Welp, it seems I’ve fallen in love with New Orleans all over again.

I don’t know what it is exactly about this city, but dang, it’s got heart and it has mine – and I’m thrilled to say that confidently. Basically because I feel like I know New Orleans better than most visitors even get the chance to. Bourbon Street and the French Quarter are places you should see if you get the chance, but everyone should absolutely see the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish. I don’t care if you don’t have the chance, go see it anyway!

By spending time traveling through and working in different neighborhoods, especially when that time is going toward rebuilding those areas, the place just gets under your skin more, almost as if you’re becoming part of the community instead of remaining a watchful outsider.

From volunteering experiences like this, I’ve learned how powerful and rewarding giving back to a community can be. There are few other ways out there where you can get involved, get your hands dirty, and receive a few free meals from grateful folks in the area. The connections made with people are a whole other story in themselves (they may even count as their own AOKs, from them to you).

Katrina was the biggest, most horrendous thing to happen to these people and many of them feel forgotten, and for good reason. Many neighborhoods look like a bomb went off a few weeks ago and will likely remain in such a state – it’s odd to see so many buildings literally being reclaimed by nature. When you take a freeway overpass just outside downtown New Orleans, you can see several dilapidated buildings overgrown with weeds and ivy, stretching all the way out to the telephone poles. Creepy, but most people would never know unless they’ve been there. I’ve been watching HBO’s “When the Levees Broke” documentary series by Spike Lee since my return, and I’d highly recommend to anyone interested in what happened in New Orleans six-and-a-half years ago.

One day, New Orleans, one day.

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A little over a year ago, I went to New Orleans for the first time to do some volunteer work with a student club from my college. Named “College Students for New Orleans,” CSNO would travel twice a year from San Diego State to NOLA and rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (yes, they’re still rebuilding).

So I was in New Orleans, having the time of my life (Bourbon Street may or may not have been visited), and was walking around the French Quarter with some friends from CSNO including Adam, the club’s founder.

Adam was explaining to us why he decided to permanently move to New Orleans after he graduated; a list that included his new teaching job, the local music scene, the Cajun food, the coffee shops, the bars, etc., but one thing especially struck me. Adam said in New Orleans, you didn’t just walk by someone on the street and ignore them as one would anywhere else. Here, you were supposed to acknowledge their existence with a ‘Hello,’ a smile, a nod, or anything else – just as long as you somehow greeted this stranger in passing.

I was immediately struck by this idea’s simple, everyday positivity. It’s friendly, fast and easy. It increases a community’s sense of, well, community! That’s cool. I thought, “Why wouldn’t you want to live somewhere where that was ‘a thing’?”

I thought not ignoring someone you’re passing on the street is a good thing. I couldn’t justify why, for my entire life, I’d so fervently, with sniper-like focus, looked away when walking right by someone on the street or anywhere else.

When I was in Singapore a few months ago, I started to tackle this personal habit. I created a small project for myself throughout the day, every day. Simply, I tried to acknowledged anyone I walked by. On my way to class, in the store, on the bus. All I tried to do was keep eye contact, throw out a smile, a nod, or a ‘Hi,’ and keep going. No small talk. Nothing fancy. Just not ignoring, just to try it and see what happened.

Now that I’m back in San Diego, I’m trying to keep this thing going because the results are actually great. Rarely is the courtesy not returned, and many people look surprised if not happy for the act. It’s nice to not have to go through the working part of your day in nearly complete solidarity – to see what some friendly acknowledgement can do. At the end of it, you’ve actually had a better day.

I like to think it adds to this greater sense of connection, and I’d encourage others to try it as well. Does anyone else already do this? Anyone not do this for a reason? Whaddaya think??

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I guess I’ll be upfront here: I’m pretty much a complete stranger to violence.

I grew up in a safe, relatively quiet community in Northern California, I’ve never been in a real fight, nor were there any domestic disputes in my family or friends’ families. When I consider it, I’m lucky I’ve never had to witness any of the violent, traumatic scenes I’ve only seen on TV and in movies. There is one instance, however, that’s always stuck in my mind.

Two years ago, I was wandering around town late one night with two buddies from high school, you know, the kind of thing where you’re bored and hopelessly unsatisfied with your hometown (even if it is supposed to be like the eighth-safest city in the country or something to that effect).

