On the Road

I'm currently in Krakow, Poland.

Since last posting basic timeline...

Day 1
Salisbury to Cologne
Via Dover, Ferry to France, Drive to Bruge, Pass through Netherlands, and Arrive in Germany.

Breakfast snack while waiting for the Ferry - chips (fries if American).
Lunch of English breakfast on the Ferry
Coffee Ice Cream for afternoon pick me up in Bruge
Dinner at hole in the wall kebab shop in Cologne

I drove most of the day 8am to sunsetish - though Lennox took over at night.

Day 2
Cologne to Dresden
Via many autobahns, many under construction. Also stopped in Arnstadt.

Breakfast at the hostel - bread and eggs with coffee
Late and long lunch in Arnstadt - pasta with chicken
Dinner - skipped. Too tired.

Drove all day, except when a U-turn was needed in Arnstadt

Day 3
Dresden to Krakow
via Czech Rep. Visited the ghetto and concentration camp in Terezín.

Breakfast - stuff from grocery store, bacon wrap
Lunch - traditional Czech fair according to the menu... sirlion in a brown sauce with cranberries and cream and dumplings. Actually delicious.
Dinner - egg sandwich from gas station - actually rather delicious.

Drove from morning till about 2 - then Lennox took over until round 11pm. Yay picture taking time.

We've had hot and humid weather, thunderstorms, and tonight I'm grateful to be in a hotel with an AC. If you want to see some photos from the trip or hear snippets I've been posting on my photoblog (www.urv.shutterchance.com) and twitter (twitter.com/theurv)

Epic Adventure, here I come?

I now know how to drive on the left side of the street in a car with steering on the right and a trailer on the back. And I've nicknamed the Land Rover Grover. We've left Cambridge and are back in Broad Chalke. Tomorrow the epic drive begins.

Yesterday we were supposed to be ready to go, but the antitheft immobilizer spazzed out and thus the car wouldn't move. So after getting stuck in multiple places we ended up in Cambridge for another night.

Today while the immobilizer was being removed (it can't spazz out if it's no longer there) I spent the day exploring Cambridge, walking through town, and managed to find some cool new shirts at an open air market. One with a cup of tea on it (highly appropriate before an adventure with the Tracing Tea folks), one about being vague (Being vague is more fun than this other thing), and one with a definition of geek. A forth shirt was also added to the collection later, a Maximum Exposure Productions shirt. Also appropriate to have before a thousands of miles long trip for one of their productions.

Then when the car was ready, went out to the storage unit, packed up the trailer, hitched it to the 4x4 and then drove from Cambridge back to Broad Chalke where we'll be spending the night. And tomorrow up early, taking the Ferry over to France and driving from there to Germany. And from there - onwards until we get to Kyrgyzstan. Got some rain in during this evening's drive so I've now familiarized myself with driving this set up in sun and rain, day and night, and with and without trailer. I think we're good to go now.

Where in the World am I?

Cambridge. England.

Though it seems these days I'm hoping around. The list of places I've slept in the last week.

Los Altos, California. (Home)
Somewhere in the air. (Airplane)
Broad Chalke, England. (Friend Sophie's parent's house)
London, England. (Cousin Nikhil's place)
Cambridge, England. (Where I am now.)

And the road trip hasn't actually begun yet. That should be happening tomorrow if all gets sorted out today. So far have had the pleasure of meeting a variety of folks and doing something unusual for me when traveling - wandering. Spent most of this time in London on foot as opposed to underground, and as a result have a better geographic understanding, got to do more people watching, and I've acquired some blisters to show for it. Rather than aiming to see everything and go everywhere, I'm testing the go slowly on foot method. The wander around the block and see flowers, crowds, and whatever random exhibits are one day only things that happen to be in my path. (Waltzing in Trafalgar Square for example and also a video exhibit later the same day) This approach means on one hand I don't start the day as excited for what's on the agenda because there isn't necessarily one, but I'm also less disappointed because of things I couldn't do. Also still managed to get a lot done/seen...

Review of the days in a nutshell

Tues - Left California... Started by finishing packing, getting my Russian visa, going to the bank, grabbing lunch, and heading to the airport. Then the flight...

Wed - Arrive midday in London, meet Sophie, check out the car in Croydon, go down to Broad Chalke to stay with her parents.

