Peace by Piece

The chances of any of the 1% reading this blog are very slim.  So, you should know, you are one of the 99%.  What does that mean?  It means that you are not a part of the 1% that holds the majority of the wealth in the U.S.  You might be a part of the lower-middle class, you might be upper-middle class, you might just be middle class and you might be upper-class.  Hey, maybe you are in the lower class range.  I'm not really sure of the distinctions, but what matters to me, and maybe what should matter to you, is where we categorize ourselves.  Are you satisfied?  Are you happy?  Good.  Do you have everything you need?  Be thankful.  Do you have more than you need?  Be thankful. Capitalism.  I am not really sure if there is a better way in a democratic society.  I am learning.  What I have learned is that globalization + capitalism = unfair situations for many.  Capitalism is one of the driving forces of poverty in developing countries and the destruction of the environment.  It c

"Somos los Indigandos" means "We are the indignant".  This was the theme for Occupy Wall Street in San Jose.  Saturday I was supposed to be on my way to see the giant see turtles lay their eggs and to see the babies hatching on the Caribbean Coast.  Due to the increasingly insane rain, we did not go.  School has been moved to a temporary campus due to mudslides and teachers warned us against travel.  I was so sad.   So instead, I pulled on my rain boots and rain jacket and armed myself with an umbrella and off I went to the Occupy Wall Street protest in San Jose.  It never occurred to me that I should be anything but warm and dry or what was actually taking place at the protest.  I had been listening to NPR report on the protests around the world and only one had erupted in violence in Italy.  The message being sent is powerful and necessary and I wanted to be a part of it.  I am one of the 99% so I felt I had to represent. We were a gangly group of foreigners who

Most of us are familiar with snow days.  Days where it snows too much for the busses to get kids to school.  Sadly, we only had one while I was living in Telluride and we called it a "powder day"!  Today I experienced my first 'mud day'.  It was really just a mud delay.  The road on the way to UPEACE was covered by a minor slide and buses were delayed.  We were all on buses ready for a day of class when it happened.  So, students dutifully filed off to their homes and coffee shops while waiting the mud to be cleared.    School eventually happened but on a late schedule with most activities cancelled.  The campus is now closed and we are going to an alternative campus tomorrow and next week due to excessive rain. All extracurricular activities have been cancelled. It has been raining excessively here.  Yesterday I made the mistake of not wearing a rain jacket and found that rain boots and my umbrella are clearly not adequate for this type of rain!  Today, during the

Yesterday I was having a minor melt down.  For me it was major but today when I classified it as a major meltdown one of my classmates said, "Honey, if that's all you got, you can't be serious.  You don' wanna even be near when I have a meltdown!"  It started with not having adequate sleep for 3 days.  Stress was, of course, the issue.  I was stressed about school and a project I am working on and am stressed about my living arrangement.  Weird dreams came into play.  I dreamt I was in a high school and going to graduate school at the same time because I had forgotten to quite my job.  There was a guest appearance by a grad student from Denmark whom I am friends with. He came into my room and told me off and I had to send him to the principal.  And on and on it went.  Each time I woke up I thought "this is so weird, damn it!" and proceeded to fall right back into the dream. Morning.  Tired.  I have been having an issue with the noise at my house and t

Costa Rica.  Just the name rings of a certain kind of life.  "Rich Coast".  Sand between my toes, sunshine, cold beer, and fresh fruit.  Pura Vida.  Pure life.  I love Latin America and coming here to study peace surrounded by like minded people in the land of plenty seemed, well, magical.  So magical that school work wouldn't even be work. HA HA HA!  It is wonderful here.  So wonderful that when I have to read instead of going to the beach I feel spurned.  So wonderful that when I wake up from my siesta in the hammock I panic when I realize I was supposed to be reading 70 pages for class!  At least I can drink coconut milk and hear the monkeys from my desk.  I know, I have it tough.  But I am serious.  It was so difficult trying to rectify the fact that I am a graduate student in Costa Rica.  These two things don't quite meld.  It's funny hearing students talk; and professors for that matter.  The professors are constantly telling us to enjoy our weekends and get

Today we talked about inner-peace in class and how it relates to us, the world, and the global economy.  Interesting.  First, I'd like to talk about how I relate to inner-peace. Since I became enamored with yoga, I have sought some form of inner peace.  I know that to attain inner peace I should not compare myself with others; but I do.  Self compassion is necessary for inner peace yet I easily berate myself for saying or doing the 'wrong' thing.  I continually have compassion for others but am near deficit in compassion for self.  During the last year, as I practiced Kundalini yoga, I experienced prolonged time periods of inner peace.  It was blissful but fleeting.  Inner peace is not something that we attain and then have forever, it is a never-ending journey. Examples of inner torment OR "It's not Easy being Jenn Manhoff": Sunday I received my first paper back from my professor.  I immediately read the score and then read the comments.  Disbelief and wo