This is a good day because today I made the decision to start my blog. Not long ago, I was asked by a former academic colleague and friend, Nina Rung, upon learning that I’ll be working in Nepal: will you be blogging? Well, Nina, it took a while, but here it is.

Finding oneself in another part of the world, immersing in a strange society that ceases to be strange with each passing day, compels one to commit passionately to developmental work. In my particular case, it strengthens a resolve to help defend people’s freedoms and their right to safety and security.

The more we look at the world, the more we understand that people’s values differ, and although at times this can be the source of conflict, the higher truth is that we also share common dreams. This has got to be the starting point of all developmental engagement. From this realization, something deeper emerges: a passion for change.

Traveling and immersion entail a preparedness to face risks. And the ability to engage people, to trust their capabilities, even when there are reasons to doubt. And this is only possible if feelings of uncertainty and insecurity are reduced. It helps very much to be equipped with sufficient knowhow in personal protection, situational awareness, and self-defense. When doubts are reduced, including self-doubt, the barriers to communication and understanding evaporate.

Each day is a lesson of life, like a page in a book still being written. Guided by these discoveries, I am inspired to share my insights, from academic to artistic, from the eclectic to the practical. In the coming weeks and months, I aim to discuss issues in business and public administration that might be useful to my students and practitioners in the field. I aim to share pointers on cultural awareness and travel security to those who might benefit from them. And I plan to emphasize that education is the key to fighting poverty and exploitation, to empowerment and liberation, and the path to safe and secure societies.