The Findhorn Foundation

My first day at the Findhorn Foundation... it's going to be a wild ride.
My fellow young folk here for the program are enthusiastic and open-minded, and all big-hearted. There's one guy here who's spent most of his life playing football, took a one-week trip to Iceland and Findhorn with a college class and decided to rework his plans for the future. There's a young lady who, on a long walk on the beach, explained to me how the goth and hippie cultures are very similar (she has been into the goth "scene" for quite a awhile now, which I naturally wanted to hear more about)- her take was essentially that goths and hippies are fed up with how society works, and hippies just have a more... optimistic way of dealing with it. I suppose she's just decided to be more optimistic, although she was talking about shaving her head - can that be classified as optimistic or "un"?

I truly want to write from my heart tonight, but I fear that my body is arguing (quite persuasively) that a shower and bed would be a better option...

Before I sign off, I'd like to say that it is impressive how "normal" our living situation is. We do not, unfortunately, live in yurts - sorry, Teri... We live in actual houses, with plumbing and everything - except the sewage here is drained to a natural compost site somewhere far away from the town center. We (mercifully) weren't given that part of the tour.

A quick introduction to my home for the next 3 months, shared with three other students:



This is our bungalow, called "Diane's". Many of the living places were named after the person who built or designed them. I live here happily (so far) with Emily, Jake, and Jen, who has asked us to call her Dragonfly from here on out. More name-changing is to be expected.



This is Emily standing in our cozy little kitchen, which is equipped with all manner of baking utensils and the bare essentials for breakfasts - we can get more food whenever we desire for free from the community pantry. Had a fantastic apple today. I gotta say, when you know you really want an apple and there's a free one sitting just a few bungalows away, juicily waiting for you... there's almost nothing better.



My bed. We were one of the few houses in which everyone got their own room, and somehow each of us got the room we most wanted. This is the very back corner, quiet, (and the bed is as big as it looks) with a window that opens to some very nice foliage. We were supplied with foliage in the house as well, and upon entry Dragonfly said excitedly, "oh look, we get plants to care for!" I earnestly hope that someday I get that excited about watering greenery.



The view from our front door.



Me, happily ensconced in my two fluffy pillows. Paradise at the end of a long day.

Success...

I've arrived, and in one piece, no less!

I am utterly exhausted, but wanted to note a few particularly good encounters on my voyage overseas:

I met a girl named Daisy on one of the trains - she was about my age, with a one-year old boy named Cadence and a father who happens to work in Findhorn (I think she said he works with dolphins, but I may have misunderstood her... dolphins in Scotland... hmmm). Her Father has a German girlfriend named Eureka with whom he just recently had a child. I laughed and said "so your son will have an uncle who's younger than he?" She shrugged this oddity off merrily, saying "nothin's really conventional anymore, is it though?" This from a woman who's lived in the same small town in Scotland her entire life. She was thoroughly charming, with a pace of speaking that rivals the most talented gossips I've known - I felt like I had to rework my brain to keep up with her lilting and laughing and singsong 'this-and-that's.

Before Daisy I had the privilege to meet an older wanderer named Jim on the plane - he said nothing about family, but was flying solo, looking for a new home all over the states. We had a marvelous time chatting about different regions of the country and watching old horror flicks on his laptop with his dual headset connector. The horror films were nothing to scream about (pun intended), but I came away with a new friend's email address and a sense of hope for humanity - even for those unconventional types.

I also met a financial advisor who wanted to make me his next project - "you could pay off your debt in no time!" he promised... but I managed to steer him away from finance and ended up meeting his whole family, 8 members total, who were taking their yearly vacation to London (no comment necessary)...

I'd say just the trip over was worth all the work. Can't wait to find out what's in store for me next...

An Introduction

Hello and welcome!

This will be my public blog regarding my adventures in Scotland for the next few months. If you'd like to take a look at the program I'll be part of, you can go to www.livingroutes.org and click on "Scotland".

This blog will be a place where I can post my thoughts and feelings about what I encounter overseas, but I'm hoping it will also be a place where those outside of the program can respond, ask questions, or challenge what I write. For one reason or another, I may not be able to respond to comments (or you may not feel the need to leave one), but as this program will be an intense one, I'd like to hear the perspective of people who are not involved with Living Routes. Regular encouragement will also be welcome :)

As isolating as technology can be, I'm grateful that through the internet we can celebrate together, think together, and continue sharing our lives from thousands of miles away. Feel free to let me know about any changes in your life, victorious or otherwise, or just drop in every once in a while for a quick glance. My email is:

lizardqueen_meow@yahoo.com

- although I may not have time to write detailed responses, any glimpse into your life or other correspondence will be greatly appreciated.

My mailing address (as of September 1) will be:

Elizabeth Daniels FCS
Findhorn Foundation, The Park
Forres, Scotland IV36 3TZ
U.K.

woohoo! Goin to the U.K.!

All my love,
Elizabeth