Building

The final group arrived back at SEI at about 8:00 PM on Saturday evening. The weather was very cold in comparison to the humid New Orleans morning I had experienced just seven hours prior. After everyone exited the shuttle, hugs were exchanged and everyone walked to their cars. Everyone except me. I walked to my desk to wait for my ride home. My ride was running a bit late and my mood was reflective. As I sat at my desk in what seemed like an unending, empty hall of desks I began to muse:
For the past two days, I had repeated numerous times to my trip-mates that the single most significant aspect of my journey was the relationships that we built with one another. Never in my short life have I witnessed a group of people become so profoundly close to one another in such a small span of time. The friendships that our coworkers have built will undoubtedly expand through the rest of some of our lives. We have all added more constructive value to each other's lives whether it be personal or professional.
As an apparent and direct result of these truly profound relationships we can add value to our own jobs, our teams and of course our company. The people who I bonded with during this trip are not only my friends but they are also my colleagues. They are people that I can call upon for assistance and with this assistance and sharing of our resources, we can better provide for our clients as well as provide a positive work environment.
Furthermore, there is a very distinct parallel between the homes we constructed while we were in the Mississippi Bay Area and what we did emotionally on this trip. Not only did we build homes but we built profound relationships. Through this act, we added value to a community, ourselves, our country and of course, some individuals that are less fortunate than ourselves.
This past week has been one of the best weeks of my life. I have come back to SEI more fulfilled and motivated than ever. Over the past week, we built friendships that will help build SEI. I am honored to call the people with whom I travelled my coworkers and my friends.
Thank you.