One of the projects that I have thrown myself into since I have been back in the country is around organizing nonprofits around the 2010 Census. The 2010 Census is important to Michigan because it will designate the number of seats we have in Congress as well as determine the amount of federal funding we will receive over the next decade. I will be blogging about my work over the next six months as we get closer to Census Day-April 1, 2010. I was interviewed about my work by Jack Ebling this past Friday on his talk show “Ebling and You” on AM-1320. The first two minutes revolves around my world-wide journey and the rest of the interview is dedicated to my Census work. Take a listen.

I was asked by the publisher of the weekly newspaper in the Lansing/East Lansing area to write about my journey.  It came out this week.  This is what I had submitted to them. 

Singh Around the World- A Journey of a Lifetime
 
“Nothing has changed, but everything has changed.”  It was one of the first things I said to myself when I returned from my self-funded sabbatical.  I traveled to forty-six countries across seven continents in a seventeen-month period and in many ways it felt like nothing had changed.  Sure, we had elected a new president but the Michigan economy still struggled, our state legislature continued to ineptly deal with budget issues and local government still talked more than acted on regional cooperation.  And while things at home stayed the same, the way the world viewed our country had changed radically.   
 
This journey had been a long time in the making. When I was twelve years old I started to keep a “worldlist” of the places and events I wanted to experience.  As I grew I thought I would see many items on my “worldlist” by taking a long-term travel trip as soon as I graduated from Michigan State University.  As it is with many dreams, I set this one aside for more practical pursuits, but I never let it die.   
 
After serving twelve years in elected office and ten years as the President and CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association I began looking for the next challenge.  I had saved enough money to pursue an executive MBA or graduate degree in public policy, which would be the logical next step.  But a few years earlier a friend and I discussed taking a mid-career sabbatical to explore the world if we were ever at a point that we could manage it. I contemplated my options and my childhood dream became more vivid and intriguing.  Ultimately I decided to put my career on hold and not run for re-election as mayor of East Lansing:  I was going to pursue a “Masters of the World.” On December 28, 2007 my journey began. 
 
Ticking items off my “worldlist” was incredible:  hiking to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp; exploring the lost city of Machu Picchu; seeing the pyramids; running a half marathon on Antarctica… Amazing.  But somewhere along the way the places themselves became less important and the experience of connecting to people and seeing America through their eyes became more meaningful.  The human dynamic became the central theme in my “Masters of the World.” 
 
The 2008 Presidential Election was a Worldwide Affair  
 
Though I have incredible photographs of monuments like the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and the Temples of Angkor Wat, the most lasting memories came from watching the US presidential elections through the eyes of world citizens.  It didn’t matter what country I was in or how isolated the village I was visiting, everyone wanted to talk about the election. 
 
During most of the primary season I was in Central and South America.  I was surprised how quickly people in these countries were drawn to Barack Obama.  I had assumed since President Clinton had significant international popularity that people would have been more supportive of Hillary Clinton.  People were drawn to Obama’s words, his eloquence and his personal story. 
 
Our primary system was very confusing.  I spent many hours explaining to people the multi-state process and the differences between primaries and caucuses.  Since the Republican nomination was wrapped up quickly the international media only focused on the contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  In turn, many people thought they were competing for the Presidency rather than the Democratic Party nomination.  
 
The flaws of our electoral process were apparent to people as they questioned why some states voted before others or what the role of a super delegate was.  A man in Argentina challenged me one night when he said, “For a country that is a champion for democracy, your country has the most undemocratic way of choosing candidates.” 
 
As the election drew to a close, the support of the international community for Barack Obama intensified. I was volunteering with a team of Americans with Habitat for Humanity in Bangalore, India on Election Day.  As the results were announced for Barack Obama, local citizens would congratulate us on the election as if we had won it ourselves. 
 
The most illustrative example of how closely the world follows our elections occurred when my father and I went to visit the small rural farming village where he grew up.  As we sat with a group of my relatives and community elders the conversation shifted to the appointments that then President-elect Obama was making.  They were very critical of his renomination of Robert Gates to the Secretary of Defense since he was aligned to former President Bush.  They argued that a new Indian leader would never keep leaders from the other party in their administration.  I sat back and watched the conversation unfold, surprised that this conversation was happening in such a small village in India when most Americans would likely struggle to name the current Secretary of Defense if asked.  
 
International Volunteering: America’s Invisible Ambassadors 
 
A major component of my travels was working with nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations throughout the world.  I was hoping to have a better understanding of the issues facing the international community through travel, conversation, conferences and volunteering.  “Voluntouring” has become a big trend in the international travel market.  More people are taking vacations and adding the component of volunteering to allow them to better understand the communities they are visiting while giving back at the same time.  
 
