Arriving in India

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES FROM THE WELCOME PARTY

It all felt like my previous internationl flight (December 2003) to Ben Gurion International Airport outside of Jerusalem. Not having any real comprehension of what day it was, the first greeting I received from an Indian at the airport was, "Shabbat Shalom!" (Have a good Sabbath: a holiday that starts every Friday evening after sunset and continues through Saturday until sunset). He wasn't Jewish, but he noticed my kippah (Jewish Cap). I thought that was pretty neat.

The five minute taxi cab ride from Mumbai’s international airport to the apartment/hotel that we are living in was exhilarating. All the cars here are relatively smaller than American cars. With most of our luggage strapped to the top of the taxi, we swerved around pot holes and tight corners, and through intersection without traffic signals leading us towards our residents where we would be residing for the next 3 months.

Streets are rarely marked, and forget the idea of "road construction signs," because almost all the roads are "under construction." 10 centimeter drop offs, large sink holes, and large debris make for a very bumpy ride (no need for Disneyland here, just jump in an auto!). Did I mention there's no lines to divide traffic? Main roads have a main divide, but other than that, as long as you stay somewhat to the left hand side of the road, you'll be fine. (British colonization accounts for left-side-of-the-road driving and most of the architecture in the major cities of India).

India Journey BEGINS :-)

The first 5 hours in India have been sticky, exciting, with little cultural surprises here and there... crossing the street is pretty hard!

Also, my roomates name is Sultan (Suel-tan). He is a Muslim. It's a unique experience praying at the same time as him in the morning and evening. Will be hopefully contacting Chabad today for Shabbat.

Out of time at the internet-cafe... gotta run and explore Mumbai!


The 5 Americans beginning their journey in India 

Korea Airport

Quick stop at the South Korea Airport: Clean, high-tech, and spacious. Tried some AMAZING sushi and lots of complimentary extra tasty meso soup. Also, got to try some almound-cocnut wrapped in "honey string." Many people in the airport love hearing me play the violin, too.

Leaving in one hour for India. Have another long flight - playing violin on board should help pass the time.

PSYCHED about SIFE

Here is a brief outline of my Students In Free Enterprise Global Internship in Mumbai, India:

* 2-3 days each week I will be working with Mrs Shaila Naik, one of the leaders in entrepreneurship education in India. She has developing a curriculum for enterprise education for STD 5th & 6th. (grades 5 and 6). I will be part of a team trained to deliver these entrepreneurship training/activities to young students in various schools in Mumbai.
* The other days in the week, I will be serving as SIFE program coordinator working under the direction of the SIFE India Country Director. New SIFE Teams are being recruited and I will provide services similar to those being provided by the SIFE Program Directors in the USA, in terms of helping these Teams better understand SIFE, develop project ideas, prepare for competition, etc.
* I will be an active (sharing ideas, asking questions, deliberate points) participant in 4 cultural forums and 4 business forums. The cultural forums will be held at different SIFE institutions and focus on various aspects of the Indian and US culture, with additional emphasis on the Indian culture. The business forums will be held at various companies (or meeting facility) and will include business leader(s) from India. Each forum will address one of the SIFE pillars (ethics, market economics, etc) and a business exec will make the presentation. These presentations will be followed by open discussion.
* I will be matched with a business mentor during the first 2 weeks of my trip. I will schedule times and activities together, with my mentor, throughout my stay. Some of these activities could include: visiting his/her home, business, factories, etc. This mentorship will provide me a more personal opportunity to understand business in India through my interactions with this individual.
* I will participate in a few SIFE Team projects, 1 of which may be out of Mumbai. This will be an opportunity for me to observe the SIFE India Team(s) in action and to participate in the project delivery.
* I will also participate in various social activities and tourism activities, including a visit to Lonavala and Matheran parks as well as welcome and good-bye receptions.
* I will work in a Team with the 4 United States delegates traveling to India, as well as the other 47 interns (those going to Malaysia, and the Asians coming to the USA) to develop a Global Internship Handbook. The final product will be printed and distributed extensively around the world. This document will record my internship experiences and highlight myself and the other participants.
* I will be part of the organizing team and also lead a forum on this Internship during the SIFE World Cup in October (Toronto). This forum will include all the US interns as well as students from around the world attending the World Cup. The format and agenda for this forum will be partly decided by myself and the other interns.

I'M SO PSYCHED ABOUT SIFE! 8-D

Gateway to India

- Traveling abroad to a foreign land.
- Seeing sights I only imagined might exist past the horizon come into full view.
- Emersing myself in a place many only know as Outsource Land and Call Center Capitol.
- Discovering new foods, stomach aches, and exotic flavors.
- Proudly parading through the most pungently populated place on the planet.
- Traveling... to India.

Stay tuned for more updates from my journey.

Circle K Ranch

Two weeks ago, I flew into LAX on the Pacific Coast to begin a week long journey into further understanding my Jewish roots. Heritage Retreats is situatued amdist the southern California mountain range just North of the coast town Santa Barbara. Circle K Ranch was built CEO of the world's largest quick-serivce resturaunt organization and creator of the Big Mac: Ray Kroc. Around 3 decades ago, Circle K Ranch was sold to a New York Jew (who runs an organic soap and toothpast company). The land remains vacant for 80% of the year, and is the home to the winter session of Heritage Retreats.

Imagine, a dinning hall that once served the executives of one of the largest burger producers in the world is now operating as a Jewish retreat center with a kosher kitchen.

Before the week retreat began, I stayed with a host family in the Fairfax Jewish Community of Los Angeles. The Shabbat weekend was relaxing and a good time to rest before a week of restless activity. I was so exhausted coming into LA, that I slept through 3 Shalom Zarchars (a celebration that occurs about a week after a baby is born) that happened that Friday night.

Getting the Right Blueprint

A building has a blueprint. A class has a syllabus. A day has a schedule. A year has it's seasons. And a building has a blueprint. What design does our life follow? What makes the world go 'round, and where does it all begin?

Jewish sages say the Hebrew calendar has two distinct starting points. The most widely known origin of the Hebrew calendar occurs every year during the month of Tishre (August-September), during the High Holidays. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is a day to ask for forgiveness 10 days before we have a fresh start on Rosh Hashana (the Head of the Year). The new year is not only symbolic, but it is also the time when we finish one full cycle of reading the torah and roll the scrolls from Devarim (Deuteronomy) to Bereshit (Genisis) during the holiday of Simchas Torah (Happy Torah).

The second time that marks a starting point in our calendar is in the month of Nissan (March-April). The holiday of Pesach (Passover) is the time in which the Jewish people were liberated from Egyptian bondage, and our religion began as a nation of free people at Mount Sinai. Both Rosh Hashana and Pesach embody a new beginning in Judaism. So where does the New Year begin? At both. Rosh Hashana is when the world was "thought," and Pesach is when it was actually created.

Rosh Hashana is a time of reflection, analyization, and introspection. In a way, it can be seen as our blueprint. Meticulous in design, every last detail must be measured out. Can you imagine what would happen to a building if the architect's blueprint was off by even a few centimeters? Rosh Hashana is a time for us to work on our blueprint.

By Pesach, the year has begun, things are in motion, we have set foot on our journey through that year. If Rosh Hashana was the blueprint, Pesach is the result of that blueprint. When an architect is actually building a structure, and he hammers in a wooden frame a few centimeters off, so nu, no big deal. If we plan things out well, we then have some room to make mistakes - just as long as our design isn't flawed.

So. A New Beginning. My time in California over the past few weeks has given me new insight into designing my blueprint.