My course is a bit different in the fact that its duration is a year long and most Ambassadorial Scholars only study for 9 months. So once exams and papers were handed in at the beginning of May, I had the daunting task of a 12,000 word essay to write this summer! It is progressing along very well and my grades so far from my course have been strong. It has been exciting to see how my style of writing and expertise has improved over the year. I can really see the difference in my research skills and abilities, an improvement that will certainly be useful in my career.

Leeds Rotaract has successfully transitioned to a new President. We had a good year, but it was always a struggle to keep the Membership numbers up. As the President, I was a bit disappointed that other Ambassadorial Scholars were not equally as eager to be involved and give back to Rotary. However, we did manage to recruit some locals in the community who are really excited about developing a vibrant club. In May the Rotaract club sponsored a fundraising breakfast and game day (the Breakfast Olympics 2008) at a local urban farm. We raised money not only for the farm, but also for our long term service project, a disability hospital in Thailand. Through the event, we raised close to $1000! And there was some fierce competition in our games as the picture displays. So it was really successful for us, and a lot of fun too!

The Meanwood Farm is where Rotaract developed our Birds Nest Project. We installed and built 12 conservation boxes for endangered bird species. It has been a really strong project as well and Rotaract hopes to maintain a strong relationship with the farm in the future.

In May, I participated in the District conference where the local clubs met to discuss their objectives for the coming year. I was able to give a presentation on the Ambassadorial Scholar experience and share my story with local clubs, which reaffirmed their commitment and enthusiasm to sponsor the programme. It is very difficult for British students to receive Ambassadorial scholarships as clubs either do not offer the programme or they are interested in bringing scholars from developing countries TO their clubs instead of SENDING scholars out. I highlighted this problem to the clubs and they seemed to consider it.

David and I will be moving to London in a few weeks. I will begin working as a consultant for Deloitte while David will continue his current job with a small healthcare firm. We are really excited about the move and the opportunity to live in such a great, exciting city. We found a wonderful flat near one of London’s many parks. We also recently celebrated our first wedding anniversary so there are plenty of things in our lives to be excited about and thankful for. Although leaving Leeds is a bit bittersweet, we know that there are lots of opportunities and adventures in store for us. This past year we have made some wonderful friendships and had many great experiences with Rotary in Leeds and Yorkshire. (picture is of Victoria Park, basically in our backyard!)

David and I recently participated in a crown green bowling event with the Leeds Rotary club. Basically there is a small ball (a jack) thrown on the green and everyone has two balls (although there is a lopsided weight in each of the balls so it makes accuracy tricky!). You have to throw your ball and try to get it as close to the jack as possible. It was a great day out and we managed to avoid the rain that has plagued England’s summer. We had dinner at a lovely golf club in Skipton in the Yorkshire dales. The English countryside as you can imagine, is quite picturesque.

You never know when you will run into another fellow Wildcat; this picture was taken in Edinburgh in January!

Thanks again Manhattan, for all of your help and support this year. I am greatly indebted to all of you for this opportunity and would love the chance to share more with you next time I am in America. Conversely, anytime you are in the UK, feel free to look me up J

Laura Jones Deitz

Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar 2007-08

Leeds, UK

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Report 1

Rotary International

Ambassadorial Scholar Laura Deitz

University of Leeds 2007-2008

European Union & Development Studies

University: This semester, I am taking two courses: Development Theories and Strategies and Issues in Contemporary Africa.

Development Theories and Strategies is one of my two core modules for my program.  My masters program has required a lot of independent reading and research for both seminars and lectures.  Additionally, we are strongly encourage to attend additional seminars throughout the week offered by different departments on campus related to politics, social studies, development, and international issues.  Obviously, this has resulted in a massive amount of learning and a steep learning curve on my part.  But, I have found all of my courses and course work fascinating and am amazed by how much I have learned so far. I have two papers due on the 7^th of January and have been doing a lot of work to get those completed.  The topics I am exploring this semester are the effects of water privatization in Ghana on state legitimacy and democracy for my Africa module.  For Development Theories, I am discussing how colonialism and colonization shifted the control of economic resources to the colonizing nations.

A few weekends ago, I participated in a post-graduate politics conference in York and presented a paper on aid-conditionality.  It was a great experience, although I quickly realized I was the only non-PhD student invited to present!

I’ve definitely been spreading the word around in my department about Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships and believe two of my colleagues intend to apply for scholarships to Africa this year.

