How does an Austin-focused nonprofiteer move into international waters? Well, it's been more like jumping into a very cold fast moving river and learning how to ride the currents, then wading into the ocean and cautiously taking a low wave. But how was I to know?
I took on the role of Managing Director at Psychology Without Borders expecting to focus on what I know well - infrastructure for a nonprofit enterprise. However, in mid-February it became clear that one of my first projects would be joining a team to explore ways to assist in Java. So I started to get ready for international adventure. My initial tasks:
1) locate my passport. Alas, it was irretrievably somewhere else, so I had to apply for a new one.
2) find a travel guide. Only one guide is up to date on Java in Texas bookstores - luckily my friend Lorel had a guide to share.
3) find some Java contacts. Between meeting the founder of Austin International Rescue (working in Java), running into a journalism professor who just happened to write a book on the Bali bombings, and getting phone numbers from people I ran into in Austin restaurants, I assembled a small source list of people on the ground I could call on for help if needed.
4) learn about Java education, earthquakes, international aid, local ngo's, and colleges. This was the hardest - had no clear paths for such learning. After the fact though, I am much better prepared to do this investigative journalism.
It wasn't helpful that the airline I was booked on from Jakarta to Yogyakarta experienced a crash on the same route I would take just days after this crash was front page US news.
So, armed with a few resources and a spring travel/meeting wardrobe I travelled 35 hours from Austin to Yogyakarta, picking up grad student Edwin Tan in LA, and PWOB staffer Toula Skiadas in Jakarta. We were greeted in Yogyakarta by Edwin's extended Java family, and got to our hotel in early evening, enjoying the chaos of the city and the sights, smells, sounds, and energy of Yogya.
Because our meetings would not begin until Tuesday, Toula and I spent Monday appreciating the area - touring the palace, traveling out to the Buddhist temple in the countryside, enjoying an amazing meal and a ballet performance in the evening.
On Tuesday our Israeli colleague Rony Berger joined us, and we met with his Java contact and our new colleagues at the Gajah Madah University. Good meetings and encouraging signs for developing a research and service project to assist teachers who were working with students in the Bantul area.
On Wednesday, our meetings with Bantul teachers and representatives from the regional educational authority helped us get a better sense of immediate needs. It looked like our plan for assistance was not aligning with the community needs at the current time.
On Thursday, we were able to visit Bantul and see a school project that was almost complete and talk with teachers. Our discussions with our academic partners in the afternoon focused on examining other elements and options. On Friday (all too soon) we had to depart, although Rony was able to stay to explore some new ideas.
Back in Austin, I had barely enough time to reflect on this current, when a new swirl appeared - we had an opportunity to send a PWOB representative to assess options and opportunities in Pakistan. Once more I consulted my newly developing sources about lodgings, travel, circumstances...and we sent Jane Gilbert, from Britain, to Islamabad.
Jane is also back in her home country now, with tales to tell that help us get a better sense of how PWOB can work in far flung locales. Luckily all these tales will be brought to the multi-national, multi-talented Board at a meeting at the end of April.
