By Masha Bolotinskaya

Did you ever wonder what all those clever FSR advertisements around campus were all about? The FSR stands for the Fall Staff Ride, a proud military tradition of taking a group of military personnel on a tour analyzing and discussing a particular campaign, hence why Strategic Studies students organize this event three times a year. This tradition dates back to the mid 1800s, when the Prussian army began taking military groups on such trips. This idea was picked up by the United States Army in the early 1900s and still takes place today.

In the case of the SAIS Strategic Studies Staff Rides, although this trip is organized and subsidized by the Strategic Studies program, the Staff Ride is open to students of all concentrations at SAIS. This past weekend 44 Staff Riders and three professors and distinguished guests braved the cold and damp weather to study the forgotten war of 1812 or the Chesapeake campaign. Of the 44 participants, 20% of the students came from a non-Strategic Studies concentration. The Staff Ride was organized by two strategic studies second year students, Gabe Serrato and Adam Pappas. The organizers had several goals in mind: looking at how strategy and logistics shape operations, how to get out of a war (de-escalate the conflict), joint coordination, and the United States as a rising power. Each student and faculty member was assigned a role based on the aspects of the campaign the group was studying and the participant’s personal interests. The trip included war profiteers and sailors, senators, an American president and his wife, the British foreign minister, Emperor or General (depending on how you felt about him) Napoleon, and many more.

Each student and faculty received a role and was responsible for researching a few questions about the historical figure. The participant was free to interpret their role to their taste and talents, and during various points on the Staff Ride, each participant made a short presentation as their historical figure. Costumes, wacky accents, and ostentatious and sometimes outrageous claims are made during these Staff Rides. The audience, in character or as today’s students of history, asks well informed questions about this situation. This was not a re-enactment, but a serious study of a military campaign from the perspective of the group from that time period as well as from today and is both a lot of fun and incredibly informative. For example, I learned that the Star Spangled Banner, the United States national anthem was written during a decisive battle during this war. Mostly forgotten (placed in the Hall of Forgotten Wars in the Navy Yard Museum), this war played a pivotal role in the shaping of the United States.

But what Staff Ride is complete without Dolly Madison, in costume and freezing, fleeing the White House (called the Presidential Mansion at the time), or outrageous claims and egos presented by both faculty and students? Here are a few choice quotes to give you a taste of the experience,

“ …had the technology been invented, I would have been sent into space…and if you address me as Emperor, I will now take your questions.” – Andrew Rothgraber as Napoleon Bonaparte

“Great men are often ahead of their times…so I had to kill myself.” – Mateo Faini as the British Foreign Minister

And my personal favorite, “Say that you entered an eating contest and you find out that it is gefilte fish that you will be eating. Now let me ask you, is it really worth it?” – Sam Abrams as Lord Liverpool

I find Strategic Studies Staff Rides a lot of fun, very educational, a chance to be a tourist in the DC-VA-MD area, and a great opportunity to connect with students and faculty in a meaningful and entertaining way.

If you missed the Fall Staff Ride, you will have two more chances to go in the spring of 2010. The two staff rides that are coming up are the International Staff Ride where lucky Staff Riders are going to study the fall of France at the beginning of World War II and will jet to France and Belgium (applications coming out this week). The other Spring Staff Ride will take place after finals in May 2010, and the campaign the Staff Riders will be studying is yet to be determined. Don’t miss your chance to experience this and apply!

Masha Bolotinskaya is a second year M.A. candidate in both Middle East and Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Shahriar Mandanipour and the Failure of Love in Iran

by Kevin Cross

Recently, and particularly in cinema, authors have not only written themselves into their stories, they have inserted themselves into stories about themselves writing stories.  Because it blurs the bounds between the real and imagined, critics call this postmodern, implying deviousness on the author’s part as he deconstructs our perceptions.  Deconstruction has become a buzzword, a subversive act now brought to you by everyone from ad agencies to nation building forces.  In this age of avatars and identity without borders, the crumbling of boundaries is more than a buzzword of the most useless tribe in the faculty lounge—it’s the spirit of the age. 

