Challenge yourself, it’s the best way to understand where you are and what you want to do in the future

Until a year ago I thought I had challenged myself professionally to a degree, let’s say considerably. However, this had never happened, not at least until I became part of the MIP program from AADF which gave me the opportunity to join one of the most important legal organizations in Boston (Integrity Initiatives International) for six months in the position of Media and Communication Fellow.

Through this organization, I had the opportunity to work closely with Honorable Judge Mark Wolf who was first ever nominated to the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts by Ronald Reagan on March 8, 1985. I mention working with the judge as one of the most important experiences I gained during this time because it made me realize what I really wanted from the work I do, and what I will I did after returning to Albania. The organization for which I worked for six months aims to establish the first International Anticorruption Court. Seems difficult or not?

Of course, anyone who is not familiar with this initiative for the first time considers it impossible, even I myself, before joining the team of Judge Mark Wolf, expressed my skepticism to some extent, as many others before me had done. However, when you are inside, you realize that if you are going to change something in the world you live in, you will have to work for results that you yourself will never see, but the generations to come will, and this is called vision.

I have been part of quite a few conferences where the establishment of such a court has been lobbied and this was not an experience like many similar ones I had participated in before. I have met with professors, consuls, ambassadors, and representatives of the American government and this is not just to say. I have met with these people and I have understood how important every word that a person in my position has in such cases is. These people who had years of experience in their names valued the work and dedication of each of us (members of the organization), pushing us not to stop the good work we were doing. It is important to know that age, and country of origin have no significance in such situations.

But work was not the only thing I did during this time, I traveled, visited museums, and galleries, and made a lot of new friends. The very first trip after arriving in Boston was to Colorado our Enrich Trip.

Look at these smiling faces, they have been like this for at least the 4 days that this activity lasted. What you see is a group of fellows from Albania, Estonia, and Latvia who traveled together climbed together had training and had a lot of fun.

On the very first day, we had a combination of activities between climbing and volunteer work. For some, it may seem boring, but believe me, it was the kind of activity where people have the opportunity to speak more, and differently, and this really makes a difference.

I don’t want to leave out mentioning our meeting with Bobby King, one of the most valuable workshops I have attended on human rights, equality, and integrity, held by Bobby King Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Colorado Access.

Regardless of the fact that we all think that we live in a society that, thanks to technology, has turned into “a global village”, we still think locally most of the time and often forget that this is not always healthy for what we want to give to the society in which we live.  This workshop made us think differently, to expand our vision to see more about what each of us wants to leave behind as a legacy for the world we live in.

Together with my colleagues from Albania, Latvia, and Estonia, we shared ideas and problems that each of our countries faces every day, such as brain drain, the unequal distribution of opportunities for employment, education, and many others. Such meetings are often needed to get to know better the weak points and opportunities we have as a country to provide a solution.

Colorado has been the place of friendships, good times, and yet good and beautiful people.

However, I don’t want to distract myself from Boston, a city that has amazed me since the first day I arrived. Every day I tried to get the best out of him and not only from the professional side. The Museum of Fine Arts is undoubtedly one of the points that caught my attention and I have suggested it to anyone who has had the opportunity or will have the opportunity to visit the city.

It’s not enough how many photos I can show you from my visit to this museum since a close-up visit can’t be compared to anything. I can’t explain the feeling of being in front of the paintings of Van Gogh, Monet, or Giovanni Paolo Panini, but I can tell you that you should see them at least once in your life.

All these activities are located in a 6-month time frame and this was an experience that I think will not have a similar competition for a quiet time. If I would sent a message to anyone who is reading this blog, it would be more or less this: “Challenge yourself in the hardest way, it’s the challenges that grow you, not the comfort zones”.

©️ Inva Hasanaliaj, MIP Internship Fellow 2022