Thurs - Take the train into London, wander about, get lost many times, check out many parks, Waltzing in Trafalgar Square, wandering around Regent's Street, Oxford Street, get a phone, see a tutorial on Final Cut Pro at the apple store, check out film thing in Trafalgar Square, train back to Salisbury finishing my book on the way (Blink), return to Broad Chalke.

Fri - Spent all day in Broad Chalke. Sleep in to make up for some of the jet lag, read a bit of the novel I'd bought the day before (The Gun Seller), hung out with Sophie's parents John and Sharron, and their friends Val and Lee for dinner and drinks. Lively conversation about the difference between US and UK educational systems, politics and our thoughts on different models...

Sat - Took the train up to London with all my stuff, met up with my cousin Nikhil, dropped my stuff off at his place, walked through Regent's park to get lost before going to Belsize park, met up with my friend Trevor from UCSB then Greg from Stanford, before meeting Greg's friends Ezra and David. Had a lovely dinner with those four before Trevor had to leave to meet another friend, so Greg, Ezra, David and I took a walk through Primrose Hill, Regent's park and then down to SoHo. Went to Tesco, grabbed some drink making supplies so we could make Pimm's and Lemonade. Enjoyed drinks and conversation at David and Ezra's place in Soho. Eventually Greg and I left to check out the bar/club scene which lead to us wandering in circles as places began to close, before we finally decided on going to Heaven to see Kylie Minogue perform there. That took us to about 3:30 am before going to catch our bus out. Got to Nikhil's place around 4am.

Sun - As a result of jet lag and the long day before, ended up sleeping till about 3pm, before waking up, showering and then heading out with Nikhil to meet his girlfriend and some friends of theirs. Went out to the burbs and took a walk before getting to a pub in Cheswick to grab dinner then watch the world cup. Then after the game we returned to his place and passed out.

Mon - Woke up early, repacked bag to be more efficiently accessible before heading out. Took the tube to Southwark and then went to the Tate where I could check my luggage while also checking out art. Definitely a win. Saw the surveillance photography exhibit and part of the flux exhibit before meeting up with Sophie. Then took the overground out to Croydon, hopping on a bus to get back to the dealership and picking up the Land Rover which we then took out to Cambridge. Grabbed dinner and then hung out with Cath(erine) and Dave who we're staying with.

Tue - Woke up, had croissants for breakfast, ran an errand, uploaded photos, caught up in my travel journal, and now am chilling while Sophie runs around getting the vehicle and trailer registered for the trip. Eventually I should get some driving practice and we might be leaving as early as tomorrow. Shall update again when I can

Hope all is well with folks at home!

I don't write down my opinions these days

It's actually rather sad, I noticed the other day flipping through my computer's documents, I don't write down my opinions these days. And that's problematic. Because sometime between entering UCSB and now, my line of reasoning has changed and I can't with certainty point to a piece of logic and say, "There it is!" And I can't chart the development/deterioration of thinking patterns.

On the plus side, I've read three books this week. Two Malcom Gladwell books (The Tipping Point and Blink) and one by John Wood (Leaving Microsoft to Change the World). I'm also over in England right now, and I read part of Outliers on the flight out here.

I'm about to travel across Europe and Central Asia, and I think I will be creating a blog/journal for the trip just to force me to record my reflections for my future self and the friends back home, but I haven't thought of a good name for it yet. I'll do that and get back to you later. On one hand, having my opinion online might be a liability should my perspective change too much, however as a recent college grad with her first big exploration of the world beyond the home and family (most of my international travel has been with the family...) I'm probably doing the same damn cliche growth patterns as most socially-liberal American travelers when stepping out of the bubble - and in hopes of beginning conversations with folks back home about said adventures/giving them reference points to ask about when I return - I hope to offer the opening for further dialog and reflections later. For that as I see it is the point of blogging - not just speaking to the void, but prompting face-to-face dialog and offering a foundation for such conversations. Wish me luck on my travels - and an open mind in all I encounter, for I can imagine nothing will serve me better.

A Return to the Unknown – Blogging, Transient Communities and Leadership

I realized recently that in my rush between events and activities – I haven’t given time to put reflections in written form. While verbal diarrhea seems to be a part of my post processing experience with life – those reflections rarely get communicated outside of the sphere of people who participated in the events with me. Therefore when I’m sharing those stories it only helps reinforce a memory with friends or aids me as an individual to feel a sense of narrative completion on the to do list of life.

