ryanrowe.com * my time in washington, d.c.

My time here has been great! At the 3rd Annual Latin American Leadership Forum here in Washington, D.C., I've had the chance to meet a lot of interesting people from all over Latin America, as well as from firms and government organisations in the United States. The conference was put on by Washington-based CG/LA Infrastructure, a consulting firm specialising in Latin American infrastructure projects, and I was working for them as a volunteer for the last two days. I've been networking a lot here and the second day was when I made most of my contacts - as I decided to be a bit more aggressive and pursue various people I was interested in meeting. These people are primarily involved in consulting, infrastructure projects, and financing. I met many government officials as well. Many of them are in Brazil and I hope to develop those professional relationships when I'm in Saõ Paulo later this year. These days, I find career development is often about who you know ...

I also got to see a little bit of Washington. My host, Bojan Drakul, showed me around the area by car on Tuesday night. Time was limited and my tour was only superficial but I learned a bit about Georgetown, Fort Myers, the Pentagon, and the way streets are organised in D.C. Did you know that every U.S. state has a D.C. street named after it

I was most impressed with all of the money that has been poured into the arts, the history, and the architecture of the district of Columbia.

Avenue of Smithsonian Museums leading to the Capitol Photo Source: Daniels' Brown Page	The Smithsonian museums take up a full boulevard on both sides, extending for about a mile and a half.
The memorials to some of the past presidents of the U.S.: Washington, Jefferson, & Lincoln are very imposing and impressive. They are all lit up with lights at night and seem to be very popular tourist attractions.	Jefferson Memorial Photo Source: nonDot.org

I can see why Americans are so patriotic. A lot of money is spent making sure that Americans never forget the history of their country. Patriotism is everywhere here - something sorely lacking in Canada.

I also spent a bit of time hanging out at the Brickskeller, a beer house that stocks and sells beers from all over the world. Definitely one of the bars to hit while you're in town.

CG/LA crew: Great to meet you guys and a pleasure working with you..
Lisa Buzenas: It was cool seeing you again after so long!!
Bojan Drakul: You're the best, I really appreciate your hospitality...