A highlight of the first year at Camphill Academy is our retreat. Here, all students travel with their teachers to a seminar location outside the community to devote an entire weekend solely to study and reflect on the work of Camphill. When I was in Triform, the students from Camphill Triform, Hudson, and Copake traveled to Camphill Ghent for a weekend. Our California class spent three days at the Mount Madonna Center on Mount Madonna. The theme of the retreat: "Inner Work in Anthroposophy." 

Anthroposophical social therapy is based on the conviction that spiritual and professional practice cannot be viewed separately. Inner work and meditative practice are tools that enable social therapists to view their work as a path of learning and personal growth. Questions of contemplative practice and spiritual discipline are best explored in a retreat format through a balanced combination of study, social, and artistic exercises. The retreat provides space for an open exploration of participants' relationships to spirituality and meditative practices, as well as an introduction to some basic tools and exercises of inner work in an exploratory mood.

The goal is to leave the retreat with a renewed understanding of the importance of contemplative and meditative practice as an integral part of personal and professional development. By engaging with inner work in the context of a social and artistic process, students develop a heightened awareness and the ability to reflect on the diversity of individual relationships to spirituality.

Upon completion of this course, we should be able to...

• articulate our own relationship to questions of spirituality

• demonstrate appreciation for the spiritual orientation of others

• describe the Eightfold Path described by Rudolf Steiner and possible ways of working with it

• discuss some of the prerequisites for esoteric training

Mount Madonna is a prominent peak at the southern end of the Santa Cruz Mountains in southwest Santa Clara County, California. In the late 19th century, cattle baron Henry Miller built a summer house near the summit. After disputes with the von Brackenheim family in Württemberg, he traveled to England and from there, at the age of 19, to New York City. From there, he took the train to California, where the trained butcher earned his living with cows. He later became known as the "Cattle King of California" and, in the late 19th century, one of the largest landowners in the United States. Controversial Fox host Tucker Carlson is descended from Miller. The mountain is surrounded by a 1,864-hectare county park. From the east side, you can see the Santa Clara Valley, and from the west, Monterey Bay. There is a 23-kilometer-long network of nature trails. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to explore the beautiful surroundings; we spent most of our time in the seminar room. However, when we had an hour-long lunch break, we enjoyed the nature on the mountaintop and were delighted by herds of deer, ostriches, rabbits, lizards, and birds. The seminars were very educational: singing, art, drawing, storytelling, meditation, and self-reflection. One of my highlights was a panel discussion where guests from the community shared their own experiences with meditation and inner reflection. I captured my highlights in a video:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHn_gZcpGWX/

During the introduction, the retreat leaders told us that the San Andreas Fault lies directly beneath Mount Madonna. It's only a matter of time before another earthquake as large as the one in 1906 occurs.

One morning, we woke up at 5:30 a.m. to visit a Hindu ceremony. I had little prior experience with their religion, but I was excited to see it for myself. We wanted to watch from the sidelines, but people approached us and offered us seats and blankets (it was very chilly on the mountain at 7:00 a.m.). I was deeply moved by how friendly and open the people were. I had expected someone like a priest to give a speech and tell stories. In fact, all they did was sing prayers and light candles. A wonderful ceremony, and I have videos of it if anyone would like a glimpse into it.

I've taken two different methods with me:

1) STIGA Meditation

Every night before you go to bed, you reflect on your day using five simple questions.

The meditation helps you go to bed at the end of the day with a positive feeling and become aware of what you can be grateful for.

S - What surprised you?

T - What touched you?

I - What inspired you?

G - What made you grateful?

A - What amused you?

2) Daily Exercises by Rudolf Steiner

Monday: Right Word

Talking. Only what has sense and meaning should come from the lips of one striving for higher development. All talking for the sake of talking — to kill time — is in this sense harmful.

The usual kind of conversation, a disjointed medley of remarks, should be avoided. This does not mean shutting oneself off from intercourse with one’s fellows; it is precisely then that talk should gradually be led to significance. Adopt a thoughtful attitude to every speech and answer, taking all aspects into account. Never talk without cause and be gladly silent. One tries not to talk too much or too little. First listen quietly; then reflect on what has been said.