Go to conference X or protest Z. Check. Talk it out. Continue with Event Y.

Shared experiences, they’re great. Talking things out with friends is also great. But this weekend I was reminded why that’s really not enough, at least for me right now.

While looking at what I consider common sense of organizing – I realized how many students around me haven’t had the opportunity to learn about and develop those skills yet. And as a debate unfolded this weekend at a conference regarding leadership turnover – a topic I have discussed in countless retreats – I realized what appeared immediately obvious to me is constantly being rediscovered by people who while looking elsewhere missed that cue.

Now when good/decent student leadership is leaving – they often tend to leave a long to do list, list of traditions or other set of resources behind. But when incoming leaders receive a bunch of resources – it also tends to be an information overload that gets parking-lotted (Like a car in a parking lot, it is temporarily put to the side to return to). The problem is that often times the resource isn’t utilized. Now one could blame the students for this, but realistically, we’ve got other things to do! We’re full time students and huge binders to read are a drag. But in my experience there’s one in depth resource I will always be quick to consult when I have a question – people. Peers, mentors, teachers, TAs, friends and family are all great places to go. And when the leaders of an organization graduate and the turnover is happening – the best thing to leave behind is a phone number to be contacted at and a good relationship that makes it easier to pick up the phone.

Okay – totally common sense. But the other thing that is always forgotten is who does your organization/club/group work with? Do you have a personal relationship with those leaders than enables you to work with them easily? If so – your new replacement either needs to be put in contact with them to develop such a relationship or your new replacement and that organization’s new leadership will have to meet. Yes, that is a lot of work for both you and that other organization’s leadership to organize, especially if your work has been happening in centrally dictated actions where leaders work together and pass down instructions. However if you consider leadership turnover not at the moment of exchange, but as a process it’s much easier to plan. If you make sure your organizations members know each other – when it’s time to collaborate they’re much more able to continue to work together with or without you.

I’m a senior at UCSB. I will be graduating this year (assuming the English department lets me in to my final required class…) and when I go I know my rolodex (… or facebook) goes with me. But that’s actually irrelevant. Because when I leave, so will a large number of my friends who I would have called to organize an action. Leadership is constantly developing, evolving, and graduating/leaving. If an activist next year called me and asked me for advice – I couldn’t suggest, “Just talk to so and so.” But this year before I leave, I can look for developing leaders and members around me and encourage them not only think of what the organization needs, but also just to befriend the people around them and in allied causes. I don’t know and can never be sure about who will move up – but if members are regularly working as a community the organizational culture of collaboration won’t be dependent on me or my individual skills.

When in caucus spaces facilitators’ job is to start actions, keep things moving and moderate for an enjoyable space for all. I see the role of a good leader in transient communities to do that as well. Ultimately if the quality of the space is dependent on the individual the organization will fall apart with or without a binder of resources. So as a leader now is the time to start reflecting (if you haven’t already). Who’s passionate? Who’s itching for more to do? Who was left out and is waiting for an invite to return to the table? If the people who are the answers to questions like these don’t know each other yet, start the introductions as you go about your programs. Those are the ties that will outlast your days in the organization and help your organization maintain a culture that fosters good communication needed to keep alliances alive when your rolodex is outdated, your binder is ignored and your voicemail is full.

So where does this leave me? I’m at the end of yet another conference, short on sleep, and optimistic about the future of my campus organizations. This weekend I think my greatest act of leadership was being the designated driver at the end of Saturday night – and by doing so allowing for alcohol induced networking. It might seem like an odd place to begin the leadership transition – but those memories, laughing over silly moments and the bonds that go with them are often what makes for a community worth fighting for and can make all the difference to both members and potential leaders looking for a place to call home. And even if those people never end up leading – their ability to enjoy the community and talk within that space will make it easier for whomever does.

Why I Support Voting for the National Marriage Boycott

Do you have one minute? Really, this is all the time it will take to click this link: http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/6032-National-Marriage-Boycott register, vote to support the National Marriage Boycott (NMB for short) and empower student activists.

