It's a small world ... my trip to Lithuania

The world, truly, is a very small place, especially with today's technology. As a result, it is evermore important to understand different cultures, ethnicities, and customs, as we all live side by side and we are all effected by each others' actions.

From my years in law school at IU, I had the pleasure to meet many people from different cultures and backgrounds. I worked and tried hard to ensure that their time in Indiana was a pleasant one, as this was the best marketing that the State could have ... personal interaction. It would be these future leaders in their countries that would remember Indiana and its people.

About two years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Adam, who was from Lithuania. He actually ended up to be one of my roommates. A very smart guy, he graduated top of his class in Lithuania and turned down many lucrative offers in Lithuania to come to the US and continue his studies. He had a pleasant time in Indiana, and it was now time for me to sample a bit of his home country.

Adam, who took the New York Bar Exam, and works in Chicago, was taking time off to visit his family in Vilnius, Lithuania. Since I was in Europe, what a perfect meeting point for me to see him as well as experience his home country.

I spent 4 days in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, and had an amazing time. It's a beautiful city with much progress, and at the same time, much remains from the old Soviet times. The land is rolling, not flat like Holland, with forested hills and rivers. The countryside is beautifully lined with old cottages.

I even tried to visit the Rotary club in Vilnius, but unfortunately, the club was not meeting in the summer.









Trakai is an ancient castle. There was a festival going on the same day!



This is the geographic center of Europe!!

It's undergrad all over again!!

When I was planning to make this trip of a lifetime, I promised myself to get immersed in Dutch life as much as I can. Everyone knows the saying, "When in Rome, ..." Well, when in Holland, do what the Dutch do, so since Dutch students join Student Associations, so did I.

In America, when we think of Student Associations, we think of Tennis Club, Chess Club, Debate Club, etc. Not in Holland. I am now a member of Quintus, a national Student Association of Dutch students and alumni. Yes, a Student Association is equivalent to America's Greek Life.

However, it's not exactly the same. In Holland, the Student Association is co-ed, and then the students divide up into smaller groups. It is the smaller group that acts more like a fraternity or sorority. They throw parties, have specially designed shirts, etc. As you can see, it didn't take me long to figure out how Dutch life really is.

I credit my discovery to the people I have met. My Dutch "buddy" (a/k/a mentor), Marijke (the girl wearing glasses), introduced me to her friend, who was a member of Quintus. After much discussion, I knew I just had to be a member. Below, you can see pictures of my new Dutch friends and fraternity brothers.





Not only have I joined a Dutch Student Association, but living in, literally, a dorm room brings back memories of good ol' IU!! Yes, A DORM ROOM!! Most all of you know, for the past 3 years, I've had the amazing time of living in a house in downtown Indianapolis. I LOVE my home, and going from a 3 bedroom home to just a room is interesting. But as you can see, everything fits ... so far.

Kamerlingh Onnes Gebouw, Faculteit der Rechtsgeleerdheid - Leiden University Faculty of Law

This is the Faculty of Law where I will be taking classes and spending much of my time. I will be obtaining a Masters of Advanced Legal Studies in European Business Law (LL.M. Adv.). It's sound really fancy, so I am sure they made a mistake admitting me into this program. In fact, the law school at Leiden is considered to be the best law school in the country. Since Harvard or Yale denied my admission, at least I'm attending the number one school somewhere in the world! Just joking ... GO HOOSIERS & GO JAGS!! :)

It's a very modern building with all of the most recent technologies. I am sure I'll enjoy my time in Leiden.

Leiden, Netherlands

Leiden is an amazing college town. It is the home to Leiden University, the oldest Dutch university. Since my time at Indiana University-Bloomington was so amazing, I chose Leiden for it's location in a small college town. As you can see from the pictures, it is very beautiful, lined with canals and shops along the road and alleyways. People from all over come to Leiden to visit and enjoy its beauty and small town offerings.

Everything is accessible by walking. In these past few days, and for the next year, I have walked more than I ever have. It's great exercise, and actually enjoyable to be among the city's life.

I have discovered the supermarkets, university buildings, and city shops. In these next few posts, you'll get a glimpse of what Leiden looks like.

First Week in Holland

Although my flight out of O'Hare International Airport was delayed about 2 hours, it didn't at all dampen my arrival to The Netherlands. I arrived a little over 2 hours late, but greeted by my Rotarian host and her son.