Despite its tweedy connotations, the term deconstruction is useful for describing what Shahriar Mandanipour does in his new novel, Censoring an Iranian Love Story, in which Mandanipour deconstructs the Islamic Republic of Iran, a regime whose fundamental purpose is to resist and halt such deconstruction.  Mandanipour, however, is no mere revolutionary shouting, as recent protestors have, “Death to tyranny!”  His heroine holds a sign reading, “Death to Freedom, Death to Captivity.”  Certainly, this is a strident slogan, but what does it mean?  Mandanipour’s novel is full of such riddles; it is as if Mandanipour, once himself an author who faced the censorship of the Iranian regime, is still wary and has encoded his feelings deep within the story. 

Code, in fact, is a recurring theme of the novel.  The lovers speak to each other by placing dots in books they borrow from the library, the love story must—to escape censorship—bury the lovers’ lust for each other in metaphors and “…”, finally, in the unfamiliar—the deconstructed—structure of Censoring an Iranian Love Story, we must decode the many riddles of Mandanipour’s narrative.

The decoding can be confusing and frustrating.  The reader suppresses outrage,  “Just explain to us the evils of censorship, Mr. Mandanipour, instead of beating around the bush!” we implore.  We are confused, because we are used to love stories that move in the way that love stories move – toward tragedy or union and bliss.  Authors don’t show up in their love stories and give their hero a stern lecture and yet, that is precisely what Shahriar Mandanipour does.

Censoring an Iranian Love Story is, as the title implies, not a love story; it is rather a story about writing a love story in Iran today.  The love story trope is merely one of many structures Mandanipour flouts.  He is, in fact, quite a compulsive nose-thumber:  he flouts the boundaries of authorship, stealing his antagonist, Porfiry Petrovich, from Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment (significantly, the character is neither Muslim nor Iranian, nor indeed much like Dostoevsky’s Petrovich); he steals his lovers, Sara and Dara, from the old Iranian reading primer where they had, until the 1979 revolution, performed the role of Dick and Jane; he includes text that he crosses out; he kills then obliquely resurrects each of his lovers in turn; in short, he deconstructs. 

Thankfully, the novel’s unconventionality yields profundity, at least to those willing to think about the purpose of the unconventionality. For example, by stealing Petrovich – a creation of the Iranian censorship regime – from literature, Mandanipour likens the founders of the Iranian Islamic Republic to a great novelist—a rich comparison.  Like writers, they actualized an imagined story; only they did so in a state rather than merely on paper.  In doing so, like Mandanipour, they too were deconstructionists—how else to describe their attempt to deconstruct the real and the imagined?

In his essay, “Wheatfields or Apple Orchards,” Mandanipour likens the act of creating a story to growing wheat and uses the image to make a plea for individual self-expression:  “What is important is for each of us—all the storytellers of the world—to bring our own apple orchards, or wheatfields, to harvest, in our own time and our own seasons.”  In the end, in Mandanipour’s deconstructed world, the best we can do is to scatter our seeds to the ground—not only to love, but to try to tell the story of love—and thus construct our own stories.

Kevin Cross is a second year MA candidate in Middle Eastern studies.

By Jinny Lee

 Named a ‘non-resident alien’ upon entry, I am neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by the current health care reform process. Nevertheless, just-over-a-year living experience in the U.S, I have come to find that South Korea’s system outranks the US system in quality and affordability.

Getting medical attention here is quite difficult. First, I had to figure out which clinic I should go to from my provider’s website. Then, I tried to make an appointment.  Nothing was available for a week, so I waited. In the end, it was a simple check-up, lasting about 10 minutes. The cost: $100. I could not believe my eyes. The worth of two weeks’ groceries and social money spent on a 10-minute check-up. The administrator said I should pay immediately and get the reimbursement from my provider, which seemed to be a complicated procedure. “What if they decline the reimbursement?” I asked. “You have to figure it out,” she answered indifferently.

At that moment, I made up my mind that I would never be sick while I was residing in the U.S. I pledged myself to eat healthy food and take vitamins in order not to get sick in this foreign soil because I deserve to have better health treatment.

