Voyage (not really but it sounds more adventurous that way)

To celebrate the end-of-term (what?! How did that happen so fast!) I am heading on my first European extravaganza since having arrived in London. I am going to Portugal and the south of Spain for 10 days with three girlfriends. Then off to Israel to see my family. I will post pictures and funny cultural commentaries when I find cheap internet cafes. Happy holidays!

Falling in love

I may have fallen in love with London tonight. Anyone that knows me well knows that I get pure joy out of pedestrian-friendly cities that allow me to discover new crannies or just feel the pulse of the city. I had that "ah-ha" moment with London tonight. I finally saw in it some of the qualities that I love about two of my favorite cities. It has the spirit of Tel Aviv- where spaces are always boisterous and alive and people spill into the street at all hours. Yet it also has that importance and centrality that Washington DC experiences, where big ideas are always formulating (that's why I love TED so much!). The feeling that one can do impactful work during the day and have endless opportunities at night just vibed with me as I walked home with a friend from the Rotary Fish & Chips event in the misty rain. Something clicked in me and it made me wonder if this is the beginning of feeling less like a visitor in someone else's city...


(A picture of the London night sky- courtesy of Google search)

The Giving Difference

A Jew, a pastor and a Catholic are sitting at a restaurant... sounds like the beginning of a joke, right? Nope- it was our table at a Rotary lunch meeting with the St. Pancras Club. It seems that wherever Rotary is located, beyond just doing good, diversity converges and conversation flows freely. The three of us got into a really interesting conversation about charitable giving- obviously an interest of mine from my work with NGOs and my desire to work in the third sector in the future. The Pastor argued that one of the disadvantages of a welfare state, such as England, is that there is significantly less charitable giving. People are less likely to contribute to prevailing social ills because they believe that the state should and will take care of the issue. This conclusion is quite rational since people pay relatively high taxes and the state finances most basic needs. I thought about this as I walked home- Do Americans give more on average than other nations? Would this decrease if the US instituted national health care or nationalized other programs? What are other repercussions of such a policy shift that are currently not being discussed in the media?

Of course I had to check the facts for myself. Turns out the Pastor was right; According to Philanthropy UK, in 2006 Americans contributed £145 billion (or 2.2% of the GDP) to charities as compared to Brits giving £15 billion (or 1.1% of the GDP). So the previous question stands- what are the hidden consequences- good or bad- of nationalizing health care in the US? Readers (all two of you) feel free to post your thoughts in the comments space.

The Paradox of Development

I seriously love my classes. I have always loved school so that isn't new for me, but there is something unique about going to grad school in that I ACTIVELY chose to return to school. For most privileged Americans undergraduate is a given- the actual university and degree is the element of choice. I don't know many people that didn't go to college immediately after high school (with the exception of those that did gap year in Israel). So graduate school is different in that you realize that there is some opportunity cost in not doing something else but you still find school to be the best move at that moment. For me it was a very active decision- I had a great job with Teach For All and a wonderful life in Israel. Most people wouldn't leave that comfort and security. But I also knew that I wouldn't have the type of career or impact I wanted unless I got a second degree in my field.

But I digress- so my classes have been very engaging. My program, Development Studies, gives us a lot of flexibility with our courses as long as we can prove they are relevant. After much vacillation and even a last minute class switch I decided on the following for this term:

• Development: Theory, History, and Policy (our required course)
• Complex Emergencies
• Global Civil Society
• Social Research Methods in Developing Countries
• Business Model Innovation at the Base of the Pyramid- a really interesting pilot class that will be official in 2010-2011

My professors are incredible. Beyond being leading thinkers in their field, they are very warm and responsive. That may be partly because our department only serves graduate students so all of their attention is focused on us. They constantly encourage us to see them before/after classes or discuss dissertation ideas with them. And because our seminars are only 15 students, they know all of our names.

However, the content has become increasingly more complex over the last 7 weeks. We began with historical perspectives of 'development' and have moved into more modern-day issues. And I often find myself sitting at the end of class thinking, "Wow, that is heavy" or "Where do we even begin in order to solve that issue?" Just this week I wrote a paper about the role that social/economic grievances play in causing complex emergencies and another one about the impact of colonialism on Africa today. I find that the more I learn, the more I realize how complex and interwoven these issues are. Where does one start 'development' work when everything needs to be transformed?

