Two trips to the states and one primary election later, I am back and finally enjoying the "boring" routine of every day life again. I say "boring" because every day here always turns out to be the opposite of boring, but at least I have been able to wake up in the same city two days in a row and not live out of a suitcase. These are things many people take for granted! Not that I don't enjoy traveling for work- it is usually one of the most exciting parts of my job, being able to build relationships face to face and see people get excited about a cause. It's just that it can get exhausting!
However, I'm please to say that all of the exhausting efforts were worth it. I just finished an amazing fundraising trip with Elem, my client that works with Israeli youth who are in distress and/or homeless. This was no ordinary trip, as we brought with us Elem's president, former first lady of Israel, Nava Barak, and a young woman who lived on the streets for five years and who was helped by Elem to lead a normal life again. All together, there were 5 of us traveling for this "road show" and regardless of the logistics, weather, and other "challenges", the trip was a huge success. Such a huge success, in fact, that we are already planning our next trip for the beginning of February. No rest for the weary...
On top of this great success, the Kadima primary election was on December 17 and my client ended up getting the 11th place in the party! He was originally number 29, so this was a huge deal for him. Even better (for me), we ended up raising the third largest total amount of money for a Kadima candidate (there were over 70 candidates, and we were only beat by the Minister of Finance and the Speaker of the Knesset), and it appears that we were number one in raising money from Americans! Needless to say, I am quite pleased with myself.
Another highlight of Kadima's primary election was outcome of the campaign that Oren has been managing for the last 1.5 months. His candidate was the current Minister of Public Security, Avi Dichter, who had been appointed to his position years ago and therefore, he had never had to campaign for a place in the party before. There was a lot of pressure for Dichter to prove himself as someone who could be elected, not just appointed, so Oren and his staff ran an intense and country-wide campaign that proved to be very successful, as Dichter ended up in 9th place on the Kadima list (actually, the first two seats in Kadima were reserved for the chairman and her deputy, so technically, Oren's candidate ended up in 7th place)!
Oren's campaign ended the day before I returned from my business trip, so we decided to take the weekend and go to a luxurious spa up in the Carmel Mountains of Haifa. It was the kind of place where all of the guests (including us) walk around in white fluffy bathrobes and slippers the entire time, and spend our days rotating between soaking in the hot tub, relaxing in the turkish baths, eating, or getting some sort of massage treatment. I, personally, enjoyed a hot and cold stone massage which was, needless to say, a very unique experience. As with all vacations, this was far too short, but it helped recharge our batteries a bit before jumping back in to the work craziness.
On our way back from the spa, we stopped at a restaurant in Herzliya for dinner. It happened to also be the first night of Hanukkah, and I had one of my "this would never happen in the states" moments when the entire restaurant stopped what they were doing to light the Hanukkah candles together and say the prayers. It was a nice experience, and I hope that you all are having a Happy Hanukkah or Merry Christmas wherever you may be celebrating.
Love,
Debbie
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Times They Are A'Changin'
I'm sorry... I'm sorry! I know, it's been a really long time since I blogged and I know there are many of you are are upset about this. I'm sorry! I've been really busy!! With what, you ask? Well let's see...
I spent a very hectic two weeks in the USA on a business trip with Elem (my client that works with Israeli youth at risk). It was a successful, but exhausting trip. One of the best parts was being able to see some of my favorite people while in Boston and Chicago. I think that is one of the best parts of my job, is that it allows me to spend time with good friends- the kind of friends who you may not see for months at a time, but when you are together, it is as if time has never passed.
While I was in the states, I also spent a few days in Minneapolis with the fam. It was during this time that I helped my family pick out a new puppy!! His name is Teddy (because he looks like a teddy bear) and he is the cutest little thing you will ever see. Just to brighten your day, I am including some pictures of him. I hear from home that he is being a very good boy, and is bringing them a lot of joy, so I can't wait to see him in a few weeks when I am home for Thanksgiving.
It was also while I was in the states that an election was called in Israel. As some of you may know, an election can be called at pretty much any time here, and it just so happened to get called while I was in Chicago. This is a big deal for me, because one of my clients is a Member of Knesset whose re-election campaign began the day the election was called. Needless to say, we shifted into high gear very quickly (from the guest room at Lisa and Josh's apartment), and we are now intensely collecting the $100,000.00 that he is allowed to use towards his Primary Campaign.
