Where is MY Home?

"Once we have truly lived in many places we cannot put ourselves fully together in one place again - a small piece of our emotional heart remains in those other places."
-unknown

After moving 7 times in 2 years...this is a confusing question for me.

Love (and dancing) from Bloomington

Indiana was quite an intense week of learning the cha-cha slide (don't worry if you don't know what this is...just click on the link and get your dancin' shoes on), living in a sorority house with 55 college students, averaging about 5 hours of sleep a night, and re-entering the U.S. higher education system. I-LEAD is a 6 day live-in, learning leadership institute for U.S. college student leaders from around the nation. There are three components to the institute: large group sessions, small group sessions, and reflection. Myself and one of my dear colleagues, Joseph, served as the lead facilitators for the large group sessions. This was not my first time facilitating I-LEAD, actually I have been involved in the summer institute since 2003, therefore it was a nice sense of familiarity from day 1. I-LEAD has a curriculum that is practical yet challenging. We facilitated sessions on ethics, leadership styles, values, and vision, and diversity. It never fails...no matter how hot and humid it is in Bloomington...the students still find the love by the end of the institute where group hugs and dancing are commonplace. PHOTOS: the facilitation team (TOP), student skit and facilitator skit...there were a lot of these! (BOTTOM TWO).

A Week in Bloomington, Indiana!

Hey all...I'm off on another adventure. This time to Bloomington, Indiana --home of the University of Indiana Hoosiers-- for a leadership conference. Before my sojourn to Europe I was a lead facilitator for the ACUI I-LEAD national leadership conference for college students. I was honored to be asked back this summer to co-lead the conference for a 4th time. It is intense!!! Imagine living together with 55 college students in a sorority house for 6 days. I must be crazy... Actually, I love every zany minute of it. More later...

The Life of a Yogini!

A 'yogini' is a female "having a steadfast mind cultivated by the disciplined pursuit of transcendence through Yoga." I guess I can call myself a yogini seeing how I spend about 13 hours (no joke) a day eating, drinking, living, practicing, studying the intricate fibers of yoga, pranayama (breath), and meditation here at the Shoshoni mountain ashram. I am in a level one yoga teacher training program with 12 others from around the country. The intensity of the progam has lent itself to many ups and downs including some profound inner awareness and an achy back from all of those seated meditations. This experience has unequivocally solidified my love for yoga and deepened my practice (especially the barefoot temple dancing with yellow umbrellas). Here is a taste of our daily schedule:

5:30-7 a.m. Personal yoga practice/meditation

7 a.m. Vegetarian breakfast

8-9:30 a.m. Workshop on yoga philosophy

9:30-10 a.m. Shower or study time

10 a.m.-noon Yoga class/pranayama

noon-1 p.m. Vegetarian lunch

1-4:30 p.m. Workshop on yoga postures

4:30-5:30 p.m. Yoga class

5:30-7 p.m. Vegetarian dinner

7-8 p.m. Temple (chanting & meditation)

8-10 p.m. Study time or sauna/hot-tub

10 p.m. Bedtime!

I am LIVING in a Yoga Ashram!

Yep, I took the plunge and am now living in a yoga ashram, Shoshoni, in the Colorado mountains. I will be here for 10 days learning the art of teaching yoga and chanting in sanskrit, meditating and just being present. I hope to find some yoga bliss along the way, I will keep you posted. Tonight I danced with a yellow umbrella as an offer of protection to the deities (gods)...I got jiggy with it but I'm not sure I found my yoga bliss yet! Ha, ha...

More later...Namaste (I bow to the divine within.)

Need a GOOD Laugh?

This video is just too funny NOT to share! Over the holiday weekend my family and I watched it about 20 times and laughed ourselves to tears. Enjoy! "Charlie, that really HUUUURT!"

Happy 4th of July America!

On July 4, 1776 a bunch of dudes signed the Declaration of Independence liberating the 13 American colonies from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Today, July 4th is a federal holiday in the U.S. which means a day off of work (woohoo, for those who have a job, despite the terrible U.S. economy) for fireworks, parades, barbeque's, concerts, and baseball. In true American spirit, my parents and I went to one of the free concerts featuring the Denver Municipal Band. The band was playing in one of my favorite parks in Colorado, Washington Park, a large and beautiful park, in a trendy neighborhood in the capital of Colorado, Denver. I used to live in this neighborhood for a few years so the memories came gushing into my raw and otherwise culture shocked brain, as the crowd proudly waved their U.S. flags to the patriot songs. I actually felt patriotic, especially as the veterans stood up to be honored. You see...I am starting to see some of the nicer things about my culture...like a free concert on an incredible summer evening. Another great thing...Americans like it BIG...which means the fireworks show was epic! And you never get tired of the Colorado sunsets!

Breckenridge, Colorado

Last weekend my sister, her boyfriend, and our friend Marky Mark spent a few days in the great Rocky Mountains at Mark's house in Breckenridge, Colorado, which is about a 2 hour drive from Boulder. We have so many great memories in Breck; skiing, snowshoeing, enjoying good food, and great company...it is always a rejuvenating retreat any season of the year. We hiked up into a nordic hut, while Hunter, the standard poodle, rolled in the mud and kept us smiling. The pine trees are getting wiped out by the beetles, so there are some areas where the trees are brown or all together cleared out. Even though it is sad to the eyes, mother nature is at play!

Re-entry into the American Culture!

Today it hit!!! After 2 weeks home, it feels like it is time to jump back on a plane and fly back to Europe. WHAM...reality! The reality is that I'm not going back to Europe and this re-entry process back into my own culture is more difficult than I thought it would be. After living abroad for 2 years I see my culture and the place I call home from a different perspective. I understand how others (non-Americans) view our culture, materialism, and extreme reliance on and privilege to have earth's resources. I have become very judgemental of my own culture and this is a difficult one to navigate. The last thing I want to become is an anti-American American!
So, I have slowly begun to process through all of this craziness: oil addiction rush hour, American cultural faux pas, the stressful lifestyle, biased (and ignorant) media, and the fast (and otherwise unhealthy) pace.

The redeeming part of being home is reconnecting with my friends. My friends are supportive and it's been great catching up with everyone...albeit a little draining as it is hard to put words to these 2 years of being gone. My friends live all over Colorado so driving is part of the journey of reconnecting with everyone. My days consist of driving...driving to the grocery store, driving to Boulder (where most of my friends live), driving to Aurora (where my parents live), driving to Denver (where other friends live), driving to Littleton (more friends), driving, driving, driving. I sure do miss the public transportation in Europe!