People of Washington DC

I've met some more people this week... stories from Washington DC:

I was thrilled to meet three delightful Londoners who are participating in the Atlas Network think tank MBA program, but I feel awkward sharing stories about people who I'm now Facebook friends with. However, one of them instantly invited me to his birthday party which falls over my next visit to London, another bought a round for us all at the hotel bar, and the third helped me fabricate a creative story about the origins of my pocket watch necklace. Londoners are pretty much my favorite.

Zecharius is the friendliest barista I've ever met, working at Au Bon Pain. While I placed my order, he introduced himself. He proudly told me he came from Benin (West Africa), and that he's been in the states for five years. He is one year away from finishing his bachelors in civil engineering, a skill he knows he can use in any country in the world. None of his family is in the states, but he's not sure whether he will return or not once he graduates. I asked if he's always this friendly, and he said you never know who you'll meet. So true.

Ahmed is the slowest cab driver I've ever seen, frequently going under the speed limit. He's from Pakistan and works a full time job in Fairfax, but he also drives for Uber on the weekends. At the risk of being obnoxious, I kept asking him to speed up, explaining that I was going to be late for the opera. Although his English was perfect, he couldn't seem to understand the concept of speeding up. Nonetheless - with some prayer - I arrived at the Kennedy Center just before the opening number of La Boheme.

On an average week, I meet 5-10 people randomly, most of whom I will never see or talk with again, and 10-25 people in a professional capacity, most of whom I will encounter in the near future. These profiles are just a snippet of their many stories.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

If home is where the heart is, then mine spans the Atlantic. After four months in London - even though I couldn't master the accent - I was at home on that side of the pond. Being back in New York, I now have two places to call home.

Over the Fall semester, I recall many fantastic adventures in London, delightful travels across Europe, and fantastic British friends who welcomed me. With each goodbye hug, I wondered when I would see these wonderful people again, if ever. When tempted to be sad, I realized I ought to be grateful for the relationships that I had made, which is far preferable to never having the chance to know them. 

While in London and even more so on each trip abroad, I often meditated on this verse: "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73). When the trials came, when I felt that my flesh and heart were failing, I rested on this promise. It also became my prayer, to desire none besides Him, which is far easier said than done. In every way, God abundantly provided for me and answered my prayers. As just one example, I had asked God to provide a community of believers for me, for mutual encouragement, ministry-buddies, and to challenge me in my faith. Within just a couple weeks, He provided the most amazing group of students who became my close friends. And I have countless examples of His provision in very big and very little ways.

As I prepared to leave London, I realized that life in New York won't be quite as fun or enjoyable. Even though I firmly believe that circumstances matter far less than attitude, I know that the pleasures of London are over. I can no longer take the train to Paris in two hours or pop over to Portugal for the weekend. I can't wander through Covent Garden in the afternoon and stroll along the Thames at sunset. I can't stay out past the last tube and take the night bus home. I must move on from the "fun" stage of life. Yet I rejoice because God is good, and His will is perfect. I would rather be in the center of His will than anywhere else in the world. When life is too comfortable, growth is sparse. In tribulations, temptations and trials, we become fully dependent on God. God stretches us in places where we need stretching. He challenges us and gives us the grace and strength to rise to the challenge. We don't grow nearly as much as when times are hard. He doesn't promise happiness; He desires our holiness. Thus, I choose to embrace His plans and seek to ace these tests. Lord, not my will but Yours be done.

Lastly, I learned these lyrics at Christ Church London, and they became recurrent themes/prayers during my past few months:

"Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders; 

Let me walk upon the waters, wherever you will call me. 

Take me deeper than my feet would ever wander; 

And my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior." - Hillsong

"To You our hearts are open; nothing here is hidden. You are our one desire." - Matt Redman

God has been so faithful to lead me and strengthen me, and I have full confidence that my guardian angels worked overtime to guard and protect me. Anywhere outside His will is dangerous and absent of joy. Therefore, I choose to rejoice in His perfect wisdom, rest in His faithfulness, and praise Him for being the all-sufficient Lord. Not my will, but Yours.

People Watching from the Cafe

Of all the joys of working from a coffee shop, people-watching is one of the best. Here are a few people who passed by the window in the rain. [Location: Maida Vale, London]

First, a gentleman passes by with a large umbrella in one hand and a leash in the other, with a Chocolate Labrador on a end. The lab refused to follow his owner, stubbornly stopping wherever he wanted. The gentleman almost dragged the lab across the street against his will. They disappeared around a corner.

Then a younger man passed by, walking briskly with his hood up, holding a leash to a small, cream colored spaniel. The spaniel bounced alongside, entirely infatuated with the taste of his leash. I'm impressed how the dog simultaneously managed to chew the leash, bounce incessantly, and stay by the side of his owner. After a few minutes, they came back past the window with a full shopping bag.

Across the street, a thin, silver-haired, middle-aged man wandered down the street with a caramel-colored pitbull. The man wasn't bothered by the rain. While he technically was walking his dog, it seemed much more like the dog was walking him, not due to the dog's size or strength but the indifference of the owner.

A number of people passed quickly in black business clothes and overcoats and dark umbrellas, with their heads down. They're not appreciating the weather. I don't blame them.

The window where I'm sitting has a large overhang over the sidewalk, so a number of people stopped for a moment in the shelter. They would have a quick smoke, use their iPhones, or drink a coffee, wishing they had remembered to bring an umbrella with them today.

Life in London

There are never any pence on the pavement in London, while New York sidewalks are littered with pennies. Beyond that, the cities are quite similar: packed tube/subway cars; Starbucks at every corner in the center of the city; countless ethnic restaurants; the melting pot of cultures. It feels like home in so many ways.

Okay, realistically, it's not identical. The accents are the major obvious difference - everything they say sounds so posh; their streets twist and wind in the most illogical patterns, as do most of the tube lines; their grocery stores sell everything prepackaged, strangly futuristic; the buildings are much older and often more beautiful; their history goes back a lot later than America's; and they buy and sell with pounds, making everything about 50 percent more expensive than the states. Maybe that's why there are no pence on the pavement...

Syrian Friend

Sunday afternoon, in typical London fashion, the sunny day quickly turned cloudy and started pouring. I was in the middle of Trafalgar Square and had forgotten my umbrella.  So I ducked into the nearest Caffe Nero to stay dry. Next to me sat a doctor reading an academic journal. He moved to England many years ago to study medicine and earned citizenship, but he identifies as Syrian. So we discussed Syria's history, Assad's recent atrocities, relations with China and Russia, the Sunnis and Shi'a Muslims, the rebel groups, the best case scenario for Syria's future, how the international community should respond, Britain's non-response, Assad's relationship with Israel, the refugee situation, and his brothers and family who are living in Damascus. Most fascinating! If you want to hear his thoughts on any of these topics, put a comment on one or two, and I'll write his answers here.

To give one example, my friend Ghazi said that an international response is warranted, especially due to the fact that Assad has used chemical weapons on his citizens 14 times, in the outskirts of Damascus. The supposed reason is that Assad wants the land back and wants to crush the rebel groups, and chemical weapons are his most effective means. Ghazi says that Obama should provide arms and resources to the Free Syrian Army, which he considers the most effective and hopeful rebel group. He also made a comment about the thousands of people that are being held by the government and tortured daily. He really wants Assad to leave (obviously), and for these people to be freed. Although they're removed from the chemical weapons, they're still being treated completely inappropriately. I wonder how the international human rights organizations are going to handle this one. It's not against the rules of war, but it's abominable.