|
Greeting!
Wow! Time has flown by and here we are, on our last evening of the program together. Just five days ago, we arrived here as complete strangers, having traveled to this beautiful island of Crete from all over the world. Over the course of the next few days, strange faces and names soon became familiar ones as we shared memories and laughter, all the while gaining knowledge, energy, and inspiration.
There is something unique that happens when you combine a picturesque, relaxing natural
environment with a group of incredibly accomplished, talented, and bright individuals passionate about advancing humanity with science and technology. The sense of relaxation that we get from the natural environment feeds into the inspiration that we gain from hearing presentations and chatting with the brilliant people around us. The inspiration, together with the relaxation and good times are ingredients making for a truly impactful and energizing program.
For me, this was my first time to travel in Greece. This is also my first summer school.
I had two personal goals coming here.
1. To connect with people with whom i share similar interest
2. To enjoy the beautiful scenes, food and culture in Crete
I have found a friend in all of you. I strongly believe that I speak for everyone when I say that the conversations were worth it! It's incredible how people from different parts of the world can share a common space like brothers and sisters. It's incredible how people from different generations can interact like agemates. It’s incredible how one week can create happy friendships and connections.
In my community, we express love to visitors by sharing food before you get into conversation.
You can all agree with me that the food, the dorms, and the class facilities were prepared for us. This is not an afterthought by the committee to hold another one of those summer schools. And let's face it, the universe/God/Nature gave us the best atmosphere for us this week. From the morning sunrise, to the warm (maybe sunny) walk around Hannya to swimming in the midnight. In these moments, I reconnected with my humanity and the beauty of comradeship rejoiced in my heart.
As we celebrate our heroic spirit throughout this week, I have a bittersweet feeling. It's impossible to remain the same after experiencing the selfless lessons shared by passionate faculty. If I have learned anything during these 5 days is that I have everything I need to make a difference in Kenya. I hope you agree with me that we owe each other to make a difference in our various spaces. We are super grateful to Prof Akay, committee, distinguished faculty members Dr. Clifton, Dr. Brennan, Dr. Faisal, Dr. Fotiadis, Dr. Wang, Dr. Kanigan, Dr. Nektarias, Dr. Tavernrakis, and Dr. Brock. friendly colleague fellows, and last but not least, amazing staff and management at the Orthodox Academy of Crete. Unfortunately, It’s inevitable that we have to go back to our different places. This is definitely not a goodbye but see you soon!
We were strangers just five days ago, and now we carry with us shared memories and
experiences from our time together. And tomorrow we will embark on our separate ways to
continue our journey to make an impact in this world. Maybe one day, for some of us, our journeys will intersect or intertwine at some point in time. The opportunities for mentorship or future collaborations abound. Or maybe something that someone said at some point this week really inspired you with you and will be a gift that you take with you along the way in your journey.
Whatever it is, we hope that you will all take with you something from our time together at the Bio- X Summer School 2022.
Now, we want you all to take a moment to look around you at each and every person that joins
us here today. Think about the moment this week that most resonated with you. What will you
take with you in your journey?
Cheers, and thank you everyone for this amazing week!
Sincerely,
Monica Isgut and Antony Gitau
|
