It Rains... and then it pours

Yes! I'm back.. Had been on a break of sorts from blogging and most of the other online activities that I'd been so engrossed with during the fellowship, but I'm most certainly back.

What's with the subject of the blog, you ask? Well, in case you've missed out on my photographs and the videos that I've been uploading, it's been raining in Karachi. And not just rain. LOTs of rain.

I've often wondered who is responsible (or as is the trend now, be held 'accountable') for the mess that the financial capital of Pakistan gets into, once a few drops of rain hit the roads. Don't get me wrong - I am actually quite a big fan of the City Nazim (Mayor) Mustafa Kamal, and I am personally thrilled each time I drive down an underpass or see how quickly an overhead bridge is coming up - but come on... in the absence of diversions and detours, is there someone responsible for my rundown car, or the fact that I couldn't get online or make calls from my cellphone, missing an important editorial deadline because the electricity failed and cell reception was HORRIBLE.

It's the same story pretty much everytime. Each time it drizzles, Karachi comes to a sad standstill because authorities (and whoever they might be) claim that they weren't prepared for the situation. Ummm.. We've been having monsoon rains this time of the year, for decades! This year, the excuses for not being able to manage the traffic or not being ready for the severe downpour, just sound lame.

Nobody Said It Was Easy: Started as Fellows, Left as Friends

And so the 2 months have come to a close. 8 weeks. 60 days. 1440 hours and many minutes of meeting people, representing our opinions, thoughts, beliefs, institutions, policies, strategies, ideas and the rest of what we carry in our bags. Nobody said it would be easy, however nobody said exactly how difficult it would be either. In a sense, no matter what anyone would have said to describe the Fellowship experience, could not have even begun to do justice to what the 24 of us have gone through.

Is it beneficial? Yes! Was it helpful to our careers? Yes! Was it something that helped us to learn and something that each of us can hope to implement in our own lives and organizations? Yes! Gunvor Kronman has called a board meeting in her company at 9am Monday morning. I have called a staff meeting at 9am on Friday morning (3 hours after I land back home!) I'm sure many others have done similar execution amongst their own groups. So yes - this group of 24 fellows has not only learned, but is exploding to implement. I mean - you really needed to be there in the room when all of us came together - obviously everyone was bursting with ideas, but then we were all speaking the same language - the language of progress and advancement; the language of change and unity. I guess all of us feel the celebration of sharing ideas comparable to a soda bottle that pops open after you shake it. Pop. It's out there. Yes. The fellows have arrived back into the world as we know it, armed with ideas, a solid network and the courage to change the world as we know it.

Whether it is Koby in Israel or Fatin in Saudi Arabia; Kai in China or Yoichi in Japan; Farith in Malaysia or Christian in Romania - Supinya in Thailand or Gregory back in Russia, they will make sure that there are changes. Marcelo will continue to make waves in the Popularisation of Science and Technology in Brazil and David will continue to lead us towards the reunion in Kenya (hopefully he will still be willing to drive us around..)

Olga in the Czech Republic is perhaps the greatest tribute that visually describes the character of this group - we're strong and we are focused. You can talk about whatever you want, Olga will only talk to you about the Czech and the Prague and her dream of building Central Europe's first Entrepreneurship University, and we will only talk to you about fresh ideas that bring people together. Shirlene has certainly already helped to paint all of us with a magical airbrush that brings us to agree that Entrepreneurship IS tough and that we're ALL creative to some extent and will continue to do so all the way from Singapore.

Rafael is another wonderful description of this group - When we saw how versatile and multi-talented Dr Bundoc was after watching him make paperclips disappear before our very eyes, I realized how appropriate Rafael's talent was - we are all magicians in addition to the roles we play by day. Kash can make you laugh at jokes lacking a punchline; Roberto can bring down the house with the infamous Bomba song; Bulent can give you the inside scoop on Hollywood actresses plastiqueness and other sizzling gossip that only doctors in his profession have access to (and of course, lead the Macerena like nobody else); Wafa can sing a song and make you cry (only because it is sad!); Emine can pull people off the sidelines and make them dance. Rizwana can out talk pretty much everyone else who tries to tell her their opinion and then make them believe it was their idea to begin with!

Susie can light up the room with her smile (and I only think that is humanly possible not only because she is such a beautiful person, but also because she is really really really tall!); Ratish can pull the group together and pull a vote out of a bag quicker than anyone else I have seen; and Caroline Casey can organize a party that makes financial and emotional sense to everyone in less than 2 minutes and then make sure each and everyone is a part of the effort (and then push people on the ice and stand back and coax them back up; and then order coffee mochiatolattecaramalatte only because there is no way I can pronounce that!)

And then there's me. I get to watch and learn from all of my friends. I have the almost-impossible role of documenting each memory that is created and make sure we don't forget how far we have come. Of course, nobody said it was easy. There was obviously no way they could have known what the amazingly fluid and potent chemistry of this group was. They call it the Eisenhower Fellowship, but being part of this specific group was a privilege. We met back in May as Fellows. We left each other early this morning as Friends.

More later. What?! There's MORE?! Of course there is. Definitely. The 2-month program has ended, but the real challenges of the Fellowship have just begun and I will continue to write about what all of us continue to strive to achieve.

Nobody said it was easy.

Opinions of Media in the US: Weapons of Mass Distraction

There. I said it. That’s what I think the media is pretty much all about. I am surprised, along with so many people, at this simple, very obvious fact – the media is more of a distraction than a way to communicate with people.

Rightly expressed by my co-fellow, Wafa (Palestine), “When the tragedy at Virginia tech took place, there was still more news about Anna Nicole Smith’s baby and controversies being covered more than tragedy itself. And of course, why isn’t anyone really addressing the question as to why guns are being allowed on campus, or why it is so easy to buy guns. While it might be an issue that one political party or the other may wish to hold national debates on, if the media would just inform the public on the issues involved from both sides, that might just be one less issue that the candidates will be debating on.

Presently if you ask the average joe on the road as to why guns haven’t been banned, he will give you one of two replies: either that he doesn’t know or the casual response that every citizen has the right to protect himself. Beyond that, nothing.

Believe it or not, America is engaged in war. Not in its own land but it definitely has a large number of American soldiers on its behalf. How much of the news actually covers the war? Except for the casual news update, do viewers in the US really even know what is going on there? Wafa was absolutely right in pointing out very early on that though the US is in the middle of such a huge war, you don’t get the same feeling through the news and media.

While I write this down, my mailbox is flooded with news reports and people writing to me about the violence happening in Pakistan. Though most of the unbelievable acts are happening in Islamabad, hundreds of miles away from my home in Karachi, I find the front page of the BBC and CNN international, along with countless other news sources, having the worst bits highlighted. Yes. I fear the security of my home and my family and it is ironic that the same media sources don’t spend as much time to push the raging battles in Iraq on the same front pages.

I read the news reports about Pakistan and I want to run back home and be with my family. Do the newsrooms really care to emit such panic amongst the people of the US by regularly reporting about the war in Iraq?

The Boston Globe: reporting the circle of life in the US

So this morning when we were told that we’d be going to the Boston Globe and then interacting with a group of Ethnic Media, the group of a few of the fellows had a list of tough questions to ask. And if anyone thought that we’d just sit and listen into what the groups had to say, they were obviously going to encounter a different group.

Over the course of the fellowship, the change in so many of us has been visible. Whereas the first week of the fellowship was meant to be a lot more of “watch and learn” by the time we reached the half way point of the program we had shed our shells, and grown up – We wanted to learn, be challenged and also to raise challenges and impress our experiences and observations with our meetings.

The Boston Globe meeting, I would have to say, was interesting at best. You have to understand that the fellowship brings together people from foreign countries with diverse backgrounds and that gives us the opportunity to engage in dialogue to find out how we can bring greater benefit to our people who are in the US and those that are back home. And that always gives cause to the discussion of diversity to take center stage.

While the fact that the Boston Globe, like so many other newspapers, had decreased its circulation because of the competition that the internet was giving to them, I was shocked to know that over time, they had closed down their offices in foreign countries. What?! No foreign correspondence!? So where do they get their news and how diverse can a daily be that wishes to play its role as the responsible news delivery mechanism for its readers, wishing to provide both sides of a story?

While the Editor of the Boston Globe, Martin Baron, mentioned the phrase, “we are a diverse community in this country and in this State”, I have to question how that diversity is represented and ultimately, expressed through the paper. I questioned. I wasn’t convinced.

Except for the news items that are being picked up from let’s say Reuters, there doesn’t seem to be too much else going on. In fact, the copy of the Globe that Mandira ran to pick up, had one page dedicated to World News, of which 20% of the space would have been taken up by ads. I just found that sad.

