How can 8 days so profoundly change a person??
I don't know. Let's take it from the top:
In the days before leaving to Salzburg, everyone kept telling me to "have fun." In the back of my mind, though, I was skeptical. Fun? It's going to be a rigorous course of study. "Get smart," maybe, but "Have fun?" I knew there wouldn't be much time for leisure, and I was okay with that. I just had to brace myself for the loads of information that promised to enlighten me. Beyond that, I didn't know what to expect. I mean, could this trip really impact me in the way it was said to do so? What was the meaning of a global citizen? Was it really that important? Would I get along with everyone? Would I like the food?
Despite all these questions, I was ready to expect the unexpected. The only thing I wasn't ready for...was how to leave this new place that I had fallen in love with. Not just the place, but what it stood for. What it meant to be a global citizen. I had no idea just how complete the 7 day course study would be. Have fun? I had a blast. Get smart? I've been transformed. This ISP was no joke. It was a life changing experience.
The Salzburg Seminar embodied the concept of global citizenship down to the very lifestyle we led while we were there. If you think about it, it brought together a variety of students, staff and faculty from all over the world--different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, you name it--and forced us to work together, live together and learn together. We were able to interact with the locals and get to know the different lifestyle and customs of a foreign country. (Even if we didn't like the fact that everything closed at 7, we respected it and tried to rush into town before then.) So while we were learning about collaborating, understanding and communicating on a global level we were able to actively apply the lessons we were learning. And from the sound of it, our ISP group did a particularly good job of overcoming the obstacles that take form when you bring a group of strangers together to pursue a common goal.
If I had to explain my 8 days at the Seminar to someone I would tell them this:
Sometimes in life you come across people who you might deem as "sheltered." The type of person who for one reason or another hasn't been exposed to much of what we call the "real world." And when this person finally steps out of their sheltered cocoon, they're stripped of their naivety and have a "coming out" in which they finally understand how the world really works. But, how much do you really know about the "real world?" Not just the United States and oil prices or the Iraq War, but the global interconnectivity and responsibilities of tending to and embracing these connections. The "real world" not as defined by one specific culture, but on the global scale that involves the real world. If you are like I was, then you might not understand as much as you thought you did. The Salzburg Seminar took me, a sheltered person, and led me to my coming out into the real world.
The day before leaving Salzburg, I was pretty sad. I thought I would cry. It's such a beautiful place and such a beautiful process happens there. I didn't want to leave the people, the city, the castle. I didn't want to go back to a life where I wasn't fed every 3 hours, where bikes weren't as popular or where I couldn't look out my window to see the most magnificent landscape each morning. But most of all, I didn't want to go back to a life where I wouldn't essentially be living with all these brilliant people, the faculty, staff and the students. I miss the community the most.
But by the end of our wrap up session on Wednesday evening, it occurred to me that the Salzburg Seminar was only the tip of the iceberg. Suddenly, I was okay with leaving the Schloss. (Not happy...but okay.) I realized that my induction into global citizenship opened up every door imaginable to me and that if I applied what I learned to every door I walked through, I could eventually end up back on the Schloss terrace with some new stories to tell. (Maybe next time I can stay more than a week!) So now I'm excited to start this journey! I'm ready to be back home so that I can finish building the foundation upon which I can start giving back from what the Seminar has given me. I'm so ready to travel the world.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible. To Dr. Wood and Carol especially for taking us and being wonderful. And to all of you guys Dee, Rusty, Julissa, Audrey, Chandelle, Melissa, Clara, and Katie! I know we'll all always have a special connection after what we've been through together. And we are definitely getting together to share those pictures!