We pulled up to a familiar park a little after midnight where we planned to walk around, probably talk by the jungle gym, tire of that, and go home to hit the hay. We barely even made it out of the parking lot when two men emerged from the shadows and walked over to us.

They stopped us and asked why we were in their park. Their territory. Huh? This is a park next to a private elementary school in Sunnyvale. Who do you think you are?

“You guys bang?” one of them asked. I was confused. What? Uh, no. My friend said later it’s street for, ‘Are you in a gang?’

“Are you guys dealing?” they asked.

I’m immediately thinking, “Great, these guys are trying to start trouble. They’re joking around – they’re jerks. Just brush it off and keep walking.”

But they wouldn’t move out of our way. They kept their ground and despite us saying no, we’re not in a gang, we’re just going to the swings, we don’t want to start anything; they kept the questions coming and got increasingly intimidating. My friends started to get push back and act sarcastic – to not take these guys seriously. I started to get a bad feeling.

I noticed one of the men was fiddling with something in his hand so I looked down. Next to his pocket, slightly under his jacket, he was twirling a switchblade. I silently looked at the other guy who had his hands in his pockets. I thought I saw him feeling something in there and immediately the words ‘gun,’ ‘knife,’ ‘jump,’ ‘run,’ and ‘get out’ came to mind. I didn’t know what to do. Were these guys going to jump us? How do we fight back? How do we get out of this? This is bad.

My friends hadn’t looked down and they kept talking with the guys. The conversation was turning quicker, more hostile, and I spoke up.

“Guys, forget it, let’s just go. It doesn’t matter. Let’s go.”

I started stepping back, figuring they’d trust me, take my cue, get my hint, and walk away too. They didn’t. They gave me a look that said, “What are you doing? Stay here.” I kept eyeing the blade.

“I said let’s go! Guys! Let’s go, c’mon.”

I kept stepping back as the four of them watched me. My friend’s still didn’t see the knife and in my head, the only way to avoid anything more was by going back to our cars. They didn’t get it.

I kept prodding at my friends, hoping they would understand I’d seen something, and eventually they let it go. They started walking back, too, and the men walked back into the park. While we were walking back to the cars I asked if they’d seen the switchblade.

“No. They had a knife?”

They were too hotheaded and quick to stop and look at the situation. They joked and said, “Oh yeah, like what? They were totally going to stab us, sure. Okay.” Their reaction bothered me and I wanted to drop it. I didn’t think they understood that, yes, that could’ve escalated and we could’ve been hurt. That that’s the kind of thing you hear about on the news.

There was a fire station down the block so we stopped and knocked on the door, figuring it’d be the right thing to do, to let someone know there were two probable gang members with a knife in the park. No one answered the door, and after trying again and waiting a few minutes, we left.

I was just glad no one got hurt, and to this day I wonder whatever happened to those two guys. Maybe I’ve seen them since, at the supermarket or across the light at an intersection, the two of us silently going about our day, unaware of our shared history. Maybe they actually did stab someone. Maybe they got caught in a drug trade and were taken in. I don’t know. Maybe they never did anything like that again and turned their lives around. Maybe.

AOK’s partnership with the NY Peaceweek 2012 (starting tomorrow through the 22nd) got me thinking about this story, three years later. I thought of how my friends and I were lucky and how others aren’t. I couldn’t imagine getting stabbed or being involved in any sort of public or private violence. I’m sorry that so many people haven’t been the recipients of peace but instead, are the victims of violence.

NY Peaceweek has it right, ‘peace is a LIFE style.’

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One the reasons why I like AOK so much is because it’s so many cool things in one package.

One part game, one part donation tool, with hints of our beloved Facebook and Twitter scattered throughout. It’s a way for social media to be incredibly powerful; not only because it showcases real-life, inspiring, and kind acts from all around the world, but in that each and every one of those acts is paid forward to support an awesome cause every month (next up is bullying!). In one app, your iPhone or iPad is a gaming system, donation tool, social media platform and documentary device. Oh, and did you know the website does the same thing?

As a result of its role as this sort of medium, AOK is also a way to voice your social interests wherever they may lie, be it with animals, people, or the environment (or all three and more). Plus, in addition to everything mentioned above, AOK can also be a way to create social action wherever or whenever you may feel the need.

A little overwhelming? I know. The end result is something that even we at AOK sometimes have difficulty explaining.

