12 hours and counting...parting thoughts

I purchased a watch from Wal-Mart that has a dual time feature. Hyvaa Huomenta Finland!!! It is roughly 4:30 a.m. Everyone is giddy and having a nice time exchanging our last minute questions and thoughts prior to departure at KCI. We all have a different reason why we signed up for this adventure, but our mission is united, and we certainly have bonded as a group.

My parting thought comes from KU senior night. Jordan Juenemann said, "It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice." The quote resonated with me that night,and it has been on my mind ever since. While it plainly speaks about humility, it also speaks to the importance of kindness. I hope, in the spirit of kindness, that our exchange forges a lifelong bond of mutual respect with our Finnish brothers and sisters. We shall remain humble, thankful, but most importantly, we shall remain nice. We are, in a small way, ambassadors of peace. We take that seriously, but simultaneously, we are all ready to have one heck of a good time with our new friends.