A seed has been planted ...

A new idea has been brewing in my head the past two days. It may be something that fades away after a week or so, or it could be something life changing.

The idea started during a phone conversation with an old friend two nights ago. We had been talking about the Japan trip and I was musing about the fact that every student travel company I know is based on the idea of big groups and tours where all decisions are made for you. Or in other words, the kind of travel I despise. I was telling my friend that one of the most profound realizations I had during the Japan trip was letting the students be the leaders instead of me. As in, "here is the map of the Tokyo subway system, its your job to get us to our hotel, ask me questions if you need to." And then step back and let the student do the work. Not only did it take pressure off me, it turned out to be a profoundly empowering exercise for the students - to realize that you can navigate the Tokyo subway system with nothing but a map in your hand is pretty amazing.

The funny thing is - I don't think I would have ever realized this on my own, because I was so stressed out the whole time about being an effective leader - and by effective, I was thinking solely in terms of getting where we needed to go, on time, without getting lost too often. I was trying so hard to prove myself as a group leader that I ended up being a control freak, essentially running a trip just like the ones I despise where the participants don't really have to think for themselves. And it was Adam, my co-chaperon, who suggested that I step back and let the kids take the lead more often. Turned out to be the best suggestion ever - all 4 students proved to be totally adept at leading, and some of them actually really enjoyed it.

Looking back, it is odd that I didn't think of this myself. Flashback: Costa Rica, 2001, 21 year old American girl fresh out of college. I arrived in the middle of the night, managed to find a hotel, scared out of my mind, got up in the morning and proceed to make my way half way across the country via public trans, helped only by my guidebook and crappy Spanish, and successfully meet up with a friend in a very out of the way location. It was one of the greatest highs of my life - the realization that I could actually get around a foreign place by myself was indescribably awesome. That feeling of empowerment that comes from independent travel is still one of the biggest draws for me.

Back to the phone conversation with my friend - I was telling him how cool it was to let the students take the lead in Japan. We started musing on the subject of whether a student travel company based on that idea even existed. And my friend made the suggestion - why don't I think about starting one? Then we came to the idea of a non-profit organization that takes at-risk, inner city students abroad, involving them as much as possible in the planning and implementation of the trip.

That idea kept me awake for about 2 hours that night. Just laying in bed at 2 am, envisioning what it could be. And the more I thought, the more excited I got. Here is a way to combine my passions of teaching and travel in a viable career. I thought about all the ideas and visions I had for my Japan trip this year -- all the cool things I wanted to do to make the experience better, but simply didn't have the time because of the teaching job. Recently I have been musing about the perfect job for me ... it is something related to student travel ... but I find myself with a distaste for everything that already exists. But this is something I could create on my own terms, according to my own vision.

I spent the day today researching the non-profit sector, grant writing and fundraising. Before I get too far, I need to do a reality check. The major lesson I took from today: starting and operating a non-profit involves many things that I have little or no experience in - finance, law, accounting, marketing, fundraising .. just to name a few. So the reality check today was that it will not all be about teaching and traveling. But I knew that already, deep down.

So for now I will let the idea stew and continue my research. I need to get a better reading of the funding possibilities right now, and have some honest conversations with myself about whether this is really something I want to do.

The seed has been planted ... we will see what grows!