Tuesday: Right Deed

External actions. These should not be disturbing for our fellowmen. Where an occasion calls for action out of one’s inner being, deliberate carefully how one can best meet the occasion — for the good of the whole, the lasting happiness of man, the eternal.

Where you do things of your own accord, out of your own initiative: consider most thoroughly beforehand the effect of your actions.

Wednesday: Right Standpoint

The ordering of life. Live in accordance with Nature and Spirit. Do not be swamped by the external trivialities of life. Avoid all that brings unrest and haste into life. Hurry over nothing, but also do not be indolent. Look on life as a means for working towards higher development and to behave accordingly.

Thursday: Right Habit

Human Endeavour. Take care to do nothing that lies beyond your powers. But also leave nothing undone which lies within them.

Look beyond the everyday, the momentary, and set yourself aims and ideals connected with the highest duties of a human being. For instance, in the sense of the prescribed exercises, try to develop yourself so that afterwards you may be able all the more to help and advise your fellowmen, though perhaps not in the immediate future.

This can be summed up as: Let all the foregoing exercises become a habit.

Friday: Right Memory

Remember what has been learnt from experiences. Endeavour to learn as much as possible from life.

Nothing goes by us without giving us a chance to gain experiences that are useful for life. If you have done something wrongly or imperfectly, that becomes a motive for doing it rightly or more perfectly, later on.

If you see others doing something, observe them with the like end in view (yet not coldly or heartlessly). And do nothing without looking back to past experiences which can be of assistance in your decisions and achievements.

You can learn from everyone, even from children if you are attentive.

Saturday: Right Opinion

Pay attention to your ideas.

Think only significant thoughts. Learn little by little to separate in your thoughts the essential from the nonessential, the eternal from the transitory, truth from mere opinion.

While listening to the talk of others, try to become quite still inwardly, foregoing all assent, and still more, all unfavourable judgments (criticism, rejection), even in your thoughts and feelings.

Sunday: Right Judgment

On even the most insignificant matter. judge only after fully reasoned deliberation. All unthinking behaviour, all meaningless actions, should be kept far away from the soul. You should always have well-weighed reasons for everything. And you should definitely abstain from doing anything for which there is no significant reason.

Once you are convinced of the rightness of a decision, hold fast to it, with inner steadfastness.

Right judgments are formed independently of sympathies and antipathies.

Every Day: Right Examination

Turn your gaze inwards from time to time, even if only for five minutes daily at the same time. In so doing you should sink down into yourself, carefully take counsel with yourself, test and form your principles of life, run through in thought your knowledge — or lack of it — weigh up your duties, think over the contents and true purpose of life, feel genuinely pained by your own errors and imperfections.

In a word: labour to discover the essential, the enduring, and earnestly aim at goals in accord with it: for instance, virtues to be acquired. Do not fall into the mistake of thinking that you have done something well, but strive ever further towards the highest standards.

Turn your gaze inwards from time to time, even if only for five minutes daily.

Sink down into yourself.

Carefully take counsel with yourself.

Test and form your principles of life.

Run through in thought your knowledge — or lack of it

Weigh up your duties.

Think over the contents and true purpose of life.

Feel genuinely pained by your own errors and imperfections.

Labour to discover the essential, the enduring, and earnestly aim at goals in accord with it.

I was away for a long time. A week in Miami, a week in Los Angeles, and a weekend at Mount Madonna for the Academy Retreat. When I returned, I was delighted to receive two beautiful cards painted by residents. One card read "Welcome Home" with roses and tulips. A second card read "I miss you so much, we made pancakes, you are best friend forever, having fun hanging out with you" I was very happy to read that!

