Ah, transitions...
It's close to midnight, and I take a moment to exhale after having been back in Brisbane for a week and some odd hours now... I reassess my 'to do' list and try to focus on what I've been able to accomplish rather than the pile of work that lays before me. I keep coming back to the realization that we plain just try to do too much sometimes.
My colleagues and I have each come back his or her own unique three month experience in different parts of the world: Cambodia, Egypt, Chile, Costa Rice, Fiji, Germany, Bhutan, India, Thailand/Burma refugee camps, Amsterdam, and my dear Nepal. Most just as thirsty for 'real life learning', we scheduled our return flight to make it back just in time for the beginning of the semester. The down side of such plans is that the heavy courseload and managerial details curtail our present conversations to the most general of 'check-ins'. Inside me, the stories, insights, adventures, and magic of Nepal are desperate to find life again through sharing with these inspiring colleagues, and are intrigued to discover connections among our experiences. But for now, our full plates don't allow it.
Luckily, we have to hand in a report of our field experience, and I feel a relative release compiling my notes, feelings, and interactions into some semblance of an order. Those budding friendships I left in Nepal have been transformed to virtual email land, and I'm grateful to be able to maintain links.
As you can probably tell, it's been difficult to fully let go and re-enter this Australian fairytale world, so prim, proper, and protected. At the same time, it feels good to release back into my comfort zone for a while, to recover my health and have some space for reflection. My class lineup is all-star this semester, and will assist greatly in my processing of Nepal. All professors are passionate about their subject and have an admirable balance of theory and practice... contemporary peacekeeping, ethics and human rights, development administration, and mediation.
Counting my blessings might last for days...
My colleagues and I have each come back his or her own unique three month experience in different parts of the world: Cambodia, Egypt, Chile, Costa Rice, Fiji, Germany, Bhutan, India, Thailand/Burma refugee camps, Amsterdam, and my dear Nepal. Most just as thirsty for 'real life learning', we scheduled our return flight to make it back just in time for the beginning of the semester. The down side of such plans is that the heavy courseload and managerial details curtail our present conversations to the most general of 'check-ins'. Inside me, the stories, insights, adventures, and magic of Nepal are desperate to find life again through sharing with these inspiring colleagues, and are intrigued to discover connections among our experiences. But for now, our full plates don't allow it.
Luckily, we have to hand in a report of our field experience, and I feel a relative release compiling my notes, feelings, and interactions into some semblance of an order. Those budding friendships I left in Nepal have been transformed to virtual email land, and I'm grateful to be able to maintain links.
As you can probably tell, it's been difficult to fully let go and re-enter this Australian fairytale world, so prim, proper, and protected. At the same time, it feels good to release back into my comfort zone for a while, to recover my health and have some space for reflection. My class lineup is all-star this semester, and will assist greatly in my processing of Nepal. All professors are passionate about their subject and have an admirable balance of theory and practice... contemporary peacekeeping, ethics and human rights, development administration, and mediation.
Counting my blessings might last for days...
posted by Amanda Joy at 5:39 AM
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