Weeks ago, I was selected on behalf of Chabad at Temple to go to the Living Legacy Leadership Conference in DC. With a few schedule adjustments, I quickly made it a point to be there. There was NO WAY I was missing this.
All week my nerves were getting to me. I didn't know what to expect and I couldn't shake this uncommon anxiety. This wasn't my first leadership conference, and hopefully not my last. What was there to worry about?
Last night, some friends took me out to wish me all the best, and still I couldn't shake these nerves. Everything felt like a bad omen. The anxiety was building. The two black cats on the way home didn't help either.
I awoke this morning still feeling anxious, but none-the-less embarked on my journey. The journey itself was miserable. First, there were issues with money. Then, I thought I left my ID at the bank... when I was already half way to DC... then, I thought I couldn't get gas. Once I arrived in DC, in a fairly timely manner, I spent an hour and a half circling the hotel. Just as my bladder was about to burst, tears flooded down my face as I sobbed to my mommy like a little girl.
Once I arrived at the St. Regis... yes that's right, you heard me... I was quickly told that I was staying at the Marriot Courtyard elsewhere. The drama continues. One wrong cab ride to the wrong location, and finally a second cab ride later, I was there. I threw my bags down, I approached the concierge, and I received my key. Top floor... not too shabby!
When I got into my room, the first thing I noticed was the view! I could see the Washington Monument! Too bad I lost so much time. Otherwise, I'd go exploring. As my adorable roommate Dana walked in, we quickly got acquainted and went downstairs to meet others.
Everyone decided to walk, and so I felt the need to not isolate myself by cabbing it back to the St. Regis for registration. As we strolled down Connecticut Ave, we noticed the diverse population of restaurants and bars. There was so many to choose from and each had its own unique style. As we debated whether we'd have time to check any out later, and who had what kind of fake ID, I was thankful that I no longer had to worry about that.
As we arrived at the St. Regis, we were informed that we were a bit early and so decided to take a stroll two blocks over... to the White House. :) As we took out cheesy tourist photos for mom and dad, we all felt slightly important being there "on business." Though we were all slightly disturbed by the anti-Israel protest happening outside, we bit our tongues, and decided it was neither the time or the place to start trouble. We would only make ourselves, our organization, and our schools look bad.
Back at the St. Regis, we were registered and treated to dinner... and an open bar! Name tags that listed not only our names and schools, but also our states, added to the appeal of being there. An heir of importance was felt as we entered the room and received our badges and pins. Dinner was delicious. I was quite impressed. Men and women in tuxedos walked around serving appetizers, while I delighted in some conversation with students from schools all over the country.... Harvard, Princton, Columbia, Penn... just to name a few. ;)
Around 8pm, we had our opening session with Rabbi Sneiderman from University of Delaware and Rabbi Shemtov, who planned the event. As we did a few ice-breakers, it was soon time for our first special guest. Rabbi Yona Metzger, Chief Rabbi of Israel, flew in all the way from the Holy Land to speak with us. It was incredible. It was an intimate setting, and the man spoke with such passion and grace. We could tell we were in the presence of greatness. As he kept a consistent, very sincere smile on his face, you could tell he was a man who took great pride in his work, and more so, derived great pleasure from it. It was truely an honor to meet him. We even got to take pictures with him and was able to ask him a question!
As if that wasn't exciting enough for one night, they had more in store. As they began to hand out snacks, we noticed they became more Jewish by the minute... nuts... crackers... then potato salad... pickles... and then herring... lol... You know just a little midnight snack. Professor Tali Lowenthal flew in from London to join us for a farbrengen. A farbrengen is a Chasidic tradition, when people gather around and discuss topics of religious, philosopical, spiritual, and ethical importance. Often times it is accompanied by watching one self-reflect and have epiphanies about meaningful things to one's life.
By the time we were done, it was 12:30am. As I asked Professor Lowenthal one last question, I missed the first shuttle bus, and had to catch the second back to the hotel. Apparently, this was a gift from G-d in disguise. I ended up meeting another student who used to work for a law school admissions office. He gave me tons of great advise, and I couldn't even be more thankful!
It's 2:40am now, and I gotta be up at 6am. A police escort is taking us to have breakfast at Capital Hill. What can I say? It's not easy bein a VIP. Ballin!
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