Our gardening crew went to the "Tea House," where an elderly householder lives with a resident. Although I've been here in Camphill California since the end of July, I'd never been to this house before. We created a swail. We dug a trench and then filled it with wood chips. The primary purpose of the swail is to prevent flooding and to collect rainwater in the wood chips. It promotes infiltration into the soil, which recharges the groundwater and reduces the need for artificial irrigation. Friends ask me why, despite having a master's degree, I work in the garden instead of working as a teacher in school. The focus of my work is on people with disabilities, with whom I always work as a team. My job is to help them achieve their individual goals and develop their skills and talents. For this purpose we work in the garden.

During a free period at the Academy, we drove in the direction of the Land of Medicine Buddha. Just before, on Prescott Rd in Soquel, we saw a small dam with a waterfall:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/erWuei1E3zEwxHsg8

While the others were enjoying nature, I, as a historian, was more interested in the dam. How old is it? Who built it? Why does the small stream have a dam? So I start to research.

We searched the internet and asked around and wrote to the Soquel Pioneer and Historical Association. Frank Perry from the association contacted the family of the previous owner of the property. Tom Prescott built the dam in the early 1950s to supply water to the Eaglewood Golf Course at the end of Fairway Drive. There was a pump that pumped the water up to the golf course. The golf course opened in 1951 and only existed for about a year. It was fascinating to explore the local history. I think there will be more interesting historical buildings and places to discover here, so our Camphill should stay in touch with the association for future outings (or local history & culture classes for disabled?)

I'm studying social therapy at Camphill Academy California. We learn many different arts that we can use as tools in our work with people with disabilities. When we practice art, there's always a moment of self-discovery. It can change our outlook and the way we perceive the world and other people around us. In the "Puppetry" class, we learned how to make puppets and how to tell a story with them. Through this hands-on experience, we gained confidence in our creative and expressive abilities and developed artistic storytelling skills. At the end, we performed a puppet show for the entire community. It was a wonderful experience!

We began the class by each creating a character. What are their interests? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Their hopes and concerns? We wrote a short story about how the character found a way to overcome his challenges. Then we learned step by step how to make a puppet. We had wool in a variety of colors, sponges, and needles. Now we can all needle felt and teach it to residents too! The basics are easy to learn, but you can always improve, especially in the details. Once we all had a puppet, we sat down and thought about how to integrate the individual stories into a coherent narrative. In addition to the puppets and a story, we also had to plan and prepare animals, supporting characters, and sets. It was particularly stressful towards the end, but with two meetings after work from 8 to 10 p.m., we managed to finish in time. The community was thrilled with our performance! One of the students is a father, and after the performance, he went to his preschool-aged daughter to give her his puppet. She was very grateful and, according to him, started creating her own puppet show when she got home. I was very touched to hear that. Children, as well as the disabled residents, can immerse themselves in another world through a puppet show and gain new perspectives and insights that they would not otherwise have. Here is our story, which we wrote together as students. In scenes where music is played, one of the students played his guitar. Of course, I cannot share the recording publicly. I am happy to show some scenes to friends and relatives who would like to get a glimpse in a private setting. After the performance, we drove to the Pleasure Point and reflect the process.

Once upon a time in a far away kingdom, a young maiden lived all alone in a high tower.

There were two small windows at the very top of the tower where the light streamed through and she could see glimpses of the sky and stars. She contented herself by listening to the sounds of life stirring below, in the world outside. Though she could not see it, she could hear it, she could feel it, and she longed to be a part of it again. In the night sky she could see the stars shining brightly through her windows, and she was certain they were singing to her, for she heard their sweet melodic tones, sounding like tiny bells. She heard the singing of the night birds, the awakening songs of the morning birds, the sound of farmers and animals starting their day... She could hear the village sounds as folk began to bustle about, and childrens' laughter filled the air, in the village square. She longed to be a part of it all. One night the Princess, for that is who she was, said her prayers to the stars above. She felt their love shine back to her and could hear their sweet mysterious tones.

Meanwhile, as the village was quieting for the night, a lone stranger wandered into the square, he played softly upon a small guitar, as he rested under a tree. The Princess could hear the strumming of his strings in the distance as she fell into a dream. When the Minstrel came into the village, a beautiful large graceful Bluebird followed behind him, and rested in the boughs of the tree above.

