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Published: February 5th 2006
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Hi Everyone!
Brrrr....from the humid warmth (warm temperature-wise and hospitality-wise) of India to now in the cold streets of London. I'm writing from an internet cafe on the walk back to our London hotel. (By the way, Ryan booked our hotel here and he did an awesome job...it is a great location! We're very near Hyde Park, if that means anything to any of you.) We must be in an area of town that is predominately Middle Eastern because there are Arabic signs, newspapers and restaurants all over the place and Arabic letters are an option on the keyboard that I'm typing on (first time that I've ever seen that!). I'm on an instantaneous internet connection with a flat screen...it is sooo great!
I went to bed at 8:00 pm London time (1 pm Phoenix time and 2am-ish India time) last night. I was up at 4:00 am today after eight hours of sleep and I just couldn't sleep anymore. So, I called Nick from behind a couch with a towel wrapped around both my head and the phone to deaden the noise, and whispering (trying not to wake Deb and Maggie who were sleeping--I had already woken Deb once). It was nice to connect and catch up...so much has been happening in my time away...I can't wait to hear all about what's happening in your lives during my time away...I miss all of you and feel disconnected.
Today was nice. I have spent the day all alone and it has been a gift...after five weeks of Rotary meetings and schedules, wonderful host families and being with one or more of our team members almost all the time, it has been great to do what I want, when I want all by myself today. I about had a meltdown yesterday...and I feel badly about it. I sooo wanted to get my own room. (I'm the only one on our team who lives all alone...and I'm just not used to having people around non-stop all the time--for five weeks now. It is almost the end...we head home tomorrow...and somehow that made it worse rather than better. A room on my own was just too expensive--almost $200 per night--and I was pretty snarky...I just wanted my own space sooo badly! I apologized to the team for my snarky attitude...it certainly isn't anyone's fault...I'm just ready to be back in my house and have some space and time all to myself. This experience has been one of the most difficult of my life--more so than I thought--yet it has also been one-of the most rewarding...and I know there is more to come. I'd do it again in a heartbeat...despite homesickness, snarkiness, intestinal issues and illness! It is an incredible opportunity.)
So...let me tell you about today. I started out with a wonderful buffet breakfast with anything and everything Western I could ever want...from fresh fruits, to bran flakes, to wheat toast, to bacon and beef sausage, to eggs done any way that I wanted and on and on...yum! (Along with wonderful British tea, scones and such...I appreciated the selection of all things familiar so much more than I ever have before.) Then I actually bought a ticket on one of the big red double-decker tour buses. It goes all around London to all the sites and is a guided tour. I know, I know...it is cheesy! But I only had one day here and it was a great way to see a little of everything. You can get off at any stop that you like, stay as long as you like and then get back on and continue your tour. So, I saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parliment, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Trafalar Square...the whole works. I also rode British Airway's London Eye, which is a huge slow moving (heated!) ferris wheel that gives you a fabulous view of all of London in every direction. Then I saw an incredible Dali and Picasso exhibition. And, Debbie Beebee, just for you I wanted to make sure and mention that when the bus passed over London Bridge the tour guide actually mentioned the "London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA," which was a fun blast from home! Oh, and I also took a tour cruise on the Thames River as well...pretty much saw the same sights from a water-view.
I must say, London feels like home. It is funny that I have experienced culture shock in European countries in the past, but the difference is nothing compared to India. Here the toliets are familiar...and they even have toliet paper, soap and paper towels! And I recognize everything on the menu. The feeling is soothing even tho is isn't quite home. After being on my own today, I'm also present to how blessed we were to be with Rotarians everywhere we went in India. You know, we never had to think about what we should see, what to tip, bargaining for prices, etc. because they did all of it for us. Today, being all on my own, I'm even more in touch with what a gift it is to have experienced India while being in the care of people I could trust...and many of whom will now be life-long friends.
Speaking of that, I wanted to let you know about next year's Rotary Group Study exchange from Arizona. I just found out that the application deadline is in a couple of weeks...it is soon because the trip is in about six months, rather than a year from now. Like this year's (and every year's) exchange, four team members and a team leader will be selected to go. The Rotary Foundation pays for your airfare and Rotarians in the host country provide your meals and lodging. It is part of Rotary's efforts to promote international understanding and friendship. You are responsible for your gifts and such, along with any time the team adds to the trip (in our case, we added a couple of days to the start of the trip to see the Taj Mahal--which was out of our host district in India--and the days on the end in London). The requirements for team members are that you not be a member of Rotary (and that no member of your familiy is a member either), that you are between the ages of 25-40 and that you are in a profession that you will be in for years to come. There is an application and interview process to select the team. If you are interested, let me know and I'll connect you with the right folks and info. Oh, and this year's team is going to Denmark.
I've already been having some interesting post-trip insights and I know many more are to come. I plan to write some follow-up blogs here in the coming days and weeks, which you can either read or disregard. I also have an interesting book idea that is percolating right now...and may invite some of you to participate and/or contribute...I'm interested in the how American and Indian women define themselves, see their lives, what they dream about, wish for...how we're the same and different and how we can contribute to each other...I think there is an interesting book in all of that. So, more to come...and I'll see you all very soon...4:30 Arizona time tomorrow! Love and blessings.
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Debbie B.
non-member comment
Less than a day away
Hi Jodi and Team. You're are now less that a day away and probably won't even get this comment before you get back but wanted to add it anyway. It sounds like your trip was tough but such an opportunity for personal growth on so many fronts. You will never be the same again. Hope you enjoyed London and wish I could be at the airport but not a chance. I know you would rather see your loved ones anyway! Hope to see all of you in person very soon. Debbie Beebe