The Black Sea
Today, as Surya and I boarded our flight from San Francisco to Amsterdam on our way to the Ukraine for the WKC’s Summer Sport Camp, I felt caught in the middle of a neighbor compatibility test. Nothing triggers the judgmental nature of humans more than airplanes. We all try to make the experience less painful by compulsively scouring every travel site available for the best possible rates, but then inevitably it’s the seating arrangement, preferably an isle or a window and of course some extra leg room, that either makes or breaks the deal. In Economy, you always pray your neighbor will be skinnier, shorter, and quieter than you.
Reality sinks in on the day of the trip and you begin to panic knowing that you have absolutely no control over any of these circumstances. An elderly couple in their 70s approached my row with several bags, newspapers, and books — particular about where to stow their carry-on items, seemingly unaware of the gridlock behind them. I am ashamed to admit that I immediately felt myself becoming secretly annoyed at the thought of spending 9 hours and 55 more intimate minutes with them. I know that doesn’t sound very nice, but it’s true.
“Can you put my book on the window seat?” the woman barked, only half asking amidst the chaos. “I’ll need my jacket there too,” she announced as I picked it up off the floor. Her husband slid into the center seat behind her and at over six feet tall (do not quote me on that; everyone seems 6 ft. tall when you’re 5 ft. small), I couldn’t believe she was throwing him under the bus in the middle.
By the time we took off, his newspaper was nearly covering my tray table. This was no small man. His wool blazer was starting to feel like an itchy Mexican sarape draped over my shoulder. “Someone should invent a slim paper for people to read on planes–it’s difficult to read like this, eh?” he first commented. “Yes, it is,” I politely replied as I thumbed through the latest copy of my ultra-important US Weekly.
When we made eye contact, he smiled at me and began chatting about his upcoming trip to Holland and then to St Petersburg. The first thing I noticed was his good breath. The second thing I noticed was how smart and interesting his small talk immediately sounded. Suddenly I found myself asking him one question after the next, surprised that I was more interested in listening than speaking to him. I also began to wonder if I was the one being annoying now… and did I have bad breath?
As those initial judgments and preconceived notions about our obvious differences dissipated, the conversation grew deeper. I learned that my new friend is also a UC Berkeley alum, but unlike me, he was the first person in the history of the university to be awarded a doctorate in Nuclear Engineering. With close to 35 years between us, we talked about everything from him befriending one of only four African American students to me being admitted at the end of California’s Affirmative Action policy.
Turns out, Dr. Jeff is an expert at educating everyday people like me on the benefits of nuclear energy. He’s a published author, a proud passivist, and travels all over the world enlightening people about the safety and importance of this underutilized resource. After struggling through chemistry in high school, I was shocked to find myself so enthralled by the power of hydrogen, neutrons, fission, uranium, and ammonia. I started jotting down historic names he was referencing like Dr. Lise Meitner, perhaps the most famous physical chemist the world has never heard of because her boss, also rumored to be her lover at the time, won the Nobel Prize in 1944 instead. “But many of her colleagues, including her boss, petitioned for her to win the prize. She was brilliant and essentially discovered fission. Einstein even studied her early findings and presented them at Princeton. …and she was really pretty too,” Jeff noted, adding an interesting twist of vintage gossip. This guy really does know how to make nuclear physics come alive!
The experience with Dr. Jeff and his lovely sweet wife was the perfect way to kick-start our trip. Seven hours into the flight, I leaned over to Surya and said, “I am the luckiest person here to be sitting next to the coolest people on the plane.” Dr. Jeff may have been talking nuclear physics, but what he ultimately taught me went way beyond science.
The WKC Sport Camps are designed to help lifters grow and develop, and Dr. Jeff reminded me that at the end of the day real learning always involves this:
Getting out of your comfort zone and being prepared to be wrong and open to change. World Champions have nothing but knowledge and wisdom to teach humble and willing participants.
Thanks to Dr. Jeff, I’m ready for Day One of Sport Camp!
- Maya
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Thanks Maya. With a business trip rapidly approaching that includes 25,000 miles of air travel, you managed to reduce my anxiety about it – thanks for sharing your experience!
As always Maya, your insight & honesty are spot on. Thanks so much for your writing and helping us feel part of your unique experience.
Awesome write up Maya! Looking forward to more.
Just Incredible!!! Cannot wait to hear MORE!!!
Cool! I can attest to Dr. Jeff’s teachings. I’ve been inside a nuclear power plant, have studied how they work and think they can be a great resource for us. We just need strong governmental support and operators who value safety and security as much as profits to make them more accepted by the public. Great story!