Yesterday I had a very cool opportunity to see a play sponsored by Save the Children and EveryChild. The play, titled Listen to Me, follows the stories of marginalized children from Bangladesh, India, Columbia, Malawi, Guyana, Wales, Cambodia and more. The two organizations interviewed over 400 children whose basic needs are not being met to create this performance in honor of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The play was unbelievably powerful- we heard the story of an innocent 16-year old Cambodian who was accused of rape and sentenced to 15 years in jail, and of a Bangladeshi girl sent to bonded labor in order to support her family, and of an Indian girl who said, "Because of my caste, my fellow classmates ignore me and won't mingle with me or sit with me. Even teachers won't touch me after knowing that I am from an Arunthathiyar community. In some situations I cry and ask- why has God made me born in this region?" I had goosebumps throughout the performance as I was thinking of the millions of children around the world who are born into a life of poverty and inaccessibility. Just heartbreaking...

Tonight I went to see the movie 'The Last King of Scotland' about the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin who killed more than 300,000 people during his regime in the 1970s. I walked away once again realizing that the challenges that many African countries are facing are so deeply rooted it is hard to know how development workers can really create any systemic change. How does the 'developed' world help poorer nations provide for their citizens in a way that is not-patronizing and culturally-sensitive? Where do you start- with deadly epidemics such as HIV/AIDS or education? Governance or infrastructure? These Sisyphean issues are so daunting. I am sure that as we dive deeper into our coursework and learn of the successes that have been achieved, my optimism will rise again and my faith restored in our ability to make small differences that together amount to big changes... that is preciously why I joined Teach For America after all. But right now, the task before me seems colossal.

(I can't end a blog entry on such a pessimistic note, so am including this link to an inspiring story in CNN about Plan International's work to register the 'invisible children' of the world who, because of their lack of proper identification, can't access basic things like education, health care or government offices.)

Scholarly Experiences

I have been so busy that I have hardly had time to write about my experiences thus far as a Rotary Scholar.

Link weekend
I hadn't been here more then a week before I had my first Rotary event at Leicester (pronounced Le-ster). All of the scholars studying in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland were invited to this cute town in the midlands for a retreat. The highlight of the weekend was meeting the other scholars and spending time with my host family- Rotarian Kevin and his wife Elisa. We managed to see the National Space Center, meet the Mayor, and have a Barn Dance (I still can't really explain what that means, but definitely an experience :)














*Myself, Rotarian Kevin and fellow scholar Angelo; Mayor of Leicester speaking to the scholars

District conference
My host district, London 1130, had its conference a few weeks ago in the seaside town of Eastbourne. We had amazing weather and it was the perfect weekend getaway from London. This was a great opportunity to see Rotary in action here and meet Rotarians from other clubs Nicole Dryburgh shared her truly inspiring story with us - by the age of 20 she has achieved amazing things despite being deaf, blind and wheelchair-bound from her fight against cancer. She is now raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.


Bush Hill Park Club
My host club has been very gracious- inviting me to club meetings and their annual Fish and Chips event at the Motor Museum. I have been assigned a host counselor, Dan (pictured here with his wife Wendy, another Rotarian) to help me throughout the year. It has been fun to get to know them and I look forward to many more events in the upcoming months.


Socializing with my fellow scholars
Not surprisingly I have spent a good bit of time with my fellow scholars. Whether at a wine and cheese night, or meeting up at a pub, we always manage to have fun and inevitably end up talking about the various British things that astound us (examples- how inefficient banks are in London, why the tube line you need never seems to operate on the weekend, etc). Here are just a few of my favorites.














*At a pub with two scholars who are also studying at LSE; at the London Symphony this past week.

On the Defensive

I am simply exhausted. You would think it would be due to the immense workload or the intensity of my schedule. No, I am exhausted from being an ambassador. I cannot keep track of how many times I defended Israel this week; whether through spontaneous conversations about the Middle East or loaded questions about Israel's role in prolonging the conflict, I have constantly been on the defensive. And it is exhausting! I knew that this year in London would have its challenges, and especially with respect to my birthplace, but I never suspected that I would have to exert this much energy to showcase the various dimensions of the conflict that people don't hear during a 3-minute news bite. Very intelligent people have tried to simplify the problem to simply Israel as an aggressor or occupying power without realizing the complexities and nuances behind these powerful words. Some fail to learn their history before making harsh judgments. This afternoon my professor compared Israel to apartheid South Africa- a statement that beyond just being unbelievably upsetting, if perpetuated could have serious implications on how Israel is treated by the international community (as if it isn't ostracized enough already!)