Rotary and Rotaract:

I really feel fortunate and blessed to have such an active host counselor. Tony is involved in the planning and execution of almost every Rotary event.  He really is an exemplary Rotarian and such a great person to be around.

Additionally, the Rotary District that my club is a part of is absolutely phenomenal.  I have been to four Rotary club lunches in Leeds, attended the District conference, attended an Ambassadorial Scholar weekend, am participating in “Days out with a Rotarian” in the District, attended a diner at Bradford for the scholars, and will be attending two Christmas events with David in the coming weeks!

Several of the Rotarians have been extremely helpful in assisting me with my job search. David and I plan to stay in England for a few years in the short term, so I have been looking for jobs.  I met with a former partner at Ernst & Young to practice case studies and interview skills. I’ve been given personal contacts at several big firms which has been extremely helpful.

The Leeds Rotaract club is coming along nicely as well.  We have a Christmas party coming up that we are all excited about.  We have made contacts at the University as we are planning to host a children’s charity carnival in the spring.  We are also doing a host of nature conservation work.  Our club is still small, but our members are very active.  That has been another great experience in England and with Rotary so far.

David and I borrowed costumes from a local Rotary for Halloween. He is really enjoying is work with a healthcare consultancy in Malton, England.  They work with doctors, the NHS, and private companies to make health care more efficient and affordable. It is very interesting work for him

Our wedding photos have been posted online if anyone is interested in viewing them. http:www.lphotoart.com. Click on Your Account. Password. Laura

Thanksgiving, Mom, and Travels:  Taking on the Rotary spirit of exchanging culture, I invited 20 international students to my house for a full-on Thanksgiving dinner.  Luckily, my Mom came to visit for two weeks during this time period, so she was able to help out considerably.  We made two turkeys, mashed potatoes, four pumpkin pies, rolls, green bean casserole, corn, apple pie, stuffing, gravy, cranberry salad, cranberry sauce, and my Mom’s specialty, green rice. It was a big hit with everyone who attended.  We had a lot of fun.

Mom and I went down to London for a weekend to explore and that was really amazing.  It was good to be able to spend time with her and show her bits of England. We also took her to the medieval town of York, which is a 30 minute train ride from Leeds. Although it was pretty cold, we had a really good time.  The town is absolutely lovely with much of the architecture and history intact.

Leeds is fully festive this time of year.  We have lots of Christmas lights that really remind me of being home in Kansas City.  However, Leeds also host a great German Christmas market.  You can purchase traditional German crafts, food, and drinks!

Work and Cheerleading:

I’ve been working 4-6 hours a week at a small gym in town. I teach a fitness class and do a small bit of personal training work.  My profile should be on the website soon. http://www.equilibriumhealth.co.uk/trainers.html.

I am also coaching a competitive cheer team in the UK.  They are doing a great job so far and are getting ready for our first competition on Dec 15^th.  The competition is here in Leeds---so wish us luck! I am competing on the co-ed team and doing partner stunt and group stunt competitions. I’ll send a link to our routines soon. It has been a great experience so far and a wonderful way to get to know people on campus.  Here is our website: http://celticcheer.co.uk.  Last year, they competed in “Britain’s Got Talent” (sort of like American Idol.) and made it to the semi-finals. We plan to compete again this year so look out for us!

The weather in England has been stereotypically cold, dark, and rainy. I did manage to get a lovely picture of some sunshine outside my apartment last week.

 I have figured out the good cycling routes so my main method of transport is my bicycle.

Thanks for giving me such a wonderful opportunity with the Ambassadorial Scholarship. I look forward to sharing more of my memories and experiences with you soon and making many more memories in the months to come!

In service,

Laura Deitz

Hi everyone,

Hope this email finds you all well. I realize it has been a long while since my last post, so I wanted to get everyone caught up on things in Leeds with Rotary and University.  David and I are both doing very well and are very happy and well-adjusted in England.  I am so blessed to be hosted by such an active and caring Rotary club. 

My host counselor Tony has been an absolute star and very helpful the entire time I have been here.  He is also making a huge effort to include David in Rotary activities which I really appreciate.  It has been such a wonderful experience so far and I can't wait to share that with all of you.

I will be home for Christmas from December 17th-January 1st and would love to speak to any of you about my experiences so far.

Link to the blog:

If you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions for things to include in > future entries, please let me know!!!! > > http://laurainleeds.blogspot.com/ > > Link to the pictures: > > > > >http://picasaweb.google.com/ljones427/LeedsFall07?authkey=3GGoA3spUrE