Such a cool group of people!!

So, like I said, the conference is over. These, and a few others are the core members of the organizing committee that did the nitty gritty work of putting the details together. There were art therapists (hurray!), music therapists, clinical psychologists, dance therapists, drama therapists, and one guy that had superb organizational skills that saved us all from falling apart and quitting midway, since we had some internal problems.

It was hard work, but these people made it all worth it. It's so awesome, when complete strangers can come together, set their heart on accomplishing something, and a year later something great comes out of it. I've definitely gained more friends for life through this experience.

You know, I was reflecting on how this experience meant a lot to me and realized that throughout most of my adult life, people I've met through volunteer experiences have greatly influenced the decisions I've made in my life.

For instance, I went to Ebeye for a year of volunteer work...met the Loeaks, and a few years later they decided to move to the States, so I moved down from Sacramento to Loma Linda, where I'd have a wider support network of people to help them adjust to a new life.

Then, they decided to move to Washington, so I picked Oregon over California, to get my art therapy degree, since it'd be closer to Washington and I could go visit more often. I don't have family in the States, so basically, wherever I decide to call home, is home. In the end, my family from the Marshall Islands decided to stay in CA and I still chose to go to Oregon since I had always wanted to live there at some point.

Then in Japan, I met my current boss when I volunteered at some International Education Conference, and before I knew it, I was working with her.

And now, I met a group of really cool people who all happen to live up in Tokyo...I'm thinking maybe I'll give Tokyo a shot and see where that leads after April...I've never regretted the decisions I've made in terms of where I put my heart....don't know yet though. We'll see where things lead.

I'm off to bed now. Night!