But above all, I think AOK is a game-changing piece of technology that’s just in the infancy stages of something amazing. Take a look at the video below, and tell me technology isn’t incredible, and becoming more and more incredible on an exponential scale. The possibilities are endless.

“On the Brink” shows this technological boom in one of the best ways I’ve ever seen, and has helped convince me that this revolution has only just begun. AOK, too.

Kudos to Jonna McIver for knowing exactly what will blow my mind.

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In yet another remarkable way to highlight the inter-connectivity between us all, I bring you this video by Luke Rudkowski.

Of the video, Luke writes, “Please let me know what you think about this, honestly I still felt hesitant to release this but I decided to do it anyway to see your reaction and where I should go next with my work. I recently been through a hard time in my life and I am trying to find myself through expressing myself, if I am on the wrong path let me know.”

Dude, this is great!

It’s set in a NYC subway car as Luke, who’s fed up with the train rides’ isolation, begins interviewing his fellow passengers on all sorts of topics ranging from their political views to their thoughts on, “What is the meaning of life?” What he curates is a beautiful and intimate portrait of the people around him, which really, are the people all around us. It seems to me that Luke just opened his eyes.

The background score isn’t bad either. Enjoy.

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As I’m nearly halfway through my semester of studying abroad in Singapore, I’ve grown used to certain aspects of life here, ya know, as you’d expect. The frequent use of public transportation, the amount of sheer greenery on this island, the societal mindset, and even the tropical weather have all become normalized in my mind.

But one part of Singapore that still stands out to me is a government-curated organization under the name, The Singapore Kindness Movement.

I first noticed the organization’s posters a few weeks back, as I was waiting at a bus stop. The sign immediately stood out to the AOKer in me and I thought, “Oh hey, that’s cool.” And I decided to investigate.

No, I'm not fluent in Chinese (yet), but what caught my attention is the logo - see below.

To the Internet!

Turns out the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) was established in 1996 after then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong called on the Singaporean people to work toward creating a more “gracious society.” Apparently this proposition was so important, its announcement came during a speech that sounds like the equivalent of the US’s State of the Union Address. Rising to the Prime Minister’s call, the SKM was born.

According to the SKM website, “Considerate social behaviour supported by a strong economy and good government will make Singapore the best home for its people. In line with Mr. Goh’s call to build a gracious society, the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) aims to encourage Singaporeans to make a positive commitment to gracious living through simple acts of kindness in their daily activities.”

“To inspire graciousness through spontaneous acts of kindness, making life more pleasant for everyone,” stands as its mission statement.

Sounds easy enough! And with its current public transportation campaign, the reminders for Singaporeans and others to be “gracious” are hard to miss. If you walk into a metro station or take a bus anywhere, you’ll see SKM signs reminding you to give up your seat to someone in more need; say an elderly person or a pregnant woman.

What I think is cool about the SKM is that it’s a widespread, national organization that promotes the well-being of all, for free. There isn’t any fine-print, there are no fees, no legal mumbo-jumbo: just simple, social reminders to help one another out. Volunteer your seat! Clean up after yourself at the cafeteria! Be a little more mindful!

The whole Kindness Movement cause sounds very AOK, including its objectives:

1. To encourage all Singaporeans to be kind and considerate.

2. To create public awareness of acts of kindness.

3. To influence and raise the standards of behaviour and responsibility.

Is it just me, or could this org. count as a widespread Observation??

While this isn't a part of the SKM campaign, I still noticed it in my dining hall on campus. Mindfulness is alive and well in Singapore!

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As some of you may have read in my post on August 14, I’m amazed at the Rachel Beckwith story, and I continue to be amazed, as this thing is not over yet. In many ways, this story will never end as donations to Rachel’s final cause continue to flow in from all over the world.

I wanted to share the latest stats with you, and please, don’t hesitate to jump on the givin’ bandwagon! If you do, whatever the amount may be, go ahead and submit an AOK (with a *ForRachel flashtag, of course). Remember your AOKs are financially paid forward through our Cause Currency to charities and causes all over the world.

Twelve days ago I reported that Rachel Beckwith, the 9-year-old girl who had been killed in a car accident in July, left behind a heart-wrenching story and a donation page on a charity website dedicated to funding freshwater projects in developing nations. She had created the page in lieu of presents for her 9th birthday, in hopes she could raise $300 to help children in Africa access clean water. By the time her birthday rolled around, Rachel was $80 short, but in the weeks following her death, the amount of money donated, and the number of clearly affected people, is staggering.

