A world away

This week we went to see Cirque Zuma Zuma – an amazing African circus troupe representing many countries in Africa – perform at our local theatre.  Michael and I had to sit a row apart. I was sitting next to a cluster of UVM students who were out for the evening – one young man wearing a tie and four women all dressed for an evening out. (The show was co-sponsored by the UVM Diversity committee) All of the students were on their cell phones, texting. They were occasionally talking. Clearly they were engaged both with each other and their cell phones. It was impressive.

The last few weeks have been very intense on many levels. Soon after journeying home from Hong Kong  and India (you can read a lot about our trip on Michael’s blog Dreaming the World) and finishing our jet lag, things began rocking literally in Boston. As I am from Boston ( my grandparents lived 2 blocks away from  the area where the explosions hit at the finish line of the marathon- my father and stepmother, 3 blocks away) this really did hit home for me. This area was my stomping ground. The Boston Public Library, just across the street, was my library of choice- The BPL was right across from the explosions. As well, one of my sons is an art student at college in Boston.

A Healing Circle

The Healing Circle, a new blog that Michael and I spontaneously created this morning, has arrived and is online. We both awoke this morning, feeling the heaviness of our world and the deep deep sadness that is so prevalent. A good friend, Dee Brightstar, an Abanaki Elder had emailed us to as Michael to blog about and  to hold  in the light the elephants killed this week in Chad.  This week, in Chad, 85 elephants were murdered by poachers for the ivory held in their tusks. This morning, the headlines screamed out at me about the fact that the US congress shot down part of a gun regulation bill (pun intended) excluding a ban  of assault rifles.  (see  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/us/politics/as-push-for-assault-weapons-ban-ends-a-pivot-to-background-checks.html?ref=todayspaper)Once again the ugly nose of the NRA has bullied our politicians into believing that having guns is safer than practicing a more compassionate process of peacemaking.

It all makes me want to crawl back to bed and not wake up until “it” is over,what ever “it” is.

“Unpacking”

Coming back from a 6 week trip is a lot to unpack from, emotionally and physically. Today as I sit at my desk back at home, watching the snow fly outside my office window, I am thinking a lot about all the connections, places, people and events of all kinds that have happened in the last month and a half. I am aware that in being back in quiet Vermont, I miss the rich social connections that exist in Asia.

There have been many threads of conversations on this trip that have entered and been woven through most if not all the trainings.  I think the largest conversation was about gender issues, sparked  in part by the killing of a 23 year old physiology student in Delhi last November. What it did do was provide the  overdue and much needed catalyst for a world wide protest(one billion rising was born in the midst of the initial protests) and demonstration for Women’s rights and for holding all accountable for the ways in which women are not equal -in pay, work and social stature and safe from constant harassment and violence-domestic and otherwise. This theme was a constant- In all the trainings in both countries. In the process of teaching technique and form, we told stories, created art that looked at and witnessed the deep needs of both men and women, and allowed women the much needed space to state what it is that they need from their relationships, and their lives. What was palpable and important for me was the fact that while I was visiting another culture, there were so many similarities for us. The trainings were made richer by this as well as understanding the differences within our countries. In one session,  during the Introduction to Art Therapy training through the  East/West Center for Counselling, the women in my group, after  seeing an intense documentary of women’s rights (or the lack of them) in India,  pounded, cajoled and nurtured the clay as a group creating stunning art and talking about what their needs were, what they wanted for their lives, and in what ways they could go after their dreams.

Other discussions were just as important. Climate change is on the list of high concern. Water shortages are everywhere. People are terrified by the prospects, and trying to make sense of it in real terms.   Having enough water and being able to survive climate change is on the high priority list no matter which gender you are. Clinicians are aware of  all of this.  Right now clinicians, teachers, artists and others are all trying to find the right kind of tools to support people, to support themselves and to find a better way to approach being in our bitter and often challenging world. The tools themselves can be challenging to understand  for cultural or other reasons. Helping people become grounded is the key in my work- To understand how to help others, one has to help themselves first. Diving down and deep, while at the same time creating an important toolkit to take to others supports this process. Teaching in an experiential  way that makes sense, and makes the most impact is the basis of my style.