South Korea provides universal health care coverage. Every South Korean, by law, mandatorily buys health insurance through either an employer or their local government. Based on your income, a monthly insurance fee is paid, which varies from 20 to 200 dollars. When you are sick, you can just go to whichever hospital or clinic you choose, and pay about 30% of the actual cost. Typically, people just walk in to clinics, wait less then 30 minutes, and pay about 3 dollars for general consultation or check-up. I personally had never paid more than 10 dollars for any visits, except dental clinics. If going to a general hospital, a wait period of 2 weeks is common. Of course there are some people who are unable to afford to pay the monthly insurance fee, but even if you are under deficit, you can still get treatment. No one is denied insurance because of previous illness or goes bankrupt due to a surgical treatment.

When I first heard stories about Americans suffering from the private insurance system, I could not believe that the U.S has such a backward system. America, the epicenter of human rights and democracy cannot provide basic human needs to its own people?

I don’t understand the opponents of the current health care reform bill. They argue that the government-run insurance option will create a big government and it will add more deficits to the current account. The also complain that it will impair competitiveness of a private insurance market and increase taxes on American households. Why do the Americans genuinely shun the increasing role of government in such an important sector like health care?

America! You will not become a socialistic country just because everyone gets health insurance quality healthcare. As President Obama put it in his speech at the joint congressional session in early September, we shall “not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now.”

Having said that, I am really glad to see that the Senate Finance Committee passed the reform bill with a 14 to 9 vote on October 13^th. This seems to be a big achievement. In fact, it is not an audacious dream. I fully support Mr. Obama on this and believe in his strength to realize this long-term dream.

Conversely, South Korea’s government recently tried to reform its lovely health care system.  It has adopted the U.S system, whereby government can allow more private insurance companies to enter the market, competing with the government option so that consumers have choices in various health care plans. The goal is to minimize the deficit in government health care system. This means that the rich will definitely go with a private insurance option, paying much more and getting much better treatment. The poor will remain stuck with a government health care plan, which is good at this point.

But I would like to point out that all men are equal and this should apply to the health care sector as well. The rich pay more on health care bills so that the poor can get equal treatment, then how wonderful it is! To President Lee of South Korea: Please don’t benchmark the American system. We are better off with our own.    

Jinny Lee is a 2^nd year M.A. candidate in International Policy.

By Sophie Lu

For those who delight in taking advantage of the little price-quality arbitrages in life, I highly recommend exploring the various quality restaurants and music venues sprouting up around the H Street corridor. One such restaurant is 1905, located at 1905 9th St. Surrounded by grungy basement jazz and reggae lounges; its dark non-descript awning is easily overlooked. Inside, however, on top a narrow set of stairs, lays a DC take on a French bistro—complete with dark wood panels, antique chandeliers, and populated by ever so slightly trendy scenesters.

The restaurant recently obtained Executive Chef Anthony Marini who specializes in taking Southern Comfort food and turning it up a few notches. The menu, which changes every few weeks, features classic dishes, prepared with fresh, locally sourced ingredients, designed with the fine dining experience in mind. Start with a first course.  The perennial favorite is a good choice: $100 potatoes, fried in duck fat with crème fraiche, apple wood smoked bacon, scallion-truffle pesto, and American caviar. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try the potatoes since they ran out (insert platitude about American over consumption here). I ordered the spicy tuna tartar with whipped wasabi lime crème instead. The delicate pieces of high-grade tuna, marinated in soy sauce and laced with chilies, packed great flavor and left a pleasant after-burn.

For the second course, I hands-down recommend the 1905 Burger, a blend of prime beef and tender braised short ribs stacked on a foie gras buttered brioche bun topped with Amish cheddar cheese and marinated red onions. The burger was generous in proportion (no mini-burgers here), and perfectly cooked to a slight medium rare that allowed the flavor of the high quality beef to speak for itself. The Amish cheddar had a great nutty, sharp flavor that was balanced by the sweat and soft brioche bun. My only complaint is that marinating actually dulled the taste of the onions instead of bringing out their flavor, so they did not contribute much to the burger. Another divine dish was the Kentucky fried quail that came accompanied by chanterelle mushroom succotash, whipped sweet potatoes, and red wine roasted chicken gravy. The fried quail was surprisingly light on batter, which was good since the result was still crispy but did not mask the flavor of the meat. The succotash is beyond description—the best combination of earthy summer vegetables I have ever tasted. Wash all this rich food down with a couple glasses of wine and hello, foodie heaven.

