It was fitting that the group organized their event on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In 1994, President Clinton expanded the King Holiday by signing the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday and Service Act. It was a fitting tribute to Dr. King to incorporate the art of service and community building into the Holiday. Across the nation, communities now celebrate the Holiday as a “Day On- Not a Day Off.”

Over 250 students came together to work on dozens of projects throughout the greater Lansing area. I had the opportunity to kick-off the event with a few remarks.

To learn more about “Into the Streets” check out their website at http://streets.msu.edu/. The MLK Day of Service was highlighted by The State News in this video segment:

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.

Dear Gentle Reader:

I have made it back to the US and to my home East Lansing, Michigan.  I will be finishing my posts about Israel next week.  I am jumping into my job feet first by attending a policy conference on Mackinac Island for the Detroit Chamber of Commerce.  I was asked to blog about my experience for Crain's Detroit Business.  Here is my first post.

We stop this blog to give you a perspective on the Pope's visit to Jerusalem since it is in the news right now.

Media Reaction
I decided to stay in Jerusalem a few extra days so I could get a sense of the historic visit of Pope Benedict XVI's pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  There was plenty of buzz about the pontiff's first visit to the Middle East.  Jerusalem was using it as an opportunity to boost tourism, the media was looking to see if the visit would help move the peace process forward and the Israeli people were wanting to hear him on a number of issues.

The Pope had angered many in the Jewish community earlier this year when he reinstated the ex-communicated Bishop, Richard Williamson.  The Bishop is a holocaust denier and that doesn't bode well for the Catholic/Jewish relationship.  The initial reports from his landing in Israel were positive.  The people seemed pleased that he forcefully attacked the rise in antisemitism in his opening remarks.

The trouble started during the remarks of the Pope during a ceremony at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem's Holocaust Museum.  Though some people might call it semantics, people were disappointed with the fact the Pope didn't come out stronger about the holocaust and many people were hoping to hear him say that Vatican should have done more during World War II to protect the Jewish people.  A leading Jerusalem-based Rabbi said in the media that he was disappointed in the Pope's language.  He was critical in the Pope's use of the word "killed" instead of murdered and not specifically mentioning the Nazis.  In the end, the media and many political leaders were looking for more and short of an apology of the Vatican's lack of action, they might not have been satisfied.

Also, many people are feeling very pressured by the renewed push for the "two state" solution in the peace process.  The past week the Obama administration reiterated their support of it, the UN renewed their call and the Pope added his voice to the chorus.  The media and the new conservative administration feel that the calls are premature and they added this to their concerns with the Pope's visit. 

The Pope and Singh Around the World

                     Pictured:  The Pope is in one of the three cars.  Your guess is as good as mine!

I was hoping to get a glimpse of the Pope during his two days in Jerusalem.  My hostel was in a prime location because it was in between two sites that the Pope was going to be visiting while he was in Old Jerusalem.  The day before the Pope arrived in the country, the presence of the police and military was remarkably increased.  People were asking questions on where you were going and asking for passports or identification.  The day that the Pope came to our side of the city, we were contained to our hostel and one block of businesses.  We were not allowed to leave that area for four hours.  Our hostel has a good balcony and we were hoping to see the motorcade as they came through.  Unfortunately, when they came through, there was no "Pope-Mobile" but rather cars with tinted windows.  We did see a number of the delegation and security forces but no sighting of the Pope himself. 

I was at a cafe in Damascus having lunch when an older German women said something to me in German.  I understood the gist of what she was asking but I responded in English.  She looked at my with a puzzled look and asked me where I was from and I told her, "the USA."  She said in a sarcastic way, "I thought you Americans were not allowed to visit countries that are part of the Axis of Evil."  I quickly replied, "Well technically Syria is not an Axis of Evil country, it is a rogue nation.  It is like being a little brother and never getting any recognition and having to go to bed early."  She continued to look at me in a puzzled way as she walked away from my table.  Obscure political humor never goes over well but it amuses me and that's all that counts.

I found everywhere that I went that Syrians and other travelers were surprised that I was from America.  Other than tour groups which are usually quite isolated, there are not many independent travelers that hail from the USA in Syria.  People were very nice and always had questions for me. "Did I like their country?" or "Did I like Obama?" but I was surprised when one Syrian asked me why "Americans hated his country."  We had a long conversation about Americans not hating his country but how we were concerned with the actions of the government.  I had to laugh when he responded, "Oh, we are the same then.  We have many questions about our government too."  Too often we cloud the actions of one's government with its people. 

I am not sure where our foreign policy will go with Syria over the next year but it will be one that has to be delicately crafted.   I am not opposed to sanctions and direct rhetoric with Syria but I can't imagine creating comic book categories for countries is effective foreign policy.  I am not sure former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton's adding Syria to the category of "Rogue Nations" was effective but at least Superman, Batman and the other guys at the Justice League now know who the bad guys are. 

