This is a short essay about my initial months serving as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in London, fall 2009

1. Ambassadorial Scholar 1st Report
Humility and patience: these are the first words that enter my mind when
contemplating my initial months as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in London. The
journey has been teaching me so much; I am not the same woman I was in September, in
tears saying goodbye to family at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as I headed
abroad for the first time.
Helen, my host counselor from the Ealing London Rotary Club, met me at the
train station. This was my first train ride and every time the coach passed another train
on the tracks, I would gasp for air out of surprise to be sitting so close to and passing so
fast by another train at the window. Other passengers stared at me, knowing full well I
was a tourist. Beyond the gasping, I was staring and snapping photos out of the train
window for the duration of the trip. Having never traveled abroad, my mind immediately
related all these new historic buildings and nostalgic architecture to the pictures I’ve seen
in books and the scenes I’ve watched in movies. The sites were beautiful, breath-taking,
poetic. It is inspiring to be surrounded by such rich history.
After meeting me at the train station, Host Counselor Helen took me to my dorm.
Driving down the road, my body tensed with the fleeting thought that the other cars were
on the wrong side and would slam into our car! Once safely at the dorm, Helen provided
a quick assessment, took me to her house to stay the night, and then we were off to Ikea
in the morning to purchase essentials. The living costs in London are much higher than
in Dallas, so she also provided me with plenty of year-loan items like bed sheets,
comforter, pillow, towels, bathmat, some kitchen ware, and an all-important oyster card
to pay for public transportation.
Culture shock is sometimes subtle, but it hits immediately. For instance, just
because the Brits speak English, it does not mean communication comes naturally. Helen
graciously allowed me to ask all the silly questions, without fear of judgment.
How do you use the subway? We call it the ‘tube.’ What is a pasty? It’s a doughy
pastry with sandwich filling. Why do they serve French fries with everything? They’re
chips, not fries. Where can I buy pants? Pants are underwear; use the word ‘trousers.’
Can you get medicine at the grocery store? No, you have to see the chemist. Where is the
“@” symbol on a keyboard? It’s near the return button. What is black pudding? A
dessert? It’s blood sausage. Why do the women talk about their stones? They’re talking
about weight. How many degrees Fahrenheit is 20 degrees Celsius? You need to start
learning all these conversions. And remember Brits like to add vowels and we don’t write
with the letter zed as often as Americans. Why won’t the stores accept my US visa credit
card? The UK uses a very specific pin card in most places. Will my computer plug in
here without frying? For that question, we’ll call an expert.
Helen also assisted me in learning the British pronunciations of words, which is
no easy task. In America I could look at a word and, even not having seen it before, be
able to properly pronounce it. Not the case in London. For instance, Leicester is

2. pronounced leh-stur, Marylebone is pronounced mahr-luh-bohn, Islington is not
pronounced like island, but is-ling-ton. A cell phone is a mobile, pronounced moh-byle,
and you send S-M-S, not text. Humility, I quickly learned, is a much more effective
attitude when tackling such a learning curve. Transitioning from tourist to resident
requires lots of work.
I have also found that in my perceived limitations of this new culture, I am
confronting unrealized nuances of my American lifestyle. At first in London I was
frustrated that I could not grocery shop, send faxes or do my laundry at all hours of the
night. I was frustrated not to find a 24-hour WalMart, Kinko’s or CVS pharmacy nearby.
I was even indignant that the pubs closed at 11 pm most days—I learned this after going
out with friends at 10:30 pm one evening, much to my disappointment. Add to this list of
grievances the fact that tubes stop running at midnight. But slowly I began adapting to
these new hours. Adjusting to the cultural norms of the host country takes patience. After
a few weeks, I even started questioning if it’s really necessary for Americans to have 24-
hour service and round-the-clock deadlines. Is this “Get what we want, when we want it”
mentality beneficial? In London, when it hits 5 or 6pm in the financial district, it is
quitting time and everyone floods into the streets and onto public transportation to get
home. In Dallas, it seems far more common for workers to cram in more overtime hours
at the office.
Fortunately because of this scholarship, I’m blessed with an opportunity to focus
on school, not work, for the first time in my life. My school, the University of London
School of Oriental and African Studies, is profoundly diverse, as is my student hall. If
you pause a moment to listen, you’ll hear people chattering in a host of different
languages, punctuated by the busy traffic on the streets and the noisy beeping of the
devices that let pedestrians know it’s safe to walk at the intersection outside. My flat is
shared with a Polish man, who’s lived in China the last five years, a Japanese woman,
who is working hard on her English-speaking skills, and a Swedish woman who has been
an architect for a decade and decided to go back to school. Next door to us is a guy from
Palestine, a few girls from India, another from Greece, a guy from Turkey and a man
from Australia. A few students I know here have contracted H1N1 flu and were under
quarantine for a while. Navigating the socialized health system here has been a
challenge; it has also shown me a lot of the benefits of such a system that are not widely
publicized in the US media.
The coursework is fantastic and incredibly difficult. International Studies and
Diplomacy is a very multi-faceted degree that I’ve tailored to my own interests. I am
taking courses in international economics, international securities, transnational media
representation and contemporary history of the modern world. I intentionally chose a
Master’s degree that was very different from my Bachelor’s work in journalism, to
promote my own global understanding and breadth of knowledge. It is a huge struggle to
bridge the knowledge gap. I didn’t know just how much I didn’t know! It seems most
people in this degree all have much stronger foundations in economics and world history
—so it requires a lot of extra reading and learning on my part. This is by no means easy
reading; it is intense, time-consuming, thought-provoking, brain-stretching reading that

