BLOGS
Straight Talk
by Khoo Kay Peng
by Khoo Kay Peng
I-VOTE participant blogs about his observations of the U.S. Presidential election.
PARTICIPANT / ALUMNI PROFILES
PARTICIPANT / ALUMNI PROFILES
Bakur Kvaratskhelia
Bakur Kvaratskhelia, of Tbilisi, Georgia, participated in an exchange in December 2007 through the Legislative Education and Practice Program (LEAP). The program was designed for alumni of the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX), to further their exchange experience by expanding young leaders’ knowledge of the day-to-day work of U.S. legislative bodies and the legislative process. He currently works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia as a Deputy Director of the Department of Diplomatic Protocol.
Q. How would you describe your LEAP exchange? What kind of issues and legislation did you work on as a LEAP Fellow?
A. My LEAP exchange experience was very useful and productive. I learned a lot and gained a lot. I worked on various issues and legislation as a LEAP Fellow, one of the most important was legislation regarding the educational system of the Colorado State and the new Civic Center building in Denver.
Q. What parts of the democratic political process did you observe during your LEAP fellowship? If you had the opportunity to observe a U.S. national, state, or local election during your fellowship, what were your impressions of the election process?
A. I was involved in the Super Tuesday event. (ECA note: when many states, in an attempt to have more influence on the outcome of the race, have moved their primaries or caucuses to earlier in the year. This resulted in at least 20 states choosing to hold their primaries or caucuses on Tuesday, February 5, 2008, giving that day the name “Super-Duper Tuesday.”) I observed Caucus elections in my precinct. It is surprising how difficult and complicated the system is, and it was a surprise for me to discover how many voters actually showed up and were involved in the process, despite the stereotype that the American voters are indifferent.
Q. What was the most professionally rewarding part of your LEAP Fellowship? What was the most personally rewarding part?
A. I was interning at two places during the LEAP program. One was at the Senate Majority Office of the Colorado State Senate and the second one – at the National Conference for State Legislatures. It was very interesting for me to see how the local legislative system works in Colorado, and at NCSL I learned how the legislations of various states differ from each other. I had an opportunity to conduct researches and compare different state legislatures to each other. I was able to see the democracy in action. As for my personally rewarding part, it was the people I worked with and the people I lived with in my house.
Q. How did your experience as a LEAP Fellow influence the way you view your civic responsibility and see your role as a citizen in your own country? Are you more involved in the political process than you were before? If so, in what ways are you involved now? Have you considered running for political office in your home country?
A. Denver is a truly democratic city. One can feel that in many ways. The people are very open minded, friendly and have a huge sense of civic responsibility. Everybody realizes how important civic involvement and activity is, and everybody knows what his or her part is in the society. I was amazed to see the level of responsibility the state senators and representatives had towards their state and respective districts. I communicated with them quite frequently to learn about the path they had gone through in order to become representatives of their regions. That inspired me to become a representative of my hometown one day.
I'm not directly connected to the political process in its essence, but I'm in the heart of all the developments. I have already worked with so many delegations and looked at things from a different angle. Now when my country is going through one of the most difficult times in its history, I realize how important the role of each citizen is.
Q. How have you taken what you have learned during your LEAP fellowship and shared it with your fellow citizens? For example, did you participate in a Youth Congress? Have you worked on a political campaign in your home country?
A. I talk a lot about my LEAP experience, and try to introduce new ways of thinking and new approaches in my home community. I'm in a very good position of being able to compare the two systems, to discuss it with my friends, colleagues and other Alumni of the U.S. Department of State sponsored programs. (ECA note, if you are an alumni of an ECA program, please sign up at our Alumni Website.)
Q. Are you still in touch with your FLEX host family, teachers and friends and your LEAP colleagues from the state legislature? How have the relationships with these Americans influenced you? How did you influence these Americans during your FLEX and LEAP exchanges?
A. I still keep in touch with my FLEX host family, my teachers, friends and the LEAP colleagues from both of the organizations I worked at. I felt tremendous support from them during the recent war with Russia. I got a lot of support e-mails and offers for help. I arranged an internship for my friend's sister at a law firm here in Georgia. It was a very useful and learning experience for her and her family is very grateful for the opportunity that I organized for her.
