Building my tribe

https://www.theprojectheal.org/healblog/2018/7/9/finding-your-tribe

I have been pondering the concept of tribe and how to build mine.  

Here is my professional post on the topic.

http://katharinecottrell.com/2018/07/25/making-tribe-a-priority/

How do you build and nurture your tribe? 

Where do you begin?

Recharging with friends and family

My summer break has come and nearly gone.  It's never long enough, and I am now convinced more than ever that teachers truly need a two-month vacation - one month to disconnect and another to read and develop themselves professionally.

Still, this break was chockfull of quality time with family and friends that left my bucket overflowing.  Here are a few highlights:

Matt and Anna's wedding.
A truly perfect week. I got to meet Anna's family and so many of my brother's friends who I did not really get to know. Mauricio got to connect with family and friends again (a year after our wedding) and work on his English, which is really progressing.  Every detail was thought out, we laughed and cried (happy tears) a ton and the weather was incredible. So happy for these two and the adventure that lies ahead...as well as combined wedding anniversary vacations.

Visit with Grandma.

Love this woman and this place. Mauricio feels the same. Total peace. Got to listen to Grandma's stories, take our time walking and appreciating nature and truly rest.








Dinner in the city.
Was bummed that Rach couldn't make it out to Boise, but was so glad we could connect in the city. Short but so sweet. This gal energizes me and fills my heart.

     

Friday night at the beach.
A weekly gathering for my parents in the summer, turns into quite the get-together when Mauricio and I are in town.  About 20 folks were down a short beach to share food, laughs and stories. So fun to catch up and build memories.

Lots of QT with Mom & Dad.
Road tripping, blueberry picking, dining out and in and practice our language skills. This time with Mom and Dad with Mauricio is the best. I love that they are building their own unique relationships with Mauricio, they all really love each other and this is makes me so happy.




Idaho/Oregon adventure with most of JCI.
Amazing. The day that Mauricio had to head back to Colombia, I flew to Boise to visit Haley and the gang. Pears also flew in so we could all be together...sans Rach. :-(
We had a few chill days in Boise (and Meridian) and then headed to Oregon, as I had to be to a conference at the end of the week.  We stayed in Hood River - an gorgeous little town - almost won Trivia Night (wah wah), tried out the local beers and seriously caught up on our bonding time.

                       



         

Professional blog & website

Back in November, I said that I was going to get back on track with my blogging, and I did...sort of, but not on this site. During my time recovering from surgery, I created a professional website with the intent of writing about teaching and learning. I made some progress and am trying to make a stronger commitment to documenting my personal adventures and musings here, and professional ones on the other site.

For those who are interested in teaching and learning, particularly professional learning, here's the link to the other site:

http://katharinecottrell.com/

New Beginnings

I have now lived in Colombia for 6+ years. When I first arrived, it was an adventure, a step into the unknown. I created a blog and shared stories of this adventure and all that I was learning, but then my stories seemed to be less about adventure and more about life. Sharing my reflections with others seemed to be a bit egotistical. So I stopped.

It has probably been about 3 years since I wrote here. Many exciting and not-so-exciting things have happened during this time, but I kept them to myself or to the journal on my nightstand. Family and friends have asked about my blog and have reminisced about a funny or interesting (to them) thing that I wrote. I realize that I have missed it. Have missed having an outlet. Have missed the unexpected comment to something that I have written, that reminds that no matter where I call home, I'm connected. We're connected.

So today I begin again. Last week I had an operation. It was unexpected and will require about a month of recovery. I am not one to slow down, but I have been forced to and it has left me with a lot of time for reflection, reading, writing and more reflection. Today I came across a copy of the book You Are A Writer by Jeff Goins. This was a gift from a good friend of mine, who seems to know me better than I do at times. I admit that I did not read the book when she gave it to me, but it found me today. I have longed to write — articles, blog entries, books, trainings, curriculum, etc. — and have written from time to time, but it has not been constant. In reading the book today, the advice was this: Decide you are a writer and write. Yep, that’s it.

So I’m starting again. I have no plan. Maybe I will write about life, or work, or relationships, although I suspect it will be a little bit of everything. Perhaps some of my musings will reach somebody, perhaps not. But today I decide that I am a writer, and thus I will write.