The Magical Bluebird entered the Princess' dream that night. It flew into the tower where she was deep in slumber, and instructed her to hold on tightly to its long blue tail feathers, as it flew out through the small window above, into the night sky. 

The Bluebird showed her the world below, as they sailed above the royal kingdom, the farm lands, and the village. She saw a neighboring Farmer working hard in his fields, gathering his harvest for market day. He was working all alone through the night. 

They flew over the Village where she saw a man holding a small guitar, sleeping under a tree. They flew just outside the village over a tumbled down cottage, where she could see a young lad sleeping on the front porch, in a nest like bed under the stars.  The Bluebird then delivered the Princess back to her tall tower as she slept on, and disappeared into the night. The next morning the Princess awoke to the sounds of birdsong, and the faint memory of a special dream. Glancing toward her bed she caught sight of a blue feather resting upon her pillow. She picked it up gently, holding it high for a closer look, when suddenly the roof flew off the tower, and the Princess also flew out through the top, landing on a grassy mound below. She followed a pathway that led to a farm, where upon she saw the farmer from her dream loading up a cart with produce. "Good Day !" she said to him, with a smile. He wore a big hat that covered his face and he mumbled under his breath, but he did not look up or at her. She was so happy to be released from the tower, that his "seemingly" unfriendliness did not faze her. She began to help him load his cart. He grumbled under his hat, but did not dissuade her or look at her. When the cart was full, he hitched it to his horse,and the three of them strolled into the Village together. He set the cart up with the produce away from others, as he had often been often ignored by the villagers in the past, and wasn't sure how to greet them. Some would call him shy, while some would call him grumpy. The Princess noticed this and began to sing. Her beautiful voice and charming disposition began attracting village folk to the farmers cart. She noticed a young man and his Mother as they approached the cart. The young man was holding a blue feather, exactly like the one she found that very morning. Excitedly, the Princess asked the lad where he'd gotten the blue feather. He looked at her and smiled but did not answer. "Where did you get the feather?" she inquired again.  In her frustration she asked the woman why he would not answer her. The woman said, "My son cannot speak. He has no voice. But I noticed when he awoke this morning, the feather was in his hand." The young lad smiled again at the princess and she smiled back at him. 

Just then the sound of someone singing and strumming a guitar approached the cart. It was a familiar sound. It was the same music that led her into a dream the night before. The man looked familiar too. He was the lone traveler. As he began playing his guitar with robust energy people gathered around the farmers cart, enjoying the music and buying produce. The Princess took the Farmer's hat off his head and placed it upside down on the cart. Folks filled the hat with money and jewels until it overflowed.

The produce had all been sold. The farmer smiled for the first time. He looked at the village folk around him and felt their loving support. The traveling minstrel jumped upon the farmer's cart, and so did the Farmer. He continued to strum his guitar with gusto, as the farmer began to dance, and laugh, like never before. Then a lone voice rang out in the gathering crowd. It was the voice of an Angel, singing a song so pure and sweet it sent chills down everyones' spines, and brought tears to their eyes. When the singer had finished, the Princess led the quiet lad without a voice, onto the cart stage..All was quiet and still for a few moments , until all began to cheer and applaud. The festivitiesnlasted into the night. High above the Village square in the boughs of a tall tree, the Bluebird of Happiness looked on. Her job was almost complete. When all had gone home, all except the Farmer, the Minstrel, the Princess, the Lad and his Mother,gathered together under the bright stars in the night sky. The three adults stood in a circle around the Lad and the Princess..who held the blue feathers in their hands, and holding them high towards the heavens, in a flash of light, the two of them disappeared into the night sky. She became a bright wishing star known as The Princess Star and he became her closest companion, known as the Singing Angel Boy. 

They watched over the Village folk, the farms, and even the royal Kingdom for a very long time, bringing their light and lightness into the world. The traveling Minstrel stayed on to assist the Farmer. They worked the land and brought joy and laughter to all...and mysteriously, they both found a blue feather tucked in their hats. 

