I met Chris when I first attended the international conference of the lifetime-PASCAL conference held in Catania. Unfamiliar with any international academic activities, I presented a topic of a rural regeneration case in Taiwan with bouncing heartbeats, doubting if my English expressions could make the research accessible to the audience. Chris listened very attentively and gave me feedback right after my presentation. During the break, he approached me and exchanged his thoughts and work ethics on adult and community education. This comfortable connection eased me from culture shock. Later, I contacted him through email, and with his support, I participated in the early development of PIMA and got connected and supported by PIMA core team members in August 2015. I am very grateful for the connections and sharing I have received from this community.

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After seven years of connections and in aligning with this cross-national adult education community, I tried to crystalize with I have nourished into a small poem as follows:

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          An island,

          standing in between the Strait of

          Technological Authoritarianism

          In the shadow of the Power of Oppression

          being sealed by numbness and powerlessness

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          The voice of silence resonates in the inner universe

          bonded with the destiny of this island,

          the humanitarian spirit of Adult Education

          delivered waves of Liberal Arts thoughts

          appreciated uniqueness and originality from the difference

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          Being presented as a trustful and noble companion

          with his holistic wisdom,

          he is a farmer and gardener

          continue to nurture the land,

          allowing multicultural intelligence to be

          cross-pollinated,

          planting seeds of hope for the future,

          and cast new lights on the possibilities of

          human beings

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