New eyes
March 9, 2025
When the wheels touched down in Baton Rouge on the evening of February 22nd, it marked my return from my second trip to DC in 2025. I had also been to Southeast Asia twice since the year began. While travel can bequeath “new eyes,” as Marcel Proust famously wrote, it can also give you a new vantage point for the value of home.
To pick up where my last post left off, October through mid-December was a blissful period in Baton Rouge, full of experiencing the world with my beautiful children and wife. We’re in the golden years of Halloween with Aden as a skeleton and Alice as a princess. I have to text our neighbors ahead of time to ensure they’ll have something for our kids since most of the neighbor’s kids are my age. Not since my youth in Pittsburgh have I known this high percentage of my neighbors. I love that our kids know which house is Gigi’s, Mr. Johnny’s, Miss Elaine’s, Uncle Fini’s, Mr. Mike’s and Miss Cynthia’s, Miss Valencia’s and Mr. Michael’s, Mr. David’s, and Miss Bonnie’s. Our street is an extension of our home.
During that euphoric time together, the kids came to see me play pick-up frisbee, we worked on the garden in our new greenhouse, grilled Thai-seasoned pork with friends, went to an LSU Football game, attended the Louisiana Book Festival, had international students over for Thanksgiving, saw the Louisiana wildlife in our first swamp tour, baked and decorated gingerbread cookies from scratch, attended a Loy Krathong food festival at the New Orleans Thai temple, and decorated our Christmas tree. I am so dang lucky.
But then the trips I had planned — perhaps in haste — came to roost. The ideas for trips that had seemed great at their conception (“good for my career/goals,” “will build my network for the future”) now seemed less necessary or urgent because they pulled me away from my two favorite humans. Unfortunately, with rising costs, Aden and Alice couldn’t accompany me to Thailand for my study abroad trip as in years past. We also made that decision knowing that my sabbatical was approved for Fall 2025-Spring 2026, which will bring additional opportunities for them in Thailand and costs to save for. Khai joined me initially to get settled and travel a little with my brother Martin, his new wife Kristen, and my cousin and his family. I was able to disassociate enough from missing my kids to enjoy some wonderful times with them as I prepared for my study abroad students to arrive. Special thanks to my mom, yet again, who watched the kids in our absence and who gave them a memorable Christmas in Memphis with their cousins (thank you, Elza).
The trip allowed us to find a great school option for the kids next year, I guest lectured at Chulalongkorn again (where I’ll be a visiting scholar during my sabbatical), and my study abroad trip went great with the exception of 24 hours of my second-worst-ever stomach sickness. I love exploring what it means to be a global leader with my bright-eyed LSU students.
I made it home to Baton Rouge in time for birthday parties (how do kids have so many friends?), 10 inches of snow, and the beginning of crawfish season. But then I was off to DC for grant training. Not home long enough to feel like I had been home much at all.
That trip to DC did afford me a special moment in front of the Lincoln Memorial. With all that was happening in DC and around the world at that time, tears began streaming down my face as I stood in the cold quiet room. I felt the presence of Lincoln’s wisdom as he navigated immense division in American society — the man for whom Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” was written.
“Would you mind taking my picture?” My moment of reflection was punctuated by taking pictures of my LSU colleague, who had never been to DC. Tragically, as we walked the mall for his first time, we witnessed the cacophony of ambulances and fire engines, some of which were hauling boats, and later realized it was in response to the horrible accident of a helicopter crashing into a descending plane at DCA, causing the deaths of all involved. While my direct flight home the next day was canceled, I managed to get on a later flight with a layover in Dallas. Passengers applauded as the plane landed safely.
After 10 days home, I flew to Timor-Leste via Bali to serve one of the world’s poorest countries with my time and energy. Travel weary, I truly would have canceled any other commitment, but I so strongly believe in the work of the Future Leaders of ASEAN program. While the USAID office in Dili was dark and closed, I felt good that at least I could offer my own spirit and soul to the cause of the country’s development. And, like the best things in life, it was a two-way street. The three days of leadership development training were completely energizing for me. My big plenary session in front of all 100 participants was scheduled for the final day. I ended up scrapping my slides as I listened to the powerful stories of young leaders across various industries for the first two and a half days. On the afternoon of the last day, my 3-hour plenary on leading human development in ASEAN ended up being what I think was the best training/workshop/public speaking of my career. This was further evidence that “preparation” is no match for being attentive to the moment — to the people, their needs, and their stories.
To stay afloat during that time, I furiously typed research papers, emails, and comments on student papers on my laptop across various airport and hotel WiFi connections. When I needed a break, I jumped into conversation with my paperback companion — The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Thanks to Patty Z. for the fantastic re-gift. I noticed her copy had a price tag in Hong Kong dollars — a well-traveled book in its own right.
Back in Baton Rouge, the kids surprised me at the airport despite a late arrival time. More birthday parties, which included Alice’s 4th! I can’t believe she’s four… I’ll never have a three-year-old again! Inspired by the Great British Baking Show, I decided to use jetlag to my advantage and baked a multi-layered princess-shaped cake from scratch — a chocolate sponge with vanilla buttercream. At her Celebration of Life ceremony at school, I did the honor of reading the birthday book. Alice’s teacher, Miss Kristin, said she had never seen the kids pay that much attention to the book being read. It’s true my reading-out-loud skills are improving.
Then, back in DC for the Academy of Human Resource Development Conference… the only mercy of yet another trip was that I knew it was my last trip away from family for a long time. I also experienced a career highlight when the person I nominated for the Oustanding HRD Scholar Award won! I can’t think of a more deserving person than Ronan Carbery, whom I first met in Cork in 2015 at the University Forum for HRD conference he organized. Indeed, the people most deserving of awards are also the least ambitious to get them. And as cliché as it may be, it felt more gratifying to nominate him for the award and watch him win than it was ever to win an award myself.
I’m home now for a long stretch and couldn’t feel better. Khai and I have (mostly) kept our sanity and joy amidst it all. At dinner, we’ve been asking each other the 36 questions that lead to love from the New York Times. As much as I romanticized travel in my youth, there is a season for everything. Today, I long for the season of spending quiet, unexciting moments at home with the ones I love. While my travel these last 9 months has supported my career and allowed me to do great things around the world, I am so happy thinking about all the time I will spend with my family the rest of this year and into my sabbatical in Thailand. Thus, with my “new eyes” from travel, I clearly see the value of home.
Onward.
Oliver S. Crocco 
Ozzie, you had me tearing up at this one—The Lincoln Memorial. And your love for your family and helping others is palpable. I wish you many quiet evenings at home before your next BIG trip(s)!
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