Since I am not able to move into my room until next week, I have been able to stay with another Rotarian and his family. Mr. Leo and his wife have been very gracious and generous. They have shown me around Holland, helped me find necessities, and directed me in the right direction on how to do things in Holland. The first night in Holland, we all enjoyed a very delicious Indonesian dinner in Den Haag (The Hague). They live in a suburb of The Hague ... Voorberg. In America, it takes appropriately a half hour to travel from the city centre to the suburbs, depending on the city. In Holland, it's totally different. Everything is very close here. Bicycle is the main form of transportation, and don't complain about gas prices, because gas costs about $7.00/gallon here in The Netherlands.

In America, when you drive for a half hour, you only make it to the other side of town. Here, in a half hour, you have already gone through 5 cities and towns.

I also went down to Leiden, the city where my university is located, and registered with the school and walked around. It's a beautiful city. The city streets are lined with canals and shops, plenty to do, eat and drink.

Yesterday, I spent the day in Noordwijk, a beach town. Meeno, my Rotarian host's son, picked me up and we enjoyed festivities in his hometown. There was a beach party where there was a stage set up and a DJ. There were thousands of people at this beach party, and it was lots of fun. I have been able to meet lots of Dutch people, and all have been very nice.

The first week couldn't have gone any better. I look forward to the rest of the year, and don't forget to make plans to come and visit!!

Rotary Club Presentations

Before I headed off to Europe, I made several presentations to Rotary Clubs in the surrounding areas to talk about myself, the scholarship, and my future goals. I made presentations at the Crawfordsville, Attica-Williamsport, Indianapolis Sunrise, and Indianapolis Clubs. At the Indianapolis Club meeting, Nate Feltman was the key-note speaker, who is the Secretary of Commerce for the State of Indiana. In the Fall of 2006, I interned at the IEDC where I had the opportunity to travel with the Lt. Governor to develop trade relations between Indiana and Taiwan and Vietnam.

Pre-Departure Rotary Experiences

I highly encourage all who are interested in studying abroad to look into the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. I have spoken to many qualified friends about the scholarship, but it's tough for people to commit to because of it's long timeline. You should start thinking about the scholarship two years ahead. You apply for the scholarship about one and one half years before your departure, and you know of the outcome about one year in advance.





The reason for this timeline is to allow proper preparation before your departure, but also that you can make presentations to surrounding Rotary Clubs in your area.


As part of my orientation as Ambassadorial Scholar, I attended the Multi-District Outgoing Scholar Orientation, held in Nashville, TN. I traveled down to Nashville, TN with fellow scholar Andrea Wiese. Andrea is going to study in Turkey, and I am definitely going to visit her while I am in Europe. We had a blast on the trip! We made several stops and excursions along the way: Jim Bean Distillery and Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace. I'm an alcoholic :) and Andrea's a history whiz!



We also got together and toured Indiana State Government, and had social gatherings as well.

How Rotary was set to change my life ...

When I started law school, I never imagined that I would continue my education after I graduated. The stretch to also get an MBA and extend my time at the law school by another year was already postponing my entry into the workforce. It really wasn't postponing work that was attractive, but to obtain the best experience I could before I had to begin those billable hours.

Opportunities always come knocking at the door ... it's the ability to hear them and allow them to come into your life that will permit you to be the best that you can be. About two years ago, I ran into an opportunity of a lifetime. Through my involvement at the law school, I got to know many international students studying at the law school for their LL.M. (Masters of Law). I ended up dating one of them, Sabrina from Germany, who was studying as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Not only did such a program sound interesting, but I had always wanted to study abroad. Moreover, the Rotarians in Indianapolis recruited me heavily to apply, and I knew this was the opportunity that would change my life. This was the chance to finally experience life in a new and different culture. My studies would propel me to a whole new level of interest ... international business law, and this might just be the ticket to do work in this area. My main interest is to help attract businesses to my great homestate - Indiana - and help Hoosier businesses expand around the world.

As for my permanent work, the law firm that I had been working for for the past two summers was gracious to defer my offer. I will return to Krieg DeVault LLP to practice after my studies in Europe.

I hope that all who follows this blog will find my travels and experiences as interesting as I. I am constantly informing others about Rotary's educational programs and grants as I find that there is no other program similar or comparable to this.