I think I'll answer a few questions today. First off, how do I keep our daily rhythms going while traveling? It really depends on the length of the trip. This time we'll be here in Germany for 3 months, so we brought more than I'm comfortable admitting to. I broke my first rule of travel- and that's never take more than you can carry alone through the airport. We passed that this time and on our Japan trip, which was also 3 months. Both times we were also arriving while it was still cold so the sweater and jacket aspect of packing blows everything! I try to bring as little as possible but enough to feel like home and keep us doing the things we love on a daily basis. We always bring blank pads of paper and our crayons. But this time we brought more books than usual because things are pricey here, so I'd rather just pack up our suitcases full of things like shampoo & conditioner (which I ended up shoving in a carry-on -not thinking so it got confiscated anyway- wah!), spare toothpaste (Tom's of course!) and lots of books.
As for the game, Wildcraft- I have to admit I was a bit unethical on how I got that here... My niece had a birthday party the weekend before we left since her birthday will be while we're here and she wanted to celebrate it in Cali with all her friends and cousins there. So, knowing that she would not have a chance to play it before we left and that she would want to take it along to play here, we gave her the game knowing that they would be the ones packing it. I'd been eyeing the game for some time and was just waiting for the right excuse to buy it. Opportunity struck. But really I think it's so great it's going to be my standard gift for age ranges 5 to 10 for the next year. I love to pick one gift that I give everyone so I don't need to think about it for a whole year.
Keeping a rhythm this time around is far more difficult than when we travel alone since we're living with another family- my brother's- that has a rhythm of their own that differs quite a bit from ours. So the most important thing for me to try to immediately put into place is the idea of 'out-breathing' and 'inbreathing.' No matter the weather or conditions outside we must get outside at least twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Even if it's only for a 15 minute walk in the pouring rain as it was yesterday afternoon. In our current case, I usually take all 5 outside since it is not their usual custom to do this. It seems a big mess and waste of time and effort and energy to some to get everything dirty and wet for such a short outing. But 5 girls cannot live peacefully indoors for more than 3 hours in one stretch- and that is really pushing it. I just cannot live without that flow between quiet and active times. So I need to be sure that I've brought the things with me that still allows for that flow to happen. Both indoor and outdoor activities for me must include things they can create on their own for a good amount of time. In our case, quiet necessities include: paper, crayons, knitting or other handwork and books. And outdoor necessities are rain gear and good shoes. That's really it. We could live anywhere for any amount of time very happily with those things on hand. The nice to haves include: games, toys (like blocks) and dress-up stuff when they were little- but can do without.
I really think having this rhythm to their day has allowed them to transition to easily into any environment. We do the same general things in each place. We eat our meals together, whether or not we cook them, explore the outdoor world and create something, whether or not it's permanent, and read before going to bed, whether than bed is on a persian rug, a tatami mat, a pull out couch, all in one room or in another room with 4 other girls- as is our current situation- all 5 sleeping together in one room! This is one of the reasons there have been some sleep issues and little bodies cruising the house at 3 am! But we're getting more adjusted each day and more are making it through the night now without needing an entire meal at 3am, "I'm starving!"
One of my very quotes is, "Of all the qualities in our being, the one that is most God-like is creativity."-Anon. To me, this is teaching spirituality to children. It's not about dogma or religion or being able to quote verses. When children are just allowed to play in a creative manner they tap into that realm of Spirit, which inspires them to create something that was not there before. We rarely think of play as spiritual, but for me, time for them to be creative ranks at the top of my priorities each and every day for exactly that reason. And for them to do it in nature- now matter how small or tiny a park it may be- is vital for that connection to all of creation. Nothing teaches a child better than nature itself and giving them the opportunity to interact with it is truly a holy occasion. I have never seen a young child be moved by Spirit in a Sunday school class (even when I was teaching them) but witness it every single day in nature. When eyes sparkle and faces glow they are connected.
It is very important to me to have my children have this kind of connection to foreign countries. I'm not so concerned with them picking up on the language or architectural aspects as I am for them to have real experiences with the land itself and the people living in it now. They know what kind of acorns they have in Japan vs. Iran. They've eaten food from trees in every country we've visited. They've rolled in sand, swam in the oceans, peaked under moss for fairies and had dirt under their nails from each country we've visited. Interactions with living things are much more important to me that those things that are historical or dead. Those are fun too- visiting castles and such, but definitely come second to those things alive. These experiences become part of who they are. They are internalized into their very being rather than fed as information to their minds and then later forgotten.
I know many people who plan trips focused entirely on non-living sites, moving from one place to another viewing buildings and taking in history. When I ask about their experience they tell me about it almost as if they weren't even there themselves- like they read about the trip. It's interesting. Anyway, off on too many wack-a-doodle tangents yet again! What was I saying... oh, ya rhythm... I'm really into it and think it's super important, right?