If that were all I had to work on right now, it would be hectic enough, but I am also in the process of planning a huge trip for Elem that will take place at the beginning of December which is driving me up the wall. Planning a normal trip from another continent is challenging enough, but this time I am bringing an entourage of special guests and VIPs with me (one of them being Nava Barak, the former first lady of Israel) and we are doing some major events that are of very high importance to my client. So, I've been up until the wee hours of the morning for the past week either working on Yoel's fundraising for his Primary Campaign, or going back and forth with Boston and Chicago trying to get the details of our events nailed down.
And if THAT weren't enough to drive me cuckoo, an old friend called me a few days ago and told me that he decided to run for a seat in the Knesset, and asked if I could help him with his fundraising. So, make that TWO Primary Elections I am now raising money for, PLUS a massive high-level trip at the beginning of December. And, exhale.
Enough with all that. Many of you have asked me to react to Barak Obama winning the presidential campaign, and I must say, it is truly an exciting thing. As many of you know, I have not always been a 100% Obama fan (even though I had a facebook message the morning after the election from a friend reminding me that I had told him 3 years ago that Obama would be our next President when most people had still never heard of him), but I could not be happier or more impressed with the choice of so many Americans in this election. I could not believe when I woke up at 6:30am to learn that Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Indiana... all of them went blue! And furthermore, the voter turn out was incredible! I am even more thrilled with the fact that Obama chose Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff. Anyone who was worried that Obama would not surrounded himself with good people (or Pro-Israel people, for that matter) need not worry any more. I thought that was a very significant first move on Obama's part, and I can't wait to see what will happen next.
And with that, I will stop procrastinating and go back to raising money and planning VIP events for December. Never a dull moment, but I promise to start blogging regularly again.
P.S. Here are the pictures of Teddy. Enjoy :)
I spent a very hectic two weeks in the USA on a business trip with Elem (my client that works with Israeli youth at risk). It was a successful, but exhausting trip. One of the best parts was being able to see some of my favorite people while in Boston and Chicago. I think that is one of the best parts of my job, is that it allows me to spend time with good friends- the kind of friends who you may not see for months at a time, but when you are together, it is as if time has never passed.
While I was in the states, I also spent a few days in Minneapolis with the fam. It was during this time that I helped my family pick out a new puppy!! His name is Teddy (because he looks like a teddy bear) and he is the cutest little thing you will ever see. Just to brighten your day, I am including some pictures of him. I hear from home that he is being a very good boy, and is bringing them a lot of joy, so I can't wait to see him in a few weeks when I am home for Thanksgiving.
It was also while I was in the states that an election was called in Israel. As some of you may know, an election can be called at pretty much any time here, and it just so happened to get called while I was in Chicago. This is a big deal for me, because one of my clients is a Member of Knesset whose re-election campaign began the day the election was called. Needless to say, we shifted into high gear very quickly (from the guest room at Lisa and Josh's apartment), and we are now intensely collecting the $100,000.00 that he is allowed to use towards his Primary Campaign.
If that were all I had to work on right now, it would be hectic enough, but I am also in the process of planning a huge trip for Elem that will take place at the beginning of December which is driving me up the wall. Planning a normal trip from another continent is challenging enough, but this time I am bringing an entourage of special guests and VIPs with me (one of them being Nava Barak, the former first lady of Israel) and we are doing some major events that are of very high importance to my client. So, I've been up until the wee hours of the morning for the past week either working on Yoel's fundraising for his Primary Campaign, or going back and forth with Boston and Chicago trying to get the details of our events nailed down.
And if THAT weren't enough to drive me cuckoo, an old friend called me a few days ago and told me that he decided to run for a seat in the Knesset, and asked if I could help him with his fundraising. So, make that TWO Primary Elections I am now raising money for, PLUS a massive high-level trip at the beginning of December. And, exhale.
Enough with all that. Many of you have asked me to react to Barak Obama winning the presidential campaign, and I must say, it is truly an exciting thing. As many of you know, I have not always been a 100% Obama fan (even though I had a facebook message the morning after the election from a friend reminding me that I had told him 3 years ago that Obama would be our next President when most people had still never heard of him), but I could not be happier or more impressed with the choice of so many Americans in this election. I could not believe when I woke up at 6:30am to learn that Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Indiana... all of them went blue! And furthermore, the voter turn out was incredible! I am even more thrilled with the fact that Obama chose Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff. Anyone who was worried that Obama would not surrounded himself with good people (or Pro-Israel people, for that matter) need not worry any more. I thought that was a very significant first move on Obama's part, and I can't wait to see what will happen next.
