This is a guest post by Kate Walser, a regular TJCC contributor. You can follow Kate on Twitter.

What would you do if I told you our town had been taken over by the enemy?

That the enemy was on its way to find you?  If you heard your enemy coming down the hall and you had a split second to make a decision that would seal your fate?  I bet many of us would panic, or run, probably in the wrong direction.  It’s not something we think about or worry about often, if at all.

Yet that’s what’s happened to refugees who’ve fled their homelands of Afghanistan, Rwanda, Sudan, and Burundi. If you don’t know much about Burundi, you’re in good company. Some friends and family guessed it was a country, others guessed it was in Africa, but others looked stumped. It’s not a country you hear much about.

But if you’ve followed the news at all over the 15 years, you’ve heard about Rwanda, and the 1994 genocide of 500-700,000 Tutsis. So if I tell you that the country Burundi borders Rwanda on the south side, you might see where this story is headed.

What image comes to mind when you hear “refugee?” Think about that, and now hear about Deo Gratias. You’ll soon realize that that stranger with the strange accent that you’ve encountered at work, at the store, while traveling, etc. may just be a refugee like Deo. Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiving by Tracy Kidder is Deo’s story.

Deo Gratias was a third year medical student, a quiet, generous type, when the Hutu-Tutsi conflict spilled over into Burundi. Working at the hospital one day, Deo discovered that the reason so few patients or employees were there was because the Hutu rebels had taken over and were slaughtering – there’s no other word for it – any Tutsis they found. Deo has a split second when he hears fellow students – fellow medical school students who happen to be Hutu – chanting and coming for him to make a decision and escape being killed.

While Deo tells about the atrocities he sees, faces, and has nightmares about, it’s hard to ignore – largely because his story is built on it – the compassion and humanity he finds in strangers. A Hutu woman who has Deo pose as her son, a classmate’s father who arranges his travel to New York City, and especially a woman named Sharon and an older couple – Nancy and Charlie – who live in SoHo.  Sitting reading his story, I was stunned at the generosity of these individuals, and even more amazed at how it took so little to set this man’s life back on its original peaceful, ambitious journey, albeit in a different place.

I think the best way to sum up Deo’s journey and where he finds himself is to quote Sharon, a former nun who helps him:

I have a theory…I remember thinking long ago, ‘We’re loved infinitely for however little bit of time we have.’ And it’s not ultimately tragic to die at any age. Whether we’re talking about being blown into little pieces or what is ultimate tragedy, I just think there isn’t ultimate tragedy except for evil, and God doesn’t will any evil. And we’re surrounded by – I tell the little kids the Good Shepherd, I think it’s a great image for them, but the vine and the branches is great too – but whether we feel it or not, we are surrounded by this tremendously loving presence, and that covers every second of every day. Of everybody.

That is the Strength in What Remains. It’s a disturbing story as it’s hard to imagine humans doing such horrible things to other humans. And it’s an amazing story of how love still conquers hate.

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Kate Walser works in user experience and interaction design most of the time. She also causes trouble by getting people to collaborate and share knowledge in large corporate and government agencies, using social media and “other ways of making them talk.”

Kate’s a graduate of Catholic University (Biomedical Engineering) and Robert H. Smith School of Business at UMD (MBA).

Kate’s cautious optimism is “shaped” by having been a lifeguard, waitress, Jesuit Volunteer, tutor, resident advisor, sea urchin embryologist, and sister to 5 brothers and 1 sister, before becoming a wife and mom.

You can find Kate on Twitter (@kwalser), her blog (http://katewalser.com), or at her company (http://cxinsights.com).

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I’m thrilled to share this guest post by Andrea Preziotti, one of the most amazing writers I know. You can check out more of Andrea’s fab writing on her blog, Finding Your Own Voice, and follow her on Twitter. Exciting to have another passionate explorer on TJCC’s team!

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a planner – some of my friends even call me Julie, as in Julie McCoy the cruise director from the Love Boat. I’ve always had a natural curiosity for the fun and interesting activities taking place in and around the city, whatever city that I may be in.

A sponge for off the beaten adventure my heart races in anticipation of discovering the hidden gems of a destination. From New York to Ortygia, Vienna to Salt Lake and every city in between, there’s something unique just waiting for someone to find.

Some places I’ve discovered on my travels include: a chocolate factory in the industrial part of Rome, the underground Chicana art scene in Salt Lake City, sulfur baths at the base of a volcano in Lipari and a lost in time subway station right here in the Big Apple.

For me it’s the thrill of the hunt, the challenge of finding and potentially fulfilling a dream it, list it item. It’s the art of discovery that makes the journey all the more memorable.

Is there a unique discovery you’ve made on your travels abroad or at home? Share in the comments below!

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I love to find “treasures.” Hidden treasures, not so hidden ones, ones that no one else understands but me.

Sometimes when I travel, I put together my own Creative Scavenger Hunt – a few simple goals for guiding discoveries on my trips. But I recently realized that we don’t have to go far to find the unfamiliar, raise our awareness, delight in discovery – the Creative Scavenger Hunt can live online, offline, far away or close.

This week I came upon a few online discoveries through e-mail, sites, research and referrals. Here are the top 3:

1. A Virtual School For The World: Sal Khan, founder of The Khan Academy, is educating the world for free. From calculus to history, people are learning and listening to what Khan has to say through his unconventional (and successful, if you count the unique visitors, page views and feedback) methods. You can find out more in the Daily Good article about him – I am seriously considering taking his calculus class, just because it has got to be better than my 9th grade experience. Check it out and let me know what you think.

2. 57 Words For Writing Brilliant Headlines: Tiffany from Personal PR put together an awesome list of words to use to add punch to your blog headlines. Even if you don’t have a blog, that’s cool – all of us can use a refresher when it comes to being unique with our words, meaning and energy.

3. The Unconventional Guide To Freelancing: Good pal Charlie Gilkey and Chris Guillebeau teamed up for this most fabulous guide geared to those of us who run freelance businesses. I’ve had a freelance writing business for 2003 and thought I knew it all – but The Unconventional Guide to Freelancing helped me see where I had some gaps in my plan and execution. They’re the experts so I’d encourage you to check out this treasure. (They’re also all around fab guys.)

That’s a wrap for this week – and while I’d love to be on the road still, actively exploring new worlds, I know it’s still possible to unleash the curious within us, whether it’s sitting here on my couch or walking to Chelsea Market and doing some active people watching (with a crepe and/or cupcake, of course).

What new discovery did you make this week? How did you find it and what’s cool about it?

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