The best part of this whole deal is that despite the quality of execution and liberal use of expensive ingredients, a complete meal will likely cost you less than $30. There aren’t many places in DC where you can get a first course AND second course that both involve some mad expensive French import (like foie gras or truffle oil) for that cheap. So while a meal at 1905 will cost more than a happy hour special, it’s still a great deal when you’re looking to impress a date that is just a little too cultured for you.

Be warned however, 1905 occupies only one floor of a town house sized building. If you go without reservations, expect to wait at least a couple hours for a seat. The space problem will likely go away in a few months since the restaurant is planning to buy the downstairs. The downside of that of course is that once the restaurant expands, it’s been officially “discovered” and those $100 potatoes are going to come a lot closer to their name. So hitch a $5 cab ride over to the H St corridor and try the place out before the market catches up with you.

Sophie Liu is a first year M.A. candidate in China Studies.

By Jessica Lambertson

 Information technology in the Hopkins system has caused major confusion for students across the SAIS campus.  Even those not technologically challenged have difficulty navigating the multiple websites, laborious directions, and missing staff links.

George Petasis, Chief Information Officer and newly appointed Head of the Advanced Technology Team at SAIS, has set out to help smooth the disconnects in the IT department at SAIS.  He shared with the Observer, his long term and short term plans for the SAIS IT Department.

“We’ve been working hard since I got here, about a year ago, to stabilize and improve the IT infrastructure,” explains Petasis.  Through his help, the school has created a number of strategic goals, each aiming to make “technology a tool to uncover, connect, and support physical assets and human resources.”  Even in the short time that Petasis has been on staff, the department has gone through a large-scale transformation.

The first step was to create an IT Advisory Council (ITAC). Petasis expects ITAC to serve as a mouthpiece for the wider campus and help create a dialogue about IT concerns and questions.  An immediate improvement resulting from this effort has been the installation of a service desk and call center for all student and faculty technology issues. This means students can get any IT related question answered on campus between 7:45 AM and 5:00 PM daily.  Support is available for in-classroom problems until 7:00 PM.

Further integration and consolidation have been planned through the use of SharePoint and JHIM, says Petasis. He describes a “comprehensive IT Budget for FY10 and onwards that includes a refresh of all technologies currently at SAIS.”  These “refreshed” technologies are already popping up on campus.  In fact, each classroom now has a computer with recording capabilities, and all computers over five years old were replaced in early October.

Some of the changes initiated this summer, including a new admissions online application and a switch to a new email platform for first year students, should usher in more permanent and drastic changes in the coming years.  There is a move to integrate and collaborate across campuses– and Petasis hopes to “extend enterprise applications to Bologna.”  Not inconsequentially, the IT department also renovated their website. Students, faculty and staff  now have access to greater information to help them navigate SAIS’ IT system.

More improvements are planned for completion by the Spring Semester.  First on the agenda are network upgrading and wireless rooftop links.  The Computer and Foreign Language Labs will be equipped with new PC’s and access will be granted through JHED profiles.  More importantly, a remote server connection is planned to allow access to SAIS applications remotely.

The team is also thinking about medium and long term planning as well.  In the medium term, Petasis discussed extending all enterprise systems to Bologna, implementing a records management system, and improving customer service – fine tuning the initial set up.  Perhaps most exciting, Petasis talked of integrating multifunction copiers into the Pharos system (which means students won’t all be waiting on Double Sided Printer B).

For those students that are coming back to SAIS next year, there will be some impressive improvements that meet you.  Currently, all first year students use Outlook Live for emails (us poor second years do not). Next fall, all students will be on the Outlook Live system. 

ISIS enhancements are also planned:  you’ll still have to bid on overfull classes, but you’ll have fewer problems with the drop-down menu.  Blackboard will be used University wide as the course management system.  They’re also further improving the application process online.

Also exciting will be the shiny new technology in Nitze and Rome.  More power adapters for laptops will be installed, and the smart panels currently being used will be replaced by Sympodiums (which is really exciting for professors, but less so for students).   In the larger classes (read:  International Monetary Theory), there will be listening equipment made available as well.