As President Obama's envoys engage in their second visit to Syria since the beginning of the year, a decision on whether we will reinstate our US Ambassador in Damascus will be on the table. Not having an Ambassador leaves an important void of American influence in this region.  Just at the end of the week, Obama announced that he would continue the sanctions that were instituted during the Bush administration. The action squarely announces that if the Syrians want to change the relationship, they will have to show meaningful change and not the status quo.

In the end, it is really time for Syria to decide which direction they want to head.  They can not continue to play both sides of the fence. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is often quoted about wanting a stronger relationship with the US and peace with Israel but then the next day he is promoting a nuclear Iran.  If Syria was serious about stabilizing the region, they could be a key mediator and instrumental in the process.  Their influence with Tehran is an important piece of the puzzle, as we work on direct diplomacy with Iran.  The next few months will be telling which direction Syria and the US will head under the Obama administration.

That all changed last Wednesday.  I wasn't paying close attention to the media because I was on a tour of the Nile and Egyptian archaeological sites.  During one of our port stops, I caught CNN and saw on the ticker the decision by many organizations, including the World Health Organization, to stop calling it the Swine flu and refer to it by it's technical name, H1N1.  Not seeing any additional coverage on the topic, I immediately thought it was political correctness gone to far.  It wasn't until the next day, that I saw the headline in Egyptian Daily News, Cairo's English newspaper, that the government had decided to cull all of the nation's pigs.    At first, I thought that perhaps the headline was wrong or that the word "culled" had different meanings that I wasn't aware of.  I asked my friend if there were multiple definitions and she told me that she didn't think so.  I grabbed the paper and read the article.  To my amazement the Egyptian government had started a program to slaughter the nation's 350,000 pigs.  Local pig farmers were in an uproar.

The topic has been part of conversation and media intensity since that decision.  Initially, the government called the drastic measure, a protective step against swine flu in the country.  When they were pressed with the facts that there hadn't been any transmissions of the deadly flu strain from pigs but rather that it is transmitted human by human, the government began to make the case that there were other reasons for the decision.  They claimed the conditions that most pig farmers raised pigs were deplorable and that it was a public health risk for other diseases.

Many of the pig farmers are claiming that the decision is religiously motivated.  The Islamic faith forbids the consumption of pork and the animal is viewed as unhealthy and filthy creature.  Most of the pig farmers are Coptic Christians and they feel that this was aimed at them as part of continued religious discrimination by  the government.  The farmers are currently protesting the decision and there have been violent clashes between the government and farmers.  Initial reports suggested that the government was not going to compensate the farmers for their slaughtered pigs.  After intense media scrutiny and international attention, the government yesterday announced that they would compensate the farmers but the amount was unclear.

A recent story in the Egyptian Daily News covered some of the dialog that was occurring in the blogosphere.  It is interesting that every country has its wackos camped out on the internet.  A few sites were claiming that all Muslims were safe from the Swine Flu because they don't eat pork.  Another suggested that it was God sending a message to the West since most of the cases were located there.  Of course with every crazy blogger, there are a number of rational ones.  Some are calling on the government to establish true measures to protect the public from the flu strain instead of claiming that they are doing something through the culling of the pigs. One blogger made the comparison between the government measured response to the Bird Flu epidemic and their recent actions. The Egyptian Daily News had the head editorial in yesterday's paper condemning the governments plan and asking that they immediately stop the slaughter of the pigs.

With the first suspected cases hitting Egypt this weekend, this will be a story that keeps on growing.  I would have never thought the simple naming of a flu strain could cause the needless destruction of an entire population of animal. Then again, I should never be surprised that government officials don't always use fact and rational thinking skills when making a decision.  As a friend said on my Facebook page,      "At least they didn't call it testicle flu."

I can't remember the last time I actually cried while I read a book.  Sure, I have been misty eyed here or there but not to the point of actual tears and this was a nonfiction book. John Carlin has delivered one of the the best sports books that I have ever read.  Carlin has a great style in relating the importance of the 1995 World Cup Rugby Tournament had in the creation of the new republic of South Africa.  He captures the spirit of the time and artful maneuvering of Nelson Mandela as he kept together the nation from breaking down into racial strife. Rugby for years had been viewed by black South Africans as a white sport loved by the Apartheid regime.  The newly elected Mandela used the sport and South Africa's unlikely run in the tournament to bring a nation together.  It is part political thriller and part sporting Cinderella story. 

The book is currently being made into a movie by Clint Eastwood starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as the South African Rugby Captain of the Springboks.  The filming started in Cape Town while I was there. 

After I finished the book, I sent an e-mail to my friends that are sports fans and told them to pick this one up.  Now, I am telling you.  You will not be disappointed.