I have moments of great clarity and a deep sense of joy. There are moments where I have thought to myself that I've never been so happy. There are lines/creases from your smile that have never appeared before. While I've experienced this level of joy/peace, I've also had times of confusion, challenge, anxiety, and loneliness. Even though I am traveling, life is still very much the same.

A brief note on life here: I have been learning about meditation and yoga. It is a process that requires a lot of time and practice. We get up early (usually). Light a fire and wrap ourselves up in blankets, make a hot tea, and wait for the 'Sadhana' room to heat up. We (Clara- the Irish girl & myself) will begin our daily practice with a warm-up, then get into our own semi-structered sequence of 'asanas' or postures. We'll finish with breathing exercises 'pranayama' and then meditate for remainder of the time. I am still learning...

I am planning on staying here at the ashram until I am solid with plans to go volunteer/WWOOF at another place. I am contemplating going to Raglan, which is a West coast surf-destination, with a great small town atmosphere. I have been invited to come to Solscape (which you can check out on-line) to stay/ volunteer with. They are basically a community of people supporting an environmentally-sound campground / cabin place. I also may stay in the Coromandel and go to another community that is called the Karuna Falls Coop. but I do not know that much about them. It is interesting that New Zealand has quite a few intentional living communities, many of which focus on permaculture, bee-keeping, and other sorts of projects. I will try to learn as much as possible from these communities.

More to come....