"This is camping!"

During the September 2-5 Labour Day weekend, all fourteen scholars and two of our friends ventured out of our new home in Montreal to enjoy the Laurentians.

The first night of our trip was a celebration of Esmael, Dechen and Yimin's birthdays. We cooked a large meal and cheered them as they blew the candles on an enormous glob of icing (there must have been cake under there somewhere). We enjoyed night paddling and swimming in the silky smooth, dark lake. Whenever we managed to stop laughing and be silent, we heard the calls of the loon. Paul, who had never heard the call of a loon thought that it sounded like a wolf.

On the second morning, we found ourselves under the epicentre of a giant thunderstorm! We bonded by keeping warm in tiny tents for several hours while others ventured into the downpour to make breakfast and keep the fire going. We worked together to take down the tents and paddle energetically back to our dry home. The thought of the storm returning must have provided the impetus!

We started our nine months together with a trip that formed deep friendships and gave the assurance that our cohort enjoys great synergy and trust. Spending two days away from the city was a great way to experience what is at the heart of almost every Canadian: freedom and a love for the great outdoors.

Birthday boys and girl- Yimin, Esmael, Dechen

Night paddle- Paul, Maria, Esmael, Josh

Laughter on the dock- Charlotte, Mohammed, Esmael, Maria

Frederik, Mohammed, Simangele, Paul with the canoes

On the dock- Simangele, Charlotte, Dechen, Paul, Josh, Esmael, Mohammed, Fred

A Complex Prime Minister

It is not every day a regular Canadian like myself has a chance to meet a past Prime Minister. When I learned that Brian Mulroney was coming to the house, I was excited and interested. Past PM Mulroney isn’t a character without controversy, and his record in power is one that is complex. He wasn’t always a popular person. As I prepared for his visit, I read part of his autobiography. I found his story to be rooted in a strong conviction for Canada and the belief that certain things were right.

His presentation reflected this clearly. He was a compelling orator and spoke simply and clearly about the need for transformational leaders. The need for leaders to step up and take decisions that are not necessarily popular but are visionary and essential. Though he focused on leaders other than himself, sharing the story of our first Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald, his speech seemed to validate the numerous difficult and important decisions he made. Maybe best known for getting NAFTA signed and implementing the GST (which were important economic decisions but didn’t help his popularity in Canada), he also lead a strong stand against Apartheid and in getting aid to Ethiopia. He had to fight with other world leaders on this stand, but he put Canada on the world map for being a voice against oppression. Personally, I enjoyed meeting Brian Mulroney and getting to see a bit more of his strong beliefs and nuanced character.

Canada Dinner

Simangele Mabena

A traditional Canadian Dinner? What’s that? These are the questions non-Canadian friends asked me (and truth be told, some Canadian friends too!). 

With four Canadians at the helm of the cooking, it was sure to be a feast of note. The first thing I noticed in the kitchen that Friday morning was the amount of chopped vegetables on the counter. The vegetarian in me skipped a beat…Vegetables! The most astonishing thing was the orange and red AND yellow carrots! Who knew? 

Josh and Jeeshan working on the duck

 Now cooking for close to twenty people is a challenge in itself, even for four people, so a few of us helped out in the kitchen cooking meals that were foreign to us. I know they say many cooks spoil the broth, but it was awesome having four head chefs with a group of sous chefs on hand! The feast prepared was worth all the hours of preparation – the scholars and guests were in for a treat. 


Before the festivities began, we went about preparing the dining area by decorating it with the Canadian flag, red and white table decorations and, thanks to Stephanie, Canadian and Quebec flag tattoos. It was quite a sight, seeing groups of people huddles around each other helping to put tattoos on faces, hands and arms in celebrating the Canadian Night. 

By the time it was time to eat, we were greeted by roast duck; salmon with maple syrup, stuffed peppers, stuffing, and salads…it was a feast indeed! 
After everyone had had a plateful, it was wonderful to hearing interesting Canadian historical facts from the Sauvé Scholars Board Member, Nancy Wright. 
 The evening continued with the scholars exchanging thoughts about Canada. Some interesting (and funny) things that came up in describing Canada:

·         Cold,   -30degrees,  Safe,  Maple leaf, Maple Syrup, Eh!, Polite, Celine Dion, Hockey,  Moose.

A Canadian feast would not be complete without dessert and was it a showstopper! The selection of apple crumble, angel food cake with strawberries in the shape of a maple leaf, parfait and the all-important pumpkin pie was a great end to the evening. Needless to say, everyone nearly rolled home as a result of eating so much food but it was a fun night for everyone. Here’s the next National Dinner!


                                              Canadian Dinner in Pictures!

Simangele helping decorate Yimin's face with Canadian flag tattoos

Esmeal (with Charlotte) displaying tattoos on his face

Truly delicious cake!

One day, One room

A few years back, I came across an interesting view of life:

"...that’s what life is. It’s a series of rooms. And who we get stuck in those rooms with, adds up to what our lives are."

Last 9 months, I was stuck in a vast room called Sauve House with 16 people... 16 strangers from parts of the world I had only read about in my high school geography textbook. Today, 9 extremely short months later, I find myself amazed at how much these 16 friends have added to what will definitely constitute a very significant episode in my life!

