Reunion and Reminiscence

I was digging through my old emails, when I ran into an article I wrote for Bradley Herald a few years back. Awh, those memories.

Reunion and reminiscence

I often refer to the Future Leaders Exchange Program as the most rewarding experience of mylife. It is hard to imagine what I would be doing now, had not there been one-year in-depthexposure to an American culture. This exchange program truly “made” my life and determined the person I was to become.

Such a positive experience would never be possible without a loving host family. I will never forget the warm welcome I was given by the Wall family in the first weeks of my exchange program, and all the support they have shown to a confused 16-year

old student trying to adjust to a new culture.

Today, four and a half years later, after having visited many other countries, I am blessed with an opportunity to revisit the town of Quitman in the south of Georgia, and reunite with my host family for Thanksgiving holidays. The dream that I nurtured for years has come true, and I am revisiting my past with a feeling of excitement and joy.

My trip was preceded with months of anticipation. I have recollected many of my American memories to see how those US experiences affected my vision of life, my values and my goals. I have realized that this exchange program has benchmarked my future experiences. And visiting my host family today I have a unique opportunity to compare what I have seen years ago to what I see today.

I made quite a few interesting observations. I have realized that being an exchange student you spend months trying to adjust to the new culture, and by the time you are part of this culture you fail to appreciate the differences as the connection with the home culture starts fading. The experiences I am having today are very different and my current position allows for a better understanding of both cultures.

First of all, I was accepted as an adult and things that I said mattered. I had numerous conversations with members of my host family on various serious issues that would not be possible 4 years ago. We have discussed complex political, economic and social questions that emphasized the vast distinctions that exist between our countries.

One of the biggest changes I have observed in the American people is a growing interest in how the rest of the world perceives the United States and its foreign policies. Once indifferent Americans, have become politically aware and concerned with the role the US plays in the world, the dangers posed in front of the American economy locally and globally, the possible effects of some tendencies that exist in the US etc. I have also observed a vast concern with the changes that take place in the US, especially those pertaining to such controversial policies as Homeland Security and No Child Left Behind.

It was interesting to know that the Ukraine’s Orange Revolution received a comprehensive coverage in the American media. Yet the current political situation in Ukraine seems to be of no interest for the American public, and is no how reflected in the national newscasts.

This was a short but a remarkable experience that helped me reassess my knowledge of the American culture and gain a deeper understanding of myself. I think revisiting your host community is one of those “must to” things in every alumnus’ life.

Ismayil Khayredinov (FLEX ’02, Simferopol, Ukraine, Quitman, GA)

Nov 27, 2006

PS This trip has become possible due to my involvement in IREX administered Ukraine Media Partnership Program where I serve as a freelance interpreter for two groups of Ukrainian journalists visiting their US counterparts.

Flood Relief in Pakistan

Below is an email from a friend in Pakistan:

Dear Friends,

I am Mohammad Usman, a IYLC 2007 Alumni. And I would like 5 to 10 minutes of your time, please?

I am sending some information your way to tell you the sheer scale and amount of disaster happening in Pakistan with the recent floods.

“The sheer scale of the disaster almost defies comprehension. Around the country, an estimated 15 to 20 million people have been affected. That’s more than the entire population hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami and Kashmir earthquake in 2005, the 2007 Cyclone Nargis and this year’s earthquake in Haiti — combined. An area as big as Italy and larger than more than half the countries in the world — some 160,000 square kilometers, or 62,000 square miles — is under water.” Ban Ki-Moon UN SG. Click here for complete article.

Those of you who are interested in ideas that you can help, contribute etc are most welcome to contact me. Please see below for ideas through which you can contribute in relieving a bit of the misery facing the people of Pakistan.

ARTICLES:

A Lifetime, Washed Away:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/opinion/19mueenuddin.html?ref=pakistan

A river that’s become a sea:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11056510

Pakitan’s situation criticial:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11060119

Just one of the incidents that happened today- At least 20 people killed in bus accident

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-at-least-20-killed-in-bus-accident-ss-02

The Soul of the Land of Pure

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/floodofmisery/2010/08/201081163736786937.html

Pakistan Monsoon Flood of the century: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10847173

The Guardian : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/pakistan

PICTURES:

Boston Big Picture: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/severe_flooding_in_pakistan.html

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/08/continuing_pakistani_floods.html

FLOOD MAPS: Pakistan Flood Maps: Providing Mapping of 9000+ Villages in Flood Affected Areas

http://floodmaps.lums.edu.pk/index.php

How can you help?

