if only I wasn't shy...

Hey guys,

Jen Robb (gangsta name: "J-Rod") and me (gangsta name: "D-Nas-T") had an interesting time at the Orphans of Rwanda Benefit (for some reason I keep wanting to say "Orphans of Babylon," which was the title of an obscure Be Bop Deluxe song from the 70s) at the Herbst Exhibition Hall in the Presidio (across the street from the Presidio Bowling Ally). Being a hick from Ohio by way of New Mexico, I always feel self-conscious at events populated with good-looking well-dressed high-powered braniacs. There were like 500 people there that night, and for our $35 student admissions/donations, we were feted with all-you-can-drink California wine in plastic cups and an endless finger food buffet (I especially liked the seasoned fingerling potatoes-- yum!-- but was dismayed at the sheer amount of cured meat product served; I had always assumed that medical nerds associate sausages with unknown future spongiform encephalitis risk, but they were clearly wolfing them down). One of the high-powered UCSF nursing rock stars had supplied a gallery's worth of beautiful photographs of scenes from her global travels for a silent auction, the proceeds going to the Orphans of Rwanda fund. What is this Orphans of Rwanda fund? It's a non-profit dedicated to providing scholarships to deserving Rwandan orphans to attend university, and thereby become the future leaders of that country, which, after much tragedy and disappointment in its short history, now shows signs of great promise. There are 600,000 orphans in Rwanda, out of a total population of around 7 million. See, they had this little thing in 1994 called a genocide, in which almost a million Rwandans were shot, beaten, and macheted to death during the span of 100 days. It holds the distinction of being the most concentrated act of mass murder in modern times, probably all times. As you can imagine, large numbers of orphans were a major by-product of that horror. Hence, Orphans of Rwanda Inc.

The highlight of the evening was hearing Dr. Paul Farmer speak about the efforts of his organization, Partners in Health, to provide heath care to some of the poorest populations of Haiti and now Africa. It was very informal, the talk seemed to consist of Dr Farmer sharing his thoughts about far-ranging political and public health concerns throughout the world. And, as it turns out, he has a great sense of humor.

So this was an event that would have been a great place to network if only I hadn't been so shy and drunk (did I mention that every time you turned around there was somebody offering you a cup of wine?). Looks like it will be an annual event.