IV (although this should really be X)

So this has been a long time coming, but with the end of Students for Social Impact looming, I

decided to be a bit less negligent of my blogging duties and write a bit more about my experience.

It’s crazy how fast the time has gone by. I’ve been looking through some of the other students blogs,

and it feels like we all are sort of looking for what our “Impact” has been through these experiences,

trying to make some meaning out of our time here. What have we learned, contributed, have we

been changed by this experience?

I feel like I have been trying create a tangible record of what I have done: writing about my tasks and

learning points in detail. I’ve written up a multi-page marketing report (which will hopefully be

useful) of what I saw were the competitive advantages and directions the business should go

towards. Call it will to power, I know that I won’t be around for much longer, I want to create

something that future employees can refer back to and learn from. It gives me peace of mind that

although I may not be working directly, some of my work can be carried on...

I think that a huge part of my learning experience here, has been surrounding the question, does my

time here really matter? Has the work I’ve done really helped the business get more customers and

build a strong brand image? Will what I have learned help grow the social enterprise space, why is it

that I was given this wonderful experience? All I can say is that I really hope that the answers to

these questions are positive.

In terms of how I have changed personally, I really don’t have a clue. Maybe I’ll return to Toronto

and be an stereotypical post-traveller “I see the world through different eyes”. The thing is you will

never know if you would have turned out differently through another experience because you can’t

live in multiple timelines at once. That’s the thing with experiences, you only get to live your one set

and every moment will shape you regardless of whether or not you wanted it to happen.

One thing is for sure, if you get the chance, this is an experience that is wonderful to have in your

life. There is something really liberating about living independently in a foreign place. I think that it

really helps you learn a lot about yourself and forces yourself to use your flexibility and adapt. For a

lot of people who may not every move from where they are from, it’s an experience to live in a

different place as a local. I think that vacationing only lets you see the tip of the iceberg, living gives

you an impression that is closer and sweeter to the soul of a place.

I’ll probably write more blogs from the perspective of previous weeks, probably.