News Back Home

I remember my first trip abroad. I was 14 and traveling with the German Language School Conference. Our three-week trip consisted of two homestays: two weeks with a family in Germany and one week with a family in Austria.

We were given much advice to ease the culture shock and to transition into the immersion experience. In particular I remember that we were advised against calling home. Of course, we all called our families immediately upon arrival, but thereafter we were advised to stay immersed in the local culture and not worry about what was happening on the other side of the Atlantic. This was before online social media and just barely after e-mail started to take off. Immersion, for me at least, was relatively simple.

Sixteen years later--theoretically 16 years wiser--I find it far more difficult to stay immersed in the local culture. Some of the [dis]connection is intentional and some of it just happens. During the week, I work in an office where I am constantly connected to the Internet. It is very easy to check Google News or the Rachel Maddow Show or listen to English-language podcasts on iTunes, for example. I do read the German news, but not nearly as often as I should. That said, I don't surround myself with English-speaking expats either. I live with native German-speakers, speak German all day every day, and enjoy exploring German (and European) culture.

Then something happens that draws my attention back to the U.S.  This week it was the Supreme Court  rulings, in April it was the Boston Marathon bombings, in January it was President Obama's Inauguration, and so on. And it's certainly not all bad. The mid-morning timing of the Supreme Court's DOMA and Prop 8 decisions, for example, combined with the 6-hour time difference to Germany and the wonders of Facebook and mobile technology, allowed me to celebrate the historic victories yesterday online with many of my friends while they in turn were celebrating in the streets in the U.S. And this is a key point: so many current events that happen in the U.S. don't make the news here until the next day. (Of course, the reverse applies to global news reaching the general U.S. public as well.) Not only is there a time lag in communication of events, there is a conceptual lag, too. We simply care most about the things we know best. My mind may take in and process German news and culture, but when it comes to major U.S. events, my heart is most often immediately there on U.S. American soil -- and I think it's okay that way, too.

Miksang & the Good Eye

Miksang is a Tibetan word meaning "good eye". The goal of Miksang photography is to reveal the true nature of things, just as they are. The Miksang photographer tries to share their perception as directly as possible, without letting any other ideas get in the way. You take the picture, capture the moment, and move on. It's a deliberate way of seeing.

I was first introduced to Miksang in Pittsburgh last Spring when I participated in a workshop led by teacher Brian Sano. (Check out Brian's website and gallery. Highly recommended!) Each of the three days, we focused on a different element: first color, then pattern, then texture. Each day included lecture, discussions, exercises, and then 2-3 hours on our own taking pictures in the neighborhood. In the afternoons we would regroup, sort through our photos, and create a slideshow of our top picks. Below are some of the photos I took during that first workshop and shortly thereafter.

Color in Pittsburgh, PA

Color in Pittsburgh, PA

Color in Pittsburgh, PA

Pattern (and color) in Pittsburgh, PA

Pattern in Pittsburgh, PA

Pattern in Pittsburgh, PA

Texture in Pittsburgh, PA

Texture in Pittsburgh, PA 

Texture in Pittsburgh, PA

A few weeks ago, I took the second Miksang workshop in the series (there are five total). This workshop was held in Vienna and focused on uncovering the essence of things. We considered, for example, the tree-ness of trees, the water-ness of water, the sidewalk-ness of sidewalks, the people-ness of people. Each object is different--this tree is different from that tree, for example--but every tree has qualities that make it instantly identifiable as a tree. These are the qualities that together form the tree's tree-ness. (Don't worry if you're confused about all this "-ness" talk.  It took us three days of intense workshop to even begin to grasp the concept.) Perhaps some pictures will help.

Sidewalk-ness in Vienna Austria

Sidewalk-ness (and water-ness) in Vienna, Austria

Sidewalk-ness and water-ness in Vienna, Austria

Water-ness (and color) in Vienna, Austria 

Tree-ness in Vienna, Austria

Tree-ness in Vienna, Austria

Tree-ness in Vienna, Austria

The trick to learning any new skill is, of course: practice, practice, practice. I love taking my camera out into the city, or simply along with me wherever I happen to be going. It doesn't have to be anywhere special to be interesting. The opportunity to notice and to capture our perceptions is always there. While paying attention to "-ness" has been more difficult for me than color, pattern, or texture, it is already proving to be worth the effort.

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If you are interested in learning more about Miksang, visit the Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography at: http://miksang.com.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

On Sunday, my friend Hart and his friend Vanessa invited me to wander along the Isar River with them in Garmisch-Partenkirchen near Germany's southern border. The water of the Isar is bright turquoise due to the minerals in the area and the surrounding landscape is a mix of sand, rocks, low shrubs and forest. The river was higher than usual due to the recent flooding, but surprisingly not completely overflowing. (It was actually dry in some places.) Overall it was a gorgeous day for wandering through the park and cooling off in the river. After a few hours, we drove to Vanessa's mother's house, where we were served elderberry (Holunder) pancakes and blueberry cheesecake. Yum! Afterwards, I took the train back to Stuttgart, arrived around midnight, and got some sleep before Monday morning. What a great way to spend a Sunday!

Landscape along the Isar River

Hart and me

We amused the horses. Silly humans.