I look at the amount of reporting that the US corporate media groups do on the world, and then am just not surprised that the average American is so shocked when he comes across one of us “diverse people”. I’m not saying that you should give up publishing content about America – of course not. But there are other ethnic groups out there. They are part of the American society that many of these publications report about, yet, they are not included as part of their stories.

Regardless, I’d like to thank Martin Baron, Editor of the Boston Globe for his time in arranging to meet with the Eisenhower Fellows.

Morning in Peoria

It’s 728am and I couldn’t resist not sitting and writing outside on the wooden porch. There is no amount of imagery that Hollywood could produce that would allow you to experience the serene calm tranquility that surrounds the home. We are surrounded by farmland on all four sides. The front of the home overlooks the cornfield that the family will plants during the last two weeks of April and continues on into the first 2 weeks of May.

The wind blows so strongly it shakes the house and you can hear it creak with the pressure that is exerted on its foundations. The skies above me are hazy and it looks like there is going to be rain at some point, but the clouds are just not heavy enough at the moment.

I can hear life all around me. Birds, the occasional barking of a dog and the rustling of the trees. I take out my MP3 recorder, plug in some headphones and make my way down the trodden path that leas to the home. I love the strong impact that the breaking of twigs and crunching of gravel makes beneath my feet as I walk, and I record these sounds. I walk around to one of the bushes to the left side of the home and see the various flowers that are coming up and focus on the bleeding heart. What an absolutely glorious flower. I see the embers of the bonfire we had the night before along with the sticks we used to barbeque our food and the marshmallows.

There are young trees that the family has been planting but it will take a few months or even years before they are old enough to stand up strong.

My 24 hours at the farm seem to have stood up to the test of the short days that we all experience. I didn’t need a wristwatch to tell me what the time was or how many minutes had passed by.

We are so stuck in the routines of our fast lives and busy contributing and being philanthropists for the material things, we tend to forget how wonderful and giving Mother Nature is. You come this close to her and you realize how little we do to take care of her.

The Ginger-Evans Farm in Peoria: Landing as guests, leaving as family

When I first heard that I would be spending two days at a farm about 4 hours outside of Chicago, I have to admit, I was confused. Coming to the US on an Eisenhower Fellowship means that you have to leave your work schedule to do fun stuff? Could this be possible? But I did have a hunch that being on a farm would mean being cut off from the world, spending time learning about people who may or may not be able to make any impact on my life of thinking.

Boy was I wrong.

Supinya and Saroth (Thailand) and I arrived in Peoria after a surprisingly quick 40-minute flight. Suzanne Ginger came running our way to greet us, we managed to crack a few jokes and within the first minute, I knew I was really going to get along with her. Isn’t that strange?

So after loading the Thai Fellows’ bags into the great big truck that they had brought along (I chose to travel with just a knapsack because I was going fly back to Chicago where the rest of my luggage was still sitting unlike these guys, who were flying on to Boston), Michael, Suzanne and the three of us took off towards their farm.

Though all the discussions we had were memorable, one discussion stands out I my mind. Suzanne and I were talking about schools and the role they played in the lives of children. We both agreed on the need for a formal learning process and also the fact that parents had increased their dependency on schools to take care of children whilst decreasing their role in the lives of children. Here’s something interesting that Suzanne said – “most children are not given any responsibilities for contributing towards the family or the community, therefore their appreciation of the same doesn’t grow over a long period of time. Its like they grown in isolation from the community that most are expected to come back to. And then we’re surprised that the children feel that they cannot ‘fit in’.”

I completely agree. As with all other things, responsibilities need to be nurtured over a long period of time. How can you expect a school to mould the character of your child, and only begin to really get to know him when he graduates from being a child into an adult? And how can you expect children to have a relationship with their land if they don’t grow up with a strong link to it? I keep thinking of a simple point like this, and the massive brain drain that Pakistan experienced, suddenly makes sense.

I need to point out here that I am a product of the school system in Pakistan, and have been in one institution or the other pretty much all my life. Suzanne and Mike made the conscious decision to homeschool their two children. And it didn’t take me long to be convinced that Xavier (14) and Quinn (11) would turn out to be strong, confident and better young men than most of the products of today’s educational system. Driven, confident, courteous and most important, well behaved and have tremendous experiences to draw from.

The family leads a simple life, much to the kind I am accustomed to. There is no certainly no glamour in living out in the middle of nowhere, but it does give you a chance to listen into your surroundings and give you the peace and quiet to figure out what is most important in life. The fast life of the urban city tends to blur our opinions and beliefs.

Yes, the home still hauls water from the town to run in their home; and true that there can be an inconsistent flow of electricity; there aren’t any bright lights or fast cars zooming by and unless they get out into the city, the only people they will probably interact with will be either their own family or neighbors who are at a distance. But the serenity does allow you to think and get perspective, something that can’t always be done at the speed of light.

2 days on the farm, and I feel sincerely revitalized. According to Suzanne, we were guests as we entered her home through the front door, and soon became part of the friend&family group to sit in the kitchen and graduate through to the backdoor. I have to say I was amazed at how quickly and smoothly the transition took place.

I wish the family the very best and hope that I will be able to meet with them again.

The Pigeon that Crossed the Road

If you were to ask me what I loved most about the environment around me here in the United States of America, you are bound to hear a rather odd comment back from me. I have spent the past few weeks of my fellowship here in the various states, walking around. I think that is the best way to learn the most about the environment around you and I’m really glad I did that. And here’s the weird bit I learned:

Pigeons and birds are so comfortable walking around people.

I am one of those people who will be happy to take a detour if I see a small animal infront of me who I think might be frightened of me, so these birds really intrigue me. They fly down to the ground and just stay here. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen birds walk around as much as I have seen them walking here in the past few weeks. I found it particularly funny when a pigeon was trying to cross the road at the same time I did.

You have to understand that the only memory I have of pigeons is in London, where I was trying to get the pigeon to eat out of the palm of my hand, quite unsuccessfully because irritating small boys and girls were running around in aimless circles scaring them birds off. Even at that time, I remember thinking now why the heck they would want to do that!

Pigeons and birds, by nature, are very sensitive creatures and the fact that they are learning to cope with boisterous human behavior is indeed a fascinating marvel of nature.

As Mary Poppins would say, “Feed the birds!” We certainly benefit in having more birds on the ground waking around us than up in the air dropping in on us unannounced!

Heeled Shoes in the Garbage: Amy Butterwoth, homeless

I am currently sitting in a streetside café called ‘The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf” (coffeebean.com) on Main Market Street, typing this up on this Sunday afternoon and often sit back to watch the faces of the people passing me by.

Even on a Sunday, people are always on their way to somewhere. Going somewhere and more often than not, always in a hurry. No wonder they don’t have time to walk through the lanes and smaller streets to see the pain and misery that their fellow citizens are going through.

But perhaps one incident here that I will be sure not to forget was the woman who walked close to where I was sitting, to go through the garbage can. Blond hair and quite trendy to look at, she casually walked over, reached into the enclosed can and pulled out two plastic bottles of water. She looked up, saw that I was looking at her actions, smiled and reached in and whipped out a pair of black, heeled shoes. Heeled shoes in the garbage belonging to a café?

As crazy I am, I smiled and walked over to ask this woman if she would like to have a cup of coffee or something to eat. I couldn’t understand much of what she said but it was interesting to watch her gulp down her coffee. “It’s cold here, honey, and I’s ‘ppreciate the cawfee.”

Amy is 38 years old and has been living on the streets of San Francisco for 3 years. “I used ta live closeby to here and got thrown out of my home by my family. I gets around to where I need to when I have to but it is good that people throw away what they do in the garbage – it keeps me getting by.”

Was Amy scared at the prospect of living on the street? “At first, but not now. I don’t owe nothing to nobody and nobody has to depends on me for nothing. Its simple.”

Simple. How funny. Does one have to be evicted, disconnected from all things we know to be normal before we can find simplicity in our lives? Have we become so good at complicating our lives?

As we got into a conversation, we both stopped talking to see another man, probably around the same age, stopping to look through the same garbage can I saw Amy at. She said, “Thanks fer the cawfee. I gots ta take off now.” And I saw her running off down into some street off Market Street.

I must have spent 4 maybe 5 minutes with Amy. I doubt she will even remember me but despite the fact that I know I will remember her, I also know that there are thousands of people like her out there, and I realize the sad truth that there is nothing I or anyone else will remember to do to make her life better. I don’t think they will change things until people like her become important enough to contribute to the booming global economy.

