Every year the Our World – Underwater Scholarship Society holds its Annual Awards Dinner and Meeting in April in New York City. The only challenge with this was that I was in Christchurch, New Zealand and to get there I had to travel 26,000 kilometres across the globe. I left Christchurch airport on Wednesday the 22nd of April and after being crushed into a tiny seat for 21 hours I arrived at JFK airport somehow later on that same day.

Upon arrival at the hotel I met Filip Wolski the 2009 European Scholar, my roommate for the weekend, and together with Jayne Jenkins the Australasian VP and her partner Colin, we went down to little Italy where we had a fantastic Italian meal before leaving for the hotel to get some much needed sleep.

Thursday morning was my first opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of New York and it did not disappoint, with people rushing everywhere! Indeed by mid morning it was a welcome relief to arrive at Central Park and sit in the sun and eat brunch away from all the crowds and traffic.

Later in the day the 2009 Rolex scholars, Filip Myfanwy and myself, were taken to the Rolex building by Elvin Leech the Chairman of the Society to have our wrists sized for the Rolex watches we were to receive. This was quite an experience and it was only with much reassurance, that we would be given our watches on Saturday, that we were talked into handing the watches back after fitting. That evening saw a large contingent of scholarship society regulars heading uptown for dinner and to a cabaret show with music from the society’s very own Mike Emmerman on the sax. This was another great experience which will not be forgotten by those who attended for a long time….

The next morning saw us ascending to the 42nd floor of a nearby skyscraper to start the official business of the weekend, the Board of Directors Meeting. After the 2008 scholars had presented their reports from their amazing year of travel, we were introduced to the Board – a fairly nerve-racking experience. With no official events for the afternoon the 2008 and 2009 scholars took off for some bonding time, sampling some local ales and making the most of the New York sun.

That night, courtesy of Ted Janulis, an ex-scholar, the Society met for a social get-together at a nearby restaurant. After some great food and a number of drinks we were introduced to everyone and given a sash from our respective regions of origin. Unfortunately, much to my alarm, they could not find a New Zealand sash so I was stuck with an Aussie one. Despite this, the night was a great success and provided us ‘newbies’ with the opportunity to meet a range of people in the Society, from past scholars and sponsors to members of the Board.

Saturday morning arrived very quickly and there was to be a big day ahead. In the morning we were back up to the 42nd floor to watch the 2008 scholars present a seminar of their experiences during their scholarship year. Lectures were also given by the 2008 scholarship interns, which was really interesting as it illustrated what other opportunities the Society offers to those interested in the underwater world.

After the talks we all left to get ready for the main feature of the weekend – the formal Society dinner at the renowned Explorers Club. Upon arrival we were given a tour and a chance to take in the amazing history of the club. During the course of the evening Jamie, Elaine and Steve, the 2008 scholars, presented videos from their respective scholarship years, all of which were amazing. It was definitely an eye opening experience to see just how much they had all achieved during one year and what was likely to be in store for us as the new scholars. It was then time for Fllip, Myfanwy and myself to be formally introduced as the Rolex Scholars for 2009 and to be given our Rolex submariner watches and Scholarship Society flags which travel with us for the year. After the accompanying photo session there was nothing left to do but celebrate and we reconvened at a nearby Irish bar to discuss the night’s events in detail over a few drinks courtesy of the society bar tab.

Sunday morning saw us at Mike and Pat Emmerman’s beautiful townhouse, partaking in a traditional New York breakfast of bagels and coffee. As all the official work was over this was a great opportunity for everyone to relax and recover from a very hectic weekend. Before I knew it I was back at JFK airport getting ready for another journey across the ocean, this time back to Sydney, where the next part of my adventure was to begin.