Aloha from Austria…
Alex Meffert of Corvus of Bodensee, Germany, and I are waiting here at the Innsbruck Airport for my family to arrive. My wife Nicole is about to arrive here with my son Liam, daugter Willa and baby Finch. Andreas Lelley from the Stuttgart region is here also with his soon-wife-to-be Tina and son Simeon.
This is Tina, Simeon (sleeping), Andreas, me and Finch.
The last official “JY meeting” with the European Wayfinders group just finished four days in Nuesslach in the alps above Innsbruck. Our good friend, and associate in the world of nature connection mentoring, and local Tirolean, Ron Bachmann and Marcos from Switzerland, helped us with food and lodging at a nice retreat camp in the mountains. We were served local food, and enjoyed some good time together around the fire, and wandering the forests around the camp.
On Friday, we were at the airport to welcome the rest of our gang from America including my family (mentioned above) and Mark Morey from the Institute for Nature Learning and founder of the Vermont Wilderness School. Together Mark and I work with Peter Schlenzka on an international development project (see www.8shields.org for more) to pull together training, communication, support and networking for the nature connection movement world-wide using a best-practices approach. Well, actually this is what brings us to Austria in the first place. See Ron & Geli’s website: http://www.wildniszentrum.at/.
Kathleen Lockyer Guillermo from the San Luis Obispo, California-based “Outside Now!” program (www.ccvc.org) is also along from America helping Nicole and I, and Aji Palar from Vermont–a teen and adopted nephew from the Vermont Wilderness School community.
Here you are looking over Mariko Schmidtauer’s shoulder. She is a translator this week from San Jose who was born in Hawaii with a father from Austria and mother from Germany. Mariko has been part of the Wayfinders team for the last three years. Really glad she joined us here this time. Susanne Stech is standing up on the left, and she too is a translator for our work in German-speaking countries. Here in Tirol, she is now a veteran of six years worth of programming! Next is me, Mark Morey, Wolfgang Peham (the Wildnis Mentoring Uncle), and Dirk Schroeder (author, wanderer, wilderness program leader and now technical support for recording this event).
Here’s a quick view of the folks from the weekend on Peacemaking, called “Enduring Networks of Peace.” We all enjoyed the link with White Pine Programs hosting their 10th anniversary with Jake Swamp (east of the Lake Ontario in the Peacemaker’s story), and Paul Raphael (west of the same Lake in the same story). We were telling stories from both sides of the lake and drawing principles forward to share and learn.
Here Mark Morey is leading a story about the anchoring principle in community development. Pictured left to right are translator Silke Joesten, JY (me), Mark Morey, Will Scott (staff from California!), Kathleen (from San Luis Obispo, CA), Benny Gschoessen (teen from Tirol), Daniella (Tirol), Tom (from Tirol who helps with technical stuff, just got married, came back from Peru, and is working in the kitchen too!) and Katharina Weber (seated) from Lebensgarten, Steyerberg, Germany as well as Gaia University, Planet Earth.
Ron Bachmann introduces a song that Wolfgang requested: “Grandfather” a popular song by a group called STS from Austria, I think. Anyway, really beautiful song.
Grossvater
Bei jedem Wickel mit der Mutter war mein erster Weg von daheim zu dir
Und du hast g’sagt, sie is allein, das musst’ versteh’n, all’s vergeht, komm, trink a Bier
Dann hast du g’meint, das ganze Leb’n besteht aus Nehmen und viel mehr Geb’n
Worauf i aus dein Kasten in der Nacht die paar tausend Schilling g’fladert hab
Zum Verputzen in der Diskothek, a paar Tag drauf hast mi danach g’fragt
I hab’s bestritten, hysterisch ‘plärrt
Dein Blick war traurig, dann hab i g’reart
Du hast nur g’sagt, komm, lass’ ma’s bleib’n
Geld kann gar nie so wichtig sein
Wenn du vom Krieg erzählt hast, wie du an’ Russen Aug in Aug gegenüberg’standen bist
Ihr habt’s euch gegenseitig an Tschik an’boten, die Hand am Abzug hat ‘zittert vor lauter Schiss
Oder dei’ Frau, die den ganzen Tag dir die Ohr’n vollg’sungen hat
Du hast nur g’sagt i hab sie gern
I muss net alles, was sie sagt, immer hör’n
Großvater, kannst du net owakommen auf an schnell’n Kaffee
Großvater, i möcht dir so viel sag’n, was i erst jetzt versteh’
Großvater, du warst mein erster Freund und das vergess i nie
Großvater
Du warst kein Übermensch, hast auch nie so ‘tan, grad deswegen war da irgendwie a Kraft
Und duch die Art, wie du dein Leben g’lebt hast, hab i a Ahnung ‘kriegt, wie man’s vielleicht schafft
Dein Grundsatz war, z’erst überleg’n, a Meinung hab’n, dahinterstehn
Niemals Gewalt, alles bereden
Aber auch ka Angst vor irgendwem
Großvater, kannst du net…
You can get that translated? Sure…
What do you think of that? That’s the hourly ratio we get as visitors and teachers.
We can really learn from these Tiroleans. I mentioned “Best Practices” didn’t I?
Here today we had a snow ball fight…
Really.
From Grinzens to the Northwest. Below too.
More later… Aloha, J