The homeless and the ignored

Not having traveled to the United States, or anywhere else for that matter, for a period longer than a few days, I was shocked when I find myself shocked at the state of people living on the street is.

A few months ago, I watched the Will Smith movie, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ and was reminded of the harsh truth of homeless shelters, and then like most people around the world, huddled under the comfort of my blanket and forgot about it. I walked past a homeless shelter a few hours ago here in San Francisco and stood at the sidewalk across on the street to watch what happened.

There was a line of about 150 people that extended down the block. I felt ashamed looking at the line because it reminded me of the line that I had stood in while waiting to enter the David Letterman show while I was in New York. When I walked looked around the block to figure out where this shelter was, I was shocked at how closely situated it was to the Hilton and Hotel Nikko, where I was staying. Such close proximity yet such a great void between them.

So I took a walk around the block and saw what I would have seen on the average, random street in India or Pakistan. People huddling together to keep warm, asleep on the side of the sidewalks, people ruffling through garbage in search for anything that might help them to survive through the day. No family units or friends looking out for one another – every man, woman and child for himself.

I am continued to be in awe of how the most powerful and richest country on the planet, will not exert the wisdom to cure issues of poverty and education in its own backyard. I am not a politically inclined individual so I see things in a more simplistic manner and maybe that just makes me stupid, but for a country that boasts about reviving the quality of life in a country hundreds of thousands of miles away, it’s a wonder they don’t have a more concrete plan to take care of their own people.

It’s like when the Government of Pakistan increases its Defense budget, the people protest because we would rather that the government use the money on raising the quality of life, rather than spend it on safeguarding our borders. People aren’t the eminent threat to neighboring countries – policies and diplomacy (or lack there of) are.

If I talk about how troubled I get to see the US from the perspective of the grassroot level in the various cities with people, they are quick to tell me that I don’t know what I am talking about because I am just getting a superficial look at the situation. I’ve spent several weeks here and I would imagine that my expertise as a writer does enable me to be quite observant and open to these experiences

You can smell the poverty and misery through the air as you walk down certain alleys and streets. And those streets are the ones that don’t have the Body Shop scents aerating the environment. In country’s such as mine, the slums are in pockets around the city, but you wouldn’t walk through those unintentionally. The lower economy I passed through today was something I stumbled through. It is a place that has fit itself into the make up of the community. One block away from the tourist destinations. So close, yet so far.

Chasing Cars with Meredith Grey in Seattle!

I am a HUGE fan of the Grey’s Anatomy series. So huge a fan I am, that I downloaded all the episodes when my local television network wouldn’t show the more recent ones, and then went out and bought each of the series on DVD and watch and watched them again. I love the execution of the entire show and the manner in which each of the actors has created such a powerful show. And yes, I know all the soundtracks. Okay – let’s cut back to my life for a minute

One of the reasons I was so excited to go to Seattle was because at the beginning and end of each episode of GA, they show an overview of the main city. So I was thrilled to be able to be living in a hotel so close to McDreamy’s Ferry Boats.

And so my last day, after my meetings ended, I grabbed my camera and took a walk down to the fisherman’s wharf aka Seattle’s port. And as I made my way upto the observatory landing, as always, I had my radio plugged into one ear. By the way, I do love radio here in the US, but more on that later.

So randomly clicking stations, I climbed up the stairs and watched one of those ferryboats. I broke out into a huge smile because I really felt like I was on top of the world. And then it happened…

Chasing Cars, the song by Snow Patrol that became a number one hit around the universe because of the attention it got through the last episode of season 2, came on the radio!! My mind stopped working and there was a flutter in my heart that could have been mistaken for a palpation. There I was, a happy camper having spent 2.5 days in Seattle, Washington, standing at the pier watching ferryboats I had seen on television, and the icing on the cake was this wonderfully moving soundtrack.

Was this too perfect? Did it mean something? Was big brother watching closely enough to time the song on a random radio station? And while it would have been unbelievable to meet with the cast or the creator of the show, I couldn’t have been more content. With all these random pieces falling in place, I was happy enough.

Unwinding at the Grand Canyon

The Fellowship that started a little more than one month ago has a purpose – to experience and have the ability to come together with your co-fellows and share those experiences. So it was natural for all of us to look forward to the half way point of the fellowship experience to be able to come together and share.

My co-fellows are wonderful people who have literally worked their hearts out into making the most of every minute of every day during the past 4 weeks of their stay in the United States. They have pushed their limits and personalities to the hilt; demanded more of their individual Program Officers than any other generation of fellows; and have managed to meet more people and attend more receptions than ever before.

I think the group of 24 of us represents a unique combination of people and talents. As Rafael Bundoc from the Philippines smiles and says, “there are people who are quiet, those of us who enjoy parties and those who don’t, those who are here with the ambition to change the world and others who are here with the intention of learning what they can manage to fit into these 10 weeks – we have a very well balanced group.” And a well-balanced group indeed.

However it is amazing how closely-knit the group is when it wants to unwind and share its energy with one another. It would be unfair to say that the group enjoys a party despite the fact that they can rock the pebbles out of the Canyon, but it’s something more than that.

It’s about being together and drawing from one another. It’s about talking through the successes and resolving the frustrations of meetings that work or don’t. it’s about addressing issues from different perspectives and angles. But yes – it is largely about being together, which is why each member of the group was just so eager to assume a role in making this trip such a blasted success.

Thankfully, what happens amongst the Eisenhower Fellows, shall remain amongst the Fellows, and I am certainly not at liberty to divulge the details, but I can tell you this much about the character of each of my co-fellows – these people are amazing and are made up of some of the most fantastic energy that brings all the exciting karma into this world. They are an unbelievably inclusive group of some outstanding individuals that know how to share and how to give back. Regardless of race, ethnicity, background or creed, these guys are off to take on the world and stitch it back together… bit by bit (of course with a bit of that technical support provided by me) –

Rejuvenated, revived and recharged, the fellows take off today to different states and locations to continue on with their journey of the Fellowship.

More details from them as I hear from each one, later on!

The Grand Canyon Comes to Life

The Grand Canyon was beautiful, breathtaking, benevolent, sacred and a collection of about a million other adjectives that I could use to describe its beauty. It’s as if God took a brush and painted one of the most beautiful and intense canvases that can neither be captured in any camera or any post card. You can’t help but put your faith back in the Supreme Being who created something so precious and beautiful. Untouched and untarnished by the vulgar habit of humans to commercialize every inch of mother earth.

As I ran/walked the morning of our second day with Caroline Casey, and took a walk with Tiffany O’Neal over a path on the afternoon of our third day there, that’s all I could think about. Time has come to stand still in the aging rocks of the Grand Canyon. I wonder what atrocities the underbrush has witnessed. I wonder how much history has been archived in the walls of the Canyon. What stories the Hopi Indian tribes may have shared there or the pain and joy that John Wesley Powell, the one-armed explorer who braved the rivers and valleys of the great canyon and made the basis for much of the documentation that is followed even now.

Despite the fact that there was such immense beauty all around us, it did seem a bit surprising that there was such limited connectivity for cell phone reception or internet out there. The hotel that we were staying at, provided the equivalent of a slowspeed, dial up connection that worked only when it was fed two dollar bills for a duration of 8 minutes. Sharlene, Roberto and Bulent were all those who suffered from money-gone-no-service syndrome when the browser refused to spit out ay data after receiving what it referred to as the “generous contribution” from each of them.

Here’s a piece of advise of people who consider the internet to be part of their lifelines into the real world – take a satellite phone with you or invest in some kind of communication peripherals that will allow you to have two-way communication. Even those little walkie-talkies would do.

Bye bye Keila!

After spending almost 5 weeks with Keila Knoebel, wife of Dr Marcelo Knoebel, I wave a tearful goodbye to her as she makes her way back home to be with her son and family. I got a chance to get to know Keila my first day in Philadelphia when Marcel, Keila and I made our way to St Peters school to interact with the kids there. First days are always tough and we managed to survive through the day by talking about things, trying to get to know each other. The next day, the three of us had a wonderful lunch and I learned the most wonderful things about this very special couple.

Things like Keila made a pitstop to the post office each day to send something out to her son - and how Keila would insist on going back to the same restaurant and ordering the same things because she had liked it so much the first time around..

Bug eyed as I was, I thought the 2-months of the fellowship would last forever. And yet today, at the Phoenix airport as I just hugged Keila, I found myself surprised at how quickly this time had passed by.

Keila? You are a wonderful person and have such a gentle soul inside of you. I wish you all the very best and pray that success finds you and your family wherever you are.

Oi!

