Gap year - Iowa

The Sweet Spot within the chaos of the Iowa Caucuses


“Oh my God! Oh my God!! They called me back and I really want to go to Iowa”.
Ever since my sweet, nonconformist daughter decided she wanted to take a Gap year before going to college - a concept alien to many desi* parents - I always sat on the edge of my seat to grasp what was coming next. So far, she had worked as a refugee resettlement intern, helping new entrants to the country find a foothold. She worked at the local cafe, learning coffee brews, chai lattes, taking breakfast and lunch orders and being patient with sometimes irate customers. And her favorite job had been walking and caring for rather rambunctious dogs. Just when I thought things were falling neatly in place, I hear Iowa. 

She was very very excited to spend the coldest months campaigning in the cold, midwest state of Iowa. Again a concept alien to a desi parent. Campaigning for a “caucus”! The first time I had heard the word, I thought it was a funny name of a yapping puppy. But by now I was vaguely familiar with the concept. I was still trying to understand her excitement as I saw her jumping all around at the prospect of going to Iowa. 

“I am going to Intern for Elizabeth Warren’s campaign”. Now I understood a little. Three years ago, Warren had been one of the first Senators to find time to meet her group of then-fifteen-year-olds, working on gender equality. And three years before there would be a Presidential campaign, or eighty thousand selfies, she got one of the early selfies with the Senator. In the past few years she got a chance to learn about Warren’s policies and became a supporter. Now I understood why she wanted to spend time, in the dead winter of a midwest state, knocking on doors, making calls and convincing voters of what she believes in. That’s one more supporter in the grassroots campaign.

I was a worried desi parent sending my daughter to Iowa. She was one of the younger and inexperienced employees at the campaign. But my worry was unfounded. The campaign took unbelievable care - from making arrangements for her stay, chipping in to drive her before she had her car, and being patient with her while she learned the organizing skills like persuasion and building relationships with voters. All this, on top of being paid what Warren believes “should be”  the federal minimum wage which is twice the current minimum wage! 

 She spent two cold months spreading the word on what she believed in. Clearing the mis-conceptions of Warren’s plans. Explaining people the very details they asked of Warren and she delivered so beautifully ( https://elizabethwarren.com/plans ) And on caucus night, my daughter helped Elizabeth win a delegate in a rural precinct of Iowa. From outside, Iowa may look like a debacle, but for me there was a sweet spot. My daughter came out learning more about the plans of the pragmatic, progressive professor who constantly tries to make a difference to better more lives - starting with the interns in her 1000+ organization. At the time when there were stories circulating about women of color, I was happy that my daughter had a great experience with the Warren campaign. She came out happier, more enlightened, more excited and determined to support what she believes in.

*desi is how South Asian people refer to themselves. "Des" means country, by extension Desi who comes from "the country".

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