Macau Thoughts

I moved in with a Baha'i woman and her granddaughter in Macau on Monday (specifically Taipa island, and not the Macau peninsula, but I wasn't really sure where Macau was at all before I got here, so don't worry about that too much). I had an incredible week with the Baha'is at orientation! It is always such a gift to spend time with a group of Baha'is; they are so focused and loving, so practical and active in working to transform our global civilization. I am so excited to carry this learning and spirit into my relationships on the Mainland. This is going to be a great year.

The global culture that is being built, and the ease of communication around the world right now are truly amazing. I have been keeping up (with perhaps more than a hint of jealousy) with the post-college adventures of friends, many of whom are exploring more parts of the world in more ways than was really thinkable a generation ago. From clowning missions in Peru, to teaching English (and being a writer) in South Korea- on an island, no less!- to biking across the US and building housing for low-income families, there are so many choices of ways to serve humanity and improve our world. It's fantastic.

I'm also getting more and more excited about my program, since I'm beginning to appreciate how truly unique this opportunity is. In some exchange programs, students travel to another country where they spend the majority of their time with other internationals. Perhaps their teachers are local, perhaps they're speaking in the local language, but the deepest bonds they create (and they can be deep, and fantastic in their own right) are with either other students from their home country or international students from other countries. In others, students simply enroll in a local school, and do their best to learn through being immersed in the culture they are visiting (this is actually probably the best way to discover another culture). HOWEVER! The center where I'm headed is half internationals (mostly Americans) and half Chinese, structured in a way that will allow the two cultures to be shared and investigated on equal footing.