If you hear the words SP at the Airport, be Scared! Be Very Scared! – says SP Roberto

Advancing economies continue to surprise me with the speed at which they do things. Fast cars, fast lives, fast food… fast, quick and short. Short-cuts. Phrases like “ ‘Sup?” or “yea” or just plain abbreviations. Most of these abbreviations don’t make sense to me. So I completely empathized with my co-fellow, Roberto Guerrero, told us a story involving the SP abbreviation, you can imagine our astonishment. Care to lend an ear? Here goes –

So Roberto and his wife, Andrea, walk into the La Guardia airport on their way to some destination on their program. Well dressed as he always is, Roberto gets looked up and down and pulled from his long line of people and he comments, “I was just so excited because I thought I was being treated so well because of my great sense of dress.” However, people who travel frequently should have all kinds of alarms going off in their heads by this time.

Of course, an SP is a Special Passenger who is plucked out of a long line of ordinary people and thrown into a complete and utterly humiliating experience.

The SP is based on a formula of random selection, whereby an individual is pulled out of line to be searched, poked, prodded and completely helpless and to the security process at the hands of the airport security. “They yell out ‘WE HAVE TWO SPs” and someone comes and guides you into an area where they essentially tell you to undress, go through your clothes, bags and spray and test everything at random.”

Isn’t it enough to take off our shoes, whip out our laptops, take off our coats and belts and other colorful accessories to put through the Xray machines, to be exposed to such a threat of being openly humiliated? I mean, there should be some difference in the way people traveling on a commercial airliner and the way an epidemic would be treated, shouldn’t there?

I automatically hold out my passport during all the scrutiny and checks that I pass through and then remain ready to be pulled out of line when the guard inevitably scream “NO ALARM, FEMALE ASSISTANCE REQUIRED!” as I pass through a silent screening machine. I can hide my passport but I can’t hide the color of my skin or shape of my face and go through the treatment every time.

There really has to be a better way to travel in the West. Seriously. The 3-ounce liquid rule and the number of times you have to undress, take off your shoes and empty your bags, only to forget to take out the loose change from your pocket and then be pulled out of the line once again.

I love the freedom to travel but treating people like this, just doesn’t seem like a great plan. It just doesn’t.

I’ve been NABbed! A superficial look at NAB 2007

And so here I was, flying on my own to Las Vegas. Please understand that I am a HUGE CSI Las Vegas fan. I mean – like a mega mega fan. I’ve watched every episode there was, and then watched them again and then some more. The thing is, each episode of CSI begins with an overshot of the Las Vegas strip, and if you don’t pay too much attention to the fact that the CSI series is all about gory killings and murders, they actually make Las Vegas look like a great place. And then of course, there are those crazy stories you’ll hear from people who will tell you how wild and fun the casinos are…

To see the irony it is to have me, as in Rabia Garib, travel to Las Vegas, the casino capital of the world, you have to only see me once. The fact that the National Association of Broadcasters organizes the world’s largest electronics show there, was purely a coincidence. Believe me! Even my program officer, Jan, was relieved that I wouldn’t gamble my life down the tubes there when we met for the first time. I mean, look at me!

The conference was unbelievable. The conference had everything I could possibly dream of, and then some more. They had about 8 different, concurrent sessions that had everything to do with the integration of traditional media with new media. So whether it was television, radio or print, they had experts from around the US who flew in to teach you the cutting edge trends in expanding the horizons a little bit more. And these workshops and seminars catered to large audiences but addressed the nitty gritty of everything. We were introduced to the workings of either different software, animation or just techniques that made it all worthwhile. I was enrolled in an intense Pod Casting Summit, for example, where we discussed not only how to create Pod Casts but also how to effectively market them and promote them. Heck, these are the inside secrets nobody in the business ever tells you!

I’m not a programmer and am quite hopeless at exerting patience to understand what tags and lines of code mean, but I learned how to create and read an RSS Feed. So according to David Lawrence, since I attended his sessions, I can successfully be called an RSS Wrangler. Wow! I’m a Wrangler! Ha ha!

The organization was superb; the setup was out of this world, it was a self-check in system where you plugged in your confirmation number on one of maybe 30 terminals and boom, you get your registration cards, badges and the works. But shocked the pants off me was the number of publications that are produced and made available to everyone who visits NAB. I know I freaked out and picked up about 18 different magazines that appealed to me. Sure this was stupid and all considering the fact that on average, a magazine weighs about a couple of pounds and then to have 18!! But personally, its all worth it. The halls that had the actual exhibition in, opened on Monday and took the breath out of me. Hundreds upon hundreds of companies who were there to showcase their products and services and network and get to know their customers.

Studios and production facilities were storming the place just to find the right equipment, do their demos and start getting into business.

A phenomenal experience!

Random House and Sterling Publishers – Calling the best writers in Pakistan!

I’m never going to forget Thursday April 12, 2007. This was my first experience running from the post office on 55th and 3rd in New York with Ratish, getting late for my meeting, running 8 blocks down to Broadway. Did I mention it was raining? I should have. Was this the freezing wind chill that I had read about and heard on the news?

Anyways, so here I am, running to my meeting, my trousers absolutely drenched and my black Ann Klein jacket that doubles up like a raincoat, covering my head. I have a fantastic meeting at Random House. I love books. Did I mention that? I should have because I do. The best way to describe what I felt when I walked through the massive revolving doors of the Random House lobby, was perhaps was Alice felt when she walked through the mirror… or perhaps what Neo felt when he chose the blue pill over the red one – It was my portal to a world I have dreamed about for all my life.

I met with the Publisher-at-large and I wanted to give her a huge hug. That was before she handed me her compact umbrella to help me get some shelter from the downpour outside. By the time I got done with Sterling Books, I had an such an overwhelming feeling was of so much excitement, I wanted to run up to the top of some building and shout at the top of my lungs. What was the meeting all about? I should have perhaps mentioned a bit of that too, shouldn’t I? So here’s a bit of background –

You know that famous, used-to-death analogy of whether the glass is half full of half empty? When it comes to Pakistan, my default instinct is to think of the glass as half full. That’s what I feel and that’s the part of the glass that I do my work in. Welcome to my world. So when I requested to meet with Random House and Sterling Books, I was thinking maybe I could do something to push our many young and talented writers. Did I mention that earlier? There are! A large and growing exuberant young writers club. No – not club. A young writers community. Yes. That’s more like it.

Oh yes – did I explain that English language books written by local authors have few or no avenues to get out of. Hmmm… Here’s the funny part :- In a day and age when we are trying to get out thoughts and voices out, how can we expect to communicate with the majority of the world, if we don’t speak their language? While native languages are so essential for the preservation and understanding of culture and identity, creation of publications, documents and books are extremely important to let the outside world, they who do not speak your native tongue, understand who you are. And so here’s my reason for being so ecstatic –

Random House and Sterling Publishers are both willing and in fact, looking forward to receiving manuscripts and ideas from writers from across Pakistan! Did you hear that? Isn’t that reason enough for me to leap, skip, hop and dance around? I am going to be a literary agent working with them. Should the extraordinary woman at Random House be surprised when I said this feels like a dream come true? Hmmm… Didn’t I say that already? I just think that repetition makes the dream a reality.

Okay – so here’s something that I am going to request everyone reading this blog entry help me do – Pass the word around to your friends, uncles, cousins, friends of friends and other pen-thrift men and women… If they write and write well enough, I’d like them to get in touch with me through email at: rgarib@gmail.com and I’ll walk them through the screening process for both publishing houses. Also pass the word around that this is a HUGE deal.. Be sure and mention that part.

Now run off… stop reading this blog and run off and pass the word around!

Wafa: Continuing to Make Waves!

Wafa, Wafa? Where art thou, Wafa? When one of the strongest, most influential and moving voices is no where to be found, it does cause your ears to ring a bit funny - (Though yes, that could be from the bitter cold weather in the New York!)

So I just heard from Wafa and was really excited to post her message up here..

Our co-fellow Wafa finds herself in a warm, sunny San Francisco, preparing to depart for Long Beach on Friday. Unlike the rain and wind chill that has frozen most of New York to the sidewalks, a smiling sun welcomes Wafa onto Long Beach on Sunday. But what I find so amazing about Wafa's message is this next part: "Yesterday I was in Santa Cruz, where I had two interviews, one for a documentary film on violence against women, and the second was for the community TV and radio of Santa Cruz.

"Today, I was at link TV and KPOO Radio where I was also interviewed to talk about media situation in Palestine, another guest was from Ethiopia."