And with that, I will stop procrastinating and go back to raising money and planning VIP events for December. Never a dull moment, but I promise to start blogging regularly again.
P.S. Here are the pictures of Teddy. Enjoy :)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I was due...
I guess you could say I was due for a profoundly awkward moment. I am somewhat prone to these, but have not had one for quite some time. So, it really was not all that surprising yesterday when I had one.
Yesterday, Oren, Avi, and I took a field trip to Jerusalem to meet with a potential client that the three of us would be working for together. The project is helping restore the original Prime Minister's mansion that was the home to many of Israel's great PM's (Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Levi Eshkol, etc.). The plan was that Oren and Avi would manage this process, while I would raise the funds for it. The organization that we were hoping would hire us is the Levi Eshkol Foundation, which is run by Prime Minister Eshkol's wife. She has been unwilling to undertake this project herself, as she is 80 years old, and the goal of yesterday's meeting was to convince her that, although we are young, we are all very capable and competent people.
So, about half way through the meeting (which was mostly in Hebrew, meaning I understood about 15% of what was being said), I asked Mrs. Eshkol where her bathroom was. I did not find anything strange about this, but apparently I chose to ask this question at an unexpected time, because Mrs. Eshkol found it to be funny. I made my way to the bathroom trying to figure out why she found it so funny, and as I washed my hands I decided to ignore it, and reminded myself that the whole point of this meeting was to come across as capable and competent so that she concludes that we can be trusted with this important project. And that is when I realized that I had locked myself in the bathroom.
It was an old-fashioned lock that is not at all uncommon in Israel- the kind that has the big key hole and the huge key that you turn to lock or unlock. I am familiar with these locks from living here for a year, so this should not have been a problem. However, as I turned and turned, and pulled the key out and put the key back in, and turned some more, I realized that the door was not unlocking. I immediately began to feel claustrophobic, as this bathroom was barely big enough for the toilet and sink that were in it, and as the room started to close in, I kept turning the key and trying to wiggle it in the "magic" way that would unlock the door.
It was at that point that I heard Avi's voice on the other side of the door asking tentatively "Debbie? Are you okay in there?" Apparently my frantic key turning had been so noisy that it drew attention away from the meeting of 6 people that was occurring in the other room. I responded by telling him that I can't seem to unlock the door, which is when I hear Mrs. Eshkol from the other side of the door asking urgently "Did you lock the door?? We never lock the door here because it gets stuck!" I silently thought to myself that knowing that before I went to the bathroom would have been useful, but was interrupted by Avi who told me that he grew up with a lock like this and if I took the key out of the lock, he thought he could open it from the outside. Over the next few minutes, I started wondering how much of a dent this scenario would put in my efforts to appear capable and competent, when finally the door swung open and I was free! I then had the distinct pleasure of walking back into the meeting room where the other 4 people were sitting at the meeting table waiting for me to get released from the bathroom and, as professionally as possible, sat down and continued the meeting.
Fortunately, even with my awkwardness, she still decided to let us manage this project, which means much more quality time at Mrs. Eshkol's apartment where there will be no more locking of any doors. Ever.
Yesterday, Oren, Avi, and I took a field trip to Jerusalem to meet with a potential client that the three of us would be working for together. The project is helping restore the original Prime Minister's mansion that was the home to many of Israel's great PM's (Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Levi Eshkol, etc.). The plan was that Oren and Avi would manage this process, while I would raise the funds for it. The organization that we were hoping would hire us is the Levi Eshkol Foundation, which is run by Prime Minister Eshkol's wife. She has been unwilling to undertake this project herself, as she is 80 years old, and the goal of yesterday's meeting was to convince her that, although we are young, we are all very capable and competent people.
So, about half way through the meeting (which was mostly in Hebrew, meaning I understood about 15% of what was being said), I asked Mrs. Eshkol where her bathroom was. I did not find anything strange about this, but apparently I chose to ask this question at an unexpected time, because Mrs. Eshkol found it to be funny. I made my way to the bathroom trying to figure out why she found it so funny, and as I washed my hands I decided to ignore it, and reminded myself that the whole point of this meeting was to come across as capable and competent so that she concludes that we can be trusted with this important project. And that is when I realized that I had locked myself in the bathroom.