Of course, there are still problems now, but Petasis and the rest of the IT department is committed to clearing up problems now and working to prevent them in the future.  To check out the new and improved IT site, head to http://www.sais-jhu.edu/it/.  If you have any questions for the IT department, you can head to their support desk Monday to Friday — 7:45am to 5pm, email them at mailto:saishelp@jhu.edu or call xhelp (use 202.663.5666 from outside SAIS).

Jessica Lambertson is a 2^nd year M.A. Candidate in Latin American Studies.

By Nadine Szablya

Wednesday night, seven-thirty, we met in the courtyard. Ten students, who largely had never met, piled into two cars and ventured out together to the Palisades, seeking the adventure of unknown cuisine. We were united by a love for food, and not only did we leave the library for an entire evening to have all our desires for fantastic Japanese cuisine fulfilled, we met amazing classmates who we perhaps otherwise would not have had occasion to meet.

The Ethnic Dining Club is new to SAIS this year, and after thoroughly enjoying my evening, I decided to sit down with the Club leaders and find out more.

Maany Peyvan, a 2^nd Year IP student, and Don Morton a 2^nd Year ILaw concentrator started the Ethnic Dining club with one thing in mind – their love for food. Maany, who lived in DC for a year before coming to SAIS, and Don, who grew up in the area, both knew of great dining locales, but they noticed students were always eating at the same boring places around Dupont. Hindered by a lack of time, transportation, and money, it is hard for students to get out and experience all of the culture that DC has to offer and consequently sometimes people view DC as kind of a void – Don wasn’t standing for this.

At the start, the club was about eating good food with friends, which is not something that sounds like it could be a school sanctioned club, but as the idea developed, the possibilities unfolded. Don and Maany started thinking about lectures on food policy, sustainable fishing, molecular gastronomy, resource management, agflation, and what it means to be a good and responsible eater. They also noticed that there are coverage gaps in the Regional SAIS clubs, where Ethnic Dining could fill in.

There is an intrinsic value to sitting and sharing a meal with people. Food has such a broad appeal and the act of sharing food in itself is a bonding experience. A cross-concentration dinner with people you don’t know, where everyone is hungry – sounds like the perfect recipe for new friends.

Initially the club had a signup of over 100 members and for each dinner, there is space for only 8-10. The club is structured so that everyone gets a chance to attend a dinner, and there has been great turnover in the dinner attendees. The target cost is $20-30 per person including alcohol, and everyone is encouraged to bring cash for ease of settling the bill. Allergies and preference for a particular cuisine are taken into consideration and, if upon signing up, you let Maany and Don know what kind of food you like to eat, they will send you the event announcement for that cuisine before everyone else.

It takes all the hassle out of trying a new restaurant. When dining with the Ethnic Dining Club, you know the cost, you know the transportation will be organized, you know the food will be good, and you know the conversation will be kept to a minimal number of econ jokes. (Ok, that’s not one of the guarantees.)

What’s on the menu for the rest of the semester? The club wants to venture into some Thai, Soul, BBQ, Vietnamese, and Lebanese, but also wants to expand the idea of “ethnic” dining to include as many cuisines as possible. As Don put it, “The great thing about ‘ethnic’ dining is that it’s a catchall phrase in the food world. Everything is technically ethnic, so (the club) places no boundaries on the cuisines we will explore.” Especially with the huge number of international students at SAIS, “ethnic” will prove a hugely inclusive and highly interpretable qualifier.

After sharing some sake, kamameshi, maguro, unagi, and the most amazing red bean ice cream mochi ever, we were all a bit wiser in our knowledge of Japanese cuisine, a bit more developed in our palates, a bit more impressed with DC, and enriched with 9 new dining partners.

I asked Maany and Don what are their Top 10 ethnic dining restaurants in DC.