This last year has been a flurry of activity, activism, and somehow between this time last year I’ve gone from passively accepting instructions at phone banks to… whatever you call whatever I’m hyperactively doing now. But when looking towards a lot of the issues being debated about LGBT issues I keep noticing the same trend of overly localized activism which ignores the bigger picture. Resources spread thin as people are donating to numerous state wide campaigns, rallying around every case, supporting multiple groups and finding those groups don’t always collaborate in the way we wish they could. This isn’t unique to LGBT issues – the same problems plague student groups on campus, environmental groups, advocacy groups, etc… And while this tends to make me cynical there are certain areas where I retain hope…

The National Marriage Boycott was founded by The Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation – an activist group made up mostly of friends and peers are Stanford. After Prop 8 passed in the wave of protests with signs proclaiming, “I’m not a second class citizen” I was amazed to see these students not only protesting prop 8, but working to raise awareness of the high suicide rate in LGBT youth. They didn’t just react to the current political circumstances, they used the climate as an opportunity to be proactive and raise awareness for an issue we too often are silent about. This same type of forward thinking rather than reactionary protest shaped the National Marriage Boycott – which is not only protesting the Defense of Marriage Act, it also showcases the optimism with which we approach the issue, highlighting the belief that there can and will be change in our lifetime.

As a student it’s often hard to remember what a great deal of power we hold. Organizations which constantly ask for funding and not time make us feel like we have nothing to offer and without the greater access enjoyed by those organizations even if you have something to say, it’s very difficult to get a platform to say it. When planning The National Marriage Boycott, students didn’t see these things and give up – they thought big, planned big, and worked hard. We got ourselves rings, personally committed ourselves to work tirelessly on the issue until full federal equality, and we only increased our commitment since then.

If we lose this contest and have little to no funding moving forward – we won’t stop. But if we win we’ll be enabled to act in a time that demands action. With seed money to help set up new chapters, promote the group, send people to have those vital conversations that help us build a real community of activists rather than a group of likeminded strangers – we can do so much MORE. Without aid we could get national press and 20 chapters in less than a year. With a few clicks of a mouse you can help us even if you’re unable to join the boycott, you can help put pressure to repeal DOMA and you can support students as we work to stay involved and hopeful in a climate that breads cynicism.

That’s worth 60 seconds for me. How about you?

If you have a minute to vote, please do so at http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/6032-National-Marriage-Boycott and leave a comment here when you do so. Nothing inspires me more than knowing good people are doing good work.

Prop 8 stands, and so we must too.

I was expecting it. I vocally expressed the fact that I expected the verdict that we received. And yet it still shocked me. Here's what I found most troubling about the Press Release and Summary of the opinion on Prop 8:

"Inalienable Rights The majority opinion next addresses and rejects the Attorney General’s claim that because article I, section 1 of the California Constitution characterizes certain rights including the right of privacy as “inalienable,” Proposition 8 is invalid because it abrogates such rights without a compelling interest.

The opinion explains that not only does Proposition 8 not “abrogate” the aspect of the right of privacy discussed in the majority opinion in the Marriage Cases, but that the identification of a right as “inalienable” has never been understood to mean that such right is exempt from any limitation or to preclude the adoption of a constitutional amendment that restricts the scope of such a right. The opinion emphasizes that there is no authority to support the Attorney General’s theory."

(insert my shock at the second to last sentence)

What exactly ARE inalienable rights then? Someone please explain. No really - I've heard the term and used it in what I thought was the correct manner in philosophy and history classes before, but this court's statement about the ability to limit inalienable rights goes against everything that I thought that meant... And if we have any legal experts who can educate me, I'm more than willing to listen.

Also it really troubled me to read Justice Moreno's opinion and know the other 6 people in the room disagreed.

For the text go here:
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/presscenter/newsreleases/NR29-09.PDF

I haven't had time yet to read the full 185 pages of the decision - but I've seen enough of it to know I'm troubled by it. (the joy of being a full time student and activist as well - time is scarce... I will read the whole thing eventually though)

But moving past this troubling verdict, we need to look toward the future and figure out what to do beyond voicing our disapproval. (Which is definitely something that needs to be done, but while that reaction is easily arrived at - a plan of action takes a bit more work.)

I think that if we're to win a fight for equality we need to reach out to the moderates, face our opponents, and include all of our allies. We also need to do more than speak to our friends - we need to take the conversation to a place where others will hear it. And this weekend there is an event that will help do just that - build a more inclusive movement with a broader audience. Which is why in the midst of final papers and trying to wrap up this quarter I'm taking the time to organize friends and community members to go to Fresno for Meet in the Middle. I hope you can do the same and I hope to see you there!

For more information go to http://www.meetinthemiddle4equality.com/