I am thrilled at the fact that Wafa is finding channels and outlets to have her voice and opinions heard. If it is vital enough for us to learn about the American Culture, it is just as critical for American audiences to learn about each of our lives.. After all, isn't that what the greatest part of this fellowship is supposed to be?

Well done, Wafa!! Well done!

Museum of Television and Radio - Keeping the Tube Alive

I've been intrigued about a number of things about New York since the time I landed here. Sure I wanted to see all the sights that the average visitor wanted to see, but the Museum of Television and Radio rated somewhere at the top of the list. Television and radio intrigue me. I find the medium so unbelievably powerful, and the fact that I work alongside some producers, channels and artists back in Pakistan, makes me feel like if I can understand it, I can make a solid contribution through it.

So I saw MTR on the map of New York that my hotel gave me - no big deal. The fact that I had an appointment there - big deal! So what is the MTR all about?

They have more than 140,000 programs and advertisements, covering more than eighty-five years of television and radio history. So you won't find artifacts and ornaments - You will find programming. These guys collect, digitize and archive programming content. And it's a fairly unbelievable collection covering all genres: comedy, drama, news, public affairs, performing arts, children’s, sports, reality, animation, and documentary, and includes a significant international presence, with seven thousand assets from seventy countries. Searchable and accessible. Browse through the library, select your programs, move to the cubicle areas and start viewing your personalized programs. Spend as many hours as you want there.

I wanted to watch Reverend Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech that he gave in Washington at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial - I read that speech back in school and I was able to finally see it (will dedicate another blog to that since THAT story is just so long).

Unfortunately, MTR doesn't carry any Pakistani content. No drama and none of our great television programs. However, speaking with Richard Weigle, who is a Producer and Archivist and who was also giving me the tour of the museum, I will hopefully get in touch with one of the curators and make that change happen. Some of our biggest and best names need to be made available to the public audiences in the United States. That's the first step in any cultural exchange and understanding that will happen between our countries.

The Kara Film Festival that takes place each year in Karachi in December? That needs to be linked up to an institution like this. There is so much going on in the television industry in Pakistan that simply must link with MTR -

I've often wondered why Pakistan's government won't see that the ony way we will be able to show the world who we truly are, is if we don't begin to use the media to project ourselves. We already have a culture and a history. It just needs to find itself out of the history books to give people a better understanding of who we really are.

Below is a photograph of Amy Douthett, Manager Public Relations and Jennifer, from the Media Center at MTR. Amy? Thanks for all your help and ideas. I look forward to keeping in touch with you!

Me on Voice of America

Hahaha! Too funny! And so here I was, all set to have my 2-cent tour of the Voice of America studios simply because they make up one of the largest network of radio and television content producers in the world.

I meet with the Urdu/Hindi producers and program managers and Faiz talks to me about what we will be talking about on air. For some odd reason, I was under the impression that I would be interviewed for radio until we walked through the television studio. Yes. This was a teevee interview segment for the Urdu broadcast, aired last night through Pakistan's Geo Television.

A very interesting experience. Here's the link for those of you who want to either see it or read the summary online:

http://www.voanews.com/urdu/TV/2007-04-10-voa1.cfm

Oh - meet the urdu/hindi team -

Gunvor and Henrik in New York

Gunvor has landed! They got to NYC a few hours ago and also at the UN Plaza with the rest of us. What was the first thing Gunvor did when she reached the city? Rushed to the MoMart - "I've always wanted to see it. Actually it was something of a disappointment - not as impressive as I had imagined. But this often happens with things you have very high expectations of." True Gunvor - So for all you folks who want to visit the Momart, perhaps lower expectations for greater result?

Gunvor and Henrik join us in New York from Washington DC. How were their last days in the capital? "Yesterday we had a wonderful day back in DC. We went to the Great Falls with friends and had a 10 mile long walk. Cold - yes - but fantastic scenery and so many birds! We slept very well after this hiking experince and it was nice to get out of the city."

I have to say that Gunvor's experience in the US is opening her up to all kinds of exercise - First experience on the treadmill in the DoubleTree gym at the Double Tree? Excellent!

Headline: Stubborn Women on Ice

I'm grateful for each day that I am here. I am so grateful for a wonderful family, great friends and extraordinary opportunities. I am eternally thankful for being with people who are passionate about what the change they want to bring about in their communities to learn and be continually inspired by each of their struggles and lives. I am so thankful for finally having had the chance to experience my first snowfall. Yes. Most definately thankful for so much. What I thought I would never be grateful for would be for sore feet and a bruised fanny (is that even a word is this day and age!!?) - Here's the scoop on that -

As we made out way down to the Central Park, Casey and I got started chatting on a number of things up until the time we both found ourselves infront of a white mirage: the Trump Ice Rink. One would imagine you need a sense of adventure and a great deal of body cushion (both of which I have in large quantities) to follow Casey down her mad craving for adventure on the Ice. Could I just let her make fun of me and not follow her?! Under normal circumstances when I wouldn't be suffering from Brainfreeze in New York's cold spring weather, I'm sure I could handle all the poking possible, but since the part of my brain that would normally make the critical practical decision of "no - can't do therefore shouldn't do" wasn't functioning, I did. Yes. I lept.

I've never been on the ice. Never. I thought about it may times, but you have to remember that I live in Karachi, Pakistan where the closest you'll get to weather like this is if you decided to sit in the freezer. So yes, you guessed it - I was down in the first 5 minutes of my first steps in the rink. But Casey was determined. Funny how her determination found itself in the soles of my feet and I actually made my way around the rink hanging onto Casey's hand and relying on her to guide me through.

Round one. No fall. Round two. Boom! Forward momentum, Forward momentum and boom. "The trick is to keep your feet just slightly apart and make sure you lean forward" says Casey. I could have sworn that I was in the shooting of a film about dedication and overcoming the most severe challenge on earth, and though I wasn't ready to give up, I had Casey to hang onto. And so we went onto finish Round 2 with only one fall and then laughs and says, "Okay - You're doing great. Now I'm going to let go of you and you're going to get around this on your own" -

And so with Casey on my side, I take off.. Round 3. As much as I would like to imagine this to be the most courageous thing I have ever done, it was really nothing that heroic. And I fell.... more than once. But it was strange - This Casey woman, who I met just 2 weeks ago and actually only spoke to yesterday on the train, was there to help me up everytime. With her words of encouragement, and mastering the ability to brake, I did it. I went around with Casey determined not to pull me up.

Now that I sit and think back to the hour that I was there at the rink, I feel full of life and more adventure, happy that I tried something I otherwise never thought I would do. But that hour was quite a bit more than just a ice skating adventure. It was an hour where I was able to remind myself about something so important: there is more than just simple humanity all around us. We developed wonderful friends who give us the push (or in this case, the shove) needed to experience something and expand life as you know it. And most importantly, no matter how many times you fall, there will always be a hand to help you up and give you that subtle guidance until you get back on your feet.

Casey? Thank you!

Ratish's Quarters

Just a quick note to convince the power of blog to Indian Fellow, Ratish - If you notice reallllly carefully, you'll see that the quarters that jingle in your pocket are from across all 50 states. Our friend Ratish, is on his way to collecting them from as many states as possible. If you have quarters, please run their origin states by him so we can help him achieve his goal of having one of each.

Maybe we can have him sponsor discounts and cashback prizes once he achieves his goal!

Subway trains XYZ, GOFO GSAT HOBO and PQRST (FEE FI FO FUM!)

What better way to experience New York than just to go ahead and jump into the system. Not walk. Definitely not tip toe. Jump. I am careful not to use the word “leap” since that is usually directional and Casey and my jump into the system was not necessarily in any specific direction.

To be quite honest, we were going in no particular direction, to no particular destination with no specific route in mind. I would imagine if our route was that flexible, we could never actually get lost. Huh!

So first things first – Buy yourself a metro card for $10 rather than going in for a single ride – if you’re going to spend a few days in New York and don’t want to get run over by mad cab drivers, it’s probably a good idea to stick to the underground. Well.. kind of a good idea. Okay – it’s an idea, and here’s why – If you don’t spend a few minutes trying to read the metro map, you will only use, re-use and keep using the card until you run out of a few dollars before you actually SIT on the subway. Yes. We say this from experience. *giggles

The hotel usually provides you with a street and subway map (or you can always ask V at the UN Plaza hotel – He’ll whip one up for you..) The subway information booths can usually part with a metro map which is even more complicated than the street map, but could help. Please do take the time to notice the look on the information providers face before you grab the map and run. It makes Britney Spears look like a hyperactive toy (wait.. isn't she that anyway!?)

