Magical moments

It’s been a long year. For everyone. We were happy to end this one and get out into the world again. I haven't kept up with writing, so here are a few highlights from the past year:

From top left clockwise: Magical reuniversary in Costa Rica; fun trip with teacher friends to Romania; Relaxing on the beach in Goa; a new bulletin board I'm really proud of; Vietnamese-inspired spread we cooked up for a progressive dinner; Attempts at cooking forbidden meats in Doha

I also got a pretty cool opportunity to talk about teaching on a podcast with some Canadian teachers who led a workshop I took this year. I'll link the video here, but it's also pretty cool (at least for me) to find it on a podcast app and see my name there.

A few days in Paris was a good way to start our summer break. We explored parks, and art, and cafes and generally had a great time and were able to unplug.

We stayed in the Bastille neighborhood, and looking around for things to do we happened upon L’Atelier des Lumieres (workshop of lights), which was an indescribable pleasure of art and music. Digitally deconstructed works from Cezanne and Kandinsky danced on the walls, ceilings, and floors, set to music in a complex and interesting warehouse space. 

As we sat and wondered at the spectacle, I was filled with gratitude and delight, and was also reminded of other magical moments, and how lucky I’ve been to be able to experience them.

A day hiking the coast in South Africa in 1998; a nap on the deep green slopes listening to waves crash below.

Dancing on stage with the band in 2007 in Kinshasa.

Lazy afternoons in my back yard in Indianapolis.

Finding a secret Christmas beach in Coron in 2012 with my new girlfriend.

Dinner on the beach with my less-new-now girlfriend on our first trip just the two of us (Puerto Galera, 2013).

Catching my breath in a temple in Myanmar, listening to a woman singing in a language I don’t understand (2016).

Other Paris highlights included 

Coulee verte (raised park on some old train tracks) and the Jardin de Reuilly-Paul Pernin at the end: lots of people out, which is good to see these days!

La Defense, with its giant structures and weird businessy-deserted vibe.

General Frenching-around on the streets of Paris. We so FRENCH, right?

And then, it was on to Senegal, for something completely different...