The Final Countdown

I chose this title for my last blog post from India for several reasons. One, it is kind of an obvious title. Two, the band who sings it, Europe, might be the greatest band known to mankind. And finally it was the choice I convinced the hockey team at the University of Alabama to come out from the locker room to from our second intermission break. In fact the last time coming out of the locker room I heard it I became very emotional because I knew that this was the last time I would ever hear the song as a player for the University of Alabama. It was something that meant a great deal to me and still does.

I am at the end of another journey however. This journey was one of the best things to happen to me, much like the hockey team. Throughout the last ten weeks I have gone all over the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan, including the Pakistani border. I have learned a great deal about organizations and humanity. If you have been following this blog for any length of time you have seen some of the stories that I have uncovered as part of my work here. Well I will be the first to tell you that they are just an infinitesimal fraction of the stories of pain and suffering but also stories of hope, life, and understanding. I feel as though I have gone through a transformation in terms of how think about the world. "The World" is no longer something that is in a text book or in a lecture it is real and there is a lot more left to see.

As I am writing this I am sitting in the office saying my goodbyes and thanking everyone that I have met over the last ten weeks. But there are some that are not here in this office that need to be thanked for everything that they have done for me. First I would like to thank the Clinton School of Public Service, The Clinton Foundation, The University of Arkansas System, the great state of Arkansas, Joe Ballard, and Dean Rutherford. The efforts of the aforementioned make the International Public Service Project possible for my classmates and I and will continue to do so for the classes to come.

Secondly I would like to thank 1Well. Dan Morrison and May Yu are two of the greatest people I have ever had the chance of meeting, much less working with. They are patient, kind, and caring. They have put up with me since December of 2008 trying to make this project a reality and no amount of gratitude is sufficient. The entire 1Well team are dedicated public servants and embody the word service in every facet of their organization. For more information please go to www.1Well.org. It is worth your time.

I would also like to thank SEWA for showing me their beautiful country, the good and the bad. We had a great time together and I consider it an honor to be associated with an organization such as theirs. In fact Secretary Clinton has been in India on a five day trip and several of the women I regularly interact with had a private one and a half hour meeting with the Secretary to discuss women's issues in India. Both the former President and Secretary Clinton are strong supporters of 1Well and SEWA.

I would like to thank the people of India for showing me warmth and hospitality. I sometimes felt like I never left home because of how hospitable and friendly people were towards me, a complete stranger.

Finally I would like to thank my classmates, friends, and family, for all of the supportive emails and updates as to what is going on back home and around the world. I have missed you all terribly and I thoroughly enjoyed every blog posting, postcard (Thank you Belize), care package, and Skype calls.

I am at a lost for words where the past ten weeks has gone but I know soon enough that it will all hit me and what I have just done is something people rarely get to experience but often dream about. I will miss India for now, treasure the memories I made, and look forward to making new ones on return trips.

But for now I am off to experience many more cultures as Ashley Davis (www.davisashley.blogspot.com) are traveling five countries in Europe and both she and I will will be reporting on the 'Positive Stuff' that we find over there on our blogs. See you all soon.

Aljo,

Josh