Okay – Now here’s how we get around in the underground world and I’m not making this up – There are ‘123 lines’ which are red; blue ACE lines; Yellow NRQW lines, Green 456 trains, Mustard BDFV trains; Brown JMV lines, the magenta 7 train and the lonely S or L train. I have no clue what these numbers or letters stand for, but you can imagine the fright Casey and I had whilst trying to deal with impaired sight and mental retardation whilst trying to figure out what the damn routes were. I can safely say that we were today’s Short and Tall crew for the underground – If you see two people whipping out maps and stopping at every corner (up and down several blocks at a time), on the news, you’ll know that to be us.

We chose what was supposed to be the most complicated way to travel from 42nd street and Avenue of the Americas, down to the trendy and chique Greenwich Village. And the route was just so darn confusing, we got there without realizing that we had reached! How’s that for knowing where we were?!

For your information, UN Plaza and the Bronx is UPTOWN which is where I got further confused and made us use our metro cards twice over. I think this one exploratory trip into the underground of New York probably cost us about 6 dollars since it costs about 2 quid a trip.

But we made it back home, despite the fact that Casey flew here and I panted on four legs right behind her. You can tell she is the taller one from the both of us. ☺

New York is only New York in certain streets and you haven’t landed in New York until you block someone’s speed travel on the street and have them yell back at you. 5th Avenue upwards is life on the edge – you stand too close to the edge of that sidewalk and you shall be whisked away.

More from Shorty later on!

Ode to Abe

– April 1, 2007
I decided to take a walk down to the Lincoln Memorial yesterday. Took the 23rd street down all the way until I came to the place where, you guessed it, Reese Witherspoon stood and questioned Abe Lincoln about justice and opportunity. Regardless of what anyone says, the memorial is a complex monument that stands for so many things.

I sat down for a while and watched people passing me by, running up and down the stairs, taking photographs of one another to capture the moment in the lens of their cameras - the fact that they were on the foot of a monument that encapsulates the rights, virtues and values of life better than most people will ever know.

Don’t take me wrong – I’m not a history buff. I don’t remember when the memorial was built and I don’t even know why President Abraham Lincoln has a memorial attributed to him. What I do know is this (though feel free to correct me if I am wrong) –

Abraham Lincoln, as unpopular as he was before he actually assumed his presidency, is a testament to freedom, democracy, equality and gives people like me a bit of hope. I climbed up the stairs and for some odd reason, I couldn’t turn my back on the statue, despite the fact that I wanted to turn around and take a photograph of the The Mall and the Washington Monument. I had to maneuver myself around the sitting public and got a side shot of the view I wanted. In fact, the small, almost insignificant sign that said, ‘quiet – please respect’ didn’t do too much to get the people to quiet down either, which just led me to question whether the people who were there really understood the significance of the Lincoln Memorial.

It’s not about race, religion or creed – it’s a statue for god’s sakes. But hello? It’s about something more than that.

It’s funny how honest Abe draws out more emotion in me than the museums I went through (and don’t take me wrong because I loved those museums!! That’s why I went through all of them!!)

People like me who come from lands so far away, often are in awe of how great the history of western countries are – something that the present circumstance doesn’t necessarily reflect. Wait a second - am I reading too much into symbolism and significance and the historical reference?

And so my running route was mapped and I went back the next evening, armed with my Ipod Nano, listening to Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ About a Revolution”, running next to the Arlington Cemetary, thinking about how people from different backgrounds and ethnicities help to make the world a better place… or do they…

Hello Caroline? Am I there?

The joke could be no bigger and the irony could be no less obvious. But before I go onto write about the queer title, here's a bit of background -

Rizwana and Caroline both had very busy schedules today, yet needed a bit of technical assistance in buying some computer paraphranelia. Because I had a free morning, I offered to run out to Radio Shack before my 2pm meeting, and get their stuff for them. I went to Radio Shack on 18th street (take the Metro to Farragut West, exit Metro and take a right) and drooled some at the site of the gadget Mecca.. It's always amazing how many treasures these little stores have packed into them.. Anyways, getting back to the story -

I make my evening rounds and give Rizwana the one-two guide on using her stuff and take Caroline's webcam upto her room to install it for her and make sure its working.... After a fun chat with her on how heavy the work burden on our little shoulders are, I walked back to my room and I thought my evening would end there.

I consider myself a careful person.. I carry a huge napsack everywhere because I keep all kinds of cables and accessories with me - who knows what curve balls situations can throw at you. But when I sat down to write a thought-provoking blog about a photograph I snapped with my phone-camera during my run to the Arlington Cemetary today, I couldn't find my phone. Please understand that my work is dependent on people who live in my phone. So I went through my suitcase, opened the safe, went back to the kitchen, ruffled up my bed, looked under the table, went through my napsack (again) until I realized that I should just call myself from the room phone. Simple enough? I think not!

The hotel hadn't activated my call facilities and so I called the front desk and requested them to give my phone a call.. And that's when, yes you guessed it, Caroline answered the phone and told them where she had found the darn thing sitting in her room..

Moral of the story here? No matter how great the distance between Ireland and Pakistan, I won't be able to talk to Caroline if I leave my phone in her room. Huh...

Bulent "Upsizes" Eisenhower Fellows!

When I met with Bulent during the orientation week in Philadelphia with Emine at the breakfast brunch, I didn't quite know what to make of him. A doctor from Turkey who knows something about technology? (Yes - the story on that is this discussion and revelation was happening when Emine was still trying to convince Bulent that she really really NEEDS a new Mac!) - And so we did what most fellows did during the first week - we talked, ate and tried to act like we were really upset at the concierge who would not bring the cheque over the instant we were done.

When I heard that the good Turkish doctor is focusing on Obseity in the US during his fellowship, I thought this guy was just really cool!! (Even cooler than the famous Simrik song!!)

I don't know if the other fellows know it yet, but Bulent is going to bring all of us on the right track - Make a project out of us. How? Get ready to share your height, weight and other stats with the Doctor who is going to help us make an assessment on how American food has an impact on us. Will we be transformed into big bowls of melted cheese or just simple pieces of eggplant and carrots swirling in the great American Cultural Salad Bowl?

Ummm... Bulent? I'm exempt from this exercise simply because I'll grab all the before-after shots... :-) Besides.. I was the one out on a run towards the Lincoln Memorial today when you and Caroline called about dinner plans... the timing of your call could not have been more appropriate!

Studying Obesity in the US - Finding contacts a 'big' problem? ;-)

The Kenya Project

Okay - so we're just starting up this Fellowship session and to show you how organized we are, there is already the proposal of having a reunion in Kenya. David? So you're the man in-charge for the project (as Donald Trump would say, the Project Manager for the Kenya Reunion) - We're talking about September? We're talking?

Yes Mandira - we're probably going to plan campfires, and according to Caroline, we could strongly consider having tents to sleep in (Though I have to admit, Caroline - If we place each tent in the middle of two trees, then we can repackage and sell the image of a 'Double Tree Inn' kind of effect... what say you?)

All of you are welcome to post your wishlist for David to look over.. My wishlist for the meet is to please have Wifi Connectivity - Ummm... Need to document our activities regularly through blogs.. :-)

The American Competitiveness Initiative, Rising Above the Gathering Storm and other stories from the House

Thanks to the wise decision (yes! It was a conscious choice!) Aaron Sorkin’s West Wing, I know what the State of the Union now means. After meeting with the House Committee on Science and Technology, I heard a few phrases that seemed to raise my curiosity.

The American Competitive Initiative covers all bills and programs that help the US be more competent in the increased competition that America and is facing from skilled workforce from the East. The ACI proposed doubling the budgets of the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology laboratory programs, and then Department of Energy’s Office of Science over the course of 10 years. We are obviously talking of several billion dollars.

It’s no secret that countries like China and India (and soon hopefully Pakistan!) give the American system of Education a run for its money when it comes to technical studies. ‘Rising above the Gathering Storm’ was a report published in 2005 by the National Academy of Sciences recommending increased investment in research and education. It was on the basis of the recommendations of this report that the then chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology hosted a day-long innovation summit at the Department of Commerce that brought together more than 50 chief executives and university presidents to discuss the Nation’s economic challenges with top Administrative officials, including secretaries of Education, Energy, Commerce and Labor.

Rise Above the Gathering Storm.. Sounds like the House plays a somewhat reactive role in policy formulation rather than being more aggressively proactive. The ‘storm’ has already gathered.

