I used to see very large stacks of what I'll call "hay", you may call it something different but, in America that stack of brown plant material would be called "hay" which is feed for cattle and or horses, goats and sheep depending what kind is harvested - but I used to see large stacks of hay like this in the Balkans with people carrying them. One day while driving down a very remote, wilderness Bosnian Serbian village street I passed a very old man carrying a stack of hay that appeared to be nearly four times his size. The man was bent at the waist; head forward, as if making a 90 degree angle with his body. I asked my friend (Serb) if we should stop and help and he told me no because that was his life and his life is all he knows and doesn't know any better. I drove on... If I were President of the United States I would make a change into the way I managed my struggles in Afghanistan. I would make it mandatory for all civilian contractors to live out on the economy of Afghanistan in the cities and villages near their respective military installations they currently live and work on. There is too big of a social divide which breeds condescension, jealousy and frustration amongst an indigenous population. It is in my humble opinion that contractors should be out on the local economy no matter the risk, living with and yes, even dying with if necessary, the Afghans. I know I would have no problem risking living out on the local economy. We contractors get paid lots of money and are volunteers! Not only would this build stronger relations between the “east” and “west” as far a custom and culture are concerned but, it would set an example of how serious the world is to the Afghans that we mean business in routing out the Taliban. Each volunteer would have to keep an online photo blog of their experiences so to expose others around the world to their new found culture and way of life. It would be important to hold these contractors to high standards, though! AND…be held responsible in Afghan courts for the laws they break while in the host country. Now I’m not talking violations of culture inadvertently but, serious crimes like murder, rape, arson and aggravated assault…you get the idea. If I were President I would start a new department. This department would recruit American volunteers from all walks of life with their assignments being moving to and living within every country on the face of the globe. Their objective would be simple! Immerse themselves into a culture just as if they were working and living back home as productive members of society. They would marry, if they chose to, a partner, start families and businesses. The languages they would have to learn the correct way – through total emersion in the host nation – not in a classroom setting. These volunteers would pass stringent background checks and be sent to schools on culture immersion. This being said, though, I wouldn’t recruit like the CIA or FBI who look for perfect people that don’t have mistakes or skeletons in their closets for these kinds of people do not exist no matter what a polygraph or some background investigation form says about them. Any espionage of any kind would be STRICTLY forbidden with very harsh punishments for the recruits who violate this particular policy. Sure, there is a lot to work out and one man alone with an idea doesn’t have all the answers but, a crack team of current and former Peace Corps volunteers, Doctors without Borders volunteers..ect..ect with the objective to get this new program up and running mixed with others like myself with experience of cultural immersion would be a sure thing. The number one, overall objective of this program would be to recall each volunteer if their respective host nation suffered any kind of disaster and or conflict to set up and assist in humanitarian efforts, public relations and getting the U.S. Government up to speed on the does and don’ts of a culture. Only the defense and security of their host countries towns and neighborhoods would be allowed. None of these recruits would be allowed to join the U.S. military or work as gung-slinging private security contractors. Ok…I’ll stop here. LOL!! I’ve got a lot to work out by the time I am elected President! ;-D In the meantime, though, if you have any ideas or thoughts on this, no matter your nationality, please contribute! After all, we all live on this globe together and should work together for the betterment of our peoples. Maybe this is a dumb idea - I don't know. What I do know is that there is just way to much conflict in this world with so many different kinds of people who do not understand each other. Something has to get the ball rolling for real change for the betterment of us all!! One world - One People!

Kavitha lends strong writing skills and creative solutions based in analytical thought to provide strategic planning, campaign implementation, and media relations expertise to CSG’s education clients; ensuring each client maximizes their results. Prior to joining CSG PR, Kavitha managed the marketing and communications efforts at the Institute of International Education Rocky Mountain Regional Center, a non-profit that is among the world’s largest and most experienced international exchange and training organizations. There, Kavitha implemented a balanced approach of online communications, direct mail, media and community relations and event planning to advocate for the international exchange of people and ideas in the Rocky Mountain region. Additionally, Kavitha helped launch and manage regional outreach efforts for the first co-ed university in Saudi Arabia, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Kavitha also brings experience in print journalism and business-to-consumer marketing from within the automotive industry. Kavitha earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa with a double major in Journalism and Anthropology.