We get down. We work long hours. The results aren’t always obvious. Colleagues or managers may be imperfect human beings with their own...

The clocks in Ottawa changed this weekend. It happens twice a year in Canada to make it seem we have more daylight hours in summer. You...

Let me begin by thanking CANADEM deployees and all other international workers who are working on the front lines or remotely, in your...

What are the secrets to success on short term international missions? Long term international missions provide time to learn. Those that...

Success begins with me.  Do I have what it takes to succeed on international assignments?  Research suggests that while 75% of us enjoy...

As a short term traveller, you don’t have time to get sick.  You will get better but being sick will consume your working time and feel...

It wasn’t a war zone.  It wasn’t a hardship post.  The power stayed on, the food was delicious.  Beyond unpredictable drivers and the...

The world can be a dangerous place.  We don’t want to be naive about it.  We also don’t want to be paralyzed by the risks.  The ideal...

I lay in a hospital bed, just months after I started my first international job.  I had swollen joints, blurred eyes, high fevers and no...

The secret to successful packing for short term international missions is “small”. Keep it light and compact. Pack what you think...

It didn’t feel good.  Worry was a feeling in my chest and it woke me up at night.  Fear made my heart pound, my ears ring and my voice go...

Humans survive by getting the job done.  It turns out there are many ways to do that. Cultures evolve to meet human needs in different...

We joined the “Let’s make the world a better place” club to help other people. We didn’t join to get hurt. And many of us, at some point...

We are about to get a new car – with an automatic transmission! It sounds simple – you might even imagine easier than the manual...

It will happen to some of us.  In a long career away from home something that causes physical or emotional injury – or creates the fear...

A small part of an iceberg, perhaps 10%, is visible above the waterline.  The rest, holding up the visible part, is hidden below the...

It was a nice afternoon.  Quiet.  People were finishing their day’s work and planning their evenings.  The drive home and a bit of...

Do the dishes before you leave Short term missions are a bit out of time and space.  They hold their own challenges but while we are on...

When I ask whether going on an international mission or returning home is more challenging, most people say that coming back is...

When I came back from my first international placement, I was stuck for many, many months.  I couldn’t figure out where I wanted to go or...