Bills can take anywhere from 1 to a few years to make it down to the approval/disapproval process, which seems strange to begin with. But then, working with Government regardless of country, is pretty consistent. The only difference I can make out in this case would be the fact that since most things are virtual, the paperwork has lesser chances of being misplaced. But it is all about the money. Most departments/agencies get readjusted budgets give or take a few million. The nature of working at the federal level just seems to be to stand out so you don’t get lost in the multitude of paperwork that has to come in.

Just wanted to make a note for Marcelo (Brazil) here – Last year, the committee worked with a research regime to help promote the development of nanotechnology, which was estimated by the National Science Foundation to become a $1 trillion industry within a decade. Recognizing the huge economic potential of Nanotechnology, the committee has authored something known as the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (2003) which authorized increased funding and established a coordinated interagency program to carry out nanotechnology research.

Fatin, Farith, Piesecki and the small world

You know the theory of six degrees of separation? It is said, that there chances are extremely high that you will establish some link with every 6th person you come across. Sure I believed it to some extent. When I'm in Pakistan. it's not surprising to know that someone you know, knows someone else, who knows someone else who knows you. But when that happens half way around the world, it tends to open your mind to a whole new level.

Here I was sitting on the train from Philadelphia to Radnor with Rafael (Philippines) and Fatin (Saudi Arabia) when we got talking about our backgrounds. Only namesake fellows until the time when you sit down and share a cup of Dunkin Donuts Ice Coffee on a train, I mentioned that I had lived in Saudi Arabia and promptly began to describe a dear friend of mine I had grown up with. Not wishing to invade her privacy, but suffice to say that this woman (this friend of mine) is perhaps the only Saudi Woman to have been sent to Oxford to complete her PhD. I said this much, when Fatin broke into a smile and yelled out her name. "You know her!!?? I know her too!!!" and there. The link had been established. A few moments later, it turned out that Fatin had regularly interacted with two cousins of mine, and I thought I would have a heart attack. Could the world really be that small? The answer to that question obviously doesn't end there...

The first evening I was there at the Doubletree Hotel in Philadelphia, I met with Farith (Malaysia) - Turned out I had interviewed Mr Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim a year earlier on his brief trip to Karachi - Mr Ibrahim was the ex-deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia until the problems in Malaysia broke out. Farith's father worked with Mr Ibrahim. Perhaps not as direct a link as with Fatin, but we had SOMEONE in common.

But the incident that almost pulled the floor from under my two pretty feet, was this one - At the Trustees Dinner, last week in Philadelphia, there would have been about a hundred people filling up that room. I met with people from all over, and then decided to turn around to meet a very dignified woman. Without paying attention to her name, I shook her outstretched hand and introduced myself. When she introduced herself, I focused on her name tag and asked her if she knew of a Nicole Piaeseki. "Why yes! She is my daughter!" I couldn't help but laugh and then said, "I don't believe this..." I had interviewed Ms Nicole Piaeseki during the MAP Conference in Karachi, Pakistan as the VP Marketing of Boeing, as a leader and one of the team of people who helped to turn Boeing around.. I had met with her, chatted with her and caught her interview on tape and made it a part of my Image Building video. Do you see the reason I am so excited?

The moral of this brief bloggy (a blog-story) is simple: there is someone out there who knows you... or has a link to you. I disagree with Thomas Friedman's title "The World is Flat" - I believe that the world is just tight, small and deep. The deeper you dig and explore, the more links and commonalities you find.

More later!

Wealth, Equality, Outsourcing and the $240,000 a minute!

For people who think the US doesn’t have people living in the lower socio-economic barrier, need to look around again. When Fatin Bundagji (Saudi Arabia) popped the question about the spread of the wealth across the spectrum of people, my ears perked up.

Andrew Cassel, Economics Columnist at the Philadelphia Enquirer responds to this by saying, and this is in summary so I hope I’m not putting too many words in the horse’s mouth –

“though that may be a problem, if you look at the how much the average American Citizen consumes today as compared to what they used to, that number has also grown considerably.”

What I still don’t understand is that though the amount and dollar value of consumption is on the rise, the cost of living has definitely gone up and the value of the dollar doesn’t purchase what it used to. Yet, seeing that there are policies that are specifically targeted towards the upper and wealthier classes, it would just seem that the gap between the upper and lower classes seems to be widening, and there is just no closing up that gap. Sure, I’m not an economist and my understanding of policies and government is limited, but this would be something I’d be interested in learning a lot more about, because there is a similar problem faced by Pakistan. There might not be a solution but a better understanding of the problem will only help us to work towards a solution.

After hearing Joe and Andrew, it seems to be that though there are things wrong with the American economy, there are more positive things happening than the negative which usually translates to more movement forward than stagnancy. Everyone has money – some departments have more than others. But what continues to amaze me is if there is so much money available to everyone, why isn’t all this surplus money put into the education or healthcare systems. If there is really so much money there, can the US Government not find better use for it?

Hopefully not boasting, but I did pick up a hint of it, was this statement: “The war in Iraq costs the taxpayers 240,000$ a minute.” $240,000 a minute!?!?! Good lord! I can’t help but think that if more people knew this figure, they might have another reason to stay out of the war zone. But I am nobody to pass a judgment on the people of the US. I happen to like quite a number of them. I just wish more of the “average American” voice would be heard.

The Lighthouse Team launches itself on EF!

I am writing this up while Bob is still talking about the EF trip not being a simple boondoggle, but in the intrest of competition, here's the Lighthouse Team's presence on the internet! Sheesh! Are we taking this competition spirit too far?! :-)

Regardless, The Lighthouse team is comprised of the following EF MNP's: Farith Ritauddeen, Gunvor Kronman, Ola Girstlova, Heinrik and me (Rabia Garib) - Photographs to follow as soon as Bob looks the other way!

The Cultural Salad Bowl

Morning of March 27th was very interesting. We got a chance to get a general overview of the origin and challenges of defining an American Culture by Dr Gary Weaver, Professor, School of International Service, American University, Washington DC. In my opinion, I found the overview to be an excellent, very generalized account of why American Culture is the way it is today. I think Dr Weaver gave the Fellows a wonderful opening to discuss amongst themselves, what Culture was all about and what it meant to us. And because it is so important to engage in that discourse, here's my view and account of what I feel culture means to me and how I think diverse cultures are seeping through physical boundaries.

I feel culture is a way of life. It's how we celebrate our lives and our environment. We celebrate life and and opportunity with music, culture and the arts, which give way to policies and topics for discussion and education. And then platforms such as Eisenhower Fellowships provide the platform for healthy discourse.

Technology factors into the spread of culture and ideas in such a big way, it is amazing. But perhaps because it is so new and most people think that they don’t understand the technology therefore don’t have a right to pass an assessment on the success or failure of it. We perhaps don’t criticize or even give the media enough credit for breaking all sorts of boundaries. Think back to the television ad where Coca Cola picked up on this cultural osmosis – Hritik Roshan travels into this remote village in India and has a group of children give him a welcome reception. They apparently don’t speak hindi and have never watched television, yet they end up singing a song which Mr Roshan sang in his debut film. The impact of the ad was wonderful but it said something so critical about culture being embedded into different societies even where there is no media intervention.

I often sit in public places in Karachi and look around me and I am amazed to find the diversity in the cultures around me. It leads me to think that the younger generation is more ‘westernized’ and less traditional than the older. The rich class seems to practice a culture that is more customized to their taste than the poor. Because we were ruled by the British for so many years, does this mean that all of our cultural elements originate from the British? Beyond explaining why we have so many high teas, I don’t think that explains too much else.

If music and the arts play such a vital role in our cultural societies, then why are the arts looked down upon in countries like Pakistan? What role does religion play in promoting or restricting culture? What role does the media and new media play? And if the world is indeed flat and shallow (or peaked and diverse according to Dorrie Friend) will all of us eventually be practicing a global more international culture?

Dr Weaver talked about the fact that America is not the melting pot, rather a salad bowl of different, distinct cultures. How large is this salad bowl becoming and how has the study of history, religion and origin of things play into this discussion? And the more important question, Dr Weaver? What kind of salad are we?!

Dorrie Friend on Sunday March 25, 2007

When the Eisenhower Fellowships handed me a sheet of paper with a brief about Dr Theodore Friend, here's what they used to descibe him: Teacher, Historian and Novelist. In my opinion, they missed out a couple of descriptive terms: How about, 'the most interesting and insightful person you will ever meet'? I think that pretty much does the job.

One of the reasons I really looked forward to coming onto the fellowship was to be able to meet people. People who had opinions and beliefs and an objective view of pretty much any topic relating to any part of the world. That's exactly what I got. Dorrie is a former President of the Eisenhower Fellowships and former President of Swarthmore College. His books, Between Two Empires: The Ordeal of the Philippines and The Blue-Eyed Enemy: Japan Against the West in Java and Luzon have been master works - He has been a Fullbright Scholar, Rockerfeller Foundation Fellow at International Relations, amongst other honorariums. His interest in the South Asian region was the reason the four of us were meeting over lunch on Sunday afternoon.