The Bluebirds' work was now complete as she flew off into the night, while her story continues to live on in all hearts who hear her song of happiness.

My off-day group, consisting of two Hungarians, a South Korean woman, and me, went to Rio del Mar Beach together on Sunday. We chatted for a long time and had a lot of fun. Afterwards, we went to Red Apple Caffee in Aptos, where I ate delicious French toast. On my academy day, I got a Nutella latte from "Mr. Z's Crêpes & Teas," which was really sweet, but it woke me up again.

One day, we in the SAGE crew watched the scary movie "Bagman." Everyone I tell immediately understands "Batman," but it's about a man with a bag. The residents wanted to see a scary movie, so we ordered pizza from "Pizza my Heart". I try to eat gluten-free as often as possible now, but it's very difficult. Gluten-free cookies often taste very dry compared to regular cookies, the gluten-free pizza was very soggy compared to regular pizza, and many other things taste much worse in the gluten-free version. I've now said that I only eat gluten-free breakfast, lunch, and dinner (e.g., no spaghetti), but make an exception for smaller snacks. By the way, you don't need to watch "Bagman"; it's a very bad movie, predictable, and not very scary. Rather stick with "Batman" and watch Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy (again), which are still my favorite superhero films to this day.

One evening, the fourth-year students presented their projects. A German man who works as a householder has built trenches on numerous properties to prevent flooding from rain and to irrigate the soil. I helped him build some trenches in the garden, so it was great to see the positive effects the trenches have on the garden. He demonstrated how quickly or slowly the water flows through different types of soil: dry soil, wet soil, wood chips, and overgrown soil. It was very vivid, so the residents could follow along. 

My Korean colleague is a workleader in the weaving workshop and presented her art projects, for which she creatively decorated a table. The theme of the project was warmth. After a long time without felting she started a felting group again and led disabled residents in the crew. Together they prepared the halloween, christmas and easter festival by creating felting products and displaying them in the hall. There are four types of warmth: physical (fire), etheric (vital signs, body generated heat through blood circulation), astral (when individuals gather and do social interaction together / care for each other) and ego (ultimate goal of warmth: thinking about others, asking yourself the question why do I want spend my time with others?). To visualize the different four types of warmth, she painted with four main colors. With the felting class, she satisfied their desire for felting and gave them the opportunity to feel achievement, joy and happiness. A beautiful project!

After my marathon, I wanted to treat myself and a friend to a professional massage in Santa Cruz. My search quickly turned up the Well Within Spa, one of the largest spas in Santa Cruz. We paid $295 for two people. This included:

• 50 minutes for two in a private spa room

• A 50-minute massage for each person

Soaking in hot water is an ancient tradition to relieve the stress and tension in our lives. Each room overlooks a traditional Japanese garden with a waterfall and koi pond and features a heated whirlpool with jets, a shower, and a changing area. In addition to the whirlpool, the room also includes a sauna. Relaxing music plays in the background, and there are warm towels, shampoo, conditioner, and herbal tea.

It was a fantastic experience! Having a private room with a sauna and whirlpool is a great luxury, and the massage afterwards really reset my body. I walked through Santa Cruz afterward and felt like I was experiencing everything much more intensely and had left all the stress behind me. Unfortunately, the price is disproportionate to what I get here with my fellowship as a caregiver for people with disabilities. Therefore, I won't be able to afford this luxury again for a while.

