Mingalarbar from Myanmar

Merry X-Mas and Happy New Year to you all !!!!!!

I do hope you all are happy, healthy and busy during these days.  Many thanks to Ahila for excellent idea of creating this blog which give us  opportunities to share what is going on after APLP.  Yes because of this we are still connected. 

Let me share my adventure life after APLP.

At the meditation center for two months: Once we finished MFE workshop in Yangon I went back to Taunggyi, Shan State and took meditation at the Hte Han Sway Meditation center for two months.  By doing meditation I got the big lesson for my life and I would like to share to you all as these help me to see the real situation and hinder to overcome the challenges more easily than before.

 "Whenever we face difficulties never give up easily, be patient and don't look at the things with greedy or angry then you will see situation clearly and find the way to do."   

Jobs : After meditation center, I back to Yangon, tried to apply new jobs and busy for the interviews. During waiting for the result I decided to join back to my existing job at the United Nations World Food Programme in Yangon office. Within a month in WFP, I got job offered from UNOCHA and British Council on the same day. I was quite happy and lucky those days. I decided to join British Council as I would like get change and learn from new environment. Then I moved to British Council as a Programme Coordinator for Education in October 2013.  Yes of course, every office has different procedures with different approaches and also has advantages and disadvantages. Whenever I face difficulties and challenges at the new job I could see the opportunities from that challenges and happy to accomplish the job instead of feeling panic. This is the big changed for me from APLP.

Social supporting activities:I try to share my time especially out of office hours and weakened to the communities those who need my help or contribution. I could organize future scenario building workshop to the member of Shan National Democratic Party together with Mon Mon and Ko Thit Sar. And I provide leadership trainings to the youths from Shan Literature and Culture Association in Taunggyi.  Base on their need and requested, I try to link through my networks and connect to them if I do not have capacity on that field.  And try to contribute and give a hand as much as I can to the Myanmar Disable organizations as well.

Work-life balance:  This is the one I need to improve which I really focus on work only and  could not manage time for social life as well as  for my professional development. 

Miss you all and I do hope to see you all again.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

As you may remember, Thanksgiving is the US holiday where it's all about food, family and gratitude.  And sometimes football.  And large balloons on parade.  And dog shows.  We're a multitasking society.   

For sure, it's a controversial holiday given the history of the holiday and the resulting treatment of Native Americans by European/American settlers.  And given the recent racial tensions emanating from Ferguson, Missouri, it's important for America to remember and assert on Thanksgiving that Black lives matter, indigenous lives matter - all lives matter.  But, for the purposes of this post, I'll stick to the merit of the day - giving thanks.  

This year, I'm grateful for many things.  I'm grateful for my health and the health of my family.  I'm grateful for the support I get from my family and friends.  I'm grateful that you all seem to be doing so well!  I'm grateful that I have you all to entertain and inspire me.  I'm grateful for all the adventures I've had, and the ones to come.  

I've noticed, as well, that things seem to be changing.  A shift is occurring.  In the last month, friends have moved away, while other friends have announced their pregnancies, or bought houses.  Cousins have gotten engaged or had children.  My dad is about to retire, while my sister's career is about to take off.  It feels like the end of many eras, and the beginning of new ones.  For all of these great things, I am grateful.  But I am also grateful for the fact that this time, with this shift, I feel ready for it.  It doesn't intimidate me.  I don't feel jealous or left behind.  Instead, I'm honestly really excited for all these loved ones and for all these shifts, and it just feels like it's lining up perfectly with my own evolution.  I'm excited to ride whatever wave this is, and see how it manifests in my own life.  I guess my point is that, after a bit of an awkward period, it feels like a lot of really great things are finally colliding, and it couldn't feel more natural.  It's a cool feeling, and I'm excited for the ride.  For that, I'm truly grateful.  

Thanks again for checking in, and I hope to see you all soon!  

I'm turning it over to Nang Sengaye for the month of December.  Excited to see what she's up to!

xo

Megan

Autumn in Central Park

Aloha from New York!

Aloha Ohana!

I hope you and your families are all well.  It's been such a pleasure reading all your posts, so special thanks to Ahila for coordinating it all!  Apologies for not posting until this late in the month – it’s been daunting to try and cover almost two years (!) since I’ve seen most of you, which made it easier to put off until now.  So, you get a long one instead…

Life Post-APLP:  The Basics

So, a brief synopsis to “get you up to speed,” as we say. 

First…GIST!  I think many of you graciously followed along with our GIST and personal blogs at the time, so I won’t go into that much except to say that it was a wonderful (though somewhat exhausting) experience and – at many points – a true honor. 

First rain of the season at Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon - April 2013)

MFE!  At the same time, we were working on the Myanmar Futures Exchange in Yangon, which was a lot of work but a lot of fun.  It was a very busy and rewarding semester, and I want to give a shout out to all my fellow GISTers, along with Mon Mon, Nang Seng and Alisha for all your wonderful support and delightful company throughout that whole period.

GISTers at the MFE!

Reunion!  It was so great to see so many more of you again!  I can't find my pics from then, but I think many of them are better kept off the internet anyway...

Job Hunting and starting a company!   

When I came back home, I returned to the task of finding a job.  That whole summer was spent either co-drafting the MFE Summary Report with Alisha and Scott (with help from Kate and Gretchen!) or applying to jobs.  Based on the experience I had on GIST, I started my own consulting company, Makai Strategies Inc.   I did a great training with the Shared Value Initiative as CEO of Makai Strategies in October 2013.   The training was in London, so I got to see Taku as well!  The energy at the training was really great, and I left London feeling inspired and excited about the corporate responsibility field. 

