Feels like it was all a dream

By Eric Rodriguez

A little over two weeks ago we gave our final presentations and proudly displayed our posters. I still can’t believe that we were able to put everything together and crank out a finished product. I think often of the two days prior to our presentations and the day of. How far we all came. Those moments of doubt when I thought I’d never make it. The voice inside me and the voices of my colleagues and mentors assuring me that I WOULD make it. Flash forward two days later and it was over.

Just a few weeks ago I was there. And now I’m back in Arizona. Back to work. Back to reality. The whole Hong Kong experience feels like a dream. It’s been a challenge readjusting to the real world. I took almost a week off before returning to work. I usually bounce back fairly quickly when I travel internationally. Not this time. I had a recurring dream for several days after returning. I dreamed that I was still in class and had another assignment due. My conscious mind knew I was back in The U.S. My subconscious mind, on the other hand, thought I had to meet with my focus group again. That was what my first few days were like. I also woke up a few times not knowing where I was. Strangely, I’m not unsettled by any of this, but it took my brain a few days to become reoriented to my surroundings. I chalk all of this up to the intensity of the course. We were all going at about 200 mental miles per hour. I think my brain and my body needed a little time to downshift.

If the content of this course and the experience were not so serious, it would make for a good reality show. A group of students arrive in a foreign land, racing against time to hone their skills and apply their knowledge and abilities to solve a problem. On their first full day, they embark on a grueling hike on a secluded island. The following day the group is divided into teams (in reality, the teams were selected months before, but this was omitted for dramatic purposes). The teams are given two weeks to become experts in their problem areas and propose a solution. The final product is two professional posters describing the problem statement and the solution. Through lectures and field trips, the teams acquire knowledge and critical clues to developing their problem statements and eventual solutions.

Along the way, the teams are coached by faculty and experts. They receive guidance and are given both inspiring feedback and sometimes harsh criticism. As the deadline approaches individual personalities assert themselves. Conflict ensues. Besides the deadline, the teams must learn how to form a cohesive group, sometimes compromising on ideas that they feel passionate about. Throughout the course, bonds are forged and amazing experiences are had by all. On the last day, the teams present their work before the faculty, who are now like a panel of judges. After the presentation their work is displayed for the public to view. Although there is no winning team and no cash prize, the experience is, in itself, the reward.

The experience was so much more than that however. An experience like this changes you for life. I was part of an amazing group of people who will be forever connected and bonded in a special way because of this experience. Most of our group concurred that, while we were relieved to have finished the course, we would have liked an extra day or two to spend together. It is amazing how quickly we all coalesced and how genuinely fond we all grew of one another. I am looking forward to reuniting with the ASU students in a few months to present our projects stateside.

I feel that there is so much more to learn and know about Hong Kong. Around every corner of every street, I imagine, there is another story waiting to be told. I am keen to return to learn some of those stories. There is so much more for me to learn about sustainability. In many parts of The U.S., where land and resources are still seemingly abundant, it is easy to remain insulated from how dire the situation is. The truth I have learned is that sustainability is far more than an environmental or ecological discipline.

Sustainability questions if and how we can sustain our way of life and our very existence. For me, it represents an equation of supply versus demand. As our planet becomes more populous and resources become more scarce, indefinitely increasing supply is neither possible nor feasible. In short, it is not sustainable. Demand is the other half of the equation and that is the key to sustainable solutions. My time in Hong Kong taught me that we all need to take a serious look at how we consume, whether it’s food, fuel, water or any other resource.

So where do I go from here? I’m still not quite sure at the moment. I have personal obligations for the next few months that I need to fulfill. Beyond that I’ll have earned my MPA degree and the sky is the limit. It will be interesting to see where I am six months from now. I want to use my knowledge and skills to make a difference. That difference, for me, is educating the populace and working on policies that change the way we consume resources. An uphill battle for sure but it is a struggle worth undertaking.

No matter where life takes me, this experience and the people I shared it with will remain with me for the rest of my life.