Where does one begin to explain?

I have been back for a week now and am still not fully adjusted. I continue to have vivid dreams reliving my camel ride. I felt pangs of envy when I saw a women wearing an abaya in Cashwise. And most of all I struggle to put such a surreal, impactful experience into words. Once-in-a-lifetime, life changing, eye opening, exhilarating and powerful fail to capture the experience but they are the best I have come up with.

I went to give a presentation but looking back that was only a sliver of the experience. Experiences such as getting to meet and mingle with women from over 100 countries in the same space are ones that stick with you. Many of the women I had the opportunity to meet were from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and other countries my peers rarely get the opportunity to talk with face to face, let alone hear from. Many of them spoke freely on sensitive subjects such as women’s rights and I quickly found that my perceptions of the world, specifically on the lifestyle of people in the Middle East and the treatment of women in many of these counties were grossly misinformed. Specifically my understanding of the abaya has shifted. I used to see the traditional black dress and head coverings of the women as restrictive. Now I see them as elegant and a source of pride.

The voices of the powerful women who spoke at the conference have lingered with me; voices of Sigourney Weaver, H.E. Baroness Helena Ann Kennedy, female business leaders from the United Arab Emirates, a Saudi Arabian princess. The experience of personally meeting both the Sheik and Sheikha of the UAE and dining at their palace remains unforgettable.

Finally, the inspirational messages of the numerous presentations I was able to sit in on, from a woman who has effectively changed the living situation for women, men and children in rural Afghanistan to an archeologist who is saving the Mirador Basin in Guatemala by emphasizing the importance of the Mayan ruins that exist in the area, have made perhaps the most permanent impact on my life. By being able to meet with them after their speeches, ask questions and introduce myself I have received invitations to work in Afghanistan, opportunities to help in Guatemala and invitations to visit in Saudi Arabia and Singapore. But more importantly I have become all the more certain that whatever I do in my life it must have meaning.
Lauren