It is very isolating to constantly feel like you have to defend your country. Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with all of Israel's policy decisions- just like I don't agree with a lot of U.S. policies- and I can criticize both because I feel a) informed and b) have an interest in actually improving the situation. What upsets me most are those people that just make statements who have little understanding of the region and its history and whose positions just perpetuate an already sensitive situation, rather than being solution-oriented. The precariousness of this balance is further demonstrated by the way that Israelis have to engage themselves while living abroad. Last week the Israelis at Goodenough met to discuss what events we want to host this year for the community and how we want to "appear" to outsiders. No other community has to think so critically about the image that it sends to the rest of the college because it is so loaded and quick to be judged. Israel and the Middle East conflict has become such a weighty issue that each action or lack thereof impacts others' perceptions.

I recognize that I need to displace this feeling of "bearing a responsibility" because it will become too much at times. But by nature I CANNOT ignore misrepresentations or half-truths - not of Israel or any other issue. I am a student after all because I want to engage with others in serious discourse that challenges us to think more critically about ideas and beliefs that we hold to be true. I expected others to want to do the same and I hope that is still the case... I am willing to do that with my own beliefs.

You Can't Take the Mediterreanean Out of the Girl

I went to the dining hall today to see what was on the menu for brunch. Seeing the many varieties of pork products, dough items, and a sorry selection of cereals, I turned right around and headed to my local grocery store. As I was standing in line to pay for my chosen items, I realized that you can tell a good amount about a person by looking at his/her grocery basket - is s/he a snacker, has a sweet tooth, a health nut, an organic food junkie, etc. Needless to say mine is quite representative of my Mediterranean background. Items of choice:

• Fresh bread
• Hummus - a must
• Mozzarella cheese - you can never go wrong with cheese
• Olives
• Wine - I will be bringing it tonight to a friend's party
• Cucumbers and tomatoes (I am really missing the small Israeli cucumbers... they are so much tastier than the falic looking ones that are sold in the US and UK)

Even though I am loving that cheap Indian and Chinese cuisine is always available here, I am missing my Israeli food right now. Bon appetit :)

Returning to the Classroom... As a Student!

It is hard to believe that I am actually a student again, after a four year hiatus. Last Friday I had my induction to DESTIN (Development Studies Institute at LSE) and I was at the edge of my seat the entire time, I was so excited. My aunt makes fun of me because I guess one year at the end of the summer as we were shopping for school supplies I said something to the extent of "I love school... and I love getting organized for a new school year." I guess not much has changed since then because I was just as giddy hearing my professors describe their background, interests and the classes they teach. All of the classes looked so good I wasn't sure if I would be able to actually choose. The department encourages us to audit anything that we are interested in that we aren't taking for credit... so needless to say I will be sitting in on MANY classes. I am just making sure that my Ambassadorial Scholarship is being maximized!
*Hopefully my classwork will be a bit more thorough and intelligent...

A Very London Week

I have been trying to soak up London as much as possible before school starts. And I am quite proud of myself for all that I have accomplished. Here are just a few of the highlights:

My college (community where I live, not my actual university) organized a tour of the House of Parliament and it was amazing. We started the tour at Westminster Abbey, the famous church which was originally built in 1066. it is an incredible Gothic building that is still used today for most large state affairs. During the 1834 fire, the crews prioritized Westminister Abbey because of its lengthy history, forfeiting saving other parts of Parliament which had to be re-built later on. The building consists of both House of Lords and House of Commons. There are so many interesting tidbits about the building itself and British traditions that I won't be able to adequately explain them but I highly recommend the tour so that you can see it for yourself. The best part of the tour was that we got to meet an actual Lord, who turned out to be Jewish. He was quite thrilled to learn I was born in Israel and spoke to me in Hebrew.

My well-connected college also happens to have a box at the Royal Albert Hall and does a drawing for each performance. I managed to win the tickets for last Saturday's show which consisted of several conductors leading the Northern Sinfonia and the Philharmonic Chorus. There was also a guest appearance by The Priests, a group of three, shockingly, Priests who are VERY musically inclined. They have become an international sensation and have a top-selling album. The hall is absolutely gorgeous, designed like a Roman amphitheater with great acoustics. Again, highly recommended!

