We met in the lobby as planned and found a table in the hotel restaurant. We talked about how fun our afternoons were as we visited friends. Although I had eaten a full African meal for lunch, we both decided the buffet just made sense. My theory is that clever restaurant owners set the food prices on the actual menus relative to the cost of the buffet in such a way that you will pay just a bit more than you really wanted to, in order to have the MASSIVE amount of options. It worked!
Michelle and I had a rich discussion about NGOs, women's empowerment in communities through leadership and economic development, water and climate issues, Kony 2012, her kids, the United States and Africa. She is South African but is currently living in the US. She and her husband spent 14 years in Malawi raising their 3 kids and working for an NGO. I asked her how she feels about having raised her kids in Malawi, now that she can look back on the experience. Hindsight and all. I expected her to share the horrors of it all. She immediately answered "it was the best thing I've ever done". She loved having her kids socialized with people from all over the world, experiencing life in a real community and not in front of a screen playing video games. Her kids got to see the realities of life, poverty for example, and went to school with kids from over 40 nationalities because of all the families with parents in the embassies, NGOs, etc. I gave her my contact information and a few Melatonin pills and we both went back to our rooms for sleep before flying out the next day. Don't worry! Melatonin is just a natural sleep aid that I travel with for emergencies and her lack of sleep the night before falls into the emergency category.
So why the title for this post? Okay, that is the crazy part of this story. I was scheduled to fly from Johannesburg to Pemba the next day, but we touched down in Maputo for a short layover before boarding the same plane for the flight to Pemba. I got off the plane in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique in the southern part of the country, and waited in the small airport until it was time to board again. I was given an oversized plastic yellow card to indicate that I am supposed to get back on the plane, at least I think that is what it meant. At first I thought it meant "foreigner!" but then everyone had one, so I didn't take offense;). The whole time I was traveling to Mozambique, I was wondering if anyone around me was going there for the same reason as me. I mean, why else would people be flying there? I love talking to people and often strike up conversations with strangers. I was just certain that the white woman sitting across from me must be on her way to serve with Iris Ministries. I asked her if she was going to Pemba, but alas, she was not. She was South African and going to meet her husband somewhere, as he works in another country. Imagine that! That cannot be an easy relationship.
It seems there are other reasons that people travel to Pemba besides going to volunteer at the orphanage. One very affectionate couple had just gotten married and were flying to some islands off the coast of Mozambique for their honeymoon. Apparently this is a popular destination for South Africans. Another young man was from Pakistan and traveling to Pemba on business as he is in the used auto parts industry. He was a really nice guy with captivating green eyes. He was surprised to learn I used to recruit technical candidates from Pakistan and that I had hired many professionals from there to work in the US. I told him how impressed I was with the students I hired from Pakistan. They were so smart, hard working, talented and a pleasure to work with.
Finally the time came to board, which I only realized because the people also holding the plastic yellow cards began to get up and walk away. Wait for me! I got up and followed the crowd, which often works out as a good decision, though not always. This time, it was the right choice. I walked past the one gift shop in the airport and saw this man standing outside of it, as if he was browsing the store. In that split second before I could even think, I just blurted out "Pete!?!" The man turned to see who was calling his name and sure enough, it was Pete! Pete and I worked together at PATH. He was a leader in the information technology part of the organization and we worked together as he was building his team. I was Pete's recruiting partner and remember how much I enjoyed working with him. He was passionate, smart, driven, creative, unique and made decisions quickly. One day while working at PATH we were trying to figure out a solution to a problem that was arising which impacted so many parts of the organization- new hires, information technology, human resources, hiring teams in countries around the world, etc. We talked through the issue, the roadblocks, potential solutions and a game plan. Pete jumped to his feet during our conversation, grabbed a dry erase marker and began writing all over the door of the conference room by outlining the parameters, workflow and process to give a visual to our discussion. Fortunately, these doors had windows that were designed for writing on them. I loved the way he began white-boarding the ideas and solutions to propel our discussion. I know this isn't unique as many professionals could white board and do, but you don't always see this happen between IT and HR partners. I felt there was mutual respect as we sought the right solution for the organization and all involved. He is also a very talented musician. Very cool guy.
Pete was in Mozambique on business. It was so crazy to run into someone I actually knew in the tiny Maputo airport. We exchanged a quick "hello and what the heck are you doing here?!" and then I caught my flight. I loved that moment. It made the world seem very small and gave me a small connection to home that felt good. Pete sent me an email shortly after that and said he was excited for me as I move into this new journey. Isn't life fun? I just think life is so exciting and fun...or at least it CAN be.
Keep your eyes open for connections. They are all around and can bring energy and a sweetness to life.
No comments:
Post a Comment