Returning as humbled and inspired global citizens.

As I write my final blog entry I am feeling, at once, sad and happy and I trust I am not alone. It is hard to say goodbye to new friends. For some, the thought of going back to the cold and to regular life is barely more attractive that the 20 cramped hours we face in the airplane. Two weeks in a group this size is rewarding but equally tiring. I welcome some time and space alone to process and regroup... and to consciously consider how I can incorporate my profound sense of belonging I enjoy at this very moment into my daily life at work and life at home in general.

Being a Developing World Connections team leader is a significant responsibility and an honour. I am sure that the work our group accomplished and the houses we left behind, in and of themselves, is valuable to those we served. But the connections we made with each other and the Cambodians is, I believe, what will inspire us most as individuals to not let this experience end here. This is the beginning. I know this group feels as though the perspective we have gained and the generosity we have enjoyed from the Cambodian people has equaled or outweighed the contributions we have made. Our greatest collective legacy will be the culmination of all the individual changes we make in ourselves and in our own communities. We return humbled and inspired global citizens.

I have enjoyed writing this blog and sharing this experience with whoever may be interested. I can only hope I have successfully painted a picture of this meaningful adventure. However, if words are my brush, my thoughts my paint and this blog my canvass, I fear I have only offered you, the reader, at best a childlike sketch. Using words alone, I can not express to you what this all means. Perhaps the best I can do is implore you to have a Developing World Connections experience. If you have already done a meaningful adventure, do it again. In my capacity as as an employee of Developing World Connections, I would be happy to have you join us – like any non-profit, we count on people's generosity to operate and offer our services to others. But please consider my invitation a personal one. I want you to do it for you. Serve others and help yourself. There is a grassroots movement of concerned global citizens who want to make the world a better place. Bit by bit, our numbers are growing and sooner than later the culmination of our action will force an inexorable and lasting change. Change, I can see, doesn't necessarily require pain and sacrifice. On the contrary, fun, meaning and adventure should be part of the process. Developing World Connections makes it easier.

Have a meaningful adventure. Together we can change the world and find the peace, joy and contentment we all deserve.