Andi's Adventures

Hi everyone! (I started this draft on March 4th and then got distracted and forgot about the blog for another 14 days. This seems to be a trend in my life haha. Things around the world have changed drastically in the last 2 weeks since I wrote the first part of this post, and I'll share my thoughts and feelings about the coronavirus stuff either later or at the end of this post. ) I think the last time I updated this blog was over a month ago, so I figured it'd be a good time to share what I've been doing in Japan. I'm traveling on a series of Shinkansens (the super speedy bullet trains) this afternoon so I don't have much excuse not to write. An overview of my itinerary in Japan: 1. Tokyo Visited Institute for Nature Study and by chance happened to meet a children's book author who writes about humans' relationships with nature! We met up for coffee the next day and he gifted me a copy of his book, Gaudi's Ocean Met an awesome Hamilton alum f...

Hi everyone! Wow... my time in Budapest is almost over! I'm glad I came to Hungary, because admittedly I was a bit nervous to do so when it seemed like there wasn't going to be enough for me to do here or people to spend time with. But it's been such an interesting time. I've spoken to a bunch of different people that do some kind of version of adventure therapy, or enjoy spending time in nature for therapeutic purposes. I visited a high school psychology class and led a workshop about mental health, went hiking with psychologists in the (very few) wooded and hilly areas that the area around Budapest has to offer, and even attended a day-long workshop about the nature of motherhood. Hah! I was originally told it was more about nature than motherhood, but then even after I received clarification that it was really about being a mother, I decided to go anyways because hey, I had no better plans for my Saturday. And it was lovely! It actually did have a lot to do with co...

Full disclosure: I wrote the first 4 paragraphs about 2 or 3 weeks ago and then got bored and forgot about it. I have a LOT to catch you all up on. Hi pals, After the training in Mallorca, I traveled to London. I've been going around the central and southwestern areas of England for the last 3 weeks. I interviewed an adventure therapist in Worcester and spent 3 consecutive nights at their Christmas market because it was just so lovely! After that I took the train to Ashburton, a small village in Devon right next to the Dartmoor National Park. I spent a day with an outdoor counselor doing walk n' talk and then interviewing her afterwards, and  (surprise) another Christmas market visit! It was a really fantastic experience, and I love that me taking care of my mental health by doing a counseling session for the first time since leaving Hamilton is also directly relevant to what I'm researching. 2 birds, 1 stone! I also spent an entire day with a local forest bathing g...