Australia part 2!
Hi friends,
2 days after publishing my last blog post, I took a flight from Osaka to Sydney and went into mandatory self-isolation for 14 days. I'm lucky I made the decision to fly here when I did, because I got into the country about 6 hours before they closed the borders to any international visitors (and they still haven't opened it since). The self-quarantine was precautionary but required, and by the time my self-quarantine was over the rest of the country was more or less shut down so I've not been able to move around Australia or engage with people like I normally would. Luckily I was able to go back to Wangat Lodge for self-quarantine, the first site I visited during my Watson year. It was a full circle experience, and wonderful to be back "home" with Dan and Verity.
The Coronavirus situation around the world has made it nearly impossible for me to engage with my Watson year and project in the ways I'd been planning to. I was 'supposed' to be in Hong Kong beginning a few weeks ago, helping to lead a forest therapy camp which I was very excited for. Considering that many Watson fellows have already had to return home from their countries due to travel restrictions, lack of strong support should anything go wrong, etc. I consider myself lucky to be still abroad, although I don't expect I'll be able to remain abroad for the full remaining year. Technically I am supposed to go back to the U.S. on July 1st, but I'll probably need to go back sooner. I am excited to start a full-time job as a Community Residence Counselor at McLean Hospital in Boston in July!
I've been experiencing a lot of anxiety in the last month or so. Reading the news constantly and checking social media for how my friends are doing, and comparing it to how I'm doing, has not been the healthiest coping mechanism. Though it's been challenging, what I've learned this year includes a beautiful list of things to engage in to help mental health, with many of them being possible to do even while in isolation. I've been lucky that where I've been isolating has been either among the bush and rainforest, or next to the ocean. That's a big reason why I made the decision to head to Australia instead of waiting to see how things would go in Japan, I wanted to make sure I had control over where I would be if the country went into lockdown. Australia is absolutely beautiful, and in many ways feels like where I belong. I spoke to my former supervisor at the Counseling Center a couple weeks ago and he commented on how fitting it is that I've returned to the people and place I began my year, with a whole new set of experiences in my toolbelt.
Admittedly, I've lost sight a bit of how to engage with my project in the midst of the lockdowns and everyone working from home. I'm not thriving, but I'm surviving. I've been just trying to stay sane and enjoy myself while also doing a bit of learning, self-reflection, and self-care every day. I know it's possible to take this interruption to my travels as an opportunity, but I've really just been wandering aimlessly through a metaphorical fog. I'm reading books about nature, the one I finished this morning was "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben. I'm going on runs at least a few times a week. I've been spending a lot of time in the garden here, weeding and planting. I've enjoyed getting my hands in the dirt and the feeling of pulling out weeds is super satisfying. I've also been making land art! I'm happy to be taking the lessons I've learned over the course of my travels and interviews and bringing them into my life. An explanation on land art:
Making land art/nature art is fun and therapeutic. It allows you to connect with nature and create something unique and beautiful. Just go outside and collect items you find in nature, such as leaves, sticks, rocks, shells, flowers, mud, etc. Arrange them on the ground in whatever way feels right- there is no certain way it's meant to look. There is no goal. The process of slowing down and connecting with nature is what makes it beautiful. Take your time, take deep breaths, notice the little beautiful things about each piece. When you're all done, reflect on what you've made and the process of making it, and see if nature is sharing any messages with you. For example, for the land art I made yesterday Nature shared with me these messages: it's possible to connect with nature even when there's chaos around (there was a lot of construction going on nearby but I still felt grounded and groovy), and sometimes what initially looks appealing and useful ends up no longer fitting with your vision and that's okay (I had a bunch of flowers at one point that I decided not to use). The best part is that is that the land art is meant to be temporary. All of my beach creations have been washed away in a matter of hours, and that makes it even more special. I like to say thank you to Nature after I'm doing creating each piece, as part of my process. I actually speak it aloud and say what I'm grateful for and what messages I'm receiving from it. Here are pictures of some of the land art I've made in Australia:
I've been meaning to write a post for a while now but the funk I've been in has left me feeling unmotivated for most things. I do have the intention to write a more narrative post on the solo I did the other day- it was a very beautiful experience. For now, I'm going to continue doing a bit of nature connection and art each day, and I'm working on finding ways to engage with my
I would absolutely love it if someone that reads this became inspired to make their own land art. One of my friends back home made one on her hike the other day, and I was so happy! I've also enjoyed drawing and painting this year, so here are some of my favorite things I've made.
