CSC Indoneisa 8: Final Thoughts

How do I wrap my experiences and thoughts about the five weeks I spent in Indonesia into one blog post? I don't think it's possible. I'm just going to do the best I can.

Was my time with Corporate Service Corps and the Indonesia 8 team life changing? I don't believe so. However, it was life affirming. Going into CSC I had a good grasp on who I am - my wants, needs, dreams. So, nothing happened that changed any of my outlook. However, there were things that happened that affirmed who I am - good and not so good. My strengths were endorsed and my weaknesses were confirmed. I know which areas in my life I am happy with and where I need to continue to focus my growth and maturing process.

I'm not really certain what I expected going into CSC. I wish I'd written that down. But, I know what I gained from it and that is multi-faceted.

First, there is the business result. The sub-team I was on for Solo Techno Park faced a pretty daunting task that at first seemed insurmountable. However, after our first week of research and tweaking our Statement of Work a little bit we were able to work toward and accomplish deliverables that met some of the needs to STP. We accomplished things for STP as a whole, but also got the satisfaction of helping a few people one on one. Specifically, if he follows through with it, one of the incubator tenants will be granted a patent at no cost to him. That could be life changing for many people.

Secondly, there is the in-country immersion experience. My guess is I will never have another opportunity to go to Indonesia and I will never have another opportunity to spend five weeks in another culture. I am grateful I grew up traveling as much as I did. I think it made the transition to another culture more comfortable and I was more quickly able to immerse myself in that culture. While I sometimes felt a little lost I never felt uncomfortable or out of place. I enjoyed being a part of the community - from the office, to the relationships we built with our project assistants and hotel staff, to just wandering around the cities.

Prior to the opening ceremony

Finally, there are the relationships that were grown. I love looking at the picture of the 13 of us on day one prior to heading to our kickoff and looking at the pictures of us after our closing presentation was complete and our last day in the hotel before we began to head back home. We went from just standing close to each other so we could all fit in the picture to not being able to be close enough to each other. I've developed friendships, both professional and personal, that I believe will last a lifetime. Every time one of us peeled away to head home a little part of me broke, but as with many breaks those bonds became stronger after the healing.

After our closing presentations

I think I will be trying to wrap my head around everything that I've been through for many months to come. Every day brings new revelations to me - more gratitude, more emotions. I cherish every one of these moments just as I cherish the moments I had during CSC Indonesia 8 and just as a cherish the deep bonds of friendship with my fellow team members.

A part of my heart was left in Indonesia and a part of my heart was given to every member of my CSC Indonesia 8 team.

The day of goodbyes

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