Greetings and Happy Midweek!
I’ve got reunions on my mind and heart this week - so I thought we’d explore this topic together. It echoes a number of previous “Legacy” Connect posts (see Notes below). And it fits nicely into the Collaboration component of our Global SKILLs PROACTive Strategies Framework.*
Reunions are a global cross-cultural phenomenon bringing together at least 2 and sometimes thousands of people, who share something worth remembering and celebrating. They come in so many shapes and sizes world-wide:
~ My heart was warmed last year when I heard my dear Jola friend Aida had gone to a reunion in a different region of Senegal. She rarely leaves the village and this was also an act of service because she was a companion for a wheel-chair bound friend - the reunion was for disabled women who meet together annually to be refreshed by the sea.
~ In India, the world record for largest school reunion was broken a few years ago…see LINKs below to read more about that.
And on a personal note, our next family reunion will be grieving the loss of one very special person. One of my extended clan’s favorite reunion spots is Cape Cod here in the US, where we share a decades long tradition of family vacations spent together. Last week, my beloved Cousin Tim passed away very suddenly after a 4 day bout with covid. He was a super guy and will be greatly missed. Later this year, we will once again gather together to celebrate his legacy, and our family ties…
How about you ~ have you had a special reunion recently?
Share about that with a friend or note it here.
And check out the Global SKILLs LINKs below for more on reuniting.
Please also, be so very careful in whatever ways you choose - covid is still very much a threat.
Thanks for being part of this Connect community.
Until next week,
Betsy
Previous Mid-week Connects on the topic of Legacies: Old, New (1/5/21), Cultural Awakening (2/24/21), Change (3/10/21), Celebrating (3/17/21)
Souvenirs (7/21/21), Remembering (9/8/21), Invitation (12/31/21)
(scroll down to access them)
Global SKILLs LINKs
~ largest school reunion: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-school-reunion
~ my recent 50th with the Comparative Cultures Girlz: https://blog.aifsabroad.com/2022/11/17/aifs-reunion-trip-cc-girls/
~ one fun multicultural reunion in the US: https://www.wsaz.com/2022/12/26/cute-triplets-reunite-with-garbage-truck-driver-4-years-after-viral-video/
~ (get your tissues ready & sorry for the crazy long link but it’s legit): 20 special moment reunions:
Notes
* Through my business Global SKILLs and several partner subsidiaries I offer unique cross-cultural consulting and training including:
3 Dimensional Dynamics Model:
1st dimension = HOME ; 2nd dimension = HOST ; 3rd dimension = HARBOR)
PROACTive Learning Strategies: PRO = PROfile, PROcess, PROgram
ACT = Application, Collaboration (which we explored this week) and Transformation
~ contact me for more information on this model and these strategies and how you might use them in your current programming: betsy.barbour@gmail.com
2023 ~ Celebrating 40+ years of working in
intercultural communications and global community building
“It takes a community to build a community”
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Please do not reproduce or share without my permission (betsy.barbour@gmail.com)