Continued (mis)adventures in the snow belt

I am amazed; absolutely amazed. Not by the amount of snow we’ve received in this “Blizzard of 2010” or “snowpocalypse” (the name of which, as it turns out, is absolutely fitting- by the local reactions to it, you’d think the world was coming to an end), and not even really by the resulting run on grocery stores and general shutting down of the city. No, I am amazed that I have not yet ended up sprawled out on the ice. For someone often lacking in grace, it is quite the miracle. Yesterday, of course, nearly ended the otherwise positive record, but I ultimately managed to catch myself on the side of a snow bank, all I have to show for it now being a short walk and conversation with the sympathetic guy who, lucky for him, walked by me just in time to catch the show.

Few braved the snow, but the majority of those who did expanded the “sidewalk” boundaries to the road itself. Hey, if cars aren’t using it, pedestrians might as well take advantage, right?

Random encounters with strangers, however, are great for breaking up the day and putting a smile on my face, if nothing more. Last Wednesday, for instance, was full of such encounters; after spending the early afternoon at the Israeli Embassy, speaking with students from the IDC (outside of Tel Aviv), I headed to my internship, planned for my semester’s involvement with the Association for India’s Development as my TWC civic engagement project, and brushed up on my Spanish on the way out of the building. *Top notch day.*

The story: as I entered the elevator, an elderly woman standing inside continued complaining about some “crazy woman” to her fellow custodian, a younger man who awkwardly glanced over at me as if to ensure that I didn’t understand the Spanish conversation taking place beside me. My staring straight ahead with as straight an expression as I could manage must have convinced him of my ignorance – at least enough to prevent him from interrupting the woman’s ranting. Reaching their floor all too soon, the woman babbled along as the young man quickly looked back into the elevator. We made eye contact; he smiled; I responded with my typical smile/smirk combination and declared “¡hasta luego!” Needless to say, the brief moment of surprise and succeeding laughter that erupted from him (followed by a similar salutation) was absolutely priceless.

As much as I’ve enjoyed my internship, it’s only fair that I admit that such breaking up of the day is very much appreciated on my part. Last week, for instance, I was out for much of Wednesday for the visit to the embassy, then on Thursday morning for the actual student dialogue about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and everyone headed out early on Friday in deference to the upcoming “snowpocalypse.” While I am at the Journal, though, I’m comfortably established at my own desk, working diligently at research for an upcoming piece, doing a brief web write-up, scheduling or conducting an interview with a local business honcho, or contributing to any other task that is in need of assistance. The people I work with are great – friendly, personable, helpful, and much more entertaining than one might expect at a business-focused publication, truth be told.

Still, it is experiencing the city itself, and the many cultures and opportunities it has to offer, that I have appreciated the most since arriving here. The visit to the Israeli Embassy was an awesome opportunity, as was the chance to speak with students in both an informal setting (over lunch on Wednesday) and in a more structured dialogue (Thursday). Israeli society and politics form just one aspect of my interest in international affairs and learning about other cultures, and having the ability to see the embassy and speak with Israelis on a one-on-one basis was an excellent way to apply what I’ve learned in class and followed in the news.

I headed back to “International Drive” after Wednesday’s visit to get another look at the various embassies in the area, this time with my camera. Advice: bring as little to the Israeli Embassy as possible; no need to unnecessarily alarm the Mossad (only partially kidding)!

Snow meant that much of the weekend was spent inside, including some quality roommate bonding, practicing our cooking abilities and ultimately frying up some frozen samosas, compliments of the aforementioned roommate and her mother’s excellent Pakistani cooking. Saturday turned more to the Indian side of things as I staged a conference call with local members of the Association for India’s Development (more on the civic engagement project later), and Sunday had me getting restless from being inside for so long, ultimately bundling up and heading to the snow-covered National Mall.

The Smithsonian was closed due to weather and I literally couldn’t feel my toes, but I’d say it was worth it: as beautiful as the city is under cherry blossoms, it can be just as impressive under a blanket of snow…. and based on the number of people building snowmen on the Mall and skating on the Reflecting Pool, I’m not the only one who’s enjoying the fluffy white stuff.

Proof that I wasn’t kidding about skating on the Reflecting Pool. Clearly there’s no way Jenny could’ve waded to Forrest through that.

The World War I Memorial was actually my main destination on Sunday’s visit; it looked all the more quaint and forgotten under the blanket of snow, calmly nestled away from the snowball fights taking place elsewhere along the Mall.