1) Pakistan International Airlines Relief: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCNomdB6V0U (in case you want to know if PIA flies to your country contact me)

2) Contribute online (various international organizations that you can contact are listed below)- Please chose the organization wisely

3) My contact details : Send in your contributions to me. I along with some of my friends are collecting donations to buy relief goods such as water, dates, rice etc. and sending it through Army or delivering personally to accessible areas. If you need details I can direct you further. I am available on +92-300-9135798 or usmanm.86@gmail.com or on Facebook here. I assure you that not even the most minute of fund won’t be misused.

4) For those who want to take an additional step: PLEASE organization fundraisers in your universities/colleges work places. OR please create awareness of this disaster in your respectives places through sharing this email. You can also share my email address with people who want to know more.

ORGANIZATIONS WORKING IN PAKISTAN

Edhi Foundation: Contact Edhi Foundation
Pakistan Tahreek e Insaf: Flood Relief Fund - Donate via Bank/Credit Card or Paypal
Pakistan Flood Victims
Al-Khidmat Foundation: ::Al-Khidmat Foundation Pakistan
RONAQ-E-QAINAAT
Young doctors are in the process of arranging a series of free medical camps in the flood affected areas. First Camp is at Nowshera.
Please Contact Ms. Alina Akhyar at alinaakhyar@yahoo.com, who will email you the Trust’s past activities, bank account details and other queries. They have already done some pretty impressive work.
Account number: 00400101065364 account title: Khadija Nadeem, Askari Bank Chaklala Scheme 3 branch Rawalpindi,
UM Healthcare Trust: UM Healthcare Trust
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...dQ&hl=en#gid=2
Sarhard Rural Support Programme (SRSP): Aid for the Flood Victims
http://www.rspn.org/news/Flood_appeal.html, http://srsp.org.pk/zeenix/17-H,
Gulberg II Lahore Pakistan Postal code: 54660
CONTACT: Umar Agha 0321 842-2425, email: ua2121@columbia.edu
Pakistan Red Crescent Society: Pakistan Red Crescent Society
Khubaib Foundation: call for Donations for Pakistan - Khubaib Foundation : Serving Humanity in Need
They also went to Ghaza (with freedom Flotilla) for relief work from pakistan
Mission Rescue Pakistan: Mission: Rescue Pakistan - Be National, Act National
(Aamer Abdullah) Allied Bank limited, university town branch, Peshawar
The following are account details.
Account number: 1353-8, Account title: Akhuwat e Sarhad
Bank: Allied Bank limited, university town branch, Peshawar, Branch code: 0321.
The above details are for those inside Pakistan. For those donating from outside, we advise to pool the donations with one single person and then transfer in bulk. This will reduce transfer charges.
International

