An attitude of gratitude! As I pass my 10-days-remaining mark, I seek to really integrate this experience into my heart and my head. Here's what comes barreling through:
#1#1#1: New friends and teachers. At the end of most yoga classes I, following the lead fo the instructor, put my hands near my heart, stretch upwards through my tip toppiest vertebra, but bow my chin deeply towards my heart and say Namaste. Namaste means that I salute the teacher in you (and you, and you, and you.) It means thank you for being you. It is a reminder that everyone I meet along the journey is a teacher. Each in their own way.
New Zealand is full of some of the sweetest, biggest-hearted folks I've come across. I remember the first day I met Victoria, she put everything down to show me the lay of campus: Where the coffee lives, and where the Wifi is strongest. ("Wait a minute. strike that.. reverse it." -Willy Wonka)
And Richard, who I seem to run into 100% of the times I make it to the library. Conversations with this Irish Samoan are too interesting to forgo for something like a bit of studying. (I'll study when I'm dead.)(JK, I am study enough when I'm alive, I'll become a mental loafer when I'm dead.)
My flatmates of course have had the most positive influence of this experience. We're all away from home, but our little apartment has become a place of refuge. We sing songs, strum ukelele, tape drawings on the fridge, and cook up some of the most tasty, gourmet foods imaginable!
#2) Living by the sea shore. So I've probably averaged less than an hour of beach time every other week, but oh boy, the sea, she's a strong one. At this moment the sound of dripping rain praises the windowsill. It is a constant sound and it feels like the ocean.
I remember one of the first times I really connected at the beach. I laid out my travel yoga mat and came into tree pose. Usually my knees bow in and out, my ankles quiver, and I feel like a lopsided sapling. But not by the ocean. It was so interesting to notice how the element of water grounded me firmly into the sand. The wind was blowing hard, but my body barely wavered. The ocean is incredible. I am beginning to see why epic books often feature her.
#3) Insomnia. Sleepless nights used to freak me out. I've read too much research about how we're primed to get a certain amount of ZzzzzZZzzs, and how quickly we fall into disrepair without enough REMs.
But I have come to see sleeplessness isn't really a curse. It has enabled me to watch some really good movies, make beautiful art, and learn more about myself through journaling. It seems like an opportunity for good rest always comes around eventually with divine timing.
#4) Classes. Two in particular have been hugely challenging. But that whole saying about coming through a struggle stronger (and smarter) really is true. With that being said, I had better not push my luck: finals begin in 2 days!
I'm grateful to know more about how the Maori conceptualize health. They acknowledge all aspects, including family, physical, mental, and spiritual.
My intro to Maori culture teachers are probably the most captivating, humorous lecturers I've ever met, and I'm grateful that that doesn't come at the expense of learning-- actually it enhances the breadth of the content, allowing it to become part of real life!
Its hard to not group my whole experience here into my momentary feeling about it. So I'll just say: this momentary feeling about it certainly is part of my whole experience here in NZ. I feel lucky to be here and so excited to be homeward bound soon.