The Courtauld Gallery has a highly-regarded collection for its size. It is best known for its impressionist and post-impressionist work, including famous pieces by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and more.

My family from Israel came to visit me for five days and we had a great time exploring the city together. One of the highlights was visiting Borough Market on Saturday morning to see and taste some of the fresh produce. It was freezing along the river but well worth it.













Fresh local mushrooms; my niece and I :)

A church has been sitting on the property of what is currently St. Paul's Cathedral since 604 AD. The current cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Located at the heart of London, it has a great view of the city... after climbing some 400 stairs.

My friend and I bought the cheapest tickets for Shakespeare's Globe Theater, which require you to stand in the "yard" of the famous theater right in front of the stage. Despite the aching feet by the end, we loved seeing Love's Labour's Lost the way it was truly envisaged by Shakespeare.

Arrival and Chance Encounters

There is something quite magical about arriving at a new destination- the limitless opportunity to re-create yourself, the recognition that in a year's time you will look back and remember fondly the awkwardness of trying to navigate a new city and a "new" language (British English is quite distinct from American English), the anticipation of starting school anew. Few things are as exciting as moving abroad- alone no-less- to embark on an opportunity that can completely change your life's course. As I arrived at Goodenough College in central London last week and settled into my small but adorable room, this realization crept up on me... that or the pure jetlag and exhaustion. I was so happy to be in my new home for this next year.

I have spent the last week running around London to get a feel for the city and to accomplish my tasks before school starts next week. Simply having a cell phone and a trusty London map book called A-Z (pronounced zed) made me feel more settled. It was only after a few days that the magnitude of this move dawned on me. I was power walking to Hyde Park and back, a nice hour and a half long walk, and saw literally more people in one place than I have ever seen before. The best way to describe it is like exiting an enormous sports arena or concert where there isn't an inch of extra space between you and the next person. Everyone was in a hurry to get to their destination, rushing past or alongside me. Even with my ipod in my ears I could feel the pulse of the city vibrating. And people were speaking so many different languages and looked so different from one another. It wasn't culture shock, it was CULTURES shock. I am living in a city of over 8 million people, representing every country on earth. London isn't just British, it is also Dutch, and French, Iranian, Pakistani, Nigerian, Indonesian and so many more. The challenge with living and studying in London is decoding its conglomerate culture and idiosyncrasies.

I was thinking about this as I returned from the tube (subway) today after a lovely lunch with a former colleague of mine. As it is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, it is customary to share meals with friends and loved ones. I was in my own world walking alongside the park back to my room when I noticed three religious Jewish men. As I walked past them I said "Shana Tova" ("have a sweet new year") and continued on my way. One of the man quickly turned around and said "Shana tova, have you heard the shofar yet?" (The shofar is made from a ram's horn and is blown everyday during the first month of the Jewish calendar to remind us of the sins that we have committed the previous year so that we may correct our actions for the new year. It is considered a mitzvah, or good deed, to hear the shofar). I sadly realized that this is the first year that I hadn't heard the shofar on the new year as I hadn't gone to synagogue. He hurriedly pulled out the prayer book, said two prayers and then took out a shofar... he did the entire collection of callings, a good 3-4 minute show, standing next to the soccer field. I, totally astounded by the gesture and peculiarity of the situation, stood by and listened as people walked past, some staring quizzically, others averting their eyes. The man finished the set of calls and wished me a sweet year filled with success and happiness. As I slowly continued toward my dorm, I smiled broadly realizing that my own culture and heritage is also weaved into this fabric that is London and remembering that I am never alone in this city.

Shana tova u'metuka -- May it be a sweet and good new year!

Scrambling Until the Very End

It has hard to believe that I actually started "preparing" for London in May 2008 when I flew back to the U.S. to interview with the district scholarship committee. And today, 17 months later, I am actually leaving. Needless to say the time between these two events hasn't been always been so fluid and seamless but right now I am ready to embark on this next step in life.

I will spare my two readers the tireless details of applying to graduate school, re-locating (twice) and going through the process of saying good-bye. Only one event really sticks out in my mind as worth sharing- the dreadful visa process. My American passport was going to expire while I would be in London so I had to get a new passport. However because I was going to be traveling internationally I had to wait until I returned from Israel to apply. I needed to time the whole process perfectly- so having learned from Teach For America the art of backwards planning I mapped out the entire process of applying for a passport and visa. I knew it would be tight but there was no alternative. The first challenge was that my family was going on a cruise in honor of my mom's 60th birthday exactly 2.5 weeks after I sent my passport to get renewed. So I sent it overnight and crossed my fingers, hoping it would return in time.