Islamic Relief - Islamic Relief Home
Islamic Relief Worldwide: Islamic Relief launches £2 million appeal for Pakistan floods
Islamic Relief Worldwide: Donations
UNICEF: UNICEF's Pakistan Flood Children's Appeal: UNICEF - UNICEF Home
UNICEF - Pakistan - UNICEF responds as floods affect over 3 million in north-western Pakistan
Donate Now: Support UNICEF - Donate Online - Pakistan Floods Appeal
UNHCR: UNHCR Emergency
UNHCR - Flooding victims displaced for second time
UN World Food Program: Appeal For Pakistan Flood Relief - WFP | United Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide
Donate here: https://www.wfp.org/donate/emergencies
CARE: Respond to Flood in Pakistan - CARE :: Defending Dignity, Fighting Poverty
Donations: https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?d...donation=form1
Helping Hands - Helping Hand -- for Relief and Development
https://www.helpinghandonline.org/donate.aspx?proid=75
Concern Worlswide: Emergency Appeal for Pakistan - Concern Worldwide : dedicated to reducing suffering and eliminating extreme poverty : Concern, Concern Worldwide, Concern Ireland, Donate to Charity, Concern.net
Updates: Pakistan floods coverage : Blogs : Concern Worldwide
Donate here: https://www.concern.net/civicrm/cont...?reset=1&id=54
Muslim Hands: Muslim Hands - United for the Needy
Muslim Hands - Appeals � Pakistan Flood Crisis
Muslime Aid: Pakistan Floods Emergency : Muslim Aid 25 years of serving humanity
Muslim Aid Emergency Appeal for Pakistan Floods : Muslim Aid 25 years of serving humanity
Action Aid: Appeal for Pakistan Flood Victims - ActionAid International
Pakistan appeal
Relief International: Pakistan Flood Emergency Response - Welcome to Relief International
Donate now: https://ri.org/donation.php?id=182
World Vision International: World Vision International - Home
Call for Donations for Pakistan Flood Victims - Details
Save The Children: Response to Pakistan Flood Disaster - Save the Children Official Site: Creating Lasting Change for Children in Need
Pakistan Flood Emergency Landing Page
Donate here: https://secure.savethechildren.org/0...istan_flood_10
International Rescue Committee: responde to Pakistan Flood - International Rescue Committee | The International Rescue Committee goes to crisis zones to rescue and rebuild. We lead refugees from harm to home.
Read More and Donate
Christian Aid: Call for Donations for Pakistan Flood - Christian Aid - fighting for a world free of poverty and injustice
Pakistan floods appeal - Christian Aid
Global Giving: Pakistan Flood Disaster Relief: GlobalGiving: donate to grassroots projects; education, health, microfinance
Donate here: Pakistan Flood Disaster Relief - GlobalGiving
Doctor Without Borders: Doctors Without Borders | MSF USA
Read More
Australia

UNICEF: UNICEF's Pakistan Flood Children's Appeal: UNICEF Australia - Home
Read More
Donate here
Action aid Australia: call for Donation for Pakistan Flood - ActionAid: End poverty. Together.
Canada

Islamic Relief Canada - Islamic Relief Canada > Home
https://www.islamicreliefcanada.org/...1/default.aspx
UNICEF: UNICEF's Pakistan Flood Appeal: UNICEF Canada | The Leading Charitable Organization for Children
Donate now: https://secure.unicef.ca/portal/Smar...t.aspx?at=1380
France

APPEC - Association of Pakistanis for Promotion of Education & Cooperation
APPEC
Email: treasurers.appec@gmail.com
Fund raising call - Click here
Donate here: Donations | APPEC
Germany

Red Cross Germany - Pakistan Flood Emergency - Click here
https://www.drk.de/spenden/online-spenden.html
Aktion Deutschland Hilft - [SMS/Call] Option as well
Flut & Überschwemmung in Pakistan Jetzt spenden:
Aktion Deutschland Hilft Spendenkonto: 10 20 30 BLZ 370 205 00, Sozialbank Köln Stichwort:
Flut Pakistan Mit einer SMS helfen:Stichwort Pakistan an die 8 11 90 senden (5 € zzgl. üblicher SMS-Gebühr, 4,83 € gehen direkt an Aktion Deutschland Hilft)
Islamic Relief Germany- Islamic Relief�|��Home
There is no official call yet but we will update once it is there.
The Netherlands

Red Cross Holland- Het Nederlandse Rode Kruis - Home
For Further detials - Click here
For donations - Click here
Islamic Relief NL- Islamic Relief Nederland
There is no official call yet but we will update once it is there.

Switzerland

Islamic Relief Switzerland- :: Islamic Relief Suisse ::
There is no official call yet but we will update once it is there.
United Arab Emirites (UAE)

"Pakistan Association Dubai" - Contact on following local telephone numbers:
Anas: 04-3373632, 3377678; Inayat Rahman: 050-6317131; Ayub Afridi: 050-4545106; Khayal Zaman Aurakzai: 050-6287655; Ghazi Marjan Aurakzai: 050-6469910; Asam-u-Din Aurakzai: 050-7144992.
Untitled Document
UK

