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Among those Israelis vying for the attention of Barack Obama as he prepares for his visit here next week, one fairly large, yet little-known group can claim a special long-standing connection to the U.S. president: We were his classmates in the Columbia University undergraduate class of 1983.
As of the latest count, there are close to 25 of us living here in Israel, some making the move close to 30 years ago, right after graduation, others pretty fresh off the boat. But on average, most have been here 15-20 years.
But here's the thing: Not one of us remembers Barack Obama - who transferred to Columbia after his sophomore year at Occidental College in California - from our undergrad years, nor do we know anyone else who does.
Originally posted by Krazysh0t
Just going to play devil's advocate here, but I'm currently in college and I would fail to tell you the people who I've taken classes with 2 or 3 semesters ago much less asked to remember them 30 years later. Now I have a particularly bad short term memory and I don't pay attention to my classmates all too often, however I still find it hard to believe that even people with the best memories would remember someone they went to class with 30 years ago. I don't know, maybe I'm sitting from a biased position due to my poor memory. Would someone be so kind as to let me know if you went to college 30 years ago, can you remember the faces and names of the people you went to class with?edit on 18-3-2013 by Krazysh0t because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by Krazysh0t
Just going to play devil's advocate here, but I'm currently in college and I would fail to tell you the people who I've taken classes with 2 or 3 semesters ago much less asked to remember them 30 years later. Now I have a particularly bad short term memory and I don't pay attention to my classmates all too often, however I still find it hard to believe that even people with the best memories would remember someone they went to class with 30 years ago. I don't know, maybe I'm sitting from a biased position due to my poor memory. Would someone be so kind as to let me know if you went to college 30 years ago, can you remember the faces and names of the people you went to class with?edit on 18-3-2013 by Krazysh0t because: (no reason given)
* Mohammed Hasan Chandoo a wealthy Pakistani friend of Obama when he was a freshmam. He is a now a self-employed financial consultant living in Armonk, New York.
* Wahid Hamid a wealthy Pakistani freind of Obama when he was a freshmam. Hamid and Obama traveled to Karachi, Pakistan after graduation from Occidental and stayed with the family of Mohammed Hasan Chandoo. Hamid is now a vice president at Pepsico in New York City.
* Sohale Siddiqi is identified as "Sadik" in Obama's memoir, Dreams From My Father, and is described as "a short, well-built Pakistani" who smoked marijuana, snorted coc aine and liked to party. Siddiqi was from Karachi, Pakistan, and Obama's roommate when he attended Columbia University. Siddiqi was not a student at Columbia and became an illegal having over stay his tourist visa. [2] Obama knew Saddiqi when he visited Chandoo and Hamid at Occidental. Siddiqi claims Obama stopped using drugs when he arrived at Columbia. Siddiqi is a recovering drug addict and now lives in Seattle working for a community theater.
Originally posted by ignorant_ape
reply to post by POXUSA
please do not lie - there are multiple people who confirm he was at columbia
en this peice which has a definite anti-obama adjenda , accepts he was a columbia student
Obama's 30 or so Former Israeli "Classmates" @ Columbia University Don't Recall Him - AT ALL!
Originally posted by ignorant_ape
reply to post by POXUSA
please do not lie - there are multiple people who confirm he was at columbia
en this peice which has a definite anti-obama adjenda , accepts he was a columbia student
Originally posted by Schkeptick
I graduated college only 11 years ago, and I can't remember any of my classmates except the handful I kept track of. And in my upper classes I had a lot of the same people, lots of discussion-type classes, and usually
Originally posted by Krazysh0t
Just going to play devil's advocate here, but I'm currently in college and I would fail to tell you the people who I've taken classes with 2 or 3 semesters ago much less asked to remember them 30 years later. Now I have a particularly bad short term memory and I don't pay attention to my classmates all too often, however I still find it hard to believe that even people with the best memories would remember someone they went to class with 30 years ago. I don't know, maybe I'm sitting from a biased position due to my poor memory. Would someone be so kind as to let me know if you went to college 30 years ago, can you remember the faces and names of the people you went to class with?edit on 18-3-2013 by Krazysh0t because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by POXUSA
Originally posted by Schkeptick
I graduated college only 11 years ago, and I can't remember any of my classmates except the handful I kept track of. And in my upper classes I had a lot of the same people, lots of discussion-type classes, and usually
Originally posted by Krazysh0t
Just going to play devil's advocate here, but I'm currently in college and I would fail to tell you the people who I've taken classes with 2 or 3 semesters ago much less asked to remember them 30 years later.
Originally posted by POXUSA
I remember ALL of my classmates - besides, this is the president we are referring to here. I dare say - would you not have recalled him?