Bakur Kvaratskhelia, of Tbilisi, Georgia, participated in an exchange in December 2007 through the Legislative Education and Practice Program (LEAP). The program was designed for alumni of the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX), to further their exchange experience by expanding young leaders’ knowledge of the day-to-day work of U.S. legislative bodies and the legislative process. He currently works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia as a Deputy Director of the Department of Diplomatic Protocol.
Q. How would you describe your LEAP exchange? What kind of issues and legislation did you work on as a LEAP Fellow?
A. My LEAP exchange experience was very useful and productive. I learned a lot and gained a lot. I worked on various issues and legislation as a LEAP Fellow, one of the most important was legislation regarding the educational system of the Colorado State and the new Civic Center building in Denver.
Q. What parts of the democratic political process did you observe during your LEAP fellowship? If you had the opportunity to observe a U.S. national, state, or local election during your fellowship, what were your impressions of the election process?
A. I was involved in the Super Tuesday event. (ECA note: when many states, in an attempt to have more influence on the outcome of the race, have moved their primaries or caucuses to earlier in the year. This resulted in at least 20 states choosing to hold their primaries or caucuses on Tuesday, February 5, 2008, giving that day the name “Super-Duper Tuesday.”) I observed Caucus elections in my precinct. It is surprising how difficult and complicated the system is, and it was a surprise for me to discover how many voters actually showed up and were involved in the process, despite the stereotype that the American voters are indifferent.
Q. What was the most professionally rewarding part of your LEAP Fellowship? What was the most personally rewarding part?
A. I was interning at two places during the LEAP program. One was at the Senate Majority Office of the Colorado State Senate and the second one – at the National Conference for State Legislatures. It was very interesting for me to see how the local legislative system works in Colorado, and at NCSL I learned how the legislations of various states differ from each other. I had an opportunity to conduct researches and compare different state legislatures to each other. I was able to see the democracy in action. As for my personally rewarding part, it was the people I worked with and the people I lived with in my house.
Q. How did your experience as a LEAP Fellow influence the way you view your civic responsibility and see your role as a citizen in your own country? Are you more involved in the political process than you were before? If so, in what ways are you involved now? Have you considered running for political office in your home country?
A. Denver is a truly democratic city. One can feel that in many ways. The people are very open minded, friendly and have a huge sense of civic responsibility. Everybody realizes how important civic involvement and activity is, and everybody knows what his or her part is in the society. I was amazed to see the level of responsibility the state senators and representatives had towards their state and respective districts. I communicated with them quite frequently to learn about the path they had gone through in order to become representatives of their regions. That inspired me to become a representative of my hometown one day.
I'm not directly connected to the political process in its essence, but I'm in the heart of all the developments. I have already worked with so many delegations and looked at things from a different angle. Now when my country is going through one of the most difficult times in its history, I realize how important the role of each citizen is.
Q. How have you taken what you have learned during your LEAP fellowship and shared it with your fellow citizens? For example, did you participate in a Youth Congress? Have you worked on a political campaign in your home country?
A. I talk a lot about my LEAP experience, and try to introduce new ways of thinking and new approaches in my home community. I'm in a very good position of being able to compare the two systems, to discuss it with my friends, colleagues and other Alumni of the U.S. Department of State sponsored programs. (ECA note, if you are an alumni of an ECA program, please sign up at our Alumni Website.)
Q. Are you still in touch with your FLEX host family, teachers and friends and your LEAP colleagues from the state legislature? How have the relationships with these Americans influenced you? How did you influence these Americans during your FLEX and LEAP exchanges?
A. I still keep in touch with my FLEX host family, my teachers, friends and the LEAP colleagues from both of the organizations I worked at. I felt tremendous support from them during the recent war with Russia. I got a lot of support e-mails and offers for help. I arranged an internship for my friend's sister at a law firm here in Georgia. It was a very useful and learning experience for her and her family is very grateful for the opportunity that I organized for her.