YSEALI PFP Day 1: Exploring Washington DC - the Capital of the United States

20 April 2019

Throughout 19 and 20 April, American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) Young Southeast Asian Leaders Program (YSEALI) Professional Fellows began their journey to Washington DC. 

The months of "drilling" the message to my son that "Papa is going to US, a far far away place" had eased him into the reality.

A last kiss before the long flight

For both Jocelyn and myself, the flight plan was Singapore - Seoul - Washington DC. We greatly appreciated ACYPL for booking aisle seats for the both of us.

At Seoul, we met our counterparts from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

With Vietnamese Professional Fellows

With Professional Fellows from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam

Had an insightful conversation with Ben, a state teacher from Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, on US politics and teachers' unionism. Learnt that unions, leveraging on their relations with State government, had assisted to speak to aggrieved members to prevent them from striking. And that union members could pay lesser tax!

After the arduous 14-hour flight, we landed at Dulles International Airport, where we were welcomed by ACYPL Project Director Kaylee, who had been corresponding to the Professional Fellows over the past months via emails. 

For the first time in my life, a day had more than 24 hours. It was still 20 April 2019.

A view from Dulles International Airport

Virginia is for Lovers :D

Washington DC borders the States of Virginia and Maryland. Our bus brought us across a bridge on the Potomac River which divides Virginia and Washington DC,

Our stay in Washington DC was at the Residence Inn Dupont Circle.

We met our Indonesian Professional Fellows

Discussion for programme for the free day

Since there is no formal programme for the day, some of us tagged ourselves to Jocelyn who had already planned on visiting the various museums at the National Mall (for the uninitiated, the National Mall is not a shopping mall, but a national park lined up with monuments and museums). We took a long but manageable brisk walk from our hotel, enjoying sightseeing as we geared ourselves for a tight agenda. 

First stop was the National Air and Space Museum. It was part of the Smithsonian Institution which is the world's largest museum and research complex. And it keeps the entrance fees of its museums free of charge! Aviation was invented by Americans, and the museum proudly displays the history on how we got to flying safely as we do now.

Architecture of the National Museum of American History

Get to touch a piece of the moon, which was very smooth, probably polished by visitors' touch

With a model of Wright Brothers' plane behind us

Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

Charles Lindbergh, pilot of the first solo transatlantic airplane flight in 1927

Marine Chronometers

What makes Marine Chronometers so precise

NASA Spacecraft

Second stop was the National Museum of American History, also a Smithsonian museum.

Here are some exhibits in the museum:

Batmobile

Superman Costume

Storm from X-Men

 But of course the highlight is the gallery on the American Presidency, which provided a good introduction to what laid ahead of us for the next few weeks of the programme.

The Presidential Oath of Office

Seal of the President of the United States

And a chance to be President :p

Look at how thick President Bill Clinton's 2001 federal budget and addendums report was

Which is roughly similar to the report submitted by independent counsel Kenneth Starr who investigated Clinton's transgression

But to be fair, the last time US had a budget surplus was during Clinton's term of office.

Signages of streets named after former Presidents

Our exhaustion well hidden in those smiles :)

The Linda and Pete Claussen Hall of Democracy was next.

"In 1776 many colonists made a great leap of faith: they united around the ideals that "all men are created equal" and entitled to the "unalienable rights" of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." They declared that all government arose from the people and depended on popular consent. These ideals would shape American politics and society in the centuries that followed.

Yet it was an unequal world. Americans also inherited a belief in social hierarchy and institutions that perpetuated inequality. Through the generations, Americans inspired by the Declaration of Independence would contend with these conflicting ideas and commitments." 

 

The first draft of Declaration of Independence written by President Thomas Jefferson in 1776

Voting Booth

A quote from the Declaration of Independence

"... With these rights, they (founding generation of American political leaders) believed, came responsibilities that citizens needed to assume in order to fulfill the new promise of the new nation. These lofty goals and principles never had a singular interpretation and over time have led to differing ideas and heated debates."

Lobbying

Petitioning

Elsewhere in the Museum, 

HMV

The Great Historical Clock of America

A last photo, with the Spangled Banner, before the musuem closed

And the walking continued

The Treasury Department

Archives of the United States of America

The White House

Blair House, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had been invited to stay in

After dinner with some Professional Fellows, it was time to tune down to rest for Easter Sunday, when we would go for group visits to the National Museum of African History and Culture as well as several monuments of former Presidents.