It was an old-fashioned lock that is not at all uncommon in Israel- the kind that has the big key hole and the huge key that you turn to lock or unlock. I am familiar with these locks from living here for a year, so this should not have been a problem. However, as I turned and turned, and pulled the key out and put the key back in, and turned some more, I realized that the door was not unlocking. I immediately began to feel claustrophobic, as this bathroom was barely big enough for the toilet and sink that were in it, and as the room started to close in, I kept turning the key and trying to wiggle it in the "magic" way that would unlock the door.
It was at that point that I heard Avi's voice on the other side of the door asking tentatively "Debbie? Are you okay in there?" Apparently my frantic key turning had been so noisy that it drew attention away from the meeting of 6 people that was occurring in the other room. I responded by telling him that I can't seem to unlock the door, which is when I hear Mrs. Eshkol from the other side of the door asking urgently "Did you lock the door?? We never lock the door here because it gets stuck!" I silently thought to myself that knowing that before I went to the bathroom would have been useful, but was interrupted by Avi who told me that he grew up with a lock like this and if I took the key out of the lock, he thought he could open it from the outside. Over the next few minutes, I started wondering how much of a dent this scenario would put in my efforts to appear capable and competent, when finally the door swung open and I was free! I then had the distinct pleasure of walking back into the meeting room where the other 4 people were sitting at the meeting table waiting for me to get released from the bathroom and, as professionally as possible, sat down and continued the meeting.
Fortunately, even with my awkwardness, she still decided to let us manage this project, which means much more quality time at Mrs. Eshkol's apartment where there will be no more locking of any doors. Ever.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
It's been awhile
I have now received a few notes from people asking why the blog hasn't been updated lately, so now that I have slowed down for a moment, here we go with some categorized updates with apologies to those who have not had the blog as a means of procrastination at work lately:
Family Visit
The Stein family has come and gone from Israel on their first ever visit to the Holy Land and I am pleased to report that we had a fantastic time. They got here at the end of December and stayed for 10 days that were jam-packed of sites, history, quality time, and, of course, lots of food. We basically ate our way through Israel and loved every moment of it. We had a fantastic tour guide named Hannan who provided on-going entertainment while driving us through the winding mountain roads in his Volkswagon stick-shift 10-seater van, and by the end of the 10 days, he was like another family member. The family had such a great time that they are already planning their next trip for June!
Work
The business has really taken off in the past month. As things have evolved, the business has now split into two branches- political and non-profit. The political side is still called DLS Consulting and I am now managing two members of Knesset and am in discussions to work for a few mayors and one more member. The non-profit side evolved through a meeting with a group here that represents some Dutch foundations that give to Israeli philanthropies. They decided that they want to open a fundraising branch of their company called Quantam and have asked me to be a partner in their efforts and act as the Vice President of Resource Development. In this position, I will manage their 10 current clients and will likely merge my non-profit clients that I originally agreed to work with under the umbrella of Quantam. So, needless to say, things have gotten a bit busy over here, but I love the challenge and all of the new people I am having the opportunity to work with. Also, thanks to work, it looks like I will be in the states in mid-March in DC, NYC, and Chicago (and then, of course, a few days in MN) which will be a lot of fun.
Apartment
The apartment renovations are going strong. The walls are going up and after Monday, all decisions and choices will be complete. We are hoping to be moving mid-February... fingers crossed!
Random story
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from our interior designer, Shimirt, around 9pm. Assuming it was about the apartment, I answered. She told me that she had a strange request- her fiance was helping one of his clients create an advertisement for a new product that was made in the style of a cartoon that was to be shown to prospective investors in the USA. They had given it to professionals to do the voiceovers, but the woman who had done the voice for the "Mother" in the cartoon was apparently a heavy smoker and her voice sounded more like an old man than a sweet mother. The realized this that evening and had to submit the advertisement the next day, and they needed someone with an American accent to do the voice of the "Mother" and asked if I could do it. I said, sure, why not, and they told me they could be here to pick me up and take me to the recording studio in 15 minutes. So, 30 minutes later, I was in the recording room with the headset on and microphone in hand doing the voice of "Mother." Apparently, they were thrilled with the final product, so if all else fails, I guess I can always try a career in voiceovers...?
