Program Book – ANB – Final.doc

Our 2012 delegates have been selected and we are excited for their arrival on 23 September, 2012 in Washington DC.  Another great adventure lies ahead as we continue to build our New Beginning family!

As we fly from San Francisco to New York, I am reflecting on the past two weeks, the relationships built, the experiences shared, the lessons learned, the perspective gained.  I am so touched and moved by this program.  I am still overwhelmed with how blessed I am to be in this role.  I look forward to seeing all that will come from this.  I can not begin to predict all of the wonderful things that we will do, but I have a feeling it will be world changing… insha’Allah.

I have noticed that this blog has been quiet since the start of the program… a sign of changing times, perhaps?  The A New Beginning Facebook page has had more activity, as has the Twitter hashtag – are blog entries simply too time consuming for this fast paced world we live in?  I still think that journalling and sharing personal thoughts and feelings adds much value.  How can we get the delegates to take the time.  Perhaps we need to stop booking events and activities every minute of every day.  We simply enjoy each others’ company too much.

The plane has wifi… maybe I can convince some of the delegates to contribute to the blog on this long cross country flight!

Share some ideas to help your fellow delegates pack.  How do you pack for a 3-week journey through 4 US cities with different climates and environments?  Any tips would be appreciated!

Our 2010 A New Beginning delegates from Bahrain, Ibtisam Hejres, is running in the Parliamentary by-elections in late September.

Ibtisam sent a note and asked me to share it with all of you… “I really want the NB Delegates to know how NB Programme gave me the right motivation to make this decision.”

We are so proud of all of the delegates!  This is a great example of how leading entrepreneurs are stepping up to make an impact!  We wish you all the best, Ibtisam, and look forward to hearing the results of the election!

An article about the election from the 11 August, 2011 of the Gulf Daily News is pasted below: Continue reading →

In about 6 weeks we will be meeting up with 31 talented, successful and influential entrepreneurs from 31 counties, for a 3 week journey of growth, sharing and exploring together.  It will be a time to find common bonds and shared dreams.  I am so excited to meet you all!

On behalf of the World Affairs Council of Arizona we welcome the 2011 NB delegates to Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. We’re looking forward to learning more about your goals and sharing ideas on business growth and global cooperation. All the best, Doug Bruhnke, VP of World Affairs Council of Arizona and CEO of Growth Nation (Scottsdale, Arizona)

So many things I took with me from this trip.  Full immersion in a single country is so different than the conferences and workshops and universities we attend where we have 10, 20 or 30 countries represented in one room.  It is so much different than talking to my many entrepreneurial friends from around the world and asking them, “What is life like in your country?”  It would be impossible for anyone to fully communicate the answer to that question in words alone.  I have no doubt that a couple of weeks spent in any country with this level of visibility into their culture; connecting with their students, their business women, and their entrepreneurs; would result in a more true understanding.  Of course, even for all that I learned, I am sure I only tapped the surface. Continue reading →

Another morning stroll through another Malaysian city… Penang was another unique and intriguing energy.  This was Riaz’s wife’s hometown, so he knew it well.  We found all sorts of fun things to discover.

We went to the Khoo Kangsi temple, a famous spot full of history.  Anna and the King was filmed there, and it held many historical artifacts and interests.  We then proceeded to explore more of the city, including the famous Blue Mansion and a historic cemetery to which the first gate we approached was padlocked shut.  I wanted to get closer, so, of course, we climbed over the tall stone wall making jokes about the stories passersby must be making up in their heads about those crazy people hoisting each other over the wall.  Once we were inside, we saw the gate on the other side of the cemetery, sitting wide open.  Yeah, well, it was more fun to climb the wall anyway.  We found lots of interesting stories on headstones, and make some connections.  Adeline Palmer was buried there; a girl that died at age 6 whose name closely resembled my own.  Accomplished lawyers and government leaders that died in their early 30s.

We stopped by “Line Clear”, a famous street vendor Indian food place in Penang, for lunch, then back to the hotel to get ready for the afternoon’s events. Continue reading →

Our first event the next day didn’t start til 2pm, so I decided we needed to go scuba diving, since I heard KK was the place to do it in Malaysia.  Kate from SWEPA owns a travel and tourism event planning business, so I had her set it up the day before when we met.  Riaz hadn’t arrived yet at the time, but I added him to the reservation.  I had no idea he had never been diving before.  I joked that I needed “diplomatic assistance” with the fish, and wouldn’t feel comfortable in those communications without him.  He came along and tried diving for the first time.  It was interesting, after I had been looking to him for guidance and leadership, to have the tables turned.  I was now in my comfort zone.  It was an incredible morning, many amazing fish and corals, and many great laughs.  When we got back, the minute we stepped foot on the solid ground, I said… “OK, you are in charge again!” Continue reading →