In the twelve days since my post, Rachel has raised another $175,152 – bringing the grand total to $1,231,927 – 4,106 times her original goal.

In other words, or I suppose, numbers, $1.2 million covers the cost of more than 2,468 iPad 2s, or 61 brand-new Toyota Camrys. According to the US Census Bureau’s statistics, the average new American home in 2010 sold for $272,900. The money accumulated could buy 4.5 of those homes.

Charity:water, Rachel’s chosen charity, reports that this money will go to help 61,596 people, an increase of 8,758. That’s insanely cool – over 12 days, more than 8,000 additional people have been helped. And it’s all thanks to Rachel, and to people willing to give their time, money and energy on something a little more.

As I was researching for this post I was perusing the comments section of Rachel’s page. I came across this story and saw in the comments following it, it had inspired two more donations. Awesome. Dated Sept. 1 and accompanying a $100 donation, it reads:

“On July 24th, I received a phone call that a kidney had become available for me and was being flown down from Bellevue Washington to Sacramento California and that it was from a 9 year old child who died in a car accident. At 10pm that night I was wheeled into surgery for a transplant operation. I am so profoundly touched by the gererousity and kindness of Rachaels family to donate her organs that day. I am now the proud owner and care giver of one of Rachaels kidneys. My health has done a complete 180 degree turn around since the operation. I am off dialysis and feel just fantastic. I had my life returned to me and as repayment to Rachael, I plan to carry her charitable torch for the rest of my life. Thank you to the Beckwith family, you have a friend for life. Mark J”

The number of days Rachel’s account is still accepting donations? 28.

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Rachel Beckwith, courtesy of her charity:water page

Every so often, a story comes along that rips your heart out because of the sheer tragedy of the situation. And then, it completely strengthens your faith in people.

I’m talking about Rachel Beckwith’s story. If you haven’t already seen it on CNN, in the NY Times, or like me, on Adrian Grenier’s Twitter, get ready for this one.

Rachel was a kid who always wanted to do more to help people. When she was 5 years old, she heard about Locks of Love, an organization that takes donated hair and make wigs for children who have lost theirs for medical reasons, such as chemotherapy. Being the kindergartener that she was, Rachel cut off her hair. And then, years later when it was long enough, again.

When she was 8 years old, a fraction of what most of us are, Rachel was appalled to learn some people in Africa don’t have clean drinking water. Through the organization charity:water, Rachel and her church began fundraising to support the cause, and apparently, it had quite the effect on her. For her ninth birthday, Rachel didn’t ask for Barbies or gift cards or video games. No, no. None of that. Still thinking of others, Rachel created a donation page on charity:water and asked for donations in lieu of presents. Unfortunately, Rachel’s goal of $300 wasn’t met by her June 12th birthday. She fell just $80 short.

But can you believe that? This little girl was so selfless, so thoughtful of others, she gave up her birthday presents to raise $300 so people in Africa could have clean water. She was a mover and shaker before she was 10 years old.

And as of last month, she never will be.

On July 20 Rachel was fatally injured in a car accident with her family – all of whom, except 9-year-old Rachel, survived. She was taken off life support when they knew she would never wake up, and her parents donated her organs and hair. As she would have wished, the latter went to Locks of Love. Rachel gave every last thing she could.

It hasn’t been one month since that fateful 13-car pile-up near Seattle. It hasn’t been one month since Rachel’s family’s world likely collapsed from every conceivable angle. It also hasn’t been one month since a very, very miraculous thing has occurred, and is still occurring now, as I write.

In the wake of a tragic accident, Rachel’s charity:water page reached its goal of $300. It also reached the $1,000 mark. It’s collected more than $10,000, $100,000 and $500,000. As of four days ago, more than $850,000 has been donated by people all over the world, in honor and in memory of Rachel and what she stood for.

As I write this now, 9-year-old Rachel Beckwith has raised $1,056,775.

There have been 27,307 donations made. This will help 52,838 people. Her account will accept donations for 47 more days.

I find two things specifically touching about this still unfolding story.

The fact that a little girl can have such insight, such idealism, such a “I can make a difference” attitude is astounding to me. She was 9 years old. 9. I think Rachel did more in her single-digit lifespan than many people may do with triple-digits. Through her hope of a better tomorrow for people in need, Rachel will live forever.

