To all my faithful friends...

...yes, I am alive!

Wow... its been forever since I have updated everyone on my incredible experiences here with UWP - I'll do a few posts tonight... a general, a Mexico, and an American post.

So. Where to begin?!?! LIFE IS CRAZY! We have been so busy since La Paz - as a cast we have bonded so well - we truly are a family. There are so many things that are unique to Up With People culture, that really distinguish our interactions from those in the general population of people.
~We are forced to reflect - many times, every day. It is amazing how much you learn about yourself, about others, and about your capacity to learn in general when you are actually given the time to process an emotional activity- or a challenging conversation.
~Awkwardness promotes growth. Okay... so that's not exactly how they phrase it within the education team... but that's basically what it boils down to. Surviving those experiences that push us out of our comfort zones - forces us to be flexible, adaptive, and more confident in our own capabilities.
~Communication is essential. Conversations here, are so... blunt. There are times when they are superficial... and there are moments where they are deep and philosophical. And yet, regardless of the type of conversation... the fact that it is people from 22 nations attempting to reach a respect, understanding...and common ground is miraculous in and of itself. But people here are honest. We have to be... as we have no choice. We are together...all day every day for 6 months. If you can't be honest, you aren't being real... and if you aren't authentic in a situation, you can't possibly be maximizing your experience here. Learning how to have the difficult conversations has been hard... but such a valuable life skill.

We still have our workshops to refresh our minds about life in the *real world*... this program really does force you to have a worldly awareness...and become conscious of your role as a global citizen. We are in the middle of a workshop series which deals with relevant social and environmental issues. Among them: pollution/recycling initiatives (ask the family... they witnessed my week long trashbag briggade... it was unpleasant to carry, and even more unpleasant to smell), human rights, poverty/hunger, religion, etc. It keeps us mentally refreshed to have those engaging conversations... where you can have insight into the perspectives of such a diverse group of people.

We have also been working dilligently to refine our dances... and to develop our Stand For Peace cirriculum. The Stand For Peace project is an UWP initiative which takes us into school systems (grades 3-8) with a specific agenda of games and activites designed to promote peace, respect, and understanding. Working with the kids is so awesome... the program is well received - especially by the little ones... who are so curious about the array of people who come parading into their classroom to play with them. I love it!