Okay, I think that's it for now. Thank you to everyone for following along on my journey and supporting me from afar, it means a lot to me. <3
-Andi
2 days after publishing my last blog post, I took a flight from Osaka to Sydney and went into mandatory self-isolation for 14 days. I'm lucky I made the decision to fly here when I did, because I got into the country about 6 hours before they closed the borders to any international visitors (and they still haven't opened it since). The self-quarantine was precautionary but required, and by the time my self-quarantine was over the rest of the country was more or less shut down so I've not been able to move around Australia or engage with people like I normally would. Luckily I was able to go back to Wangat Lodge for self-quarantine, the first site I visited during my Watson year. It was a full circle experience, and wonderful to be back "home" with Dan and Verity.
The Coronavirus situation around the world has made it nearly impossible for me to engage with my Watson year and project in the ways I'd been planning to. I was 'supposed' to be in Hong Kong beginning a few weeks ago, helping to lead a forest therapy camp which I was very excited for. Considering that many Watson fellows have already had to return home from their countries due to travel restrictions, lack of strong support should anything go wrong, etc. I consider myself lucky to be still abroad, although I don't expect I'll be able to remain abroad for the full remaining year. Technically I am supposed to go back to the U.S. on July 1st, but I'll probably need to go back sooner. I am excited to start a full-time job as a Community Residence Counselor at McLean Hospital in Boston in July!
I've been experiencing a lot of anxiety in the last month or so. Reading the news constantly and checking social media for how my friends are doing, and comparing it to how I'm doing, has not been the healthiest coping mechanism. Though it's been challenging, what I've learned this year includes a beautiful list of things to engage in to help mental health, with many of them being possible to do even while in isolation. I've been lucky that where I've been isolating has been either among the bush and rainforest, or next to the ocean. That's a big reason why I made the decision to head to Australia instead of waiting to see how things would go in Japan, I wanted to make sure I had control over where I would be if the country went into lockdown. Australia is absolutely beautiful, and in many ways feels like where I belong. I spoke to my former supervisor at the Counseling Center a couple weeks ago and he commented on how fitting it is that I've returned to the people and place I began my year, with a whole new set of experiences in my toolbelt.
Admittedly, I've lost sight a bit of how to engage with my project in the midst of the lockdowns and everyone working from home. I'm not thriving, but I'm surviving. I've been just trying to stay sane and enjoy myself while also doing a bit of learning, self-reflection, and self-care every day. I know it's possible to take this interruption to my travels as an opportunity, but I've really just been wandering aimlessly through a metaphorical fog. I'm reading books about nature, the one I finished this morning was "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben. I'm going on runs at least a few times a week. I've been spending a lot of time in the garden here, weeding and planting. I've enjoyed getting my hands in the dirt and the feeling of pulling out weeds is super satisfying. I've also been making land art! I'm happy to be taking the lessons I've learned over the course of my travels and interviews and bringing them into my life. An explanation on land art:
Making land art/nature art is fun and therapeutic. It allows you to connect with nature and create something unique and beautiful. Just go outside and collect items you find in nature, such as leaves, sticks, rocks, shells, flowers, mud, etc. Arrange them on the ground in whatever way feels right- there is no certain way it's meant to look. There is no goal. The process of slowing down and connecting with nature is what makes it beautiful. Take your time, take deep breaths, notice the little beautiful things about each piece. When you're all done, reflect on what you've made and the process of making it, and see if nature is sharing any messages with you. For example, for the land art I made yesterday Nature shared with me these messages: it's possible to connect with nature even when there's chaos around (there was a lot of construction going on nearby but I still felt grounded and groovy), and sometimes what initially looks appealing and useful ends up no longer fitting with your vision and that's okay (I had a bunch of flowers at one point that I decided not to use). The best part is that is that the land art is meant to be temporary. All of my beach creations have been washed away in a matter of hours, and that makes it even more special. I like to say thank you to Nature after I'm doing creating each piece, as part of my process. I actually speak it aloud and say what I'm grateful for and what messages I'm receiving from it. Here are pictures of some of the land art I've made in Australia:
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| Some art I made after a particularly rough day. Making this land art allowed me to get out of my head for at least a few minutes and stay engaged with the present, something I've been struggling with. |
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I've been meaning to write a post for a while now but the funk I've been in has left me feeling unmotivated for most things. I do have the intention to write a more narrative post on the solo I did the other day- it was a very beautiful experience. For now, I'm going to continue doing a bit of nature connection and art each day, and I'm working on finding ways to engage with my
I would absolutely love it if someone that reads this became inspired to make their own land art. One of my friends back home made one on her hike the other day, and I was so happy! I've also enjoyed drawing and painting this year, so here are some of my favorite things I've made.
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| The leaf on the left is a drawing of the leaf on the right (the real one) |
Okay, I think that's it for now. Thank you to everyone for following along on my journey and supporting me from afar, it means a lot to me. <3
-Andi
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| testing out the new swing at Wangat (: |
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