But this is not just Rachel’s story – this is also an incredible example of people coming together for one cause. The amount love being shown here is immeasurable, and it’s enough to put a whole bunch of weight on your chest, a lump in your throat. There are hundreds of donations for $9, in honor of Rachel’s 9 years of life. There are some for $18, and there are even donations for $1,000, given all in one go. There are parents and grandparents donating in multiples of 9, for each of their children and grandchildren. There are parents donating on behalf of their children, who heard the story and wanted to help a girl their own age. There are people writing messages of support for Rachel’s family – my favorite of which describe how when their young children are adults, they hope they will embody the same characteristics Rachel had.

This is the kind of thing when you’re having a shitty day, nothing’s gone right, everyone’s just in it for themselves, and you just don’t see things getting better soon…this is the kind of thing that erases all of that and restores your faith in people.

On behalf of this incredible story, and on behalf of Rachel, I’m challenging you, the AOK community. Donate what you can, even if it’s not quite $9. If you can, donate more than $9. Then, tell other people about it – even submit an AOK with the flashtag *ForRachel. Let’s see how much more support we can generate for Rachel’s cause, her last wish even. And because you’re playing AOK, your submitted acts and observations of kindness are paid forward financially through our Cause Currency. This month’s cause is famine in Africa. I hope Rachel would have liked that.

Donate here.

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A funny thing happened to me this morning at my exchange student orientation.

I saw exactly how I wanted to the world to be.

My exchange school, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, arranged to have all of this semester’s exchange students gather in one lecture hall and lay out a couple ground rules and expectations. For three hours, nearly 500 young adults from all around the world sat and listened to school officials explain international travel guidelines and why one shouldn’t overload the outlets in the dorms. Most of the presented information was entirely common sense and more than one student found their iPhone more entertaining (but, I did like the shout-out to American students, that no, dialing 9-1-1 here won’t do anything in an emergency). Of course the university needed to go over all of this. You know, to be able to say that they did tell us that fires are dangerous in the dorms. We weren’t very entertained.

So here we were: trying to pay attention, planning our weekends in our heads, whispering with friends or nursing hangovers. A very typical college lecture hall scene. But then the officials started telling us who we were, and where we came from.

The speaker began asking where the Scottish were, where the Swedes were, where the Chinese were. Hands were raised as the words “Germany,” “Norway,” “United States,” “Canada” and “Finland” were spoken. As our neighbors’ nationalities were displayed, entire bodies turned in their chairs. People took a genuine interest in this kinda thing. Smiles were shared and conversations began. Pie charts filled the projection screen and our eyes were instantly glued to the new information in front of us. They showed how most of the young adults in the room were Swedish (about 50 or more), and how the American and German populations weren’t far behind (tying at about 36 from each country). Everyone was fascinated with where everyone was from, and there was a new energy in the room.

The iPhones were put down, the weekend’s plans were put on hold, and people stopped slouching in their seats. They were actually leaning forward to see the screen, or to meet their neighbors. Everyone was completely fascinated with one another. I was smiling and stunned.

It did not matter what someone’s sex, race or religion was. Politics were ignored. Assumptions were put aside. This was a room full of young people, tomorrow’s generation, taking an organic and simple interest in one another. Everyone was a friend just because you were there and you were a person.

I’ve learned about globalization for the past three years at San Diego State and believe me, Twitter and Facebook have very little on this kind of experience. I try to keep up with the news as much as I can, and maybe it’s the way the American media handles stories and issues, but I think there’s a lot of wrong out there. A pessimist I am not, but when you read about adults and children getting massacred in Norway mere weeks ago, you know everything in the world isn’t all smiles and sunshine and bunnies in fields of bright, happy flowers. Some things are seriously messed up. I met Norwegians today and wondered if they were okay.

There are wars. There is poverty. There is famine. There is corruption and stealing and scandals and lies and affairs and egos and power where it shouldn’t be. There is the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, still in absolute ruin, six years later. There are memories of planes hitting skyscrapers in New York. There are memories of subway bombings in Madrid and London. There are people all around the world who are struggling and dying every day, for reasons entirely unfair.

I know some people may read this and say, “Well, isn’t this the wide-eyed youngster who just doesn’t understand how the world works. Life is mean and then you die, kid,” (or, “Suck it up, you damned hippie.”) But I’m not okay with that. I’m not going to passively roll over and accept things as they are. Going limp and doing nothing when you hear awful stories is, in a way, an awful act in itself. I’ve always hated it when people say there’s nothing they can do to change something. About them I’d say, they just don’t understand how the world works.

