Friday May 7th 2010
Since last Saturday we, the Ghana and Burkina JFs, have been spending all hours together in Toronto experiencing pre-departure training, living in the Akwaaba house, and progressively becoming great friends. Every day I’m noticing changes in myself, and have the opportunity to watch people mature around me. The intense feeling of community that has emerged from this sending group of very different people has really been astonishing. I can honestly say that I’ve looked at each member of our newly formed community and realized why they were chosen as embassadors for change at their chapters.
Temporarily living in a house with 24 other people quickly makes you very thankful for quiet moments alone. This week, on numerous occasions, I found myself searching for something– a quiet moment, a fresh idea, or a sense of motivation– only to find myself following a totally unrelated path moments later. In some instances, this has served as a lucky distraction; in others it has led to really empowering conversations. Those serendipitous moments have challenged me and ultimately made me feel more grounded to my place within EWB.
Pre-departure training has offered many insights into not only the complexities of development, but also who we are as leaders. Staying up until 2:30am listening to Parker speak about his opinions on economic development, challenging our analytical skills by creating our own impact model with Robin, and listening intently to Trevor as he told us stories about his experiences overseas have all been highlights for me. This week has been an emotional rollercoster, but it as really opened my eyes to the values I hold important, and what cards I keep close to my chest.
Flying to Ghana tomorrow will likely be overwhelming. Although the cumulative effects of pre-departure training have been a lot of things– challenging, overwhelming, and empowering– one thing that is absolutely certain is that we’ll never be fully prepared for what’s to come. Recognizing and coming to terms with this allows me to let go of some of my personal expectations and live in the moment. This isn’t a natural course of action for me, but a few people over the week have helped me chip away at this realization.
Thanks to all the JFs and EWB National Office staff for making pre-departure a great learning experience, and best of luck to everyone this summer with their placements!
Thanks for reading,
Erin
P.S- To the Ghana/B.Fas JFs: I love you all. Hugs round 4 when we return.
