Belgium: Snapshot of a Day

I. Am. Exhausted. At the end of every day when I go to this conference I feel this way. I get too little sleep and have long busy days. Yesterday, a woman was looking for me among the 300 people who are here, and she said it really wasn't so hard, she just asked on her way down the hall, and everyone seemed to have an idea in what direction I was heading or where I was. I think I'm fairly unassuming, but respected. In large part because of the organization I work for and, I think, because I really listen when I'm working, because I believe that our partners in other countries know much more than I do.

I went to some conference sessions, and in between, on top of, before, after, during meals, and in the hall, I had meetings with colleagues and friends from Nepal, the West Bank, Kenya, the Philippines, Thailand, and India. We talked about natural dyes for wool and cotton. Sending interns. Organic certification of olive oil. Reducing our environmental footprint. Soapstone carving. Opening a new store in Chiang Mai. Inflation of the Indian rupee. I love the variedness. Dipping into and out of topics. Like swimming in the deep end of the pool.