The Road to YSEALI Professional Fellows Program

The tempo had been ramping up, in the weeks leading to the 41-day ACYPL YSEALI Professional Fellows Program. Here's what had happened since Professional Fellows found out we got selected.

1. Endorsing the Acceptance Form

Receiving the formal Invitation Letter to participate in the Professional Fellows Program thrilled me. The journey to signing the Acceptance Form entailed a go-ahead from my employer and I couldn't be more thankful for the support and blessings.

Thanks to my employer, the National Trades Union Congress, and my secondment organisation, Singapore Teachers' Union for the support!

2. Social Networking with Professional Fellows

I was frankly amazed by the diverse experience of fellow Participating Fellows. They range from NGO activists to government leaders. And this we got to know when we soon received the individual profiles from the implementing organisation, ACYPL, in my context.

Through the offical facebook groups, we also got to e-meet Professional Fellows from the other regions.

3. Discussion with Host Organisation

Next, was the update on the placement city and host organisation. In my case, it was the Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago. ACYPL facilitated an e-introduction with its CEO, whom I had the chance to share more about my professional background and keen areas to learn from the PFP via a Whatsapp Video call.

4. Professional Fellows Leading Change Course

To prepare us for the programme, especially the Professional Fellows Congress, we were given access to e-learning materials. 

4. Visa Interview and Pre-Departure Orientation at US Embassy

US Embassy also facilitated the meet-up with YSEALI PFP Singapore alumni, from whom we got to seek further clarification and find out how to optimise our learning experience in US.

5. Pre-Departure Orientation by ACYPL

About two weeks prior to our departure, ACYPL conducted a Skype conference with all of us to brief us on the programme and our address our queries. We subsequently were able to find out which countries' Fellows were transiting in similar airports and arranged our pre-program meet-up!

6. Family, Career, etc.

Since it's a Professional Fellows Program, all of us had to make alternative arrangements for our family members, career and voluntary organisations. This was probably the most challenging part to prepare for.

And here we go, to the United States for the Professional Fellows Program!

Celebrating Mother's 60th Birthday at Bintan Nirwana Gardens (3D2N)

How would you celebrate your Mother's 60th Birthday? In Chinese tradition, at 60 years of age, it is a very important point of life as it symbolises the completion of a full life cycle. 

For my brother and I, our plan was to introduce our Mother to the thrills of life that she should survive through to complete this meaningful 60 years of life. 

Off to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, where it seemed time came to a standstill. Always wondered why the ferry passenger's experience in our ferry terminals could not match even a small bit of the Changi experience.

Less than an hour and we found ourselves at the Bandar Bentan Telani (BBT) Ferry Terminal in Bintan! The shuttle bus took about 15 minutes to reach Nirwana Gardens resort. 

Elephants with "elephants"

Nirwana Gardens comprised several clusters of hotels and villas. Our accommodation was the Belantara 2-room Villa (a Banyu Biru Villa). 

Lunch was at Neydles House, the nearest restaurant to the Banyu Biru villas.

The noodles were as good as the majestic look of the restaurant building

Marvellous Beachside View at the Neydles House

Our first thrill of the trip: the All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) experience!

Little did I know that both my Mother and my Brother would be driving the ATV for their first time.

Onwards!

We signed up for 1 hour of ATV. While some ATV off-road trails bring you to traverse jungles, beaches and muddy fields, ours was mainly forested trails and a short trail on fine sand. We were told the hot weather had dried up the muds...

No kick

Our second day began with... breakfast.

It was challenging to determine what water sports would be an appropriate level of thrill for Mother. She had done jetski; and parasailing with Father. Short of going for diving school, we finally decided on doing the Undersea Walk, a first for all of us.

We were ferried to a stationary boat where the equipment for our adventure were located. To perform the Undersea Walk, one had to put on a heavy helmet, connected to a pipe which brought air from the surface into the helmet, and climb down a ladder to reach the seabed.

While doing the briefing, our instructor Richard asked how old Mother was, and remained silent when he got the answer. 

My Brother was the first to enter. As an experienced diver, he ought to. My Mother went next. Once she was fully submerged in water, I candidly asked the other staff what was the oldest age of a participant they had ever assisted for Undersea Walk. The answer was 40. Gulp.

