hey guys,
a bit about what i am thinking or seeing or feeling or doing at this time, in this place......

since falling into watauga the first day here at app, i have found myself within a space of constant exploration of what and how it means for us to experience this world from our specific personal, familial, cultural, economic, geographic, political and social spheres......how these aspects of our existence form different personal spectrums through which our worlds, both as individuals and as cultural beings, are colored. i am fascinated by the myriad of truths, norms and rules that we all believe, follow, and perpetuate through our acceptance, as realized through our thought processes and actions, ones that we are aware of or just take for granted as 'regular' or 'normal'.
in this world, right now, we are witnessing the intersection of people from all kinds of cultural spaces. this is exciting and extremely scary often times, because of the lack of awareness and understanding of the diversity of cultural bases through which we all perceive this world. judgements and assumptions are far too easy make of 'the other' and can serve to only further existing myths and falacies which i believe are the root of so many of our problems in this fucked up globally interconnected world.
developed, underdeveloped.........first, third.........
masses of human beings are being trained to believe in a very simple formula: us, them=better, worse.
it is especially dangerous when cross-cultural interactions occur where the relationships are formed with the purpose of one party supposedly trying to 'help' the other. there must be exchange and the entrance into these very fragile situations must be one of openness, humility, and eagerness to LISTEN and WATCH and ASK. our desires to affect positive change must not guide us to jump in and TELL and SHOW people how to live, as the concepts of success and the best process through which to reach it are very relative to the specific community.
the potential to demean and damage a people is huge, but on the other side, the potentiality that lies in breaking through the barriers of cross-cultural understanding and communication are incredible.
i am individually designing a 'cross-cultural studies' major and minoring in sustainable development and spanish, because of this potentiality i see in us, as cultural beings to connect as human beings. with all of our different scales of time and space, our understandings of our bodies and how we use them, the food we eat, our modes of communication, our histories, perception of the earth and everything else.......there is such beauty in the different ways we experience this world and an even greater beauty arises when we can share and respect this with openness to make change within ourselves and in the world together.

and as i often feel stifled by the medium of just words to express or exchange with others, i am so grateful to have my body as my instrument in receiving, processing my experience of the world and moving in response to and expression of this experience. the manner in which people are reached and affected, the connections that can be made between us are very different when the forum is through movement or music. there are limits to WHO (access) and how people can be affected by an essay or an article. i am exploring ways through which i could possibly bring awareness to the issues i feel need more attention, ways to awaken empathy and remind the disconnected and discontent what power we have together, what amazing creatures we are and how we need each other, not the shit they are feeding us........i wish to put out these ideas through performance and expressive art, brought to the commons and public spaces by and for the PEOPLE not the elite in theatres and not through writing essays which only reach the tiny bubble of acedemia. while i am so grateful to have been lucky enough to have access to and benefit from the academic world, i feel i can give justice to this incredible education by jumping out of the bubble and bringing it to those living other stories.