Introducing the Panel -- Grand Junction, CO

17 days.

The number of keys on my key chain represents my obligations and commitments. The number of keys on my key chain represents the number of locks I own. The more doors I can open without knocking, the more at home and tied-down I feel. My job at Yoga West is finished, so those keys are no longer on my chain. My locker at the university has been emptied, so that key and padlock have been discarded. My job at Hand Up Homes for Youth culminated months ago, and I still feel relieved by the weight that quitting that job took off of my chain. Those keys were heavy. They were heavy and there were many of them. Letting go of them was a difficult decision, but one of the most liberating I've made in my life thus far.

I now have one key. The key to the front door of Janet's and Dave's. A place I truly love and where I feel most at home. It is my favorite key, and I will turn this key in with feelings of gratitude and sadness.

During my last trip, many things went right and many things went horribly wrong. Many things were easy and many things were nearly unbearable. Many opportunities were explored and many opportunities were missed altogether.

I experienced moments of profound loneliness. I experienced moments of intense connection with complete strangers that made me feel as if I could find intimacy and inspiration anywhere -- as long as I remained approachable and open-minded. In order to minimize the loneliness and create an environment for myself wherein I know what to look for wherever I travel, I assembled my "panel of experts." These are close friends/mentors/family members who are passionate about a certain field, research their passion and how it relates to the country in which I'm currently traipsing, and give me a list of three challenges to pursue in that country. The knowledge that I have friends and family at home supporting my adventure in this manner makes me feel grounded and loved and provides me with a source of accountability -- something I crave and on which I thrive.

Challenges for Ireland:

Cathy: Food Expert!

 Cathy has been a friend and supporter for years. During a transitional period in college, she opened up her home to me until I found a new place to live. Because I was so terribly busy between working three jobs and taking 21+ credit hours, she hardly saw me. The only sign of my presence was the noticeable absence of eggplant from her backyard garden (I'm tremendously fond of eggplant). She nicknamed me her "phantom child." I nickname my month with Cathy, "the summer I lived completely off of eggplant." When I returned from my last adventure, Cathy helped me find my gardening job with Judy and hired me to cook lunches for her father. She loves travel and food and has graciously agreed to be my food expert. The challenges will be structured as Beginner/Intermediate/Expert in terms of psychologically difficult to palate.

Food to Consume
Beginner: Handcrafted cheese
Intermediate: Blood sausage
Expert: Corned pig's feet

Jackson: Bird Expert!

 Jackson is a fairly recent friend, phenomenal photography, and excellent birder. He'll be giving me a list of birds to keep an eye out for in each country. The list will vary in difficulty based off of how challenging the birds are to find.

Birds to Watch
Beginner: Pied Wagtail
Intermediate: European Robin
Expert: Hoopoe

Dave and Janet: Alcohol Experts!

Janet and Dave are my roommates and close friends. Dave brews his own beer and Janet knows how to appreciate good alcohol better than anyone I know.

Drinks to imbibe
Beginner: Real Irish coffee
Intermediate: Magner's Cider
Expert: Poitin

Jared: History Expert!

 Jared is my little brother and lover of all things strategic and most things historic. He will be giving me three historic sites to explore in each country.

History to Hunt
Beginner: The famine sculptures
Intermediate: Bannow Bay
Expert: Inishmurray

Kenton: Plant Expert!

 Kenton is a dear friend and horticulturist. He was Judy's first gardener (she still raves about how excellent he was and I'm always somewhat intimidated), spent some time gathering seed in Turkey and India, is a local landscaper, and rivals Judy in his passion for plants. He will be giving me lists of flora to keep an eye out for as I gallivant.

Flora to Forage
Beginner: Yellow Bleedingheart  (Corydalis lutea/Pseduofumaria lutea)
Intermediate: Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens)
Expert: Spring Squill (Scilla verna)

Mike: Architecture Expert

 Meet my father, Mike. This is the man who taught me how to work hard and how to love working hard. Mike is a brilliant woodworker and builds the interiors of high-end homes in Aspen and Vail. You can find examples of his work here: www.bourgetdesign.com. He will be giving me three different architectural challenges in each country.

Architecture to Analyze
Beginner: A Norman tower-house
Intermediate: A round tower
Expert: A grange stone circle

Robert: Animal Expert!

I love Robert. Robert loves animals. Robert has a degree in zoology and is going to give me three different animals to find in each country.

Animals to Dog
Beginner: Red Admiral Butterfly
Intermediate: Red Deer
Expert: Red Squirrel

Roger: Visual Arts Expert!