The way down was challenging with a less-than-calm water, and the pressure on the ears. There was sufficient gap between the helmet and the neck for one to insert one's hand to pinch the nose to blow off and equate the pressure on the ears.

Finding Nemo

Once at the seabed, we basically held on to a railing and walked to and fro. It was an amazing close encounter with fishes, and a complete sense of peacefulness, being cut off from all sounds except the air ventilation.

To complete the sea experience, we had seafood for dinner.

A moment of silence, please

Our last day was more chill. 

Komodo Dragons near Breakfast venue

Not her first experience, but I would remember how we rode horses (leisurely as tourists) in our overseas holidays in childhood days. We had wanted to get my son riding the horse, and he had sounded excited about it, until he saw the horse. 

And then something even more chill (literally) - air rifle and air pistol shooting. Not surprising that my Brother, a former competitive shooter, was hitting almost all on target. The eye-opener was the  high accuracy of hits from his wife!

We spent the rest of our time setting up the water slide and enjoying the pool.

  

Home Sweet Home

Minus the sunburn, the holiday was a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of life. Back to reality!

I am a YSEALI Professional Fellow!

On 15 February 2019, I received a piece of good news from the Program Director of the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL). That I had been selected for the ACYPL Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellows Program!

Screengrab of the Invitation Letter

What is the YSEALI Professional Fellows Program?

It took me some time to understand how it works. If you're ready, let's go.

To answer this, let's first look at what's YSEALI. So according to the US Mission to ASEAN website,

Launched in 2013, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is U.S. government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in Southeast Asia. Through a variety of programs and engagements, including U.S. educational and cultural exchanges, regional exchanges, and seed funding, YSEALI seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region, strengthen ties between the United States and Southeast Asia, and nurture an ASEAN community. YSEALI focuses on critical topics identified by youth in the region: civic engagement, sustainable development, education and economic growth.

To summarise, YSEALI is the US government's effort to engage youths (35 years and below) in ASEAN. YSEALI programmes include academic and professional fellowships to the US, regional workshops within ASEAN and grant funding for projects.

Let's now zoom in to the Professional Fellows Program.

Based on the US Embassy Singapore website,

The Professional Fellows Program is a two-way, global exchange program designed to promote mutual understanding, enhance leadership and professional skills, as well as build lasting, sustainable partnerships between mid-level emerging leaders from foreign countries and the United States. The Professional Fellows Program brings emerging leaders from around the world to the United States for intensive five-to-six week fellowships designed to broaden their professional skills and expertise. Professional Fellows are selected via an open, merit-based application process. An integral part of the two-way program is for American participants who have hosted foreign fellows to travel overseas for participant-driven reciprocal programs.

The Professional Fellows Program is held bi-annually, in Spring, and in Fall.

There are four main tracks of the Professional Fellows Program, namely, Civic Engagement; Economic Empowerment; Governance and Society; Sustainable Development and the Environment. Each track is managed by different implementing partners, according to regions. Across the world, about 300 Professional Fellows will descend upon US.

For Southeast Asia (under YSEALI), the US State Department funds the implementing partners to manage the Professional Fellows Program for participating Fellows. The implementing partners for the above tracks are the University of Montana; American Councils; American Council for Young Political Leaders (ACYPL); and International City/County Management Association, respectively. 

So in my case, since I have been selected for the Governance and Society theme, I would be an ACYPL YSEALI Professional Fellow.

Group photo of YSEALI PFP Alumni and fellow Fellows at US Embassy Singapore

What will Professional Fellows be doing in US?

After an orientation in Washington DC, Fellows will be hosted by Placement Hosts for about four weeks. Placement Hosts include non-profit organisations, private businesses, and local government offices across the US. The experience gained will help Fellows develop individual action plans to address a challenge in their community or region to be implemented after the programme. 

Fellows will then return to Washington DC for the Professional Fellows Congress. This will also be the first gathering of all 300+ Fellows.

By the way, YSEALI was a signature initiative by President Barack Obama. In 2015, a Singaporean alumna had the opportunity to introduce the President to address the Professional Fellows:

I will be sharing my ACYPL YSEALI PFP experience in this blog. Stay tuned!