Here they are in no particular order:

1. Korean Bulgogi Cart – 14 & L at lunch time, great bibimbap
2. Great Wall – 1527 14th St, Chinese takeout, with an incredible Szechuan menu
3. Loeb’s Deli – 832 15th St,  The only good Jewish deli in DC
4. World Bank Cafeteria – Get a SAIS alum to take you to lunch, you’ll be amazed by the prices and the selection
5. Oohhs and Aahhs – 1005 U St, Great soul food, mac and cheese to change your life
6. Tackle Box – 3245 M St, Sustainable fish, grilled or fried, tasty and good sides too
7. National Museum of the American Indian – at 4th and Independence, Maany would “rather eat at their cafe than some of the best DC restaurants.”
8. Thai X-ing – 515 Florida Ave, Best Thai in DC, hands down, but expect a long wait. Only one chef who cooks everything himself!
9. Vace Italian Delicatessen – 3315 Connecticut Ave, Unbeatable pizza and sandwiches, takeout only.
10. Taqueria Distrito Federal – 3463 14th St., The only great, authentic Mexican place in DC

Oh, and Kotobuki – 4822 MacArthur Blvd NW, the Ethnic Dining Club’s favorite so far.

Hungry yet? You can join the SAIS Ethnic Dining club by emailing sais.ethnicdining@gmail.com and letting them know what you like to eat!

Nadine Szablya is a second year MA candidate in Russian and Eurasian Studies.

By Ehab Tawfik

Second Year Student, Ehab Tawfik had the chance to sit down with May Nguyen, and ask her about herself and her plans for the position of Social Chair.

Ehab: Tell me a little bit about your background.

May: I attended Amherst College, class of 2004.  After Amherst, I went to work in Vietnam on early childhood care and education and then worked on the campaign to combat sex trafficking of children from Vietnam.  Hurricane Katrina hit my hometown in New Orleans, LA and so I went back to help with the rebuilding process, particularly addressing small business development in the Vietnamese community (yes, there’s a Vietnamese community of over 8,000 people in New Orleans).  Prior to SAIS, I completed 1 year at UCLA School of Law.

Ehab:Do you have any plans after SAIS?

May: I will return to law school to finish my JD.  Hopefully I can delay the job search process a bit!

Ehab: Why did you want to become the Social Chair?

May: SAIS is a very unique community comprised of the most diverse student body.  Last year I had a blast at all the SAIS events, especially the International Dinner before Winter Break.  In social engagements, SAISers have this incredible ability to be both relaxed and engaged at the same time – makes for a very good time.  Being the Social Chair means that I get to interact with all the different corners of SAIS and help build the community.

Ehab: What are your main responsibilities as Social Chair and what new ideas do you hope to bring to the Social Chair position?

May: I organize the major SAIS social student events.  Please contact me if you’d like to be a social organizer for any of the events this year.  I also manage the Student Foundation.  The Student Foundation is an account towards which we put all the money we raise during the school year from the social events.  At the end of the year, graduating 2^nd years get to vote on how we would like to invest the money.  Typically, this money will go towards something for SAIS (e.g. a scholarship for a second year student from a developing country).

As for big ideas, I think our social events have been great in the past year and I hope to fill the big shoes of my predecessors.  I’d really like to focus on how we invest our student foundation money this year.  I’ll keep y’all posted on options. 

In the meantime, if anyone has ideas, feel free to let me know.

Ehab: Is there something you would like to say to the student body?

May: I understand that exam periods are usually very stressful so please let SGA help you take a break with the International Dinner, Mr. SAIS, etc.  Enjoy the rest of the school year and we’ll be in touch.

Ehab Tawfik is an M.A.3 in Strategic Studies.

By Neil Shenai

I’ve been affiliated with Johns Hopkins SAIS since 2006, first as an MA student (Class of 2008) and currently as a first-year Ph.D. candidate.  As a TA for both the International Economics program and a functional studies program, I have a keen understanding about the average SAIS student psyche writ large.  This psyche can be distilled into one simple observation: we, students, really like to complain.

Over the period of a week, I tried to do a non-scientific study about the tendency of SAIS students to complain.  Here’s a sample of what I heard second-hand in public settings at SAIS:

• “Why do professors assign so much reading?  Between four classes, a language, my clubs, and career services, I don’t have time to do it all!”
• “The printers in the computer lab never work.  And I am already out of free pages!”
• “Professor X teaches too slowly.”
• “SAIS’ health insurance doesn’t cover my acne cream!”
• Etc.

