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blue_lotus13) wrote2005-09-28 12:59 pm
blue_lotus13) wrote2005-09-28 12:59 pm
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Colouring Book Weekend
I felt so blessed and lucky to take part in the Colouring Book workshop this weekend. It was an intense weekend, and I'm still digesting everything we did over the weekend.
On Saturday morning, Nat picked 4 of us up at 6:30 am. We were barely awake, and so everyone slept on the way up except Nat, and I because I was talking to her to make sure she stayed awake. We got lost twice on the way out to Sts'ailes Lhawathet Lalem or Chehalis healing house, which is on the banks of the Chehalis river, on a reserve. We stayed in a huge lodge, and our rooms were right inside, just like in a hotel. The lodge was made of hardwood with huge windows and had lots of fireplaces. This was sasquatch territory so there were a lot of drawings of Sasquatches, but I didn't see any.
It's a beautiful space, surrounded by trees and right near a river with white rocks. When we arrived, the others had already set up and were starting the days' activities.
Our weekend consisted of numerous intense workshop sessions, led by members of the group. There were about 20 of us- all people of colour or mixed. There were 5 men and approx 15 women- with a high contigent of queer women, since the main organizer was queer as well.
Workshop sessions involved such topics as "Family and racial history", "body and sexuality" and "media and race." We were given "trigger questions" and invited to write and then discuss issues with the group. People shared a lot and there were tears in several sessions.
However, we also had a blast! I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. On Friday night, we had a no-talent show which involved such feats as speed eating an apple, and leading the group in hump aerobics. Two South Asian girls did a queer Bollywood number with some gender bending that had all of us laughing so hard that we were practically crying.
We had yoga workshops, chilled out by the river, ate lovely food prepared for us by the First Nations staff on the reserve, wrote and did art outside.
On Saturday night, we had a campfire and I got a chance to see a sky full of stars. We sat around the bonfire and told scary stories about employment gone awry. True tales of bad jobs are scarier than any ghost stories.
The whole weekend was intense and wonderful and I felt so connected and lucky to have gone on it. Our writings will be compiled in a book which will be self-published and then given to schools to help youth of colour/mixed youth.
There's going to be an awesome Cabaret/Fundraiser held in October, and if you're in Vancouver, I'll be pushing it on you and hoping that you'll attend.
On Saturday morning, Nat picked 4 of us up at 6:30 am. We were barely awake, and so everyone slept on the way up except Nat, and I because I was talking to her to make sure she stayed awake. We got lost twice on the way out to Sts'ailes Lhawathet Lalem or Chehalis healing house, which is on the banks of the Chehalis river, on a reserve. We stayed in a huge lodge, and our rooms were right inside, just like in a hotel. The lodge was made of hardwood with huge windows and had lots of fireplaces. This was sasquatch territory so there were a lot of drawings of Sasquatches, but I didn't see any.
It's a beautiful space, surrounded by trees and right near a river with white rocks. When we arrived, the others had already set up and were starting the days' activities.
Our weekend consisted of numerous intense workshop sessions, led by members of the group. There were about 20 of us- all people of colour or mixed. There were 5 men and approx 15 women- with a high contigent of queer women, since the main organizer was queer as well.
Workshop sessions involved such topics as "Family and racial history", "body and sexuality" and "media and race." We were given "trigger questions" and invited to write and then discuss issues with the group. People shared a lot and there were tears in several sessions.
However, we also had a blast! I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. On Friday night, we had a no-talent show which involved such feats as speed eating an apple, and leading the group in hump aerobics. Two South Asian girls did a queer Bollywood number with some gender bending that had all of us laughing so hard that we were practically crying.
We had yoga workshops, chilled out by the river, ate lovely food prepared for us by the First Nations staff on the reserve, wrote and did art outside.
On Saturday night, we had a campfire and I got a chance to see a sky full of stars. We sat around the bonfire and told scary stories about employment gone awry. True tales of bad jobs are scarier than any ghost stories.
The whole weekend was intense and wonderful and I felt so connected and lucky to have gone on it. Our writings will be compiled in a book which will be self-published and then given to schools to help youth of colour/mixed youth.
There's going to be an awesome Cabaret/Fundraiser held in October, and if you're in Vancouver, I'll be pushing it on you and hoping that you'll attend.