Dear friends, colleagues, brothers and sisters – wherever you may be:
As you may already be aware, phase two of our mission has now been completed.
I thank you all individually from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for the encouragement, support, and contributions that you have all sacrificed. Thank you to all of the media. The interest that you have shown to my beautiful country Kosovo means so much to me. I can assure you that my fellow countrymen feel the same.
As with any major project, there have been several learning opportunities during the first two phases. Despite the learning curves, I am still able to say that I have been quite pleased with the overall outcome. If you remember, Phase One included visits to the Central American countries and Phase Two involved the South American countries. The final phase will, of course, include my return to the States via the Caribbean countries.
During Phase Two, I took a different approach to my country visits, which included not only meeting with the media, but also representing myself to influential public gatherings, non-governmental associations and finally, the Ministers of Foreign Relations. After meeting with these diverse entities, I noticed that the perception of Kosovo began changing in a positive way.
Hopefully this new awareness will bring a stronger focus to our country – one that goes beyond associating Kosovars with war, bloodshed, killings, misery and suffering. It has been and continues to be my privilege to speak to the world about my country and the amazing people that have survived there. I am especially honored be the voice for those that can no longer speak. The voice of Kosovo is finally being heard! Many people that I have met and visited with during my mission, don’t understand why their governments still have not accepted Kosovo’s independence. I am sure history will tell and do it’s magic thing.
I have learned many lessons personally as well. At the young age when I left Kosovo for Switzerland I believed that I had learned so much, being able to grow up in such a beautiful country. Since my education was mostly in Switzerland, I will always consider it to be one of the best countries on the planet, as it is my second home. Then I traveled to Australia and the United States for further education. My eyes and heart began opening to the fact that I had absolutely no idea how much more our beautiful planet had to offer.
My further travels, our current mission, has made me even more aware of the fact that, by pursuing the life that I have chosen, my soul and personality have shifted drastically. I feel like one of the most fortunate human beings on the planet. Experiencing the vast array of life energy during each stop on this mission has further enriched my belief that our planet is comprised of a multitude of breathtaking beauty. The rich diversity of people that encompass our world has affected my life perspective significantly.
Our mission has allowed me to experience many things that would not have been possible otherwise. It has allowed me a new understanding of the human race, increased my curiosity about ‘others’ and solidified my belief that no matter where you go, human beings share the same compassion, love, admiration and curiosity about people from other parts of the world. The most important lesson that I have learned is that, no matter which part of the globe we are from, humans are more alike than we are different and I am grateful for the real world experience of learning this lesson first hand.
Again, I want to thank everyone for their support, encouragement and various contributions to our mission.
After completing two phases, I have found it necessary to take a brief break before embarking on the third and final phase. Please check our website often and keep in touch.
With gratitude in my heart,
James
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