The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault & Its Campaigns to Prevent Sexual Violence

The statistics of sexual assault are alarming and terrifying.

The real, personal stories of victims of sexual assault is even more alarming and terrifying.

Thank you for creating a task force specifically to protect students from sexual assault.

Thank you for doing something to the show the country that this is an important matter.

Thank you for doing something that educates the public and helps heal the ever-present rape culture.

Thank you for standing up for what is right.

https://www.notalone.gov/

getting political.

It’s political season here in Ecuador!

..which is why the outside of our house is painted with a mural in support of my host-parents’ candidate. Who needs yard signs when you can paint the outside of your home? 

Many days, the streets are filled with “parades”. These ones aren’t as fun as the parade of horses we had in September. In these “parades”, pick-up trucks decorated with the face of the candidate they are supporting drive around the streets waving flags out the side of the vehicle and honking. Each of them honks to whatever beat they choose and when 10 trucks are honking to their own rhythm, the result is a clash of ugly noise-makers that is sure to get your attention. 

¡Vota todo!

coincidences.

Last week, I had the opportunity to see Mitt Romney speak at the Hotel Fort Des Moines.

Unfortunately, though, as we shuffled past security, a man in a suit told us that the fire marshal would not allow anyone else to into the already over-crowded ballroom.

Instead we would have to wait outside of the room to listen to his speech over speakers (and be bored for a while waiting, as shown in the above photo).

Sorry, Mitt, for not taking the most flattering picture of you ever.

BUT. Before going into the ballroom, Mitt stopped by to say hello, thank you for coming, nice to meet you and all of that jazz to us. We got to (briefly) meet the presidential nominee, shake his hand and be this close to him.

Kind of the coolest thing ever.

Wait, though. The story gets cooler.

Today, my mom and I had the opportunity to hear President Obama speak at the Des Moines Faregrounds.

(Let me just take a moment to say that living in a swing state is a beautiful thing.)

Waited in line for hours...

Well. Two hours. Getting dramatic here.

Right about when it was our turn to be escorted into the building to hear the president, we were informed there was no more room.

We, along with a hundred or so other people, would have to listen to the speech at an amphitheater near the building Obama would be speaking in.

BUT. He would come and talk to us before the speaking in the other building.

Exact. Same. Situation.

I would say my political ventures are off to very a good start.