Nestled in the inspirational scenery of the Bellagio Conference Center on Lake Como in Italy, more than 30 journalists from six continents crafted and launched last week the world’s first global association of journalists who cover religion and spirituality.

I never saw this trip to Pakistan with the International Center for Journalists as a one-time event, a go-and-come-home gig, something that was good for creating fodder for speaking engagements around Tallahassee and not much more.

I’m not much of a sightseer for the purpose of just seeing sights, either.

It was an extraordinary trip to Pakistan – a whirlwind two weeks filled with dozens upon dozens of meetings – meetings with government officials, news executives, journalists, NGOs and even an artist or two. We were wined, dined, gifted and feted. We were welcomed extravagantly, generously, sometimes lovingly. We made business contacts and we made friends. We saw amazing sights – from the ancient ruins at Taxila and extraordinary art to security checkpoints and blockades.

We learned that Pakistan is a complicated, feudal society.

I and eight other American journalists have just returned from 12 days in Pakistan under the auspices of ICFJ’s U.S.-Pakistan Professional Partnership in Journalism program.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived in Baltimore last month to participate with eight other journalists as Dart’s Ochberg Fellows. I did anticipate, though, that the collective experience of discussing how we cover trauma and disaster was going to be heavy fodder, especially coming from 20-plus months of continuous, on-the-ground work as a Knight Fellow in Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake.