In a couple of days, I set off for an all-American adventure! It's my first visit to the old US of A, and I'm very fortunate to be travelling courtesy of the United States Department of State, through their professional exchange program. I'm travelling in my capacity as a local government professional, and will be spending four weeks learning about local government in the United States, alongside two other Kiwi's, and 7 other local government professionals from China and Thailand.

The focus of the exchange is the legislative process and community engagement. It might sound dry, but it's at the heart of the work I do in local government, so for me it's pretty exciting to be talking and working alongside so many other like-minded people. And I can't deny that the lure of exotic overseas travel isn't enticing. Though I've been assured that the economy-class airfares will dispel any illusions about luxurious foreign travel. Never mind - it's not how you get there, but what you do when you get there that matters. And it sounds like I've got an action-packed four weeks ahead of me.

Week one will be spent in Washington DC, acclimatising and talking with the other exhangees, and meeting with local and federal government experts, as well as a few field trips around DC. Hopefully the Government Shutdown won't affect things too much.

Weeks two and three will be spent in Iowa, working with the City of Dubuque Council. This is going to be a great opportunity to see local government in the US in action, and I'm told that Dubuque has some great projects to showcase.

The last week will be spent back in Washington DC, debriefing and hearing about the experiences of the other exchangees, who are all going off to different towns and cities. There's also a "congress" of about 200 fellows from different exchange programs - three days of sharing and networking.

Finally, I'm going to take three days for myself, and have a nosey round New York. I'm looking forward to seeing what's there, having only seen it through film and TV for the last few decades.

I'll be writing on a separate blog as part of my exchange, but I'll also try and post here for a personal perspective throughout my trip. It's going to be full-on for the next month, but hoepfully I'll be able to post photos and a few words every now and then.