Journal

There are 50 shades of green in Ireland,

                                  and none of them are jaded...

I have to admit that Ireland is a great spot on earth to experience the best (and sometimes worst)
that Mother Nature has to offer us. I woke-up early the other morning to find the most stunning
rainbow arched across Galway Bay. So I enjoyed a few quiet moments watching the beautiful
spectrum of color from my bedroom window. At that moment I decided that such a sight was
worth every drop of rain that fell on Galway in the past ten months. After all, rainbows are not
possible without a bit (or in this case, a lot) of rain. I suppose we have to tolerate Mother Nature
raining on our St. Patrick’s Day parade now and again before we can find that proverbial pot of
gold at the end of the rainbow. Interestingly enough, I had to come to Ireland to find mine…

If I came to Ireland for no other reason than to meet amazing new people, then it was worth the
trip. There is something about picking up your life and transplanting it in a new environment that
naturally reveals what (and who) is most important in your life. For me, I learned that I can be
happy anywhere as long as I have interesting, dynamic people to share my experiences with.
Fortunately, I have not had a paucity of brilliant people in my life during my time abroad. In fact, I
have struck gold in terms of the people who have played an important role in my life this past year
in Ireland – from family and Rotarians to classmates and friends, old and new.

One of the most inspiring people I met this year recently bequeathed a book to me – The
Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist is a magical story about Santiago, an Andalusian
shepherd boy, who dreams of travelling the world in search of a treasure as extravagant as any
ever found. From his home in Spain, Santiago journeys to the exotic markets of Morocco and then
to the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Along the way he has a fateful encounter with the alchemist – a
man who can transform lead into gold. This novel, much like an unforgettable friend, imparts the
essential wisdom of following one’s dreams, and above all, living to love while loving to live.

Similar to Santiago’s adventure, I have spent the last ten months following my dream of seeing
the world by living and travelling in Europe as a Rotary Scholar. So far, this once in a life-time
opportunity has enabled me to travel to 15 countries - from the pretty alpine scenery of Austria to
the canal-veined flatness of the Netherlands, from the heather-coated highlands of Scotland and
the rolling green country-side of England to the sandy beaches of southern Spain and the Stalinist
suburbs of Slovakia. During this journey of self-exploration, I have increased my personal,
national and international understanding by experiencing radical differences in language, culture,
landscape and food. The best part of this journey, however, has been the fateful encounters with
memorable people.

Perhaps finding treasured people to share our lives with is like finding an alchemist. Sometimes
they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave you a
better person for your next friendship, next relationship, next adventure, next whatever... That’s
what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything
around us becomes better too. This is why alchemy exists, so that everyone will search for his
treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life. Eventually, lead will have
to turn itself into gold.

During the past ten months, I have boarded many planes and trains in search of worldly treasures
– cultural, natural, gastronomical, etc. Ironically, I found one of the most beautiful treasures right
outside my bedroom window.

After the rainbow disappeared, I returned to bed and curled up with a favorite book. It was there
that I found these wise words:

”Perhaps we are like Tolstoy’s fabled beggar who spent his life sitting on a pot of gold, begging
for pennies from every passer-by, unaware that his fortune was right under him the whole time.
Our treasure – to love and be loved – is within us already. But to claim it, we must leave the busy
commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart.”

I suppose that having special people to share our lives with is, like an alchemist, a treasure as
extravagant as any ever found.


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