One of the organizations that I spent my time with was Habitat for Humanity International.  I had the opportunity to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in three different countries: Costa Rica, Romania and India.  Working side-by-side with nonprofit professionals and local volunteers allowed me to connect with the community in so many different ways.  Since my journey had me moving from country to country, I often felt disconnected with the communities I stayed in.  My volunteer stints allowed me to feel grounded in the place I was living, learning things I would never get out of a travel guide. 
 
The most tangible benefit for international volunteering is that the volunteer becomes an unofficial ambassador for their country.  So many times people in other countries have a stereotypical view of Americans as self-absorbed travelers.  Volunteering gives people the opportunity to see a different perspective of Americans and our culture.  While I was volunteering in India, a community member commented that there were many issues between their neighbors because of the outdated caste system that kept people separated by social status; because we were volunteering with people of all castes it challenged the system. 
 
My hope is that we harness the potential of American volunteers throughout the world.  Retirees and study abroad students could be a great corps of volunteers that help support global community efforts.  As we try to repair the image of America through the new administration in Washington, DC, individual citizens can become a great force in changing public opinion. While our President is making strides in repairing our image in the global community, there is no more powerful symbol than an American giving of their time and talent to support another community in another country.
 
It’s a Small World After All 
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After traveling throughout the world I realized that the Disney song is correct: it IS a small world after all!  I provided travel updates through my blog www.singharoundtheworld.comand my Facebook page.  I was impressed with the international network of friends and colleagues as I would frequently get e-mails or Facebook posts suggesting that I should look up one person or another in major cities around the globe. At times I would randomly bump into people that I knew or were from East Lansing and/or Michigan State University.
 
I took a ship to Antarctica, departing from Argentina’s southern tip. I wasn’t on the boat more than ten minutes when a woman from the boat’s catering department came up to me and said, “Mayor Singh, is that you?”  My first reaction was that one of my fellow runners had put this young woman up to asking as a practical joke.
 
As we talked she mentioned that she recently graduated from Michigan State University and took a job on the ship because her fiance was the ship’s ornithologist.  Then it slowly came back to me: we met the previous spring.  She and her friend had organized a campus rally called Step It Up to bring awareness to global warming issues and serve as an educational tool on what citizens can do to limit their carbon footprint.  I was so impressed by her and her co-organizer that I invited them to speak at the press conference where I signed East Lansing’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocols.  And now we were on our way to Antarctica.
 
Another small world experience occurred to me during a volunteer initiative that I did with Habitat for Humanity in Romania.  One of the participants saw in my volunteering biography that I was from East Lansing.  As we talked, we found out that I live exactly one block from where he grew up and that his father still lives there. As he described his father, I realized that I had a met him during door-to door canvassing for one of my first campaigns.   I was surprised how often things like this happened during my journey.
 
A Primer: The Middle East Peace Process  
 
My last few months of travel happened to be the most educational.  The final six weeks had me visiting Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Israel.  It was an incredible time to be in the region with the renewed focus on the Middle East peace process and the historic meetings that occurred while I was there. During my travels Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had his initial meetings with President Obama and with the leaders of Jordan and Egypt.  Along with watching the political meetings and getting the local perspective, I was in Jerusalem during Pope Benedict XVI’s initial visit to Israel.  There could never be a political science course that taught me as much about the region and the current state of affairs than my personal travels.  
 
Having the opportunity to talk with people in these countries about the issues facing a “two-state” solution in Israel really helped me shape my worldview regarding peace in the Middle East.  I will admit that I originally held a simplistic view of how the problem should be solved but now I understand more fully the complications the peace process will face.  Though I am hopeful that President Obama will be able to help broker a peace deal, I left Israel more pessimistic; the challenges will be more difficult to overcome than the American media leads us to believe.  
 
There is No Place Like Home
 
During the journey, many people mentioned that I would struggle when I moved back to Michigan and that I should consider relocating to a more global city like New York or Washington DC but I can’t leave because Michigan is my home.  Though many in the international and national media have written off Michigan, I know that we will be able turn the corner and reemerge as a new state poised to take advantage of the global economy.  I am willing to push all my chips in and take a bet on the place that gave my immigrant parents a home, financial freedom and endless opportunities.
 
The journey has ended and I have been home for three weeks with the integration being somewhat seamless.  I am taking my experiences and learning and incorporating them into my consulting work that I have started doing with the Lansing-based firm, Public Policy Associates, Inc. My focus will be working with nonprofit organizations and helping communities transition to a knowledge-based global economy.
 
