Day one has been much anticipated through weeks of planning, preparations and training, followed by 2 days (35ish hours) of travel via 4 flights (Ottawa-Toronto-Dubai-Colombo. After all of that, Day 1 did not disappoint!

When I arrived at my first hotel (I’ll stay here for a few days while I complete my orientation and then move onto my longer-term accommodations near where I’ll be working) around 2am this morning, the concierge welcomed me and let me know my colleague Nina had arrived earlier in the night. This was a pleasant surprise for me – primarily because I didn’t know I had a colleague named Nina! As it turns out Nina is also here in Colombo volunteering with WUSC (one of the two Uniterra partners). Though she will have a different mandate than mine and won’t be working with my partner organization, it was wonderful to have someone to spend Day 1 exploring the city with.

I arrived very jet-lagged and ready for bed early this morning and only managed a few hours of sleep before waking very disoriented and groggy but also wide-awake at 7am local time. At breakfast Nina and I decided our best approach to getting over our jet-lag was to get out, see the sights, and hope for a great sleep tonight. So that’s what we did!

We spent a very full day walking and taking tuk tuks around the city – exploring street markets, sampling street food, and visiting the famous Jami Ul-Afar Mosque. We then took a brief afternoon break to re-charge at our hotel rooftop pool (the cool water and gentle breeze were amazing after walking around the city in the 31C humid heat) and then ventured back out to visit Galle Face Green for a dinner of street food and a beautiful sunset.

What a terrific first day in a fascinating city that has so much going on, so many cultures complementing each other, and so far truly wonderful, friendly people!

Here’s to a good night’s sleep and an equally exciting Day 2 for my in-country orientation!

This past weekend I completed my Leave for Change pre-departure training – t-23 days until departure now! It was by far the most beneficial, impactful professional development activity I have participated in.

Over the course of 2 packed days (think a 4-day program condensed into 2), we considered, discussed, and reflected on a number of issues and topics, including:

• Capacity building – you are most impactful when you teach others to do, rather than do for them (or as the saying goes… Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime)
• Conflict resolution styles – pros and cons of each, when each is most/least appropriate, how to be mindful of others’ styles (avoiders and collaborators may struggle more when in conflict with each other)
• Inter-cultural communications – your frame of reference may not be their frame of reference (what IS the size of a toonie? what is a toonie?)
• Cultural norms and values – you will offend someone, despite your best intentions (don’t assume publicly recognizing an individual colleague for a job well done is a good thing)
• Adapting to culture shock – resist the urge to isolate yourself (be kind to yourself; rest when you need to recharge, but then get back out there)
• Gender equity and inclusion – there are a lot of supporting factors that also need to addressed (setting corporate targets for a number of female employees is not effective if factors preventing women from working outside the home – women do not have family support to work, lack of alternate options for childcare – remain unaddressed)
• Engaging youth – provide meaningful, engaging and safe spaces for youth to contribute (youth input should be respected and used to drive outcomes)
• Safety and security – what to do if you lose your passport, become ill and don’t speak the primary language, experience sexual harassment (also relevant here at home!), experience a kidnapping or terrorism event (your safety is your top priority; there is a team “on the ground” to provide support, never hesitate to contact them)

Overall this was an amazing, inspiring, exhausting weekend where I made new friends and left feeling ready for my mandate in Sri Lanka!

Do one thing every day that scares you.

I read a quote once – a few years ago – often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, and since then I’ve tried to follow it in a general sense. Maybe not every day. Maybe more pushes me outside my comfort zone. Nonetheless, “Do one thing every day that scares you”, I believe, is an excellent driver of personal growth.

So why did I apply to Leave for Change? 3-4 weeks living and working in a developing country, where I have no existing contacts – that would certainly push me outside my comfort zone. Also, a former boss, Melinda, once told me to apply if I ever got the chance, and this year I got the chance.

So off I went. The application and interview process alone were great reflective exercises. What are my values? What skills do I have to share that can translate across borders and cultures? What do I most want to work on in terms of personal improvement? And who couldn’t benefit from updating their resume and honing interview skills (in a general sense Alison, don’t worry!).

So I filled out the application, updated my resume, completed an interview and hopped a plane to Calgary for a conference. I came back to an email saying I had been selected as this year’s CMA Leave for Change participant – I had to re-read it several times. I couldn’t believe it; I was so excited.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I have my mandate – I’ll be supporting MAS Intimates on change management in Sri Lanka from January 4 – 26, 2020. Now that it feels real, to say SO excited is an understatement.

Next steps? Paperwork, vaccinations, interviewing past Leave for Change participants (if you haven’t heard from me yet, you will shortly), preparing to step away from my CMA role and life at home for 3.5 weeks, learning everything I can about Sri Lanka and MAS Intimates, 2 day orientation in early December. And of course continued blogging and Instagramming as I work towards departure. Stay tuned!

Leave for Change participants are asked to blog their experience during their placement to share their thoughts, learning, and journey with others. 

There are many aspects of the Leave for Change mandate and one of these is to share your journey, tell others, and create excitement around Leave for Change.

And so, as part of my Leave for Change mandate I’ll be chronicling my experiences throughout this journey on this blog. I’ll also be posting to Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amyl4c/.

What is Leave for Change?

Leave for Change is a corporate volunteer program that offers employees a once in a lifetime adventure to give back by sharing their experience and expertise in a developing country through a 3-4 week overseas assignment. The purpose of the program is all about capacity-building.  Volunteers are challenged to train others in their field of expertise and act as advisors who transfer skills to local staff to help their host organization grow and reach their potential.

Leave for Change is a Uniterra program. Uniterra is a leading Canadian international development program that is jointly operated by CECI and WUSC. Uniterra also received funding for this program from the Government of Canada and the organizations who support their employees in participating (in my case the Canadian Medical Association). For additional details: https://uniterra.ca/en/partnership/leave-for-change