It could be that I simply surround myself with pessimistic people.  I’m not above sampling bias, after all.  To prove this for yourself before you go on, perform the following thought experiment: when was the last time you said something resoundingly positive about SAIS?  When was the last time you heard one of your fellow students do the same?  Now, think about the times you heard somebody gripe about some aspect – any aspect – of this school.  Count them in your head.  Which category has more?  I would bet the latter. 

This complaining epidemic plagues our student body.  And it has to stop.

Nearly all of us elected to come to SAIS.  There’s no law of nature that says that we need to be enrolled in a terminal Master’s program in International Relations.  We chose to be here.  Period.  SAIS is routinely ranked among the top IR schools in the world.  In coming here, did you expect to earn this degree easily?

Among us, we are supposed to have the next Wolf Blitzers, Timothy Geithners, Madeline Albrights, Francis Fukuyamas, and yes, dare I say, even Paul Wolfowitzes.  For most of us at SAIS, we have to learn a new foreign language, get the equivalent of a rigorous undergraduate degree in economics, read reams of theoretical political science academic writing, form a regional or functional expertise, and manage a social schedule of clubs, careers, friends, and family. 

Think about your average day at SAIS.  You probably interact with top scholars in their field.  Your peers will soon be leading members of the foreign policy community directing the behavior of the most powerful country in the world.  You might even attend brown bag lunches with elite government officials.  All SAIS asks in return for providing this special environment to you is that you work hard.

Yes, hard work sometimes sucks.  And it’s fun to complain about how much work we have.  I should know; I am a reformed complainer.  As a Master’s student, I would routinely complain about how much work I had – how unreasonable the myriad deadlines I faced were, and how much I hated the stacks of reading I had to complete.  But then I left the SAIS bubble and entered the real world.  Coming back to SAIS this time around, I have a unique perspective of the benefits and costs of attending an institution like this.  Given my experience, I have a newfound appreciation for how special SAIS really is.

Here are seven things to keep in mind, then, to help you fight against your natural tendency to complain:

1. Realize that top people in their field rarely complain about the hard work associated with it.  They don’t have time to do so – they’re too busy succeeding.
2. Understand that there’s a certain pedagogical approach of the school that its founding members envisioned.  This approach is meant to stress you out, to give you more work than you can reasonably accomplish, and to push you in different directions.  This cauldron of stress will help you push your boundaries, and this is a good thing. 
3. Being optimistic is the harder choice.  I’m not saying you should walk around school with a faux smile, raving about how excited you are to sink your teeth into the latest edition of Keynes’ General Theory.  But you should realize that being happy to be at SAIS is a choice.  The easier choice is pessimism, but the more rewarding one is optimism. 
4. Complaining scales exponentially.  As a corollary, complainers tend to move in herds.  If you have friends who moan about their SAIS experience, you are more likely to do so yourself. 
5. This will likely be the last time in your life when your only job is to learn.  Learning is a lot more fun than doing.  As tough as SAIS is, it is far more sympathetic to your personal development than the real world.
6. Do something about it – top students work in study groups, divide up readings, find new ways to practice their languages, and work the system in such a way to get the best results with an efficient approach.  If you notice a grave injustice, mention it to the readily accessible deans and the SGA.  If you don’t try to do something constructive to fix your own problems, you don’t have the right to complain about them. 
7. You being here means that somebody else isn’t.  Many prospective applicants to SAIS would salivate at the opportunity to be a student here.   Respect that. 

In short, being a student at SAIS is a privilege.  Yes, the school has some sub-par aspects.  I wish we had a proper campus.  I wish Nitze had wood paneled classrooms with mahogany conference tables.  And I sure wish that all printing could be free.  But by and large, things at SAIS are good.  We learn from veritable geniuses in their fields.  Our peers are some of the smartest in the world.  And the SAIS name will be a badge of honor we will wear for the rest of our careers.  It’s time we stop complaining and start appreciating the beautiful hand we’ve been dealt.  Life could be a lot worse. 

Neil K. Shenai is a Ph.D. candidate studying the political economy of financial crises.