I don’t know what my future will hold but I do know that the past seventeen months have been transformative.   There hasn’t been a moment that I questioned my decision to pursue this dream.  The learning and experiences of my “Masters of the World” is stronger and more meaningful than anything I could have learned in the classroom.  I have been fortunate to take this journey and now I need to give that back to my community.  The world famous traveler, Dorothy Gale, was on target when she said at the end of the Wizard of Oz, “There is no place like home.”  She is right–it is good to be back.

I enjoyed my two weeks volunteering with Kili Kids.  I thought the organization had a number of good things working for them.  They have a great system with an on-site teacher.  At the same time, like any other nonprofit, they have their struggles.  I was working with one of their board members to strengthen their orientation plan.  A few of my fellow volunteers started to compile lists of phrases in Swahili that would be useful for volunteers to know before coming to the site.  I started to look at a few of the Michigan Best Practices for Nonprofits that might be applicable for the group.  I am putting together a full report for their staff by next month.  I hope that my time was useful to them and I will always remember the experience and the kids.

A Hostel With A Mission

When I was looking for accommodation in Moshi, the coordinator at Kili Kids recommended that I stay at Hostel Hoff.  Yes, the hostel is named after David Hasselhoff.  The Hoff should be proud of this place not becasue of the name but because of their mission!  The woman, Sarah, that developed the concept has focused the hostel around independent volunteering.  There is a growing number of for profit companies that have emerged in Africa that coordinate volunteers for a fee.  Unfortunately, many of these companies are not truly connected to the community and the proceeds of their work don't stay with the nonprofits in the region.  Sarah was introduced to Moshi and Tanzania by one of those groups and she felt that there was a better way of connecting people to volunteer opportunities and building the capacity of local nonprofits.  She helps place her hostel guests at volunteer placements at a variety of local nonprofits in Moshi without a fee.  She makes her money through her hostel and organizing tours while the volunteer placement is done without a fee.  A great way to circumvent those for profit companies. I spent two weeks there and really enjoyed the vibe.  Though most of the other guests were in there 20's, there was a bond between us as volunteers. 

A Small World Connection

In July of last year, I met Jessica Boyer and Michael Houdyshell outside of the Red Square in Moscow.  They offered to take a picture of our group after they heard our American accents.  We talked for no more than ten minutes before we went our separate ways.  Surprisingly, Jessica and Michael had Michigan connections and they took my business card with my blog and contact information.  Michael was a professor at Eastern Michigan University.  In January, I received and e-mail from them saying that they were looking on the blog and that they would be in Africa around the same time.  Though we crossed each others paths a few times over the months, we finally met up for a drink in Moshi before they did their hike of Kilimanjaro.  We hope to catch up one more time in Egypt at the end of the month.

Based on their current success, the local board and the international fund-raising board has decided to expand the services of Kili Kids.  The overall goal is to eventually work with 100 kids.  They are currently at 24 kids and are being prudent not to grow too fast.  They view their expansion goals to happen over years and not overnight.  They know that any time adding kids will test their systems and they want to be prepared so they will be adding small number of children at periodic points. 

Along with the growth, they have acquired their own land are now developing their buildings for the orphanage and community hall.  It will be a small campus like setting that over time will be able to accommodate their growth in numbers.  It will provide the children with more rooms, bathrooms, classroom space and outdoor areas for them to play. They are looking to incorporate sustainable building principles into the site as well.  They are also looking at ways to incorporate their neighbors by farming part of the land.  It would provide food for the orphanage and the left over could be used by the neighbors or sold at the market to leverage additional resources.   I had the opportunity to visit the site where they are building during my time volunteering.

              Pictured: Sophia (the teacher) and June (a fellow volunteer) have reading time with some of the children.

It is interesting the way life allows things to happen for a reason.  I received an e-mail a number of months ago from Laurie Loughridge-Wargo, a nonprofit fund raiser from the Detroit area.  She had been having lunch with one of my former colleagues and they told her to look up my blog. Laurie had done a similar journey a year or two ago. We traded e-mails for awhile and shared notes about our experiences.  I really wanted to know how she handled the integration back into the US and reengaging in the workforce.  Actually, that is my biggest concern; what it will be like to be back home.  I am looking forward to it but at the same time I know that the experiences that I have had over the past fifteen months have changed me.  Will I be content? Will I be overwhelmed by the pace of life?  How will it be to be in a suit and working again?  I know I will have plenty of blogging material for when I return to the States so stay tuned.

