Profile: Rabia Garib, ’07, Pakistan
May 2007
Rabia Garib, MNP 2007, Pakistan, documented her fellowship experience in a blog titled “On the EF Experience.” Below, read excerpts about her first time ice skating in New York’s Central Park and her reflections on the group as a whole. Visit http://rgarib.blogspot.com to read Rabia’s blog in full.
Rabia also spearheaded a podcast project that documented the experiences of the MNP Fellows in their own words and voices. Visit “We the Fellows” to listen.
Two other 2007 MNP Fellows kept blogs as well. Click here to visit Malaysian Fellow Farith Rithauddeen’s blog, and click here to visit Brazilian Fellow Marcelo Knobel’s blog (which is written in Portugese).
Stubborn Women on Ice
Posted Sunday, April 8, 2007
I’m grateful for each day that I am here. I am so grateful for a wonderful family, great friends and extraordinary opportunities. I am eternally thankful for being with people who are passionate about what the change they want to bring about in their communities to learn and be continually inspired by each of their struggles and lives. I am so thankful for finally having had the chance to experience my first snowfall. Yes. Most definitely thankful for so much. What I thought I would never be grateful for would be for sore feet and a bruised fanny (is that even a word is this day and age!!?) – Here's the scoop on that –
As we made out way down to the Central Park, [Irish Fellow] Caroline Casey and I got started chatting on a number of things up until the time we both found ourselves in front of a white mirage: the Trump Ice Rink. One would imagine you need a sense of adventure and a great deal of body cushion (both of which I have in large quantities) to follow Casey down her mad craving for adventure on the Ice. Could I just let her make fun of me and not follow her?! Under normal circumstances when I wouldn't be suffering from Brainfreeze in New York’s cold spring weather, I’m sure I could handle all the poking possible, but since the part of my brain that would normally make the critical practical decision of “no – can’t do therefore shouldn’t do” wasn’t functioning, I did. Yes. I lept.
I’ve never been on the ice. Never. I thought about it may times, but you have to remember that I live in Karachi, Pakistan where the closest you’ll get to weather like this is if you decided to sit in the freezer. So yes, you guessed it – I was down in the first 5 minutes of my first steps in the rink. But Casey was determined. Funny how her determination found itself in the soles of my feet and I actually made my way around the rink hanging onto Casey's hand and relying on her to guide me through.
Round one. No fall. Round two. Boom! Forward momentum, Forward momentum and boom. “The trick is to keep your feet just slightly apart and make sure you lean forward” says Casey. I could have sworn that I was in the shooting of a film about dedication and overcoming the most severe challenge on earth, and though I wasn’t ready to give up, I had Casey to hang onto. And so we went onto finish Round 2 with only one fall and then laughs and says, “Okay – You're doing great. Now I'm going to let go of you and you're going to get around this on your own” –
And so with Casey on my side, I take off… Round 3. As much as I would like to imagine this to be the most courageous thing I have ever done, it was really nothing that heroic. And I fell… more than once. But it was strange – this Casey woman, who I met just 2 weeks ago and actually only spoke to yesterday on the train, was there to help me up every time. With her words of encouragement, and mastering the ability to brake, I did it. I went around with Casey determined not to pull me up.
Now that I sit and think back to the hour that I was there at the rink, I feel full of life and more adventure, happy that I tried something I otherwise never thought I would do. But that hour was quite a bit more than just a ice skating adventure. It was an hour where I was able to remind myself about something so important: there is more than just simple humanity all around us. We developed wonderful friends who give us the push (or in this case, the shove) needed to experience something and expand life as you know it. And most importantly, no matter how many times you fall, there will always be a hand to help you up and give you that subtle guidance until you get back on your feet.
Casey? Thank you!
Unwinding at the Grand Canyon
Posted Monday, April 23, 2007
The Fellowship that started a little more than one month ago has a purpose – to experience and have the ability to come together with your co-fellows and share those experiences. So it was natural for all of us to look forward to the half way point of the fellowship experience to be able to come together and share.
My co-fellows are wonderful people who have literally worked their hearts out into making the most of every minute of every day during the past 4 weeks of their stay in the United States. They have pushed their limits and personalities to the hilt; demanded more of their individual Program Officers than any other generation of fellows; and have managed to meet more people and attend more receptions than ever before.
I think the group of 24 of us represents a unique combination of people and talents. As Rafael Bundoc from the Philippines smiles and says, “there are people who are quiet, those of us who enjoy parties and those who don’t, those who are here with the ambition to change the world and others who are here with the intention of learning what they can manage to fit into these 10 weeks – we have a very well balanced group.” And a well-balanced group indeed.
However it is amazing how closely-knit the group is when it wants to unwind and share its energy with one another. It would be unfair to say that the group enjoys a party despite the fact that they can rock the pebbles out of the Canyon, but it’s something more than that.
It’s about being together and drawing from one another. It’s about talking through the successes and resolving the frustrations of meetings that work or don’t. it’s about addressing issues from different perspectives and angles. But yes – it is largely about being together, which is why each member of the group was just so eager to assume a role in making this trip such a blasted success.
Thankfully, what happens amongst the Eisenhower Fellows, shall remain amongst the Fellows, and I am certainly not at liberty to divulge the details, but I can tell you this much about the character of each of my co-fellows – these people are amazing and are made up of some of the most fantastic energy that brings all the exciting karma into this world. They are an unbelievably inclusive group of some outstanding individuals that know how to share and how to give back. Regardless of race, ethnicity, background or creed, these guys are off to take on the world and stitch it back together… bit by bit (of course with a bit of that technical support provided by me) –
Rejuvenated, revived and recharged, the fellows take off today to different states and locations to continue on with their journey of the Fellowship.
More details from them as I hear from each one, later on!
*Read Rabia’s blog in full at http://rgarib.blogspot.com.