Thanks to great customer service at U.S. institutions, it arrived in the nick of time and the family was off on a great cruise to the Bahamas and Mexico. (Aside- We got off the boat at Nassau, Bahamas and greeting us was a sign with the Rotary Wheel and their meeting schedule.... truly a worldwide organization!). During the previous month I had been preparing for the visa process which is quite possibly the most intensive background check possible- transcripts, visa letters, offer letters, bank statements, pictures, and the promise of your first born (just kidding). The Monday after we returned from the cruise I was off to get finger printed, kissed my massive envelope of important documents and sent it off to the UK Consulate in Chicago. I had four week until my scheduled flight on Saturday Sept 12th.

By Thursday Sept 10th I had still not heard anything and was ready to call United to see if it would be possible to change my flight. To my surprise a pleasant woman with a strong British accent called Friday morning to assure me that she had just completed approving my application and that the visa would be printed and should arrive in Minneapolis by Friday afternoon, the day before my scheduled flight.

Unfortunately I had missed that famous brown van known as the UPS guy Friday afternoon and was scrambling to find out where my package was located and how to get it before UPS shuts down for the weekend (Another aside- UPS asks "What can BROWN do for you?" how about staying open every day?! just a thought!). Turns out the van carrying my package would be back at the Maple Grove center at 7 pm, one hour before they close. I rushed there and made it 20 minutes before the center closed, frantically opened the package to ensure it was actually MY passport with a UK visa in it. It was in fact mine and at that moment a month's worth of stress and anticipation melted away.

So in a few short hours I am off to London via Chicago to begin this next amazing chapter in my life. Now that the bags are packed, my passport is at hand and my mile-long-to-do list has dwindled, I feel totally at peace. I know there will be bumps along the way but having gotten this far, I am also confident that it all works out... somehow.

Checking My Assumptions at the Door

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I made several assumptions about what I thought I would experience this weekend and the people I would meet at the Rotary Outbound Seminar in Tampa. I pictured a dry conference about paperwork and our responsibilities as Ambassadors of Goodwill. I envisaged scholars who, while intelligent and motivated, would be somewhat socially awkward. I was wrong on all accounts!

The conference, while obviously touching upon our many responsibilities as scholars, was actually unbelievably inspiring. Hearing one of the Rotarians talk about his experience witnessing shacks in the Bahamas converted into homes with running water and functioning septic tanks captivated me. I was thrilled to hear him express that our community service should always center around the receivers' needs, not that givers' desires. At another session I was reminded that each year Rotary Districts around the world choose to invest their precious resources into funding these scholarship - a trade-off from other similarly worthwhile initiatives such as additional polio vaccinations or new literacy programs. The Foundation pours millions of dollars into its local youth programs because it believes that the return on its investment will be worthwhile. I now recognize that I will never be able to re-pay the Foundation for the opportunity it afforded me and therefore the only means of showing my deep gratitude is by maximizing my time abroad and my relationships with Rotarians and fellow scholars.


At the same time, I also made assumptions about the people I would meet at the conference. I imagined them to be very "squarish," as we say in Hebrew, and socially awkward. Instead I was blown away by the calibre of these individuals and our collective group. Our scholars included a young woman who began college at 15, a guy working for a lobby group promoting reproductive right, a multi-linguist, a poet, and so much more. These people were dynamic, motivated, interesting and FUN. We actually went out until 3 a.m. on Saturday night and still managed to have smiles on our faces the next morning after only 3 hours of sleep. I pre-judged this group but thankfully I was totally off the mark. Undoubtedly they will be doing incredible work next year in places like Tanzania, Spain, Argentina, India and yes, England. This is my small way of apologizing to them for my assumptions.

Simultaneously, I should be thankful for this "mistake" of mine as it reminded me that when I head abroad - and represent the Rotary Foundation, my country, the chapter and myself - I need to leave my assumptions behind. I must embrace this experience with a clear head and an open heart so as to not miss any opportunities along the way. I am thankful for the reminder fellow scholars!

