I say will be heard. And my obligation to say it in a way that it will be heard, which means that I have to leave out obscenities. It requires the listener to be part of the contract as well, and to imagine that listening is more than waiting for their turn to talk and to entertain the possibility that what the speaker is saying could be meaningful."

About difficult dialogues, part 2: "If we can model difficult dialogues, civil discourse, to our students, our hope is that is part of the Emory Bubble they take with them when they land."

About difficult dialogues, part 3: "Whatever those things are that you’re not supposed to talk about in polite company … Emory has to provide the polite company with which to talk about those things."

About diversity of thought in research: “It is not possible to claim with integrity that you have studied any issue thoroughly unless you have explored it from as many perspectives as possible.”

About the Emory's recent acquisitions of literary collections such as Salman Rushdie and Alice Walker: “We need to be capturing the intellectual assets of some of the great thinkers of our time in places where people can debate what they mean, and it will be in those places where we can have those difficult dialogues.”

-- Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA

Read part 4 ...

Read part 3 ...

Read part 2 ...

Read part 1 ...

After a visit that was definitely too short in Hong Kong, I once again found myself back at the airport and on my way to Singapore, the last stop of my two-week trip around Asia. I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I arrived in Singapore, all that I really knew was that I wouldn’t be chewing any gum on this particular visit.

Singapore definitely surprised me with how incredibly cosmopolitan and Western it is. Having been a former British colony, English is one of Singapore's four officially recognized languages, which made getting around and conversing a breeze.

The biggest shocker to me was the weather. Little did I realize that it is always summer time in Singapore--hot, hot, hot, and incredibly humid. Being only 85 miles north of the equator, you can imagine the climate Think Atlanta in late July or early August--and all I packed were fall sweaters! Thank goodness for ice cream bread sandwiches to help beat the heat.

With more than 42% of the population in Singapore being made up of foreigners, the diverse mix of cultures provides for a wide variety of culinary options at meal time. One of my most favorite experiences on the trip was sampling food at a local market one evening.

My culinary tour guide was the parent of a current Emory student and he wanted me to experience the real Singapore. Andrew Zimmern I am not, but tasting the local cuisine is one of my most favorite parts of traveling, so I was up for the challenge.

My dinner that night paid homage to three of the largest populations in Singapore--Chinese noodle soup, Indian naan bread with a spicy dipping sauce, Arabic soup made with goat tongue and a local Singapore dessert of gelatinous cubes made from seaweed and sweetened with yams and coconut milk. All that was missing was the Durian fruit, for which I am thankful!

While in Singapore, I also got the chance to meet up with Emory alumna Jamie Koh 07B, the winner of Singapore’s recent “The Ultimate Start-Up Space” challenge. Jamie and her business partner are co-owners of The Chupitso bar and dreamed up the winning idea for the challenge while on a backpacking adventure together.

Their entry beat out 200 others to win six months free rent in the trendy area of Clarke Quay and a nest egg to start their business. The Chupitso Bar recently made its debut and seems to be s a hit with locals and tourists visiting in Singapore. Congrats, Jamie!

After an exciting two-week journey filled with new friends in Asia, great food and many memories, my final destination is Atlanta. It has been a great trip and I hope that you’ve enjoyed following along! Where will my travels take me next? Be sure to check back here on EAAvesdropping for the latest scoop.

One of the perks about working at the Emory Alumni Association (EAA) is the opportunity to attend a variety of Emory events--from casual, fun happy hours to more serious, business/professional attire type events.

While working as an EAA's communications coordinator, I have become an expert on all upcoming Emory events--even ones in far away places like Seattle and Los Angeles. I have created and sent out many e-mails and updates, and it is great to see how involved alumni are because of the EAA.

Closer to home, the more I learned about it, Thursday's Destinations: Atlanta event sounded more and more interesting as I created, edited, and proofed our content.

(If you'd like to register for the event, click here. Space is still available.)

I was happy when I was asked to staff this event! In July, I staffed the Jewelry and Jazz event at the Carlos Museum and enjoyed it- I not only worked, but I met new people, partook in great conversation, networked, and enjoyed delicious food!

