ILP is over

Last night, I went to the Leadership program dinner - the last event of the International Leadership program in I. House. Leaving my room, I told Mike, we will have chicken marsala. And we had it with the sides of potatoes and string beans. The same menu over and over again. Greet everyone and say thank you - check; remind about the mission of I. House - check; leadership, tolerance, different cultures - check, check, check; chicken marsala and potatoes - check. The whole evening was like an obligatory assignment for the programs office that they had absolutely no desire to do.

I truly enjoyed my fellowship. I liked the work I was doing, the yearbook video I was filming and editing was something that I really like to do in life: to film and edit. I am very grateful for the people I met. After one year in Columbia, I realized that I didn't have any friends or even people I know around me! Mostly, because my classmates with whom I developed somewhat decent relationships moved from NYC after the school was over or just started new life outside the university and we had nothing more that would connect us. The leadership program in I house, helped me to meet people and I think I even have a few friends now!

Everything was good in the program, except the programs office. I think the problem is that they actually don't think about fellows as real people who need to be treated seriously and fairly. They consider us as temporary students that they don't have to work long with, and thus they don't have to think about maintaining good relationship with. Plus it's just students, not trustees, not speakers, not donors, not even colleagues. Sigh. So, after all, I am glad that all that nonsense is over.

reading

Ernest Hemingway - For Whom The Bell Tolls