China, 2014 - “APEC was truly a whirlwind experience. It’s even more difficult to believe now that I’ve
mostly recovered from the lingering effects of air travel that it was even real. As I return to my daily
routines I’m struck that a week ago I was listening to presentations by leaders of nations and questioning internationally powerful CEOs. I was able to attend sessions in which the Presidents/Prime Ministers of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos voiced their opinions as economies on the outside. Additionally, I attended a presentation on the second day that focused on the nature of development in Indonesia by newly elected president Joko Widodo. This especially fascinated me as an Urban Studies major in its attempt to tackle Indonesia’s unique problems of transportation and movement of goods and services.”