Another plus about this event is that my mother is coming with me! She is an Oxford alumna, who is still involved with Emory, but not as much as she should be. Presidential Destinations: Atlanta will hopefully allow her to become even more involved with her alma mater! It will be worth it!

Can't wait to network and listen to President Jim Wagner and Emory's VP of Communications, Ron Sauder!

--Farah Shackelford, communications coordinator, EAA

Monday, day 2, was the longest and the best day of the Dalai Lama's visit, because of the people I met and the information I learned will provide questions and answers for years to come.

I have finally arrived -- I waited for His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama's 98H visit all year. I planned my life around it in many ways. I was lucky to have known some people on Emory alumnae boards who gave me advance notice last fall, but the actual dates were not announced until much later.

The tickets finally went on sale Easter weekend 2010 and I was out of town. When I returned, I faxed in my forms and was in! Then the wait began. I bought several books written by the Dalai Lama in preparation, but struggled through some and ended up not getting through all of them.

The thing about being middle-aged is that you can look forward to things and look back on the past. One regret I have had for several years was that I missed the Dalai Lama's first visit. That was not going to happen this time--so here I am.

As I read the advanced instructions, I felt sorry for His Holiness in some ways because of his extremely secure life. We were told to have phones and keys out and purses can be no larger than 8 x 11. As this was so important to me, I dug deep to be a sponsor. I am grateful as the lines are much shorter and I have an opportunity for a lunch on Monday, October 18.

Soon it will be my turn to be in the presence (with several hundred others) of this great man who is the earthly manifestation of the god of compassion. The precious protector! The holder of the White Lotus!

On the plane from Dallas-Fort Worth, I started one of the books I bought called The Secret Lives of the Dalai Lama by Alexander Norman. Here is a quote from the book that I would like to share.

"Technically, he has the status of an ordinary monk in a monastery of which he is not even an abbot. So far as doctrine is concerned, his opinion many be sought, it many be influential, but it is neither final not binding" (p. 10)

So in some ways he is an ordinary man, but we cannot deny that he is also an extraordinary man. I am also an ordinary person, but given the opportunity to attend an extraordinary event.

See the photos on the EAA's Facebook fan page.

More often than not, I’m your friendly blogger recapping the latest young alumni happy hour that I’ve been to, but I figured it was time to share what I actually do here at the Emory Alumni Association (EAA) Although, I think my dream job would be just going to happy hours.

So I was going to write this post-show-wrap-everything-up blog entry days ago when the show actually ended … but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. To write this last post would be my way of admitting that it’s actually over. I thought that if I could delay it long enough I could extend the sense of joy, confidence, triumph, and love that I felt every night (or afternoon) the cast rocked out on stage.

First off thank you so much to everyone who came to see the show. Before each show in the dressing room I would make a point to ask the ladies if they had anyone special coming to see that performance. I saw it as a way for us to focus on giving it everything we’ve got because someone we love would be watching.

For those of you who were not familiar with the show I know that the plot was hard to follow. I didn’t even fully understand the show because I grew up listening to the soundtrack so it wasn’t until I saw it staged that everything fell into place. What I hope you did get out of it was an amazing musical experience full of heartfelt emotion. I know we as a cast were able to get across the major themes of fear, loss, support, growth and most importantly love.

By the time the show opened our musical director Bryan Mercer told us that he really felt that we believed in what we were singing. I think that had a lot to do with how well we all knew the music before we even started rehearsals, and then how close we became as a cast. It’s true for anyone who has ever been in a group like that, music ensemble, sports team, sorority or fraternity, school club. If you’re lucky those people become a big part of your life. I know that I appreciate having a few more familiar faces on campus.

So with that I guess I’m ready to sign off as the events coordinator in blogger's clothing. Thanks for reading!

As the biggest Braves fan on the EAA staff, I get the honor of sending the Atlanta Braves into their first playoff game against the San Francisco Giants. You'll see from above that I'm a long-time fan. In fact, if anyone was wondering, the picture on the left was taken in 1995. Yes, that 1995 -- the 1995 when the Braves won the World Series.