 Roger is the art professor at CMU who allowed me to audit his beginning oil painting class this last semester. He combines art and philosophy in a manner that inspires me to question and create. His challenges (for Ireland, at least) are more ongoing than the others. True to form, Roger is asking me to look at the world differently -- not just look for a specific item. I bought some watercolors and plan to follow this challenge with something verging dangerously on religious fervor. He wrote a very well thought-out letter regarding his challenges for me, so I'm not going to presume to improve upon his writing. I'll simply copy and paste what I received.

Visual Art to View
 Since art is so incredibly woven into the fabric of culture, I would like you to look at certain elements of art and forms of art as an artist and cultural anthropologist would.   What I want you to do is two assignments that you would apply to every place that you visit and have you think about how the art object or art element is the same or different in each location. Think about who is doing the art and why are they doing it.  Think about how it makes you feel etc. I will also give you one additional art item to find from each location.

Beginner: The first topic is to look at the world from the point of view of color and the properties of color. Keep these thoughts about color in a journal and or take a little watercolor set with you so you can make little sketches. As an example, how many colors of green do you see in the field or during a given day.  Notice how the light and color of your surroundings change hour by hour. When talking to someone notice the color of his or her face.

 As Monet was at his wife’s bedside when she was dying he noticed the color changing in her face and took out his paints to capture the moment. How do skin tones vary among different cultures. Also, think about how different each persons color is. When you travel compare and contrast how the colors change from one place to the next. Van Gogh felt that he was born again when he moved from the Netherlands to the south of France because the colors were so vibrant. You might also note your emotion in terms of colors and atmosphere. Chose what interests you.

Intermediate: The second topic, which is a bit more difficult, is to explore street art. Street art being graffiti, murals, and sidewalk art.

 Man has been making marks on their surroundings for thousands of years and along with the development of language, leads to the development of the symbolic mind. Some of the questions you might think about are: What is the purpose for these marks?  Do different cultures express different ideas or is there a universal conscious being expressed?

If you’re pressed for time just take a few minutes and describe the work as best you can.

Difficult: The third thing I would like you to find is a Celtic art object.   

the link to Celtic art on Wikipedia:  Celtic Art

 

Sara: Language Expert!

 Sara is a lover of language and a speech pathologist. She is also one of my closest friends and confidantes. Her challenges for me will operate a bit differently. The first will always be to translate an English word into the language of the country in which I'm staying. If the language is English, I have to find a specific sound unique to that country. The second challenge will be to find an expression unique to that country. The third (and most difficult) will be to translate an American English idiom into the equivalent idiom of that country.

Language to Learn
Beginner: Translate "friend" into Gaelic
Intermediate: A unique exclamation of surprise/amazement
Difficult: The idiom equivalent of "to be thrown for a loop."

Jaime: Performing Arts Expert

My beautiful ballerina sister. She has been studying ballet for nearly ten years, and is maddeningly talented at singing, dancing, and acting. She will help me research performing arts in each country.

Performing Art to Experience
Beginner: Listen to a session in an Irish pub
Intermediate: Ask someone to teach me three steps in traditional Irish dance
Difficult: Watch a play written by an Irish playwright

This is an intimidatingly long list. However, the point is not that I find every single thing on this list -- the point is that I know what's out there. Since I know what's out there, I'm more likely to spot it. Since I know that yellow bleedinghearts are common in Ireland, I'll know to notice when they're staring me square in the boots.

Thanks to my experts! I'm thrilled to have all of you as my team.Your support means a lot.

One more bit I'm doing in every country involves preconceptions. What follows is the description I'm including on my website.

Cultural-preconception-busters! As I travel from country to country, I will make a list of the preconceptions I have (and you have) about each one. Please keep in mind that my goal with this list is not to offend the natives of said country; my goal is simply to learn. Many of the preconceptions could be considered offensive, but I am certainly not giving them any credence as are. During my stay, I will do my best to challenge these notions and to confirm/refute them before I leave. Lend a hand in this investigation by emailing me your own preconceptions!

Preconceptions gathered for Ireland:

·      It rains a lot

·      People drink an abundance of alcohol

·      It’s green everywhere

·      A lot of religious repression

·      Many are poor

·      Red hair

·      Strong temper

·      Hatred of England

·      High national pride

·      Half an hour late is early

·      People eat potatoes with most meals

·      Four cups of coffee/black tea a day is normal

·      Everyone owns at least one pair of wellingtons