UNICEF: UNICEF's Pakistan Flood Children's Appeal:Donate, take action to help UNICEF UK put it right for children
Donate here: Donate online to UNICEF's Pakistan Children's Flood Appeal
Disaster Emergency Committee: Pakistan Floods Appeal - DEC
Donate here: https://www.donate.bt.com/dec_form_pfa.html
The DEC's automated donation line is 0370 60 60 900
British Red Cross: Appeal for Pakistan - British Red Cross - Home Page | British Red Cross
News | British Red Cross
Muslim Hands: Muslim Hands - United for the Needy
Muslim Hands - Appeals � Pakistan Flood Crisis
Islamic Relief UK- Pakistan Flood Emergency: Islamic Relief UK : Ready to answer the call
Islamic Relief UK : Please Donate Generously
Action Aid UK: Appeal for Pakistan - ActionAid UK: End poverty. Together.
Save Lives and Donate here
Muslime Aid: Pakistan Floods Emergency : Muslim Aid 25 years of serving humanity
Muslim Aid Emergency Appeal for Pakistan Floods : Muslim Aid 25 years of serving humanity
Christian Aid UK: Call for Donations for Pakistan Flood - Christian Aid - fighting for a world free of poverty and injustice
Pakistan floods appeal - Christian Aid
USA

Islamic Relief USA - Islamic Relief USA - Home
Islamic Relief USA - Pakistan Flood Emergency
https://www.islamicreliefusa.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=203
UNICEF: UNICEF's Pakistan Flood Children's Appeal: Help Children - UNICEF USA :: U.S. Fund for UNICEF :: U.S. Fund for UNICEF - UNICEF USA
Donate here
UM Healthcare Trust: UM Healthcare Trust
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...dQ&hl=en#gid=2
SA Relief: Flood Relief Campaign for Southern Pakistan - Coordinating Disaster Relief for South Asia�|�SA Relief
Action Aid USA: ActionAid
ActionAid: ActionAid appeals for support as floods ravage Pakistan
OXFAM America: Working together to end poverty and injustice — Oxfam America
2010 Pakistan flood — Oxfam America
What Oxfam is doing — Oxfam America
Shelter Box USA: ShelterBox USA: - Home

Powerful Words

I have been following a discussion on the TED LinkedIn group titled "What is the single most powerful positive word in English?" The answers were quite fascinating. I've put together a visual to illustrate those answers.

"Wannabe entrepreneur"

I came across an interesting blog post by Gabriel Weinberg on symptoms and cures for wannabe entrepreneurs. It would probably be even fair to say that it was an eye-opener. The inconvenient truth is that I have been procrastinating for too long - I really need to stop using lack of time as an excuse for not acting upon my ideas. In the light of the upcoming changes in life it might be a very good idea to sit down and actually do something about this.

Symptom: a year has gone by and you have nothing to show for it.

Cure: get stuff done. That's what real startup founders do. Customers don't care about excuses.

Symptom: you haven't really talked to any real customers/users.

Cure: read Steve Blank's book. Get out of the building. "No plan survives first contact with customers." A related (non-wannabe but first-timer problem) is confusing the user with the customer. I did this on my first startup, and it was one of my primary problems.

Symptom: you're going around calling yourself a CEO.

Cure: you're a founder. You're not powerful. No one cares about what you're doing...yet.

Symptom: you aren't knowledgeable about startups, especially your own space.

Cure: read stuff & regularly talk with the smartest startup people you know. At the very least, you should know the whole history of your space--failures, acquisitions, IPOs, reasons for such, etc.

Symptom: you just need 10-25K in investment.

Cure: get your own 10-25K. Do consulting. Maybe convince friends and family. If you can't raise that much from yourself and your existing circle, you aren't going to be able to raise more from strangers. I did consulting for a few years, max 4hr a day, so I could focus the rest of time on my startups.

Symptom: you have spent months researching the right architecture to build your site.

Cure: build it already. You seem like someone more interested in technology than startups.

Symptom: you don't understand your startup's assumptions.

Cure: make a spreadsheet and try to predict the key metrics of your business. Yes, the financial projections that come out of the spreadsheet are probably worthless (or grossly inaccurate), but not their underlying assumptions. Those are the things you need to prove and the first step is knowing what they are. As a side note, this exercise will help you understand how much money you need to raise, if any.

Symptom: you've written more than a 5pg business plan (intended for others).