Fatin (Saudi Arabia), Rafael (Philippines) and myself ventured over to the suburban train station. Of course this entry would be incomplete if I didn't tell you that this trip was great fun because of the accutely organized navigational skills of Rafael. In fact, I don't think I have ever come across anyone so organized! With his mental compass and pre-purchased tickets, Rafael led us towards Radnor Chester Road in Villanova.

The train experience itself was fun and gave room for some reflection on the issue of public transport in places like Karachi. I don't think I have actually ever travelled on a train so this was a fun first. But my limited experience about the efficiency of the train system or even the public transport system, has been impressive. How does a train ensure its arrival to a station at a time like 142pm and still be exactly on time? Huh!

Regardless, Dr Friend took us around to show us his home (photographs up on the picasaweb.google.com/rgarib in the DORRIE FRIEND Album) and we talked about our perceptions and views the entire time. Everything from current events to past experiences, leaders and history of our countries. Each time the conversation touched upon the subject of Foreign Policy, Dr Friend had an interesting observation to make. The fact that Dorrie sits on a Foreign Policy ThinkTank and has so much experience in various regions, only helps him to draw conclusions based on insights and a wealth of experiences he depends on.

Of course, our discussions varied from country to country in the South Asian region and was, quite aptly, situated at a Chinese restaurant.

Please write to me if you have specific questions about the conversation since we spoke for almost 3 hours (over some of the best Eidelweiss I have ever tasted!), but the conversation made me think of a lot of issues at hand. I'd like to share one important lesson that was highlighted through the conversation - The whole world is a huge puzzle. It has links. In fact, most countries share a similar progression at different times, depending on what period in history they are at present. This should make the lay person think that countries have the benefit of learning from mistakes that other countries may have made earlier by studying their pasts and drawing similarities, strengths and linking them with weaknesses from their own. However few countries seem to look at the big picture when making a political or economic decision and often, repeating mistakes which could have been avoided. It's amazing how much information is available and accessible, and even more astounding, how much of it is overlooked and ignored for one reason or the other.

Dorrie is working on an interesting book I know I will want to get a copy of when it comes out, focusing on Women in 5 different Islamic countries. It would also be interesting what his thoughts about meeting Fatin and me, once our meet had come to a close. We too, have the benefit of hindsight.

Philly, the mornings and the people

The fact that each of the Eisenhower Fellows have the unique opportunity of interacting with such diverse cultures and backgrounds, makes the experience a pretty amazing. From 24 different countries, I can't get over how similar each of us are and how much space we have to discuss the differences in our lives.

It's Sunday mornign as I write this update, but I think by this time, I have had a chance to meet almost all of the fellows. My first interactions were with Dr Marcelo Knobel and his wife, Keila. Marcelo, Keila and I spent time together at the St Peters School closeby to the EF House here. I admit I know nothing about Nanotechnology and even more minute details about Brazil, but I was impressed at how informative Marcelo was in giving his talk to the students of the school. The popularization of Science is something that I am also very interested so it was great that we had some time to talk about progress and challenges that we faced in each of our countries.

Olga Girstlova is the CEO of a family-owned IT company in the Czech Republic and we spent time chatting during our trip to the my coordinator Jan Campbell's home - Olga is interested in setting up an Entrepreurship University back in her home and is always on the look out for contacts. Her background in IT and interest in Entreprenuership gives me quite a bit to talk about with her, though Olga is very well travelled and has a wealth of information to share.

Gunvor from Finland, made for very interesting conversation last evening during dinner that probably had nothing to do with either of our fellowsips, but it was fascinating to find out about languages and cultures from her. Her husband, Henrik, is also a part of the group through the Spouse program, and shared details about his interest and involvement in the pharma industry. It was almost funny how we talked about our different backgrounds with respect to society and lifestyles - so different and yet there we were, having some of the most fabulous lasagna (courtesy the hospitality of the Campbells) I have ever sunk my pallette into. Oh - And I can't talk about language and culture, without introducing all of you to Emine. I first ran into Emine at the breakfast area when I saw someone waving in my direction and instantly felt comfortable. I think Emine speaks some 5 different languages and is the Policy Coordinator for Fundamental Human Rights and Citizenship at the Hague in the Netherlands. You'll all be thrilled to know that Emine has also recently joined as a Mac user, increasing my list of "cool people" by yet one more.

Ah yes, the photograph on this blog is of us having dinner at the Campbell's home last evening..

Having minimal involvement in IT and disabilities in Pakistan, I was keen on sharing my limited experience and some of the progress that we have been making at home, with Caroline Casey, who is the founding CO of the Aisling Foundation in Dublin, Ireland - Being a HUGE fan of irish music, I was thrilled to be able to talk to Caroline, and then when she expressed how surprised she was at the awareness levels in India and Pakistan about disabled in the workplace, I beamed all the way back to the hotel!

Yoichi Iwamoto and his wife, have to be two of the most gentle people I have come across - Yoichi is also a fellow journalist; the deputy editor of the International News Department at NIKKEI in Tokyo, and I really hope I get more of a chance to talk shop with him.

Gregory from Moscow, was someone I had the chance to interact with at Dan Geisler's office and I definately want to be able to sit and talk to him later on. Gregory runs a website that spreads the awareness about different religions, targeted to the people of Russia - the medium of the internet is definately going to play a more crucial role in spreading the holy word and making people better understand aspects of different religions.. Speaking of religions and tolerance, I briefly introduced myself to Fatin Bundagji from Saudi Arabia, and in the 2 minutes we spoke, we realized that she had lived in Karachi and spoke a bit of Urdu and I had lived in Jeddah so many years ago, where she continues to reside now.

Finding myself awake at 7am this morning (again!), it was a pleasant early morning to see Caroline and Fatin at the gym in the morning... I took a break to go back to my room where I watched Rocky Balboa run up the steps of the Philadelphia Library and then went downstairs again where Susie and I had breakfast this morning and ended up having a long discussion on technology's role in medicine. Her interest is in the area of HIV Aids and well... frankly speaking, I find everything pretty interesting! So yes, breakfast was great.

This leaves me with about 3 fellows who I am sure I will meet either during the day today or tomorrow. But Sunday, though a day of rest for a few of the fellows, is an excited day planned for myself, Fatin and Rafael where we take the train to meet with the ex-president of the EF and Swarthmore College, Theodore Friend. I really look forward to it.

My family keeps asking me if I am doing okay here. I keep reminding them that I am amongst seasoned travellers and friends.... and then they fear that I might not return back home.. :-)

More later!

Day 1

I made it to Philadelphia on the evening of March 22 to get some RnR before the first official day of my fellowship with the Eisenhower Fellowships. Not having the benefit of experience in travelling around the US, a lot of my worries were laid to rest after my initial meetings with my coordinator, Jan Campbell and the rest of the team at EF.

The first day already has me off to a raving start with an informal speaking engagement at the St Peters School, closeby to the EF House, with a Fellow colleague, Marcelo Knoebel and his wife, Keila. The Headmaster of the school, Mr Costello was a gracious host who spent a great deal of time taking us around the school premises and demonstrating the hard work that his students have put into their projects.

The tour of the school was a real experience. Atleast the schools that I've interacted with in Karachi, are just so differen than what I saw today - Between 11-12 students per class with an emphasis on the arts, great discipline, students of all ages interacted with Keila, Marcelo and me. The size of the classrooms and the layout of the rooms revolving around the central parlour on every level was an interesting way to pull out the kids from a class and still have space for activities in a central location. During our Cheese Pizza lunch, we got a chance to ask some of the students all sorts of questions and were asked a lot of questions right back.

Not that I have visited a lot of schools in the US (none, to be precise) but I was impressed that the students of St Peters studied French starting in the younger classes. Seeing "Pomme de Terre" scribbled on the blackboard brought back lots of memories from my own French language classes back in school.

After an extensive tour, we were ushered into the theater room where Marcelo and I made brief addresses to the students. While my presentation focused a bit on what I did and what my work was all about and more on life in Karachi itself, Marcelo's presentation talked more about NanoTechnology and his field of work.

The trip to the school allowed me to have an interesting insight into what a school can strive to be - Schools are supposed to make the process of education fun and I think for schools in Karachi who are looking for guidance and 'examples' of how this can be achieved, the St Peters school is definately one that they should be looking at. (www.stpetersonline.org)