3. requires more hours than exist in a day (and a good dictionary helps, too)! When I am
frustrated I just remember that what I’m learning will benefit me enormously in my
journalism career. It is rewarding; it is humbling.
Moreover, the very liberal nature of my school has brought me vis-à-vis with anti-
Western sentiment and anti-American opinions. In half of my classes, Westerners
comprise an overwhelming minority. I use my diplomatic skills daily. Considering the
Rotary Four-Way Test before I speak is very helpful in this regard. I listen respectfully to
other views, I offer understanding and acknowledgement, I do not challenge but offer
facts and ideas to the contrary if I see an appropriate opportunity to do so. I also consider
if there is any validity in their arguments. Amazingly, in spite of these major differences
in cultures, religions and opinions, there is an inherent sense of community among the
students. Though, admittedly, it requires great patience to cultivate that community at
times. But we are all here to learn, to grow, to find solutions to the global problems, and
to make life a little better for everyone in this world—goals that hold true to the Rotary
mission.
Rotary has been a huge support system providing me with friends and mentors
since the very moment I set foot in the United Kingdom. (Not forgetting to mention the
support of my sponsor club and district before my departure!) In September, RIBI, or
Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, hosted a fun weekend in Leicester,
where I connected with dozens of other scholars from around the world, spent a weekend
with a local family who showed me the countryside and the prestige of boarding schools,
and witnessed the historical hilarity of Morris dancing. In October, District 1190 hosted
me at their conference where I introduced myself on stage, presented a District 5790
banner to their governor, listened to motivational speakers, and experienced the splendor
of the Seven Sisters Cliffs.
My host club, Ealing London, has been astounding. They have invited me to
meetings where I personally met local members and the Group Study Exchange team
from Boston, USA. Ealing members have brought me to various events including a
wonderful classical dinner-concert at historic 12th century St. Mary’s Perivale church in
Ealing. I also attended a personalized walking tour of London’s financial district. Next
on the agenda is an afternoon at a British “panto,” which I’m told is a very spectacular
fairytale play that evolved from Commedia del’Arte. I’ve visited two nearby Rotaract
clubs and have met new friends and other like-minded young professionals. I’ve
participated in a fundraising event for local children’s charities, fed families at the Ronald
MacDonald House, and begun work on a joint project with another scholar for
Schools4All in Africa.
My time not spent studying or on Rotary projects is spent on personal cultural
excursions. I have purchased a bike and am learning to navigate traffic on the left side of
the road. I have visited museums, sat in awe while riding the London Eye, taken various
tours around the city, roamed the corridors of castles, viewed the magnificence of
Hadrian’s Wall, toured the Royal sites. On occasion, I choose one of the many parks in
the London area, take a book and a snack, and spend the afternoon there. I go for walks

4. or jogs along streets that I have not yet traveled. I visit markets in other boroughs to buy
food and hear from independent artists and musicians. I even did a brief weekend trip to
Paris via the Eurostar train, which is a stellar mode of travel. I visited the Louvre and ate
escargot and drank red wine, while learning simple French phrases like Je ne comprendes
pas. I’m taking photos of everything and blogging, as time allows.
I never imagined it was financially or logistically feasible for me to be doing the
things I’m doing. It feels like a dream. I’m experiencing something new every day. That
being said, I would be remiss not to mention some of the hardship involved. Periods of
loneliness are unavoidable. Difficulties in budgeting are inherent. Feelings of
inadequacy are often present. Fears of the unknown are tackled constantly. Deaths of
family members back home are unpreventable. Grief and homesickness are part of the
life-changing processes of the journey. I’m learning these lessons firsthand. But my
Rotary experience, the very act of serving as an Ambassadorial Scholar, is teaching me
that it is all right. It is all right to cry; all right to be frustrated; all right to feel lost; all
right to seek help and ask inane questions. Being an Ambassadorial Scholar is showing
me that through humility and patience, I am finding inner strength I did not realize I had
and developing knowledge of the world, of myself, that cannot be acquired any other
way.