Yesterday was reported to be the coldest day of the winter here... it was 50 degrees and sunny! Not too shabby, eh?
Hope all is well!
Family Visit
The Stein family has come and gone from Israel on their first ever visit to the Holy Land and I am pleased to report that we had a fantastic time. They got here at the end of December and stayed for 10 days that were jam-packed of sites, history, quality time, and, of course, lots of food. We basically ate our way through Israel and loved every moment of it. We had a fantastic tour guide named Hannan who provided on-going entertainment while driving us through the winding mountain roads in his Volkswagon stick-shift 10-seater van, and by the end of the 10 days, he was like another family member. The family had such a great time that they are already planning their next trip for June!
Work
The business has really taken off in the past month. As things have evolved, the business has now split into two branches- political and non-profit. The political side is still called DLS Consulting and I am now managing two members of Knesset and am in discussions to work for a few mayors and one more member. The non-profit side evolved through a meeting with a group here that represents some Dutch foundations that give to Israeli philanthropies. They decided that they want to open a fundraising branch of their company called Quantam and have asked me to be a partner in their efforts and act as the Vice President of Resource Development. In this position, I will manage their 10 current clients and will likely merge my non-profit clients that I originally agreed to work with under the umbrella of Quantam. So, needless to say, things have gotten a bit busy over here, but I love the challenge and all of the new people I am having the opportunity to work with. Also, thanks to work, it looks like I will be in the states in mid-March in DC, NYC, and Chicago (and then, of course, a few days in MN) which will be a lot of fun.
Apartment
The apartment renovations are going strong. The walls are going up and after Monday, all decisions and choices will be complete. We are hoping to be moving mid-February... fingers crossed!
Random story
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from our interior designer, Shimirt, around 9pm. Assuming it was about the apartment, I answered. She told me that she had a strange request- her fiance was helping one of his clients create an advertisement for a new product that was made in the style of a cartoon that was to be shown to prospective investors in the USA. They had given it to professionals to do the voiceovers, but the woman who had done the voice for the "Mother" in the cartoon was apparently a heavy smoker and her voice sounded more like an old man than a sweet mother. The realized this that evening and had to submit the advertisement the next day, and they needed someone with an American accent to do the voice of the "Mother" and asked if I could do it. I said, sure, why not, and they told me they could be here to pick me up and take me to the recording studio in 15 minutes. So, 30 minutes later, I was in the recording room with the headset on and microphone in hand doing the voice of "Mother." Apparently, they were thrilled with the final product, so if all else fails, I guess I can always try a career in voiceovers...?
Yesterday was reported to be the coldest day of the winter here... it was 50 degrees and sunny! Not too shabby, eh?
Hope all is well!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Busy, busy, busy!
Well, it's been quite awhile since my last entry, but that is because I have been so very busy! Here are some updates:
1) As many of you know, me and Oren have been preparing to renovate an apartment that he has owned and been renting out for a few years that is located on the best street in Tel Aviv, Rothschild Blvd. He bought the apartment years ago before the area got popular, and it is now one of the best investments that anyone could have made, as it is more than doubled in value since he bought it. Anyhow, we have been working with interior designers since October to create a space that would be comfortable for us, found a contractor last Saturday evening, and as of Sunday morning, the walls came a-tumblin down. It is a fantastic project and we could not be more excited. The contractor tells us the place can be finished in 4-5 weeks, so if that holds true, we will be living in our new place in mid-January which would be AMAZING. We just finished the "demolition" phase which was accomplished incredibly quickly, and next week begins the electrical stuff. I will keep you all updated on the progress, as it is so very exciting!
2) My client list is growing which is also very exciting. This also means my free time is decreasing rapidly. I now spend 5 hours in the morning at Ulpan, come home, and then have meetings or do work all afternoon and into the evening. It also now appears that it is possible that I will be in the states 3 times between the end of February and beginning of April which would be a little ridiculous. That will all get figured out though.