I was looking to do a volunteer assignment in early March and unfortunately the group I was looking at did not pan out.  I remembered that Laurie had worked to help start-up a charity in Tanzania.  Since I was going to be in Tanzania to hike Kilimanjaro, I sent her an e-mail to see if they needed volunteers.  Coincidentally, Laurie informed me that the charity was based in the city of Moshi which is the staging ground for hike to Mount Kilimanjaro.  I filled out the application process and was approved to volunteer.  From a volunteer management perspective, I was impressed that they did background checks on their volunteers.  I know we spent a lot of time in the US helping nonprofits that work with vulnerable populations develop strong policies to provide safeguards for their clients.   As I found out during my time in Moshi, not all the other charities working with children have that type of policy in place.

                 Pictured: Me, Parsley and Andrea working on the Alphabet.  G is for Grizzly Bear (Please insert your own growling and bear like claws for effect.)

I spent two weeks at Kili Kids.  Initially, I was planning on working with the kids in the afternoon developing a new program that provided more structure after their school time.  When I arrived to town, I was told that there was a greater need in the morning working with teacher and other volunteers. There are 24 children that have been orphaned at Kili Kids. Fourteen of them are old enough to go to the public school during the day.  The remaining ten are taught by a teacher on-site.   I spent most of my time working with two of the youngest kids at the orphanage, Andrea and Parsley. Each morning, we worked on our alphabet, numbers, coloring and if they were good there was plenty of play time.  I don't know what to say but those two always brought a smile to my face.  They were mischievous and at times would play off of each other.  My weapon of attack was always the threat to send them to their rooms.  After I would say "Chumbani?(Room in Swahili)," they would straighten up and start their lessons again.  The combination of the teacher and volunteers allowed for real individual attention for the children.  Because of some of their circumstances, it was a good way to help the kids learn at their own pace.

Dear Gentle Readers,

I was wondering if you would be able to help out a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho. As you might remember that I made a trip out to Lesotho in January and spent time with a few Peace Corps Volunteers that are working with teachers in a number of villages throughout the country.

In the file that is called "This is a Small World," I received an e-mail from someone I used to work with on nonprofit issues in the early 90's. She works at Dart Containers in Mason, Michigan and her colleague was asking the employees if they would be interested in helping set up a small children's library that is being developed by a Peace Corp Volunteer named Casey in Lesotho. I didn't have the chance to meet Casey but I did meet a number of Casey's friends and fellow volunteers and they are doing important work in this rural country.

My friend and her husband have collected a number of books but are having a hard time with the postage. They have enough books to fill 11 cartons but the shipping costs are around $50 (US) a carton. She asked me if I knew of anybody who could help out and I immediately thought of YOU, the fans of Singh Around the World.

 It is too strange that someone who has been following my blog knows a Peace Corps Volunteer, who is collecting books in the same country that I was in a few weeks ago. If you can help them with a donation of $25, $50 or $100. Let me know and I will connect you to the person who is sending the books. My e-mail is singhsam94@gmail.com.  We only need to raise $500. It will help the children in this small village in Lesotho and be a great way for us to give back. Can you help us?

This week I am climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro so I won't be posting to many lengthy blog posts.  I am excited that I will be working on my next volunteer project once I get back from the hike.  I am working with a group called "Kili Kids" through the support organization, Committee Assist.  I will be working here for two weeks and working on a new after school program. 

I was introduced to the organization by one of my blog readers from
Southeastern Michigan, Laurie Loughridge Wargo. She has been involved
with the organization from its inception and mentioned that if I was in
Tanzania that I should volunteer with them.  I will let you know more
about my experience and how you can help after I complete my work with
them.

Here is a little bit about them from their website.

Our Mission

To create self-sustaining communities
by providing shelter, training, education and hope for the future of
orphaned and abandoned children and their neighbouring poor in
developing countries.

We know that we, alone, cannot cure
poverty or save the lives of the many young children left orphaned by
AIDS. But we can definitely make a difference for many.

We can
assist them and their carers create their own sustainable community – a
place they are proud to belong, a place to call home, a community in
which they choose to be an active member, no longer a victim of
circumstance. We can share this opportunity, knowledge and technology
with those around them.

Our Objectives 

Our Mission will be achieved by:

• providing land, infrastructure and equipment necessary
  for the development and sustainable maintenance of this community and
  their neighbouring communities;

• providing training, education and assistance to the
  children, their carers and the surrounding poor in the areas of
  sustainable land use, water, energy, agriculture, sanitation, business,
  basic nursing/first aid and other areas necessary for the ongoing
  maintenance of the orphanages and their surrounding communities.