I vividly remember sitting in front of the TV at my parents' house during the 1995 playoffs. I had already developed some superstitious tendencies. For example, I sat there with my styrofoam tomahawk and chopped my little heart out every time I heard the tune. Then, as I went to sleep, I hugged the tomahawk like most children would hug a teddy bear. When the Braves were declared World Series champions, I got a screenprinted black hoodie from a stand on the side of the road and wore it to school almost daily.

So, here's the thing about the Braves this season: they've let it come down to the wire in the majority of their games. That's why, when the disastrous events of September began, I wasn't all that concerned. The Braves have overcome more adversity than any other team this season, and I'm confident that they'll keep it up. It's kind of like when I played soccer as a child ... We managed to play better when we were down one player than when we had five on the bench.

In May, Forbes ranked Atlanta second on its list of "America's Most Miserable Sports Cities." However, a few short weeks later, the Braves began a 3+ month stint leading the NL East. Yeah, we made it interesting at the end, but that's the kind of team we are. I hope (from the bottom of my heart) that the Braves take the first step in making Mr. Forbes reconsider.

Let's celebrate Atlanta tonight. Go Braves!


-Drew Dotson, coordinator, communications, EAA

Read part 5 ...

Read part 4 ...

Read part 3 ...

Read part 1 ...

After a 14-hour plane ride from Atlanta, a train ride from Narita International Airport into the city and a 13-hour time difference, I’ve finally arrived in Tokyo!

I thought I would share some of my early impressions of visiting Japan. First of all, the people are incredibly friendly. Yes, there is definitely a language barrier, but a smile and a short bow of the head goes a long way!

So far, there hasn’t been anything that I haven’t been able to communicate, even through I don't know a single word of Japanese. I’ve been able to easily order in restaurants (by pointing), navigate the city, and even track down wrapping paper and tape for some gifts.

To me, Tokyo is its most beautiful at night, when the city is lit up with thousands of signs, flashing lights, and illuminated office buildings, with employees hard are work often to the late evening. I am staying in Shibuya, the Tokyo Times Square area, which is centrally located so there are plenty of lights and signs all around.

Navigating my way from the airport to my hotel and around the city has been pretty easy – most signs that a tourist would need to read are written in both Japanese and English. There are comforts of home right outside of my hotel – a Krispy Kreme and a Starbucks! Both are extremely popular and crowded at all hours of the day and evening.

The Krispy Kreme is even two stories tall with booths and tables for enjoying the sugary goodness. I peaked in the window to see if I could notice any differences from our Krispy Kremes at home and couldn’t spot anything majorly different. If the bags and bags of donuts that I saw heading out the door are any indication, they must taste the same as they do at home.

One obvious difference that I have noticed is the smaller size and portions of food then we are used to at home. This was especially apparent at the Starbucks, where the average-size drink is equivalent to a kid's-meal-sized drink back in the US.

One of my other favorite things to do in a new city is to visit a grocery store. You can learn a lot about a location by just visiting something as simple as where they do their shopping. The most striking difference happened to be the price of fruits and vegetables. Bananas were sold individually and were the equivalent of $2 each. Grapes were selling for $15 a bunch and cantaloupes were more than $20 each.

Yesterday evening, I hosted the first of our Asia receptions. We had a great turnout of 15 alumni, parents, and spouses. The group was very gracious and appreciated the opportunity to get to know other Emory alumni in Tokyo and to hear about what was happening back on campus.

All agreed that they wanted to continue to meet on a more regular occasion. After only two days in Japan, I am about to board a plane for South Korea to prepare for our large alumni event on October 9. Thank you Japan and the Emory alumni in Tokyo for a short but sweet visit!

-- Allie Hill, director, international alumni relations, EAA

Read part 2...

More than 2,000 Emory alumni live in New England, the majority of those in or near Boston. So, it made good sense for the Emory Alumni Association (EAA) to kick off its Destinations speaker series in the capital of Massachusetts, Thursday, September 30.