Now that the convention is over, what happens next? Obviously Konk-love withdrawal.

From the survey we sent you (check your email!) we are going to gather the responses. These responses will help future convention planners with their activities and programming. Also, we’re sending our generous donors a thank you with some of the quantitative and qualitative data. I, personally, feel like people need to know what we spent the money on and what came out of it (a mind-blowing weekend!!).

I need to repeat what I said in the closing remarks - this wouldn’t have been possible without your presence and your enthusiastic participation. Thanks again to each of you for coming to DC - we hope you enjoyed it.

Here it is friends - the action-packed agenda for KYC 2009! We can’t wait to see you next weekend! Click on the image below to get a larger version.

To get this packing list going, I walked around DC on a scorching hot day to find some inspiration.

I suggest the following:

Sneakers (yes, I call them sneakers, not tennis shoes)
DC is truly a walking city, so I’d say bring something comfortable to trek around in.  Vanity goes out the window, people.  As much as you may want to bop around in your new stilettos, I would highly suggest you rethink that.  The cracks in the sidewalks have eaten many a heel and caused the person wearing the heel to bite it.  WARNING: If you wear heels and break your face, that’s not on us.

Small Umbrella
DC is notorious for an afternoon thunderstorm or two, so carrying a small umbrella would be advantageous.

Sunglasses
The sun’s reflection off our bright white monuments can be blinding at times.  Sunglasses can help deflect the glare.

Sunscreen
If you burn easily, it might not be a bad idea since we will be walking outside some.

Clothes
Yes, I definitely recommend bringing clothes unless you desire to run around nangi the entire weekend.  Specifically, cotton will serve you well.   Just be comfortable.  The evening events are not formal, so any of your regular going out attire should be fine.  Gentlemen,  you cannot wear flip flops into DC bars and clubs.  There’s no reason for this other than it’s just not allowed.

And here are a few other things to consider….

by Rajani Shenoy

Last year, I attended my cousin’s wedding in Florida. I started chatting with an auntie and uncle about where I lived and what I do for a living. A few minutes later, I learned that the auntie and uncle had a relative that also lives in the DC area, and works same company as me. To be more specific, my mother’s brother’s wife’s brother’s wife’s sister’s husband and I work at the same company…Small world, isn’t it?

A couple of months later, with typical Konkani hospitality, I got an invitation from my new found colleague and his wife to a dinner party at their home. I was promised good food and a chance to meet other Konkanis in the area. True to their promise, I did meet other Konkani youth who happened to be planning the 2009 Konkani Youth Convention in Washington, DC, and I jumped at the chance to get involved. (And by the way, I definitely got some good food too :))

The past few months have been a whirlwind, between work, fun, and planning the convention - but along the way I have met some awesome people… and if the world couldn’t get any smaller, I also found out that one of my fellow committee members happens to be a long-lost 3rd cousin who lives a mere 15 minutes away!

DC is a magical city where marble monuments mingle with state buildings, fountains, and statues. Decisions are made in this city that affect the rest of the world. We are so excited to host you in our city - so you can experience it for yourself. Along the way, you will also get a chance to eat good food and meet fellow Konkanis - and hopefully a chance to realize it’s a small world after all.

On Sunday, the committee met at the Hotel Palomar in DC and do a walk through of the logistics. And walk we did! Just a fair word of warning, bring some comfortable shoes to DC! You’ll need them!

Rajani, Nina & Preetum

Swati, Roshni and Rajani

Chai and Maya

Raul

The KYC Planning Committee is excited and ready for your arrival to D.C.! We hope you are too!

by Swati Shenoy

Sometimes I still can’t believe it has been about 15 years since I’ve been in the states.  It seems so long ago that I remember learning about our plans to leave India and move to the U.S.  I was only 10, but I knew that things were never going to be the same again.  I still remember my first day here in the states, everything seemed SO new and different.  Emotions of fear, excitement and confusion began to set in because I had no idea what to expect!

A few years into the school system here and I began to see myself changing already and becoming more and more “American”.  I began to dress like my peers, talk like them and sharing similar interests in music, movies etc.  While my parents were busy struggling to make our lives here comfortable, I was struggling to fit in and in turn I started to lose touch with my culture.  That is something I’m sure many kids in similar situations went through.

Though we had family around and a small konkani group active in the area at the time, my parents decided to expand their network a little more, rekindle old friendships and hoped that my sister and I would be “re-exposed” to our culture.  Thats when we decided to attend our first Konkani Convention in Chicago (2000).  At the beginning I was very shy to meeting other people.  But then I started making a few new friends at each convention we attended and little by little began to get aquainted with everyone.

What I enjoy now is not only to be able to attend these conventions to hang out with everyone, but I absolutely LOVE the time in between the conventions.  The trips we make to see each other, whether it be an occasion or vacation, have been so memorable!  My parents certainly achieved reaquainting us with our culture and in the process I also gained lasting friendships

We’re intentionally not divulging a lot of information about the ins and outs of the convention.  However, here’s a little flavor of the places we researched. Can’t wait for you to see what we’ve picked!

Elizabeth’s on L:-

The Mayflower:-

Urbana:-

We’d like to take this opportunity to make an important announcement about room reservations.  It’s important to reserve your room NOW in order to take advantage of the discounted rate.  This rate is only good until the end of June.  After that, you’ll have to pay whatever they are charging at the time you book (which is likely to be much, much more, given that summer is a big tourist season here).  We also stress that you need to stay at this hotel because it’s where all the activities are taking place and some of the events, like the networking happy hour, are only available for those who are staying at the preferred hotel.

Here are the deets:

Hotel Palomar
Address: 2121 P St NW
Washington, DC 20037
Reservations: 877.866.3070
Hotel: 202.448.1800

We have blocked off 5 King Suites and 40 Double Queen Suites (the availability is subject to change after bookings, so book soon!). To book rooms please go to: http://www.hotelpalomar-dc.com/ and use the rate code 911485 to get the discount rates mentioned above. Please contact us at info@kyc2009.com should you have any problems.  If you need a roommate, please email roommates@kyc2009.com.

Here’s the regional breakdown and states represented (Canada is also on this chart):

Northeast - MA, CT, NJ, NY, PA
South - DC, MD, VA, WV, NC, SC, GA, FL, MS, TX
Midwest - OH, MI, IL
West- CA, CO, NV

Number.

Here’s the age breakdown in case you are curious.  Click on the graph to get the big picture.

We’ll bring you a regional breakdown soon.