Settling in

It is very easy to settle into life in NYC.  Michele Landsberg, while husband Stephen Lewis was Canada's Ambassador to the UN, wrote in her Toronto Star column, that no matter where you come from, you immediately feel at home. No one is a foreigner.  The rhythm and flow of the city are seductive, and there is a place for everyone.

I have already made good progress in becoming a student - I am one third of the way towards the 15-lb weight gain of freshman year, in just one week!   New Yorkers don't cook; they don't need to.  On any given street, every second door is a restaurant.  On East 6th between 1st and 2nd Avenue, the ground floor of every brownstone is an East Indian restaurant, offering 3 course dinners for $9.95.   It used to be that "dirty water dogs" were sold on every other corner; today street vendors sell exotic, organic, gourmet meals.  Some vendors are so popular that fans follow them about the city on Twitter. 

Every night outside my dorm you will find Korilla -  a Korean grill serving hormone- and antibiotic-free pork,chicken and beef, and home-made tofu coupled with kimchi, delicately seasoned julienned carrots, daikon and Napa cabbage with a choice of 4 sauces served on rice, or in burritos or tacos for $7-8.  The workers are charming; because they work quickly, the line-up of customers also moves quickly.  It takes no more than two minutes from order to payment. If you don't know what to order, no problem - returning customers freely dispense recommendations.  The fact that the food is great is a bonus.

The other night  the whole class, instructor, support staff, and associate dean went out to dinner to Jane on Houston.  There is nothing quite like breaking bread and clinking wine glasses to loosen inhibitions and get to what is really important.  We debate ideas, question the wisdom and trade-offs of applying a private sector marketing approach to public health and social justice, and compare tastes in music and beer. I discover that the poetry of  Leonard Cohen transcends age and culture; Blue Moon ale not so much.   iPhones, blackberries, and digital cameras give us instant entry into each others' worlds, and we are quick to introduce our new friends to our children at home.  And when conversation turns to physical activity, we discover that five of the six women at my table - from Canada, Phillipines, Zimbabwe, Jamaica and Mongolia - share a love of Zumba.

This week we had to prepare a 3-minute presentation on something important to us, and which we believe would be of interest to our classmates.  The presentations range from the importance of vaccinating for HPV, to enjoying the sights and sounds of NY, to how to attract a Swedish woman if you are a visiting Italian single man.  I learn that Brazillians celebrate New Year's by wearing white to signify peace, but through their choice of underwear make a wish for the new year - red for passion, yellow for prosperity, green for health.  Apart from the accent, Melissa from Jamaica could have been talking about sexual health education in the Yukon.  It seems that the problem of ensuring that the curriculum is consistently taught in schools is universal. 

I used my 3 minutes to "sell" - for that is what this course is all about - the idea that social relationships should be at the core of a wellness strategy.  I was more anxious than I anticipated, but the presentation was nevertheless well received.    The core messages of healthy living:  move more; drink water not sugar sweetened drinks; don't smoke; eat real food, but not too much; get a good night's sleep most nights make sense but do not inspire.  It is only when I talk about the importance of our social relations which connect head to heart that the ideas come alive, gain traction, resonate.  Heads nod - first in recognition and then in agreement.  The approach is intuitive, and appealing.

Yesterday we had a special presentation by Asiya Oduglen-Kolev with the Global Alert and Response Department of the WHO on  using COMBI (Communication for Behavioural Impact - the course I am taking) to guide communications in an outbreak of Ebola in South Sudan in 2004.  After we complete the course, we will be invited to join a Global Technical Network and if we are interested, we will  be placed on a roster of health professionals that WHO can call upon to assist in emergencies throughout the world. 

We also went to the Advertising Council of America - a non-profit organization that leverages millions of dollars of free creative work from leading advertising firms and free media to address public health and social justice issues of national significance.  The Ad Council began during WW II with Rosie the Riveter, war bonds, and victory gardens, created Smokey the Bear, and continue tackling issues such as autism, drunk driving, father involvement with children, high school dropouts, and many many more.  The photo below was taken in the subway en route to the Ad Council.  From left to right are Dorcas from Nigeria, Sengsay from Laos, Vania from Cote D'Ivoire, and Lurdes from Mozambique.

I learned many valuable tips this week, one of which I will pass on to you now.  When you write on a dry erase board with permanent marker (as we all inevitably do), write over it with a dry erase marker and then erase as usual.  Saying abracadabra is strictly optional.

I'll leave you today with a photo of what I believe is the most beautiful building in NYC: The Chrysler building.  I took this as I was walking home after meeting my sister for an Italian seafood dinner at the Eataly - a raucous Italian food retail and food service bazaar.