Part 2: Most Meaningful Experience.

I'm a girl with a fair appetite for adventure, culture and people. But even so, a trip half-way around the world, previously knowing only one person, easily frightened me a bit last summer.

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I went to the Balkans to coach and teach a group of Albanian high school students about leadership and community service. The students had all made it through a rigorous interview process and, from my understanding, were very eager to come to the camp our team created.

I spent hours upon hours in the States preparing my two, 1.5 hour lectures on Integrity in Leadership, trying desperately to break up PowerPoint presentations with team activities, discussion questions and games. I did my best to pull together a presentation that would engage my friends and I--assuming (correctly) that teenage students in one country are very similar to teenage students in any other country. And, I knew going in that most of my speaking would have to be done through a translator--although the language barrier really turned out to be an almost unnoticeable issue

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Because, in the Balkans, an appetite for beauty rose up in me.

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Beauty in the people.



The people I encountered on my trip are people of resilience. They work for everything they have and take nothing for granted. They are brilliant, lovely and full of a joy and love--particularly for dancing. One evening as they began to teach me how to dance in the traditional style, I could not stop myself from smiling due to their enthusiasm and perseverance to teach me until I understood each upcoming step. They are proud of their heritage, their values and their families; and their pride works like a contagious smile, causing all around to become enamored with their culture in a different, personal way.

Beauty in their attitude.



The students I taught and grew to know had a deep-seated desire to learn. They came to other leaders and myself to ask questions in order to truly grasp what the teaching had to offer. Every meal, different groups would take turns in serving one another--and not once do I remember seeing anyone do so half-heartedly.

Beauty in their food.



I remember trying a specific dish while in the Balkans that I was informed is a comfort dish/specialty. The dish is what I can best describe as a multi-layered-crepe-tortilla-chewy-and-thin-pancake-stack. It takes hours to make, layer by layer, over a fire--and it has a special, easily placed by the locals, smell. Here at home, it seems like people have decided it's okay to sacrifice food quality for time's sake. But in the Balkans, that isn't so-- because quality food=quality time spent (making and eating).

Beauty in the land.




The majesty of the mountains and the stunning quality of the flowers speak for themselves.

Beauty for the future.



In a region that can still be considered developing, the students I taught truly yearned to make a positive difference in their town, city and country. They were not stifled by cynicism. And in that way, they helped me discover a hope that we all share for the future on a global level.