When Osama bin Laden was killed, I was particularly interested in the articles about my generation. The articles about young adults like me who were 11 years old in 2001 – who are growing up in a world unlike any other that’s been seen before. We’ve grown up with war, hate, violence, disconnect and miscommunication. I lock my door at night, when my roommate from India does not. The articles were saying that as a result, my generation is more politically active and more attentive to world affairs than ever before. We actually give a shit. I’m sorry, but we’re not all a bunch of self-centered, materialistic idiots. We’re so much more than that, and some people who commented on these articles seemed to disagree.

And yet here is a room of 500 young adults from all over the world, on an island in the middle of Southeast Asia. For a brief few moments, the outside world didn’t exist. We were the world. And our affiliations, positive and negative, didn’t matter. No one cared if someone was conservative or liberal, rich or poor, gay or straight or anything else that tears people apart and creates lifelong barriers. Prejudices were out the window. We were just happy to be there, smile, and shake someone’s hand. People were good to one another, and it was beyond good to see.

The last official to speak used a few words from an old John F. Kennedy speech you might be familiar with. Twisting it for the occasion, he said, “Ask not what the university can do for you, but ask what you can do for the university.”

Ask not what the world can do for you, but ask what you can do for the world.

This isn’t about America or politics, and it’s not about me studying abroad. It’s not even about a younger generation who’ll inherit the world one day. And no, this isn’t about JFK, but thanks for trying.

This is about people. It’s about doing good by your fellow man, woman and child. It’s about trying hard to be a better person, day by day or minute by minute, whatever you can muster. It’s about the small stuff and the big stuff, about being mindful about doing a little more than the bare minimum. Prejudices out the window, taking an interest in others, smiling and shaking hands. There are other people involved, you know. The world could use a little more good.

Today, I saw a side of people I’d like to see again. Actually, I’d like to live in a world with that side of people.

And *thisiswhyIAOK.

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Hey AOKers! Exciting news on the expansion front – AOK is going global! No. Literally.

Matt here and I’ve been at AOK for the past three months doing all sorts of cool and fun stuff. From Android-testing to AOK sticker-pushing, it’s been sweet, and it’s about to get sweeter. Here’s some background info: Currently, I’m a journalism senior at San Diego State University, and for my upcoming Fall Semester I’m studying abroad for the first time. ‘Where?’ you ask? No, not in Australia’s outback or the streets of western Europe, as so many US students seem to do. I decided to vastly increase my risk of culture shock and study in Singapore*, a thriving, tiny island in the middle of Southeast Asia.

Me on Marina Bay in Singapore on National Day. World famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel is in the background (the infinity pool on the roof is on my to-do list).

(*Quick fact: Singapore is a weird hybrid of a country/city/state/island all in one incredibly humid package. It’s located 1 degree north of the Equator, and, as I’ve had to explain a few times already, is not right next door to China, Japan, or the Koreas; it’s much further south. Think closer to Malaysia, Thailand, and Bali.)

And to put this into a little better perspective: I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m a tall, lanky white-boy from northern California who was bred on English and un poco of muy mal Spanish. I have little knowledge of Singapore or Southeast Asian culture in general, so I’m expecting a pretty strong “fish-out-of-water” feeling. But while I’m orienting myself around Singapore and its surrounding countries for the next five months, I think AOK can fit pretty well into this picture.

Surprisingly, even to all of us at AOK central, AOKs are already being submitted from all over the world. People in Sweden, Australia, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, Saudi Arabia and even Thailand, have either downloaded the app or visited AOK.tv, thusly jumping on board the generosity train. Personally, I think this is fascinating and it’s gonna be great to do and see AOKs from a very real, and very international perspective. And, luckily for you the faithful, a big part of our philosophy here focuses on sharing.

During my time abroad, I’ll be sharing stories and lessons learned about what kindness and generosity is from all sorts of worldly perspectives. With the help of my fellow international students from all over the planet, and by traveling to our neighboring countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Bali, I hope I can learn about giving a little back to society in ways I would’ve never imagined. And I hope you’ll join me for the ride.

Check back here throughout the upcoming weeks for blog updates, photos and even videos, and in the meantime, keep AOKing! So long for now – next time I’ll be talking to you from the other side (or maybe your side) of the world.

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