Back to the real world

After spending a week in paradise it is back to the real world of St. Joe. Being in the U.A.E. was like a fairytale come true! It was filled with galas at the palace, run-ins with royalty, and even some beasts (AKA camels). It was a land where everything was over the top and flashy. It was the perfect break from reality.

Now that I am back in St. Joe and the magical fog has lifted I have been able to truly assess and reflect on my time in the U.A.E. The number one take away I have from this trip is an extremely altered opinion and view of the middle east especially Saudi Arabia. After meeting such wonderful women from these countries and hearing their stories and plans for the future I realized that these countries that we, with the help of the media, have determined to be bad and oppress women, where the citizens are miserable and want to break free is just not true. Many women from these countries are empowered and have great plans for their lives. Many also plan to live in their home countries, so obviously they are not looking to escape or break free. They love their countries and so maybe it is time that we do too!

My second take away from this trip is the realization that while you may be content with what you have that does not mean that you should stop striving for more and continuing to be innovative. This lesson really came from the Government and people of the U.A.E. The U.A.E. was established off of oil and they have enough of it to last another 100 years at our current consumption rate and yet they are one of the top countries working on alternative energy sources. They could be content with what they have and milk the oil for all that it is worth and yet they realize the importance of alternative energy as well the many benefits and therefore they are continuing to be innovative and strive for more. For me this made me realize that there is always opportunities to expand yourself and be innovative throughout life and that I should never become stagnant.

The IWL trip to the U.A.E. was an amazing experience filled with awe-inspiring moments, lessons learned, and the making of new friends all wrapped in a fairytale setting. It was one of the best experiences of my life and so I want to thank all who invested time and other resources making the trip possible. To all of you I say thank you!