I had the great fortune to return to Europe yet again this summer to produce an international relations conference for high school students from 42 countries. As one of the directors of the two-week program, my duty was ultimately to ensure the health and safety of all the students and staff, and logistically move 340 of us through five countries. Easy? Nope. Rewarding and memorable? Yep.
There are many highlights of aiding international teenagers in creating life-long memories and promoting global communication within the Jugendkultur, some of which are indescribable within this silly blog. Many students were traveling abroad for the first time and were awakened by the sheer beauty of Gothic architecture, the spices of Hungarian foods, and the magic of a city untouched by war.
A trip like this, especially when it's the first time away from family and friends, juxtaposes the sense of home with a spirit of adventure. This emotion can be found at the heart of my documentary One Big Holiday, and whilst its journey is a world away from workshops on conflict resolution and cross-cultural communication, it shares the inherent sense of what 'home' means to all of us. At no time do we appreciate where we come from more than when we're away from it.
I had the opportunity to screen the film in both Vienna and Munich, and could not have been prouder to see my hometown of Louisville on the screen in front of colleagues and strangers from around the world. Let's hope this is just the beginning.
No comments:
Post a Comment