Finding a Job! A couple weeks later, I got hired by a sustainability consultancy.  The work was interesting, and I got to go to the Middle East for the first time.  (Check out Oman!)

 
Family Travels!  This past summer, I was able to travel to Portugal, France and Belgium with my sister and then Montana with my sister and parents.

Reunion in Tulum!  Had a great trip to beautiful Mexico in late July 2014 with Kate, Alisha and Dina.   We had a great time, and it was really nice to see us all evolve.  Joys and struggles always remain, but it was clear that our approach to dealing with it had changed, including in some really amazing ways.   It was really inspiring. 

I'm currently looking for new opportunities while I do some short-term legal work.   Now that I'm not traveling as much, I'm also able to see friends more.  I actually just saw Gretchen and Alisha for G's 40th birthday party up in Boston!  (No pics, sorry, we kept meaning to and forgot...)

So, them's the basics.  It’s been two years of incredible adventures and maddening waiting periods. Highs and lows aplenty, so that sometimes its hard to tell what my real truth is, but I know the best is yet to come.  Sounds like life, right?

Olá from Brazil!!

Hello my dear friends!!

First of all, Congrats Rach! I am so happy for your wedding and for the great accomplishments after APLP, and thank you for the welcoming message!

I hope everyone is well and I am so sorry for leaving for the very last moment to share a lit bit about what is going on here in South America after coming back from GIST.

So many things have happened since I've left Hawaii!!  

I would like to start sharing a lit bit about my GIST experience, where I had a wonderful time researching about the theme Happiness in different countries (Japan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodja, Burma, China, Bhutan), meeting so many special people, specially our APLP alumni and having the time and experiences to reflect about so many different aspects of life, work, culture, inner self, empathy, resilience... 

Experiencing GNH in Bhutan, with Chimi Ura

Short Meditation Retreat in Chiang Mai
Thailand

Teaching Mapping Process at Deer Park
 in India

Talking with Sensei about GHN
 in Japan, with Junko Itokazu - Okinawa

GIST Team in Burma

Visiting Tibetan Schools in India

GIST was great, and most of the insights I had during that experience, I've been having the opportunity to reflect and implement during this transitioning time of my professional career.

I returned to Brazil in September, 2013, than I've decided to quit my job as a Corporate Business Manager of the organization I was working for and I started my own business as a Management Consultant, of Taminato Consultancy. Right after, in December, I got my first project for a brazilian company (of 11.000 employees) to assist Directors and Senior Managers's goals establishment and deployment to their departments, that lasted until this month. 

Besides that,  I've decided to implement into my daily living experience the aspects I've gotten contact during my GIST and Post GIST experience in India.  So since than, I've been sharing my time as: 2/4 working as a management consultant, 1/4 I've been dedicating for new projects (volunteering) and prototyping new things, and the other 1/4 for self and inner development time :-)  This time balance is allowing me to actually enjoy and experience a very genuine happiness, even though I've been extremely busy, learning how to prioritize every single moment, and specially learning how to deal with so many different social media devices and apps ;-) and challenges everyday.

As a management consultant, I am also working in a partnership with a group of professionals, of a place called University of the Experience here in Curitiba, where we are creating new ways of managing organizations and also self development projects for corporations. 

MTA Team 

It is one of the methodologies based on competencies and behavior

Considering wellbeing as one of the purposes of my volunteering projects,  I am part of the management team of Yoga at the Park - Non Profit Organization in my city, which provides free yoga classes for the community. Nowadays we are offering classes at two parks, and 4 indoor places in different neighborhoods, an average of 120 students per class, 10 yoga teachers involved, and 10 volunteers (mgmt team, photographers, counselors).

Meditation after Yoga Class at Barigui Park

Yoga at Botanical Garden Park

Teaching Management for Students at Yoga at the Park Teacher Training Class 

Another very special purpose I've been focusing on is reconnecting with my japanese/Okinawan roots.  For this one,  Liana and Robson (APLP - G13) and I, went to Peru, for an International WUB Conference to share our APLP experiences and the importance of this scholarship for Latin American Okinawan descendent.  In addition to that, together with four friends we organize a performance of dance and music, called EN - Ties of Destiny, to enhance our gratitude to our ancestors for what we are japanese/brazilian for almost 500 people and we will continue with this event in 2015.

Robson G14, Liana G14, Michelle G12, Mary (Peru) G8 and Bob Nakasone

Fernanda, Priscila, Lili e Michelle

Furthermore, I've been attending different courses and retreats, prototyping using some of the tools we've learnt in Hawaii and others I've learnt until now, to accomplish with some personal objectives of of inner development and stimulating creativity for different methodologies of ways of promoting new things for a better world.  So if you have any event related to that around you, let me know! I will be grateful for your recommendation and I can possibly show up for a visit ;-)

Pilgrimage in Sri Lanka
With the best host Ahila!!

Retreats around Brazil

Courses of Dragon Dreaming 

Drawing the Dreams for 2015
with Yoga at the Park Team

Art of Hosting -
Designing organizational events

Using the Value Cards in Portuguese
At Youth Development Program Workshop

I am happy for sharing a bit of the things that are happening with me in Brazil, and I hope you can come visit me soon!

I miss you! Take care!

Much love,
Michelle