I’ve been waiting to post this blog, partly because at the end of the last entry there was still 10 days left in May, and partly because I’ve been on a trip!
I just got back from an amazing extended weekend in Hawaii. Through the generous support of the Shinnyo-en Foundation, I met with young people from around the world (at one point, in a room of 30 people, there were over 10 countries represented) to participate in the GoPro global entrepreneurship summit, put on by Project Tsubasa. Though I had never really explored entrepreneurship (outside a brief month-long period during my senior year of college), my team and I worked together really well to solve a social problem.
After an afternoon of throwing ideas around and receiving feedback on them, we were able to more fully develop our idea. Without divulging too much information (we’re in talks to continue working on our business, after all!), our business would help anyone traveling to a foreign place. We gave a 10-minute presentation about our business, which included research around the need for it, how our team can fill that need, and how we plan to keep the business sustainable. It’s incredibly exciting to be a part of something that started as an idea, but has grown to be something that has the potential to help people worldwide.
On Monday, Memorial Day, Project Tsubasa was lucky enough to be seated near the main stage of Lantern Floating Hawaii 2014. Traditionally, people float lanterns to commemorate the passing of a loved one. On that day, more than 40,000 people showed up to watch the lanterns. It was an amazing event, rife with emotions: sadness, yes, but also hope. It was a moving sight to see strangers comfort each other, as the lanterns bearing the memories of their respective loved ones floated out to sea together. Loss, and the feelings associated with loss, is one of the most universal human emotions. This common ground, I think, gave way to love. There was so much love present on that beach, it really is hard to capture in words. My friend Chris captured this moment, though, which I think summarizes nicely everything I’ve just said.
Tuesday was our free day! I started by attending the Shinnyo-en Foundation interfaith dialogue with four other Shinnyo Fellows; here, leaders from eight different faith communities came together to reflect on the lantern floating event, and to have an open and candid discussion about topics like death and loved ones. I was so impressed by the maturity and respect that everyone showed one another. It gave me hope that we are, slowly but surely, converging all our individual paths upon one path to peace.
After the event, my friends and I were free to explore Honolulu. We found a cramped but charming clothing store with a charismatic shopkeeper who sold us on some pretty cool Hawaiian shirts. We then moseyed to Waikiki Beach, where we met the rest of the Project Tsubasa. We swam, lay in the sand, marveled at rainbows, and generally tried to enjoy each others’ company on our last day together.
Just like that, the trip was over. For the second time in two months, I had become very close friends with people I had never met, and may not see again. But the times we spent laughing, philosophizing, and getting bitten by mosquitoes are times I will never forget. I am very humbled and extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in such an amazing weekend. Thank you once more to the Shinnyo-en Foundation, particularly Ineko and Katie, for this amazing opportunity; not just the trip to Hawaii, but the whole year as well. I’ve been able to gain a world of experience because of the support from the Shinnyo-en Foundation, and I could not be more grateful.
June means that my fellowship is almost over! Stay tuned for a summary of my last few weeks as a Fellow, which include my plans for next year (and beyond), as well as the announcement of (drumroll…..) a brand new Stanford Shinnyo Fellow!
I just got back from an amazing extended weekend in Hawaii. Through the generous support of the Shinnyo-en Foundation, I met with young people from around the world (at one point, in a room of 30 people, there were over 10 countries represented) to participate in the GoPro global entrepreneurship summit, put on by Project Tsubasa. Though I had never really explored entrepreneurship (outside a brief month-long period during my senior year of college), my team and I worked together really well to solve a social problem.
After an afternoon of throwing ideas around and receiving feedback on them, we were able to more fully develop our idea. Without divulging too much information (we’re in talks to continue working on our business, after all!), our business would help anyone traveling to a foreign place. We gave a 10-minute presentation about our business, which included research around the need for it, how our team can fill that need, and how we plan to keep the business sustainable. It’s incredibly exciting to be a part of something that started as an idea, but has grown to be something that has the potential to help people worldwide.
On Monday, Memorial Day, Project Tsubasa was lucky enough to be seated near the main stage of Lantern Floating Hawaii 2014. Traditionally, people float lanterns to commemorate the passing of a loved one. On that day, more than 40,000 people showed up to watch the lanterns. It was an amazing event, rife with emotions: sadness, yes, but also hope. It was a moving sight to see strangers comfort each other, as the lanterns bearing the memories of their respective loved ones floated out to sea together. Loss, and the feelings associated with loss, is one of the most universal human emotions. This common ground, I think, gave way to love. There was so much love present on that beach, it really is hard to capture in words. My friend Chris captured this moment, though, which I think summarizes nicely everything I’ve just said.
Tuesday was our free day! I started by attending the Shinnyo-en Foundation interfaith dialogue with four other Shinnyo Fellows; here, leaders from eight different faith communities came together to reflect on the lantern floating event, and to have an open and candid discussion about topics like death and loved ones. I was so impressed by the maturity and respect that everyone showed one another. It gave me hope that we are, slowly but surely, converging all our individual paths upon one path to peace.
After the event, my friends and I were free to explore Honolulu. We found a cramped but charming clothing store with a charismatic shopkeeper who sold us on some pretty cool Hawaiian shirts. We then moseyed to Waikiki Beach, where we met the rest of the Project Tsubasa. We swam, lay in the sand, marveled at rainbows, and generally tried to enjoy each others’ company on our last day together.
Just like that, the trip was over. For the second time in two months, I had become very close friends with people I had never met, and may not see again. But the times we spent laughing, philosophizing, and getting bitten by mosquitoes are times I will never forget. I am very humbled and extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in such an amazing weekend. Thank you once more to the Shinnyo-en Foundation, particularly Ineko and Katie, for this amazing opportunity; not just the trip to Hawaii, but the whole year as well. I’ve been able to gain a world of experience because of the support from the Shinnyo-en Foundation, and I could not be more grateful.
June means that my fellowship is almost over! Stay tuned for a summary of my last few weeks as a Fellow, which include my plans for next year (and beyond), as well as the announcement of (drumroll…..) a brand new Stanford Shinnyo Fellow!
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