summer school

I had a delightful time in Margo's Asian American Studies 2B summer school class with Jean, who discussed Hay(na)ku. It was the last class for the summer, so there was a bit of potluck: sodas, brownies, donuts. I must be gettng old because my body can no longer stand that much sugar in the morning.

Jean read one of Ernesto Priego's hay(na)ku that was Margo wrote on the chalkboard. Jean also discussed how the hay(na)ku has flourished in these online communities and how the creation of the anthology was quite the international effort joining people here, Australia and Finland.

The class seemed engaged while we were talking which is pretty good considering it's 10am in the summer.

I discussed my Kali Poetics essay and my journey from Dreaming to now and feeling like much of my journey I've spent on the outside of circles unable to bridge who I was and what I do. I talked about how the theories and concepts in kali are not exclusive to kali but are ideas that can find themselves expressed in different areas of my life, merging boundaries and identities.

The latest theme in my life with all this wedding planning seems to be integration. You are the other, the other being you. I always find that I even learn something in what I say, as thoughts that had previously been brewing come out, I find myself listening to my own words as if I'm lecturer and listener at the same time.

After getting some food (the pizza had arrived), the class circled the chairs and we talked about myth, myth creation, how myths allow you to go beyond who you are, yet how one can be burdened by the challenge to live up to a myth. They ended with each person going around and giving one word on what a hero was, though many of them couldn't help but say many words.

Afterwards, Margo, Jean, and I had lunch. (thanks, Margo!) Chatted about wedding tips with Margo who's looking at next year some time. More about kali, about healing, about birds, and teaching. All in all a really good extended morning.