Friday 18 January 2013

Where am I?


Where am I?
I'm not sure - I think it’s Toronto - but there has been a lot of talk that we may be in an alternate universe.

To catch you up - we finished classroom training today.  This training was humbling, enlightening, educational and important.  My key learnings:
  • CCA and partner organizations do some amazing things to eliminate poverty around the world - more than I could have imagined.  They can’t reach their goals without support (financial and volunteer)
  • The challenges women face to free themselves from poverty - is immense.  There are still so many women in this world that live in fear.  So many that have experienced sexual harassment, so many that have to battle through negativity and bullying - let alone find the means to feed their families.  More must be done to eliminate this.
The time spent learning from my fellow coaches, has been equally as interesting.  We are stuck in Toronto for the night, as some snow fell at Heathrow which cancelled our flight.  Disappointing as we will be one less day in Africa - but most enjoyable as these fellow coaches I am traveling with are critical pieces to this “life changing experience”.  Tonight at dinner the coaches shared some of their travel stories; backpacking in places all over the world, walking through the Amazon, bamboo rafting with complete strangers, flying upside down in an acrobat plane, piloting their own planes or volunteering all alone with no guidance or training in Cambodia.  

As I listen to their worldly experience and knowledge of so many cultures and exotic places, I wonder if maybe I am in the wrong place. “Hmm”  I think (yes quietly) to myself “what did I do when I was young that  even remotely relates to these experiences?”  I took the bus to Flin Flon alone for each spring break between 12-15 (kind of dangerous) I lived in North Western Ontario for a summer with my husband (there were wild animals) and I went on an awesome road trip with girlfriends through New Orleans and Florida with a stopover in Graceland (we came really close to gators).  In my 30’s I made it to Mexico, Jamaica and Dubai - though not really relatable to the backpacking trips “in search of authenticity”.  Makes me kind of wonder how I fit in....

Well, I guess we can’t do it all and besides the amazing British Airways agent Ruth (who rescued our luggage) thinks I am a “World Traveler” - says so on the coupon she gave me for my hotel stay in Toronto.

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