Greetings and Happy Midweek!
These being our last moments to Connect in 2022, I wanted to return to the Jola New Year’s saying “Be bulai” (see LINKs below for previous explorations of this topic). These thoughts bring together all 3 dimensions of Global SKILLs’ 3D Dynamics framework and also all of our PROACTive Strategies.*
“Be bulai” (pronounced [be-] as in the 1st part of my name + [-bu-] as in ‘boo! + [-lai] as in ‘lie’)
is a phrase shared by Jolas in Senegal and the Diaspora with family, friends and acquaintances, at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It both
~ looks back to experiences and relationships worth remembering and continuing
and
~ looks forward, to how that dynamic can happen in the coming months.
Looking back is sometimes a joy and sometimes just really hard…
A few points of joy for me this past year have been watching my grandson grow from a toddler into a confident, creative little boy; getting established in my new work as a tiny living consultant; traveling across this great country by train; and visiting with family and friends near and far.
A few truly difficult times for me this past year include experiencing the devastating effects of Hurricane Ian on my Florida homeland - first from afar and later in person; saying final good-byes to loved ones including Deonsoba, our Jola Matriarch; and navigating community-based trials and tribulations as results of disappointing behavior and betrayed trust.
Looking forward, I plan to spend time this week re-viewing each of these and other experiences through several lenses of cross-cultural communications and global community building, And I am confident the culturally informed insights and practices which these reflections provide will enrich understandings and help guide me through, and beyond!
I’m sure each of us has parallel experiences…
How about you ~ what’s one way you feel enriched and/or guided, looking back or looking forward?
Share about that with a friend or note it here.
And check out the LINKs below for other ideas to support looking back and looking forward.
Thanks for being part of this Connect community.
Be bulai!
Betsy
Global SKILLs LINKs:
These former posts, which were also weekly Connect emails, explored looking back and looking forward - in the contexts of legacies, milestones and community:
From 2020: 12/30/20
From 2021: 1/13, 2/24. 3/10, 3/17, 7/21, 12/29
From 2022: 3/9/22
Scroll down to find the dates.
Notes:
* Through my business Global SKILLs and several partner subsidiaries I offer unique cross-cultural consulting and training including:
3 Dimensional Dynamics Model: (which we explored this week)
1st dimension = HOME ; 2nd dimension = HOST ; 3rd dimension = HARBOR)
PROACTive Learning Strategies: (which we explored this week) PRO = PROfile, PROcess, PROgram
ACT = Application, Collaboration and Transformation
~ contact me for more information on this model and these strategies and how you might use them in your current programming
2022 ~ Celebrating 40+ years of working in
intercultural communications and global community building
“It takes a community to build a community”
Please Note: this is copyrighted content.
Please do not reproduce or share without my permission (betsy.barbour@gmail.com)