Cure: spend that time talking to real customers or building your product. If you think it will help you understand your business, build a spreadsheet with assumptions instead. If you think investors will read it, know that they won't. Note: I have no problem with people analyzing their businesses internally through brief writing; I do that too.

Symptom: you now just need a programmer to code up your site.

Cure: either convince a real tech co-founder to join you, or learn how to code yourself. It's not that hard, and if you think of startups as a career, it's a great skill to have even if you just manage tech people. You don't have to major in CS in college to be a programmer, e.g. I was a Physics major.

25

I been having a meaningful me-talk over a beer with a friend last night, when I was struck by the reality of his remark as to 25 being a turning point in life, where you need to start making sure you head the right direction, as to ensure blissful adulthood. All things considered, this has reaffirmed my inner concerns of how fast the last few years have passed, and how little I have managed to do, and that 25 actually feels different than 23 or 24. I guess this partially motivates me to start a journey in pursuit of something different, refreshing and awakening, but the question is do I need a purpose before I start this adventure or will I find it as I untangle the mysteries of the world? It would be wonderful if the intersections of life had street pointers... but for as long as the decision is all yours it's hard to envision what sort of opportunities are hidden behind the various blocks of circumstances.

"Where do you want to be in 5 years?", you ask me. Well, I do not have an answer. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Every little event has a potential of changing our lives and sticking to a career plan with every step thought through might not be the most flexible approach. On the other hand, I have been open to opportunities in the past couple of years, but they haven't come knocking on my door... perhaps, I should have had a little more determination in going out and tracking the bastards downs!

The resolutions of the day:

- Perhaps, the answer is to picture the "worst" case scenario, so to speak a minimum achievements plan, for where you want to be in 5 years, and then work towards exceeding that, being prepared for a change whenever the lightning of opportunity strikes.

- Stop using the words "perhaps" and "maybe"

- Enough of blaming the circumstances, or lack thereof. It's like a game of chess - overall, the number of moves are finite, but at every turn the options are vast - use your brain to find the one to bring you closer to the victory. And for as long as there is no check-mate, don't give up.

Are there positive effects of negative thinking?

I am often accused of being "negative". In recent days, less and less people seem to tolerate my so-called "negativism" confronting it with "negative" remarks... ironically. As a rule, my "negativism" is a reflection on things that surround me - that is, I speak up my mind, giving, in my opinion, a sober assessment of irregularities that many seem to ignore. Irregularities for me are opportunities for change, either through their direct diversion (targeted action) or indirect moderation of circumstances in which they occur. This makes me think that "positive thinking" is a form of denial, some passive way of living your life, with no desire for change.

I don't see anything wrong with a desire to surround yourself with everything positive, but the positive does not exist without the negative (philosophically speaking, there is no way of knowing positive without an empirical relation to negative). Recognizing and acknowledging the negative for me is as important as trying to find the "silver lining". In parallel with physics, "negative" people are like electrons in constant motion (when such is triggered and desired), whereas "positive" people like protons are stable. While this is just a generalizations, it seems true to me that negative catalyzes dynamic lifestyle and change, where as positive is stabilizing and grounding. Excess of either, due to intrinsic or extrinsic factors, is potentially dangerous, therefore timely recognition of disbalance is important. More positive in life should of course be sought, but not artificially/cognitively created, and of course not an expense of denying the negative.

Another important factor that should not be disregarded is language. In my case, the manifestation of negative is not complaining, rather a somewhat sarcastic expression of the fact that the negative has been noted and will be acted upon. Some may argue that I am "bitching" (whatever their definition of that may be), which may stand true in certain contexts, where I implicate disapproval through a humorous remark, which I believe will find public approval, yet is completely unfair otherwise. I am neither bitching nor complaining about my life or its separate episodes, I am proactively pointing out all-things-negative, which other people should also, perhaps, open their eyes to.

In conclusion, it is important to me that I am accepted "as is", and those who need to remind me about my "negativism" should instead show some empathy and try have a conversation with me on the subject of "why" rather than bluntly labeling me the "biggest bitch" or the "most negative person" they know. F***, ya'll! And you know what, if you disagree that my "negativism" has a -harmless vibe (that oftentimes seems to be ruining the orgasm of positiveness in your cognitively constructed virtual world), try proving me wrong.