3) Last night, me and Oren celebrated one year of being together (a lot can happen in a year, huh?) by going to one of the new, hot restaurants in Tel Aviv called Herbert Samuel. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was one of the best culinary experiences I have had in recent memory. The items on the menu can be served tapas style or main dish style, so we were able to try many different dishes. Just to give you a taste of the experience, we started with an artichoke soup that was amazing. We then moved on to a spicy shrimp with green beans, onions, and olives in a red pepper sauce, prosciutto with apple, a rice noodle "ravioli" filled with raw tuna and avocado in a soy vinaigrette, moved on to a filet of steak with a roasted onion and awesome mashed potatoes, and then a risotto with scallops. For dessert, a wafer with baked bananas and poppy seed ice cream, plus a complementary dessert that is a signature of the chef's, which was a cookie with layers of mousse and nuts all covered in hardened chocolate. All of this plus the delicious bottle of champagne, made for an absolutely perfect meal. We are definitely taking my family there when they come in 2 weeks.
And with that brief update, we are off to celebrate Oren's dad's birthday. Happy holidays!
1) As many of you know, me and Oren have been preparing to renovate an apartment that he has owned and been renting out for a few years that is located on the best street in Tel Aviv, Rothschild Blvd. He bought the apartment years ago before the area got popular, and it is now one of the best investments that anyone could have made, as it is more than doubled in value since he bought it. Anyhow, we have been working with interior designers since October to create a space that would be comfortable for us, found a contractor last Saturday evening, and as of Sunday morning, the walls came a-tumblin down. It is a fantastic project and we could not be more excited. The contractor tells us the place can be finished in 4-5 weeks, so if that holds true, we will be living in our new place in mid-January which would be AMAZING. We just finished the "demolition" phase which was accomplished incredibly quickly, and next week begins the electrical stuff. I will keep you all updated on the progress, as it is so very exciting!
2) My client list is growing which is also very exciting. This also means my free time is decreasing rapidly. I now spend 5 hours in the morning at Ulpan, come home, and then have meetings or do work all afternoon and into the evening. It also now appears that it is possible that I will be in the states 3 times between the end of February and beginning of April which would be a little ridiculous. That will all get figured out though.
3) Last night, me and Oren celebrated one year of being together (a lot can happen in a year, huh?) by going to one of the new, hot restaurants in Tel Aviv called Herbert Samuel. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was one of the best culinary experiences I have had in recent memory. The items on the menu can be served tapas style or main dish style, so we were able to try many different dishes. Just to give you a taste of the experience, we started with an artichoke soup that was amazing. We then moved on to a spicy shrimp with green beans, onions, and olives in a red pepper sauce, prosciutto with apple, a rice noodle "ravioli" filled with raw tuna and avocado in a soy vinaigrette, moved on to a filet of steak with a roasted onion and awesome mashed potatoes, and then a risotto with scallops. For dessert, a wafer with baked bananas and poppy seed ice cream, plus a complementary dessert that is a signature of the chef's, which was a cookie with layers of mousse and nuts all covered in hardened chocolate. All of this plus the delicious bottle of champagne, made for an absolutely perfect meal. We are definitely taking my family there when they come in 2 weeks.
And with that brief update, we are off to celebrate Oren's dad's birthday. Happy holidays!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
In the words of Neil Diamond: We're comin to America
Well, it's been a crazy week. It has been crunch time with Yoel's upcoming fund-raising trip to the states, I had a donor in town, there was a private film screening of a movie about Ariel Sharon for his staff... I don't think we have been home one night this week!
Furthermore, this past week we decided it was a good idea for me to be at the United Jewish Community's General Assembly which is in Nashville this coming weekend. Unfortunately, this means I have to go back to Opryland again which I had vowed I would never do. Yuck. Furthermore, this completely altered my schedule as I was planning to be in MN for Thanksgiving, and me and Oren were heading home on November 16. Well, the GA starts the 11th and ends on the 13th, so it would be silly for me to come back to Israel for 2 days to turn around and fly back to the states. So, when I was originally only going to be in the states for 10 days, I am now going to be there almost three weeks. This isn't a bad thing, but of course, it was this week that various potential clients that I have been trying to get meetings with all decided that next week would be a good time to meet... and now I have to tell them I will not be available for 3 weeks... Not the ideal situation, but I am confident that my time at the GA will be well spent in regards to doing some major networking with donors and Israeli organizations which is exactly what I need to be doing right now. In honor of the GA, me and Oren constructed a lovely business card for me to hand out and we just got them back from the printer today. They are very pretty. Now I feel like a real business (Don't worry Jodi, I have 9 saved for you)!
