Jim and I first met on a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course in East Africa in 1993. We became best friends spending three months climbing Mt. Kenya, trekking through the Masai Mara, and trying to avoid any chance encounters with a carnivore. Unfortunately, after the program, we lost touch (Jim lived in Argentina and the UK, I was in NYC) . However, ten years later I was in a meeting in Dallas with someone that had the same first and last name as Jim, a chance encounter I didn’t try to avoid this time (maybe because he wasn’t trying to eat me). It turned out it was Jim’s father and within an hour Jim and I were reminiscing about NOLS.
Reconnecting with an old friend is one of lifes greatest moments, I remember how alive I felt reliving those stories. Within no time, Jim and I became best friends again and about a year or two later, we started Jambo to help people discover others they want to meet nearby, whether its reconnecting with an old friend or meeting a new one.
Jim and I are excited announce that we have partnered with NOLS to launch a Jambo NOLS Alumni Group. Created by NOLS grads for NOLS grads!
NOLS means a lot to us because the experience made such a strong impact on our lives. We learned a lot about teamwork and leadership and have applied those lessons to Jambo. Now, I am really looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with other NOLS grads and prospective students that are nearby. Who knows who I will run into next week? If I’m lucky, I might even find someone to go hiking with too.