As I stand at the end of my 9 month long day in this room, I am sure I will remember it for the wonderful friends I made; for the long list of adventures that I got to indulge in; for the many amazing travels that stole my heart away; for the times I got to stir up the artist in me - writing, playing guitar, pencil-sketches and craft; for all the infinitely long walks and intoxicatingly delicious conversations; for the incredible guidance and mentoring from some of the most remarkable people I have ever met!... the list goes on.

But the most powerful change that this day added to my life through all the above experiences and more, is a bridge - between MY world and THE world. And the nature of the program makes this bridge all too personal to ignore. While the dreams in MY world remain as unreal as they always were, my plans to make them come true are now much more wetted and rooted in the reality of THE world. And I think I am driven as much by inspiration as I am by a strong sense of cognitive dissonance to connect the two worlds. I only wish that the bridge lasts long enough for me to unite the two worlds.

There are certainly a LOT of people I owe my gratitude to for this opportunity and many more that I hope to stay connected with as I say goodbye to this day. My hearty thanks and love to all of them. For those who are wondering about my plans ahead, here are a couple of adventures I'll be embarking on:

1. The Awesomeness Project: an ambitious attempt to redefine the way people interact via digital media in order to strengthen the awareness-to-action pathway on online platforms. We are working on a set of exciting new ideas at my company - Vita Beans, by combining ideas from behavioural science & user interface research to create a whole new breed of online applications, campaigns & interactive media targeted at converting awareness about different social & corporate topics into real-world action.

2. Idea Circles: a personal project to bring together as many social circles as I can within my personal and professional network, with an emphasis on sharing ideas and stories - inspired by Jessica's idea of Talking Circles in her community. If you love long & crazy conversations that take you away from the banalities of everyday life, if you believe a handful of people who trust in each others' ideas can make one hell of a dent in the universe, if you believe you can always spare some time for breathing life into new ideas that excite you - we need you! Feel free to ping me at hi@amruth.in to join an Idea Circle.

To all my friends who became a part of my life over the last 9 months: All the very best for your journey ahead!!! And do stay in touch.

ಪ್ರೀತಿಯಿಂದ

ಅಮೃತ್

At the beginning of this end...

There is an end to each beginning...

It was so cheesy?

I know!

"Cheesy" is actually a word that I learned in this path. This long path I mean.

Was it that long?

It was supposed to be! Nine months is not a short time, is it?

For what?

For a life to begin. For beginning of the bonds that you don't believe today that are not supposed to last forever. You don't believe that you were supposed to come, live nine month and go searching for your own path of life...

Are you kidding?

Please tell me that you are. Do you really think that you can live days and days together, sit till early morning in the very popular kitchen which is the heart of the house and hear the most intimate stories of each other's life, laugh, be sad, and suddenly

Done?!

No way! It is not like that. It can't be! So what about all those friendships, memories and smiles? How can we say goodbye to all nine months of living with those strangers who are part of the family now and the unfamiliar city that is currently among the most familiar parts of the world?

No!

I am sorry but it can't be like that.

There won't be any goodbye or an end this time.

This time, our beginning won't have an end. The friendships that started in this red house on 1514 Dr. Penfield ave., won't be finished.

Hey Amruth, Jess, Kyle, Michelle, Carlos, Tope, Lilit, Arcie, Thiha, Anu, Andrew, Lisa and Dami!

Where will we see each other next time to review all those sweet family stories?

There is no price for friendship in this world. How can I forget you my best friends?!

Without any goodbye, Lets start the future. A future full of eternal friendships.

Visit to St. Johnsbury Academy (Vermont, USA)

The excitement to visit a high school in the States and interact with high school students was there from the beginning. However, the trip to St. Johnsbury Academy (www.stjacademy.org/page.cfm) in Vermont was much more than we would have expected. Five of us - me, Anu, Roozbeh, Temitope and Damilola - were the guest speakers at the academy for a few days. We had a chance to do formal presentations to larger number of  students, as well as engage in talks and discussions during their classes. The topics we touched included environmental challenges, women issues, youth participation, health concerns, culture. It was incredible how knowledgable and smart the students were, the depth of the questions they posed, and the curiosity they expressed about global issues and various cultures. Hopefully this experience was as interesting and useful for the students as empowering it was for us.

Tea anyone?

Every couple of weeks, the Sauve Scholars engage with leaders in a rather informal setting we call Tea Talks. All 14 of us gather in the Salon with tea, cookies and a leader who tells us about their work, their reasons for engaging in such work, and their personal experiences and challenges in achieving their life's goals. Some of the people we have had visit Sauve House are Kristen Johnson, an expert in humanitarian aid; Len Blum, a screenwriter turned yogi; and David Creigton, the president, CEO and founder of Cordiant Capital - a fund manager of emerging markets.

Aside from the foundation organizing these talks, scholars themselves have also organized their own powerful and irresistible Tea Talks, beginning with Marie Wilson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Eloge Butera, a former scholar and survivor of the Rwandan Genocide; and Rex Brynen, a professor and researcher of peace-building and conflict, particularly in the Middle East. Yesterday, Michelle had organized a talk with Christian Novak to speak to us about Micro-Finance Institutions, since so many of us have expressed an interest in this topic.

The passion and experience have brought with them kindled many of the new thoughts and ideas that I have been drumming up this year. Part of the Sauve experience is about a intense exchange of ideas and experience. It was nice to have an opportunity to invite special guests to the nice and relaxing Salon of the Sauve House.