Last night, I attended the opening of the Fulbright Berlin Conference. Turns out, it was just an opening session of remarks and then an open buffet with food and drinks. Really phenomenal to see many old friends.
It was rather jam-packed, so I stood at a table with Nick and Bernhard. It was nice to see Bernhard again. Actually I always usually call him Dr. Streitwieser and say he's a "real Fulbright Scholar" (as opposed to "U.S. Student Fulbright Scholar"), but he tells me to just call him Bernhard. I have to say: without his help, I wouldn't have been able to complete my proposal for permission from the Berlin Senate.
I came home a bit earlier last night, since it was Ariel, Joan, and Galane's last night in Berlin. So I left as soon as the evening's events were over. Sadly, the girls' quick trip to Germany ended just as quickly as it started. I do sincerely hope they had as much fun hanging out with me as I did with them. We had some epic feasts.
This morning, I woke up rather early as they all headed to the airport before 6 AM. As far as I know, they made it safely. I was so tired, I went back to bed after they had all left. I made it to the hotel though in time for some breakfast and joined my fellow Fulbrighters for a panel about the future of transatlantic opportunities. It was quite fascinating, and clearly both of the politicians speaking had tremendous experience. 2 hours was a bit taxing for me though, especially when you just sit and listen (though I could've asked questions).
I'll admit: I pulled out my iPod Touch and read through a few old emails (no internet), and I came across one from the HIA Executive Director, Judy Goldstein, who sent a note to Senior Fellows earlier this week. She included a passage from Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, a rabbi with a PhD in religious studies from the University of Chicago, that I thought was just brilliant:
As I read those words during today's panel, I again realized what I've come to see in my own Fulbright experience: I'm not a hardcore academic/intellectual like many of the other Fulbrighters. In fact, nearly every one of them is more brilliant than me. But what I do know is this: my life is driven by action and purpose. I do not enjoy sitting around and just listening to speeches, etc. What gets me going is simply doing. As such, I feel somewhat out-of-place speaking on a panel about researching in Europe and America on Wednesday. But I am honored to have been asked nonetheless.
In fact, one of my fellow panelists, Jenn, and I planned to go to lunch in Kreuzberg at my favorite schwarma shop and talk over our panel plans. In the end, about 6 others joined us, so we had a nice little party in Kreuzberg for our 90 minute lunch break. Funny, we also saw a few other Fulbrighters there, though I didn't realize they were Fulbrighters until I saw them back at the hotel.
This afternoon, we headed to the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in the Tiergarten for a meet-and-greet session. Turned out to be unsuccessful for our group as our designated German counterparts did not show up. So I sat down with Nick and chatted instead. Apparently, my internet still worked from when I was there for a human rights conference in December, so I checked my email too. I am so addicted to internet.
We had our official opening ceremony in the evening, and we were joined by a number of guests, including current U.S. Ambassador to Germany Philip Murphy and former Ambassador John Kornblum, who was the keynote speaker. I enjoyed their speeches, and the Fulbright musicians who performed (either singing or playing instruments) were absolutely impressive.
Finally, about two hours later, we were able to eat dinner. We were all so hungry, and the place was packed. Nevertheless, we finally made it through and had some good food and beer before heading back to the hotel. I went straight home after that.
Tomorrow, we've got a meeting at the Berlin City Hall, followed by lunch in Prenzlauer Berg at some dumpling place. Joel said it's delicious, so we're planning to hit it up. Then during our afternoon free time, Nick and I are going to go play some basketball under the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz. Looking forward to it.
Tschau,
Sam
It was rather jam-packed, so I stood at a table with Nick and Bernhard. It was nice to see Bernhard again. Actually I always usually call him Dr. Streitwieser and say he's a "real Fulbright Scholar" (as opposed to "U.S. Student Fulbright Scholar"), but he tells me to just call him Bernhard. I have to say: without his help, I wouldn't have been able to complete my proposal for permission from the Berlin Senate.
I came home a bit earlier last night, since it was Ariel, Joan, and Galane's last night in Berlin. So I left as soon as the evening's events were over. Sadly, the girls' quick trip to Germany ended just as quickly as it started. I do sincerely hope they had as much fun hanging out with me as I did with them. We had some epic feasts.
This morning, I woke up rather early as they all headed to the airport before 6 AM. As far as I know, they made it safely. I was so tired, I went back to bed after they had all left. I made it to the hotel though in time for some breakfast and joined my fellow Fulbrighters for a panel about the future of transatlantic opportunities. It was quite fascinating, and clearly both of the politicians speaking had tremendous experience. 2 hours was a bit taxing for me though, especially when you just sit and listen (though I could've asked questions).
I'll admit: I pulled out my iPod Touch and read through a few old emails (no internet), and I came across one from the HIA Executive Director, Judy Goldstein, who sent a note to Senior Fellows earlier this week. She included a passage from Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, a rabbi with a PhD in religious studies from the University of Chicago, that I thought was just brilliant:
"Crazy as this world is, granted the gift of human choice, we are given the ability to impact our fate. Each of us can and should write ourselves into the story of our lives; we dare not sit on the sidelines...at this moment of global crisis [in light of recent tragedies in Japan], but really at every moment that seems to lack purpose, purpose is found not by asking questions with no answers, but by doing everything that is within our power, in this case, acts of audacious charity and compassion, to bring about meaning and humanity in this world."
[I added the part in brackets to explain the context of his quote].
As I read those words during today's panel, I again realized what I've come to see in my own Fulbright experience: I'm not a hardcore academic/intellectual like many of the other Fulbrighters. In fact, nearly every one of them is more brilliant than me. But what I do know is this: my life is driven by action and purpose. I do not enjoy sitting around and just listening to speeches, etc. What gets me going is simply doing. As such, I feel somewhat out-of-place speaking on a panel about researching in Europe and America on Wednesday. But I am honored to have been asked nonetheless.
In fact, one of my fellow panelists, Jenn, and I planned to go to lunch in Kreuzberg at my favorite schwarma shop and talk over our panel plans. In the end, about 6 others joined us, so we had a nice little party in Kreuzberg for our 90 minute lunch break. Funny, we also saw a few other Fulbrighters there, though I didn't realize they were Fulbrighters until I saw them back at the hotel.
This afternoon, we headed to the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in the Tiergarten for a meet-and-greet session. Turned out to be unsuccessful for our group as our designated German counterparts did not show up. So I sat down with Nick and chatted instead. Apparently, my internet still worked from when I was there for a human rights conference in December, so I checked my email too. I am so addicted to internet.
We had our official opening ceremony in the evening, and we were joined by a number of guests, including current U.S. Ambassador to Germany Philip Murphy and former Ambassador John Kornblum, who was the keynote speaker. I enjoyed their speeches, and the Fulbright musicians who performed (either singing or playing instruments) were absolutely impressive.
Finally, about two hours later, we were able to eat dinner. We were all so hungry, and the place was packed. Nevertheless, we finally made it through and had some good food and beer before heading back to the hotel. I went straight home after that.
Tomorrow, we've got a meeting at the Berlin City Hall, followed by lunch in Prenzlauer Berg at some dumpling place. Joel said it's delicious, so we're planning to hit it up. Then during our afternoon free time, Nick and I are going to go play some basketball under the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz. Looking forward to it.
Tschau,
Sam
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