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!