So, Yoel has officially been in the states for about 12 hours now. It is extremely difficult for me that I am not there traveling with him from meeting to meeting. Never have I sent a client off to do meetings alone, let alone on their first official fund-raising trip. The original decision was made for him to go alone because a) We didn't want to spend the money on another ticket at this point- we need to raise the money first! b) I did not want to be gone for 3 weeks (guess that didn't end up working out anyway.) So, considering I cannot be there with him to make sure he is on schedule and such, I have been obsessively calling him all day. I know, it's obnoxious, but I can't help myself, and luckily, Yoel is very good and understanding about it (except for that I just called him twice to find out how his 4pm meeting went and he hasn't answered... it's making me nervous... so I texted him. Ridiculous, I know, but would it kill Israelis to start using Blackberries?? There is something about being able to email someone at any time that gives me a strange sense of comfort... This is what living in Washington, DC does to people.) I'm finding that, while these fund-raising trips can be stressful when in the states, it's even worse when I have to calculate the time difference so that I know when he should be done with a meeting or in a taxi to his next meeting, etc. so that I can call him. My brain is going into overdrive.
So, I have one more day of stressing out about Yoel's trip from a distance and then on Saturday I get on a plane and fly to Nashville via Newark and Cleveland. I will meet Yoel in Nashville for some good old Opryland fun, and then I am busting out of there Monday night, flying to Chicago, staying overnight (Thanks Sally!) and then home to Minneapolis on Tuesday morning where I will have quality time with the family, and then Oren will join us on Friday. I cannot wait for a vacation- this whole starting a business thing is exhausting!
Furthermore, this past week we decided it was a good idea for me to be at the United Jewish Community's General Assembly which is in Nashville this coming weekend. Unfortunately, this means I have to go back to Opryland again which I had vowed I would never do. Yuck. Furthermore, this completely altered my schedule as I was planning to be in MN for Thanksgiving, and me and Oren were heading home on November 16. Well, the GA starts the 11th and ends on the 13th, so it would be silly for me to come back to Israel for 2 days to turn around and fly back to the states. So, when I was originally only going to be in the states for 10 days, I am now going to be there almost three weeks. This isn't a bad thing, but of course, it was this week that various potential clients that I have been trying to get meetings with all decided that next week would be a good time to meet... and now I have to tell them I will not be available for 3 weeks... Not the ideal situation, but I am confident that my time at the GA will be well spent in regards to doing some major networking with donors and Israeli organizations which is exactly what I need to be doing right now. In honor of the GA, me and Oren constructed a lovely business card for me to hand out and we just got them back from the printer today. They are very pretty. Now I feel like a real business (Don't worry Jodi, I have 9 saved for you)!
So, Yoel has officially been in the states for about 12 hours now. It is extremely difficult for me that I am not there traveling with him from meeting to meeting. Never have I sent a client off to do meetings alone, let alone on their first official fund-raising trip. The original decision was made for him to go alone because a) We didn't want to spend the money on another ticket at this point- we need to raise the money first! b) I did not want to be gone for 3 weeks (guess that didn't end up working out anyway.) So, considering I cannot be there with him to make sure he is on schedule and such, I have been obsessively calling him all day. I know, it's obnoxious, but I can't help myself, and luckily, Yoel is very good and understanding about it (except for that I just called him twice to find out how his 4pm meeting went and he hasn't answered... it's making me nervous... so I texted him. Ridiculous, I know, but would it kill Israelis to start using Blackberries?? There is something about being able to email someone at any time that gives me a strange sense of comfort... This is what living in Washington, DC does to people.) I'm finding that, while these fund-raising trips can be stressful when in the states, it's even worse when I have to calculate the time difference so that I know when he should be done with a meeting or in a taxi to his next meeting, etc. so that I can call him. My brain is going into overdrive.
So, I have one more day of stressing out about Yoel's trip from a distance and then on Saturday I get on a plane and fly to Nashville via Newark and Cleveland. I will meet Yoel in Nashville for some good old Opryland fun, and then I am busting out of there Monday night, flying to Chicago, staying overnight (Thanks Sally!) and then home to Minneapolis on Tuesday morning where I will have quality time with the family, and then Oren will join us on Friday. I cannot wait for a vacation- this whole starting a business thing is exhausting!
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