Farewell Rossiya!

in less than 12 hours, my plane shall become airborne, and leave the wonderful world of Siberia behind! While I've had my fair share of ups & downs this summer (which I've done a positively lousy job of documenting here- I know, I know; I'll hopefully finish some of my saved draft adventures from afar), all in all, I can really say that I'm sad to go. I might not have been as "productive" in the concrete sense of the word, but the perspective I've gained, the connections I've made and the ideas of come up with have made it all worthwhile and highly educational, despite the thorough lack of overhead structure to my time. Admittedly, those organizations and individuals I learned most from often weren't those I'd expected, and vice-versa. In fact, I really feel like I have a lot of advice and plans to offer GBT to improve the organization as a whole...whether they listen to me/hear me at all through the bureaucratic web is another story, which frankly I'd like to save for another time. I'm not a professional biologist, or a certified wilderness guide- never claim to be. However, being here this summer has helped illuminate my background in international group-work facilitation and strategy (who'd ever thunk IOB class would come in handy, too?), finding ways to help the organization expand on its overarching goals, and allow each individual to have the most meaningful, wonderful and memorable experience with GBT that's possible.
I don't intend to brag- honestly. I don't possess any particular innate characteristics that make me better at this sort of work than anybody else- far from it. All in all, it's just a reflection of probably the most significant thing grad school has taught me: take initiative! Hanging back in the corner won't kill you, but it generally won't get you anywhere interesting in the long run, either. I'm by no means a natural leader- by the same token, I don't take well to blindly following orders (on account of which, my dad says I probably wouldn't be fit for a career in the military...which suits me fine, by the way). All in all, it seems to me that achieving success comes from speaking up.
In terms of other "deep thought"-type impressions to share, I'd say the qualities I've come to value most in people here are patience, compassion, and optimism. I'm not sure if I'm most drawn to people with these characteristics out of a shared spirit, or simple gratitude in making my time here more effective and enjoyable. Again, I by no means embody them all the time, myself, either, but I endeavor. Knowing people care about you, appreciate your company & insight, and see you as a friend first, and charge later (if at all) makes life just that much more worth living :)