I applied for a year-long sabbatical in November 2017 and couldn’t do any real planning until I received signed paperwork from my bosses with a denial or approval. In June 2018 I received the final approval and the signatures I needed to make this a “go”. The class I had negotiated taking back in October 2017 for the sabbatical application at The International Institute of Culinary Arts in New Delhi, India had time expired, UGH. #WatToDo ?
The whole idea of this sabbatical was to travel to India and learn about the culture and cuisine for a couple of months. I became curious about the nature of “one-pot” cooking in this part of the world and how it creates a sense of belonging to those who participate in meals’ planning, acquiring, preparation, cooking, eating and let’s not forget the cleaning up part. Other ways I’m looking at how this way of meal preparation creates “belonging” are…
- Grounding in our lives to live the most fulfilled and purposeful existence through the support system of where/how food nourishment is prepared
- Creating a sense of connection to each other, to god/universe/source and to the earth.
- Developing a sense of community and developing relationships thorough a common purpose (cooking, eating, nourishment) to all those participating around the central focus area of the kitchen… farmers, producers, preparation, cooking and eating
- Tending to the well-being of each other through a common purpose and goal.
- Finding the most life-giving ways to engage with each other, the land and the bounty of the earth.
Phew… O.K.
That was my intention and how I was going to go about a lot of my professional culinary journey for 7 months. Finding the families, home-stays and the people who were willing to let me into their home space and into their personal and family’s lives… with varying degrees of success. The people I was able to connect with on this level, I learned a tremendous amount from. It was up to me to adapt to the unfamiliar cultures because the cultures will never adapt to me, that’s a given. I had to have a good idea of what balance was all about… To have enough drive in me to find a place for me in someone’s home and then once I found something, to be able to surrender to what ever was going to unfold and present themselves after that.
The connections I made through this intention have been rich, intimate, spiritual, reciprocal, full of depth, emotional, loving, conflictual and intense. These kinds of relationships take time to develop, cultivate and nourish. Some people even avoid this kind of intimacy with strangers. Even though I may have been staying 2-3 weeks somewhere, that is still a short amount of time to get to know people, their cultural & culinary traditions, and find a way of fitting me into their already established home unit to help prepare meals.
I was able to spend about half of my time with people learning about their culture and cuisine. The other half of my time I was having my own personal adventures… meditation, yoga, trekking, writing, cooking at home, taking classes, exploring and sightseeing. I was able to build in some down time and not feel pressured to always be on the move Allowing myself permission to be still and not have to “go and do and see” was always challenging for me and I think I did OK in that regard.
After all this time away from home, while in Hanoi, Vietnam, I got food poisoning and I wasn’t feeling so hot and juicy for my next travel move. I took a few extra days to recover and decide what my next move would be. It just so happens that my friend who was staying in my home had purchased a home and had moved out in March and my home was vacant. I was feeling complete with what it was I came to do… and I decide to make my way back home to Maine.
Alright… now what? After months of ongoing daily data input throughout my travels, I get home and wonder what might be next for me. I’ve unpacked the stuff I put in boxes after not needing any of it for about 8 months. I kept asking myself as I was unpacking… “Whose stuff is this anyway?”. I’ve lived out of a 40l backpack and in one room for months. Am I having some reverse culture shock?
I am sitting with the mystery of what might be next for me after this last eighteen months of “sabbatical” … from the day I applied in November 2017 to today. I know it’s not over. I’m continuing to have flashbacks to different people, places and things during my travels and am beginning to think about looking at the 6000+ pictures I took.
I feel a bit lost with a lack of direction and it feels kinda painful at the moment. Not really sure there’s anything to do about it either. I’ve been riding such a high crest of the waves these last 7-8 months… now I get home and I get to figure out how to get back into the life I left months ago, which I don’t think is possible. Or, how to create the life that I want moving forward. It’s never ending… the creation of life and how we want to live it throughout our ever-changing lifespan. Everywhere you go…. there you are… shit! ????
In the meantime, I am enjoying the great air quality, the less congestion and traffic in the streets riding my motorbike, sleeping when I want, making mala necklaces, enjoying my new Korean rice cooker and Indian cooking. I’m almost done settling back into my space and I’m looking forward to the Montreal Jazz Festival, visiting my father for his 80th birthday and a lovely 2019 summer!
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