isn’t it funny how your intention for coming to a place can change and evolve? I thought I was coming here to work in the garden and learn about sustainability... which I’d still love to learn more about, but each day that goes by I realize that maybe I have come here to learn from Mouna.  As scatter-brained and crazy as she may appear she is such a kind soul and a powerful healer - not to mention a wealth of information. 

I started my day per usual in the garden watering followed by a clean shift followed by lunch.  After lunch Sara, Tom, Grace and I went for an adventure to the Ski Valley to find a hike.  We were a little strapped for time so we just went up for 45 min and back down.  It was beautiful but rigorous.  I’m still blaming it on the fact that I don’t have my high altitude lungs back, but really I’m probably just out of shape.  I’m also embarrassingly sore today from the wiffle ball game yesterday. We made it back in time to hit up Sols grocery for a banana popsicle and apple snack before Mouna’s class.

Mouna’s class was awesome today.  We met at 4p when she had another acupuncture patient coming.  We had time before hand to discuss some more about yin/yong and damp/dry before we went in for the treatment.  Today it was just Sara and I and we are both feeling much more confident with the idea of acupuncture. In fact we both left this class feeling overwhelmingly inspired - enough so that we are both considering changing our career paths to encompass Chinese Medicine.  How cool would it to be a Family Nurse Practitioner that utilizes both Western medicine and Chinese modalities?  It would be a way to integrate everything that I want out of my career - establishing relationships, integrating nutrition and healthy lifestyles, acting as a clear voice to integrate both sides of the spectrum in a logical but artful way, and have the ability to truly help and heal people.  After the class we both went into the garden to weed for a bit and while weeding I slipped into a meditation and I got a very clear vision of my future. I saw myself married to an awesome man and we had some children together.  I was established in my career but wanted to study acupuncture in China for 6 weeks and because my husband was awesome he said “yes! go! I can take care of the kids.  You need to do this. We’ll be just fine”  and so I went. I guess we’ll see how it all plays out...

The sunset of course was beautiful so I honored it by having a short yoga practice in the grass before dark.  It was amazing - i need to do that more often.  The weather tonight was a little spooky and I think the wind somehow knocked our power off so the whole hostel was in the dark.  It was kinda fun though because Sara and I sat in the dark as we ate our dinner and continue our very stimulating conversations about our past and future.  Sara is great, by the way.  She goes to school at Warren Wilson outside of Asheville so we have that in common, but besides that she is just a very sweet soul - inclusive and optimistic and interesting to talk to.  She is definitely the closest friend that I’ve made here. 

Well, because everyone else ran off for the evening it was only Sara, Kate and I left to clean up the entire hostel.  Everyone had left all their dishes out and laundry hadn’t been folded.  We cleaned for 2 hours probably.  That is the part that is frustrating - I spend so much time cleaning up after other people that I don’t get to do what i want to do and then it gets to be 11pm and I realize that I have been going non-stop since 7a and never got a chance to sit and relax for a moment.  But alas, it is 11:40 and I am crawling into bed excited that I don’t have to clean tomorrow :)