a long way to go for perspective
- kris gauri
- Jun 24, 2018
- 2 min read
Just returned from California, a multi-purpose trip that offered inspiration in many ways. The initial reason for traveling to Los Angeles was to deliver Caroline and Maya to LAX to begin their two week journey to Fiji for a community service camp. Funny, I know that there are some eye rolls when I mention that my kids are going to Fiji to do community service. While I know on many levels its a crazy extravagance, the flight and cost of this opportunity is beyond what I could have ever fathomed in my own childhood, I am hoping for a more simplified result. At a time when private schools for some of our friends are an outlandish expense, travel club sports are truly an investment, I decided to push the case for this forward. Despite the exotic location, one I've never been to myself, the exposure the girls will have to other kids from different parts of the country, to a culture (Fijian) that is supposed to be so family focused, communal and warm, I loved every aspect of what the experience offered.
The goals on their site, each followed by a thoughtful explanation, capture the values I hope to instill in our kids:
grit, independence, humility, self-awareness, openness to new ideas and experiences, sense of wonderment, a belief that all people are connected, a desire to positively impact the lives of others, empathy, intercultural competence
(Forgive me for not citing them in correct order)
If you find yourself interested in reading them for yourself at any point, here's the link:
I'm hoping they return with not only an enlightened perspective of the REAL version of a place that too often is looked at solely as a vacation spot for US instead of the culture and people in that world that have such pure joy in their hearts, love and commitment to those around them, with so much less of the modern comforts we think we NEED to get by and be happy. Admission -- embracing less is a challenge for me as an adult let alone a developing teen surrounded by excesses in every possible direction. Selfishly, I'm hoping they come home with an enthusiasm, experience, and wisdom they can share that will aid in my own perspective of what really matters.
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