• enhancing the opportunities for the children through loving care, education and training.

Coincidentally, I went to the NVPC offices on International Volunteer Day.  International Volunteer Day (IVD) was established by the United Nations
General Assembly in 1985. IVD is now celebrated world wide with
thousands of volunteers involved in a range of IVD initiatives
including clean-up campaigns, conferences, exhibitions, and many other activities all aimed to highlight the role of volunteers
in their communities. Though I was not able to perform direct service that day, I was visiting the agency that helps coordinate and promote it in Singapore.

An Early High School Reunion


One of my friends from high school, Jeremy Findley, is living in Singapore with his family.  Jeremy was our high school valedictorian and attended University of Michigan.  I hadn't seen him since our high school graduation but through the magic of Facebook, we were reconnected.  I met up with him and his wife, Olivia, at two different occasions for dinner during my time in Singapore.  Jeremy was the fourth high school friend that I have caught up with during the trip.  Next year is my 20th high school reunion and meeting up with these friends during my travels have reminded me how much I enjoyed my time at high school. 

A Michigan Nonprofit Small World Experience

The day I arrived in Singapore, I opened up my e-mail account and found a message from one of my former employees from the Michigan Nonprofit Association. Gylin and her husband, Boon, were in Singapore for a family reunion before heading for the holidays to Malaysia and saw on the website that I would be in Singapore at the same time.  We were able to get together for breakfast on the day they were leaving Singapore.

There is something to be said about the type of people that go on Habitat for Humanity Global Village build programs.  There is something unique about them.  They are adventurous.  They are passionate.  They are a hell of a lot of fun. This was my third Habitat for Humanity group this year and the group didn’t disappoint.

Our team leader, Colleen Kaleda, chose a pretty diverse group of fourteen people to be a part of the Bangalore, India team.  We had a father/son combo, two retired teachers that were former college roommates and a group of professionals ranging from a recent college grad to those that were seasoned in their professions. 

There is something interesting about the people that elect to use their limited vacation time to volunteer in a foreign country.  Our group clicked right from the beginning.  Though the work was difficult, the group stayed optimistic and focused on the reason they were there.  After the volunteer work was over for the day, they enjoyed a cold beer and discussions about the upcoming election.  I was in heaven.  I am confident that I will retain many friendships from this encounter. The group has already begun to talk about a possible reunion in 2009.

The Impact on a Village


The Habitat for Humanity staff told our group that our mere presence was going to impact the village that we working in.  In India, the caste system though fading away is still more visible in the villages than in the cities.  The executive director of the Bangalore affiliate stressed that the fact westerners were electing to volunteer hand in hand with local families would turn the caste system on its head for the time that we were there.  It might not change a societal system that has been in place for generations but it would test people’s assumptions and show inadequacy of the system.

During our first day in the village both the volunteers and the people in the village were curious of each other.  People in the village would walk by our sites and point and talk about us.  My fellow volunteers took pictures of everything they saw including the children that swarmed us to see what these strangers were doing in their town.  By the end of the week, we were a welcome part of the town and the pictures were being taken of our work and the friendships that we made with the local families.

What Did You Call Me?

Pictured: Uncle Shorieh and Uncle Sam with our site's masons during a chai break.

In India, elders are treated with great deal of respect.  As a child, I called each of my parent's friends "uncle or aunty" as a form of respect.  On our site, I found it cute that the mason called my fellow volunteer, Shorieh, uncle.  Shorieh was an experience architect and a father of two children so it seemed fitting.  Eventually, the mason started calling me uncle when he wanted to get my attention.  At first, I was honored because I thought I was significantly older than the mason   But during one of our tea breaks, the mason told me he was thirty-five.  Both he and I was surprised to find out that I was only two years older.  We laughed at the minor difference between our ages but he continued to call me uncle.  I guess the gray hair entitles me to being called uncle.

Instant Rivalry


Pictured: The Rivals- Sam and Ron Franklin.

My roommate during our Habitat for Humanity build was a lawyer from New York, Ron Franklin.  We got along quite well because we both had the same juvenile sense of humor.  Ron had looked at my website prior to coming on the trip and knew that I was a Spartan fan.  Little did I know that I would be bunking with the enemy.  As we were unpacking on our first day, he proudly pulled out his University of Michigan baseball cap.  A Wolverine in my midst!  I welcomed him with open arms.  What could I do? The MSU Spartans had whupped up on his Wolverines the weekend before on the football field, it was the only charitable thing to do .