In Hong Kong, through the Arts for the Disabled Association, the focus of the workshop centered around providing expressive arts to those with disabilities.  My first question to those who participated was:  How does one define disability? What does this really mean? How are we impacted or not by disability in our lives? Our culture?  Climate change, gender disparity all entered the conversations. Cultural issues around caring for aging parents was also part of the deeper conversations.Before we could go further and talk about ways to approach working with those with disabilities, we had to break down the commonly held constructs of how we think about disability to begin with. For many this was a eye opening experience. Grounding the conversation with role plays, Playback Theatre, Art s based therapeutic techniques, students chewed on this over the week. They also experienced understanding stepping into the shoes of one with “disability”, painting with blindfolds, creating adapting tools to work with, exploring using these tools first for themselves and then to be able to translate it for using in their work.

There is a lot to work through.  In the end, I hope that somehow, people feel empowered in India and Hong Kong with enough tools to keep going.

Traveling in Asia

Since I last wrote, we have been traveling and working in chennai, India and Hong Kong. I taught 4 workshops or trainings in India, while Michael taught 2 and presented two other shorter presentations at the Aparreo Galleries in Chennai. Its been amazing, often intense, complex and very often very rewarding. Michael has been great about writing regularly- I not so much, as at the end of the day, I am tired enough that my brain can not organize thoughts to write. To see Michael’s blogs go to Dreaming the world  to see about our trip from his perspective.

We are taking a much needed few days off to rest up for our long trip and intense time change back home. While we are doing that, we are processing all from the trainings ( 2 3 half day trainings with college students at Ethiraj College and Madras School of Social Work) a 5 day core training in Playback Theatre and a 5 day Introduction to Art therapy as part of the Expressive therapies certificate program – a collaboration between the East West Center for Counseling and Women’s Christian College. Then in Hong Kong, a 5 day workshop on using the Expressive arts with people with Disabilities.

 

 

Understanding Gender with the Yours Truly Playback Theatre Troupe

Last weekend we spent in Bangalore working with the Yours Truly theatre company. We also had the pleasure of meeting with Fausto And Elena, Playbackers from Italy. The weekend  was one of connection between people from 3 continents, exploring themes that connect us all: culture, faith, and Playback . Our differing backgrounds created a rich experience.

On Sunday, Michael and I led the troupe in looking at the issues facing them around gender. Many deep feelings arose as the group ask itself questions about their identity as men and women- looking for a way to be authentic, and for their voices to be heard. In the afternoon, we split up into two groups, men and women. In the women’s circle we share what it was like to desire our voices be heard, for us to be taken seriously, and for us to be able to have our needs met in this process. In coming back together, the men on one side and the women on the other shared their feelings and experiences. The men playing back for the women, and the women playing back for the men. In the end, the stories went very deep as group worked to truly hear each other through the veil of cultural and societal expectations and norms. This is a group prepared to lead the way to having their voices be heard. In the end,  the women and men of realized their wants, hopes and needs were very much aligned.

Elephant Park

This post was written last Tuesday evening.

Today was our third day in Kochi- We arose early (My body is still somewhere over the Arabian Sea, and so waking at 330 is the norm right now. Michael fared better- I woke him at 5, as we had a 6am take off in a hired car to go to the village of Kotanad and the Elephant Kraal. I inherited a deep love of Elephant, their sense of family, and ritual and strength and this love passed down through the generations in my family.

Michael, with a desire to appease this desire of mine agreed to get up at this ridiculous hour to go and see these mighty beasts.

Arrived in Kerala

We arrived in the wee hours this morning to Cochin, Kerala. I managed to sleep a bit on the plane- My body appears to understand this ritual now. We spent an enormous time at JFK- a long layover that in the end saved us oodles of cash-So worth it in the end.

It took me(us)  weeks to pack and figure out how to pack so that it was a)under the weight limit and b) easy to manage for me as I am the lead pack horse in our family.Finally, on the day we left, we figured that with 3 carry on bags and a backpack- I can get creative with stacking and rolling to make carrying easier. With my husband on crutches, it is challenging for him to move and carry. I depend on him to help me lift. We make a good team.

We are staying briefly at a hotel where there are lotus’s, and other beautiful flowers. We have discovered that the internet is VEEERRRY slow. So hopefully we can add photos at another time when the internet is Veeeerrry fast.

The first few days we are taking to ourselves. We are tourists. We are both looking forward to the slower pace as the last few days/weeks/ nay months have been over abundant in things/work to do. It is a welcome relief to be able to have this time in a place that is warm and sunny.