Triple Impact
When we set out on this journey, we talked about the expected “triple impact” of a social sabbatical. First and foremost, we are working in Laos for a month to help local social enterprises and NGOs on projects that will help impact the development of people and the country itself. Second, by working on these projects with a diverse global team, we expect to see growth and impact in our professional lives at SAP. The third leg of the “triple impact” is personal growth — and that’s the focus of this blog.
While we’re away from our families, without the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, childcare and paying the bills, we have a great opportunity to grow in many ways individually and collectively. I spoke with a colleague before this journey who told me that during her sabbatical she decided to “say yes to everything”. I took her advice and did exactly that. What I didn’t expect was how much of an impact these “yes” experiences would have on my personal growth.
While here in Laos we have had three weekends to fill while we’re away from our families. And we filled them all with amazing adventures. Our weekend adventures helped us grow closer together as a team, and also forged friendships through shared experiences.
On the first weekend, we drove 3 hours into the mountains to a town called Vang Vieng. During this trip we agreed not to talk about our social sabbatical projects and just to focus on our friendships, food and fun. We arrived in an outdoor adventurer’s paradise with amazing kayaking, zip lines, lagoons, caves, hikes and more. The highlight was an absolutely stunning 7km kayak trip along the Nam Song River with a stop for cave exploring. I’ll never forget being the first in line to pull myself along a rope through a completely dark cave on an inner tube, with only a headlamp to light my way. This was our first real chance to bond as a team and we all got to know each other a bit better. The impact was clear when we arrived back in Vientiane when the weekend was over. We talked about our adventures and were all very comfortable working together.
On the second weekend we decided to take a different path and flew north to the town of Luang Prabang. This is a UNESCO World Heritage city — the entire town is protected from development. It’s the most well-preserved town in Asia. And it is simply beautiful.
Smaller groups decided on different adventures that weekend. The girls spent a day trekking with elephants, while the boys went on a boat tour to explore temples and caves. Spending 8 hours with Asian elephants was single best experience ever — I’m thrilled that I shared it with a teammate who loved it as much as I did. We spent a full day walking, feeding and learning all about elephants at a conservation park that doesn’t allow riding. We hiked to a remote village and met some local Katu and Hmong people, including a little girl with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. This experience really showed us how Lao people live and introduced us to the village life that many of the students who work for my client company originate from.
The whole group met at the end of the day in Utopia — an aptly named bar that is truly paradise in a stunning setting. We shared our experiences with everyone eager to hear about what the others did. There was never a moment of quiet while we animatedly talked and talked until the bar closed.
Among the group activities we also had special private times. Everyone went to Kuang Si Waterfalls in smaller groups, some choosing to hike to the top while others swam for hours in the many pools, and others stopped to people watch and take amazing photographs before moving on to the local Water Buffalo dairy. We all enjoyed this magical place in our own unique way and then shared our perspectives. I personally spent several hours swimming in the many pools, hanging my feet over the falls and slowing down to appreciate the beauty of this country.
At one restaurant in Luang Prabang, a waiter asked if Tomas was Carol’s son. From that point we were officially family. The two joke constantly and now call each other “Mom” and “My Son” permanently.
Finally, for our last weekend, we opted to fly, drive and take a boat to the absolute south of Laos to an area called Si Phan Don (4000 Islands). This is an archipelago in the Mekong River only 1 km from the Cambodian border. Our original plan was for trip to be a collective deep breath, a time to relax and enjoy the island life. But it seems like we are drawn to adventure and experience. Together we rented bikes (for $1/day) and rode 10 km around the island of Don Khon and explored.
At the southernmost tip of this small island we took a boat trip to see the endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins of the Mekong River. There are only 85 of these dolphins left in the world, they were amazing to see, from a safe distance on shore. After some bike repairs, a lovely lunch and a little rain shower, we continued our ride to the Somphamit (Li Phi) waterfalls for spectacular views of the powerful river. We all took hundreds of pictures, with a favourite taken while we swam at a little beach along the river, spelling the word “MEKONG” with our bodies, laughing constantly.
After a long day we wanted a good meal, so we took a tuk tuk over the bridge to the island of Don Det and found the perfect place. It was here that we finally experienced monsoon weather. In many Southeast Asian countries, the monsoon is characterized by a downpour for a few hours each day, rather than all-day torrential downpours. We were trapped in this perfect little restaurant waiting for the rain to stop, and loving it. While laying on the mats and wedge pillows with our feet resting on the bamboo railing, I was thinking how lucky we were. We were trapped on a remote island with new, close friends, with no pressure to be anywhere else, nowhere to go and nothing else to do but just enjoy the time, laugh and be present. This was probably my favourite day of the entire trip. It definitely brought a moment of personal growth for me that I will take forward in life.
While our primary goal of the sabbatical was to help with development projects in Laos, I believe we can only do that with a true appreciation for the Lao people, the culture and the beautiful country. Seeing the beauty of the mountains, watching how life is completely focused on the rivers, and visiting the temples and remote villages is what helped us see the big picture of this amazing country.
The triple impact is absolutely real. We are incredibly lucky to forge friendships and experience moments of personal growth in this amazing context.
