Quest of the unknown

A complete week has passed by since I have landed on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. The clear blue ocean, the majestic mountains and the ever smiling people have been warm and welcoming. I have fallen in love with the never ending tussle between the sun and the clouds with the rainbows showing their vibrant colors every now and then.

So what brings me here –thousands of miles away from home and my loving husband? It was not even a year ago when I decided to come to Hawaii for the Asia Pacific Leadership Program. The decision was tough. I had a steady income and was spending quality time with my husband (knowing that very soon he would shift base owing to work commitments). Besides I had to take the decision of spending all my life savings. So why was I here?

I say - I came here to learn, to listen and to find my calling. I came here to connect and to make new friends. But maybe I came here because I was anxious about my future. I was in a constant search. It was the quest for the unknown which brought me here. I wanted to know what my future beholds.

Back home when I had to decide on my future, I was a no risk taker. I followed rules and assigned trails. I feared walking on the unknown path. But soon I realized that I had to look beyond. I had to expand my reach. I had to take the risk and set sail on a journey not embarked upon in the past. And soon, I was ready to set sail fearlessly amidst darkness leaving behind my comfort zone.

Reaching Hawaii, I felt my thoughts resonated with the traditional Polynesian way of navigation. I knew I had to realign the stars and find my way. I had to take cue from my surroundings. Taking the initial decisions and voyaging through the unknown was not easy. I realized that if today I don’t decide to sail ahead and build my future, I will always be in the fear of the (un)known.

But I am not alone in my quest. I have 23 amazing individuals who also decided to come to Hawaii leaving behind their loved ones and their job for a while. Coming from different countries with varied personal and professional background, we are on this voyage together. We are here to learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses. As we set sail on this amazing journey, I am positive that together we will be able to navigate our way through the (un)knowns. Our paths may be different but our goal is the same – the larger good of the society.

For some of us, the purpose behind taking up this journey maybe to know more about our future. And for some, it maybe to realign our stars and give direction to our dreams. But, in either of the cases, it is the quest of the unknown that brought us here.