Say Bye-Bye

This past week has been a roller coaster as I prepare to leave Israel and say good-bye to friends and loved ones. My A-type personality created a to-do list a kilometer long with daily reminders built into my calendar. I ran around closing my bank account, selling furniture, shipping belongings to both London and Minneapolis and soaking in Israel as much as possible before I cease to call it home. I know in due time I will feel excitement about my next adventure in London, but right now all I feel is sadness for the chapter in my life that is coming to an end. I have been here to two years, built a life beyond what I ever imagined and was reminded on a daily basis why I love this country, which is so at the core of my being. And I recognize that by embarking on one path, I ostensibly miss out on another. I will miss my niece's second birthday this upcoming October. I will miss relaxing shabbat dinners with my family and hectic Friday morning trips to the shuk for the upcoming week's fruits and vegetables. I will miss humid Tel Aviv days spent at the beach and crisp nights in Jerusalem's hills. Hopefully within this disconsolateness, I will find comfort in knowing that Israel will be home once again... someday.

Rotary Scholarship

I have known for quite some time that I would want to pursue my graduate degree at an international institution. While I found my American education to be of high caliber and think that GW provided me with unique growth opportunities, my perspective would be very skewed if I continued in the field of international relations but limited myself to experiences and information filtered through the US, its media and institutions. Americans, while representing the gamete of beliefs and ideologies, are still deeply influenced by their "American-ness". That is preciously why I decided to study abroad in Cuba my junior year, which never fails to amaze/shock/horrify others when I tell them. It was one of the most interesting experiences of my life because for so long I had only learned about the American-Cuban conflict from one perspective. I left Havana with a deeper belief in the need for questioning ideas and events and not settling for information at face value.

I was attracted to the London School of Economics specifically because of its reputation as an international institution- resting in the heart of London and representing students from every corner of the earth; I knew my perspectives and belief system would be challenged there, potentially to the points of discomfort at times. I am eager to begin my graduate degree in Development Studies this upcoming fall and be back in an academic setting, studying, debating ideas and in my case, pulling all-nighters writing papers, which has been known to happen on several occasions at GW.

I feel equally as fortunate that I will be pursuing my degree with the support of the Rotary Foundation through its Ambassadorial Scholarship. Rotary International was founded in 1905 to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. I love the organization's motto, "They profit most who serve best". The obvious takeaway from it is how much we ourselves benefit from serving others. However it is the second part that caught my attention- it isn't about serving "the most" or "the longest" but about serving "the best"- meaning serving effectively and in a manner that meets the recipient of this service at his/her needs. This lesson was one which I deeply learned this year while working in Israel and Australia to help entrepreneurs bring the Teach For America model to their country. I had to remind myself at various junctures that my role is about meeting them at their needs and helping them effectively adapt the program to the realities of the local context. The Rotary Foundation too enables its member to provide service in a strategic and streamlined way so that they can best meet the needs of the local communities they serve. I have been so impressed with the work of the Rotary Foundation and the commitment of its members thus far. I hope to spend quality time this summer getting to know the members of my sponsoring chapter, Hopkins District 5950. In the fall I will meet my fellow scholars at the Rotary LINK weekend in Leicester, England.

For more information on Rotary, please visit http://www.rotary.org/en/AboutUs/TheRotaryFoundation/Pages/ridefault.aspx.

And I am back...

Goal for 2009- beat 2008 average of a post every four months. I can do it, I can do it!

Although I promised my pessimistic reader that I would keep up my blogging, I failed miserably. Partly because as I said in my first blog post, I am conflicted about writing a blog...don't get me wrong, I love reading about other people's lives and ideas (check out the new addition on the right) it is just that opening up in a public forum is so counter to my nature. I know, I should really jump on the bandwagon since there is no privacy in this modern day but it is not natural to me... yet. Secondly, the last few months (ok, year!) have been so busy that even when I wanted to write, I couldn't muster the energy or had a laundry list of things that took priority. For those that missed out- I concluded my role in Israel, spent three months in Australia helping Teach For Australia launch, began a new role in Teach For All, had mini adventures in New Zealand, Greece, Italy, and of course Israel. So yes, things have been a bit busy.

However, I am newly inspired to blog. Mainly because my next big adventure is coming up.... I will be at the London School of Economics pursuing my Master's in Development Studies this fall. I received a scholarship that really represents my ideals and values (more on that in the next blog) and all the other scholars seem to be blogging to keep the foundation and their local chapter updated on their expeirence so I am joining that trend. Stay tuned!