My house often goes to Wilder Ranch State Park on Sunday, our outing day. I have the day off, so I haven't had the chance to visit this park yet. The walking group went to the park this week, so I was able to experience for myself why my house loves this park so much. The park used to be a dairy farm; today, you can visit a museum in the restored buildings. It's a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the ocean, but you'll be rewarded with beautiful views of the California coast along the path along the coast. In a bay with no access, numerous sea lions lie, which can be observed from above. The Portola Expedition was the first European land exploration of Alta California in 1769 and camped in the park. They gave many important names along their journey, such as the San Lorenzo River, the Pajaro River, and Santa Cruz. The Franciscan missionary Juan Crespi noted in his journal how difficult it was to travel along this stretch of coast: "The path was very difficult on this march because of the many ravines [arroyos]." With the founding of Mission Santa Cruz in 1791, the area became part of the mission's pastureland. The secularization of the missions in 1834 divided the mission land into large land grants, called "ranchos." The Wilder Ranch was part of the Rancho Refugio. Dairy farmer Delos D. Wilder, along with L. K. Baldwin, acquired part of the former ranch in 1871. The Wilder family operated the dairy until 1969, before the state acquired the land in 1974.

One resident was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. To help us as coworkers deal with this, Emmanuel Pascua, a nurse and consultant from the Regional Center (which oversees facilities for people with disabilities in our area), visited and conducted a training course with us. The preferred term for this condition is "exercise-induced bronchoconstriction." This term is more accurate because exercise causes narrowing of the airways (bronchoconstriction), but is not a root cause of asthma. Exercise-induced asthma is a narrowing of the airways in the lungs triggered by strenuous physical exercise. It causes shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and other symptoms during or after exercise. Most people with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction can continue to exercise and stay active by managing symptoms with asthma medications and taking preventative measures. Now I know how to deal with it—a great training! After the course, I spent a long time talking with the nurse because I had so many questions about the healthcare system in the US, nursing training, his time as a nurse in Kuwait in the 90s, and he was interested in the education system in Germany. I learned a lot of interesting things. For example, if you call an ambulance, it will take you to the hospital. Why don't you drive yourself to the hospital? Because patients who arrive by ambulance always get priority. A medical history is certainly taken for all arriving patients, as is the case in Germany, but you'll still wait considerably longer if you drive yourself. The ambulance is very expensive, though, and don't think the siren is included. If it's activated, you'll incur additional costs: "It's a premium," said the nurse. This sounds like real-life satire, but the nurse wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the system in the US either. Nurses study in the US and aren't viewed as assistants to doctors like in Germany, but as nursing experts who have the final say in their field. In the US military, nurses are therefore also officers. He himself worked in Kuwait in the 1990s, where he helped soldiers, police officers, and pilots with alcohol and drug problems. Very exciting! I told him about teacher training in Germany, where everyone (regardless of whether they're in elementary school, middle school, or high school) has to complete a bachelor's degree (3 years), a master's degree (2 years), and a traineeship called "Referendariat" (1.5-2 years). That's up to 7 years of training! In the US, many get their bachelor's degree and start working as teachers at school, just for some few years until they find another job in their field. This means there's much more turnover and a much shorter training period then in Germany.

In the garden, I continued working on the worm farm with my resident. The resident has shown amazing development: he usually threw the coffee grounds and the paper into the worm bucket. Now he's started shaking out the coffee grounds and disposing of the paper. From one week to the next! Sometimes it takes a long time, but successes like this show that even if you have to remind someone every day, your patience will pay off in the end. The grass has grown very long, and we did a lot of raking together.  Before I came to Camphill, I knew nothing about plants and gardening. I have since gained a lot of practical experience and love working outdoors. We spend a lot of time removing weeds. Some colleagues find this boring, but I enjoy sitting in the sun, listening to the sounds of nature and doing this meditative activity.

The project is going very well. I often saw the resident C. sitting at the table during her lunch break and sorting puzzle pieces from left to right and then back again. She has few hobbies and interests that she can pursue without a coworker at her side. Therefore, my project goal is to try out meaningful activities with her. My goal is to fill a box with her, which is full of different materials that she has chosen together with me. If she is bored, she can take the box and take out materials on her own. After finding interesting materials, we now painted the box together.

This week, I went running in Niesene Marks State Park with the resident I run with regularly. There was a stream here that we had to cross over logs and rocks. It was challenging, but it also added a balance exercise to the run.

At the library in Aptos, I learned about Polo Grounds Regional Park and the Rio Del Mar County Club. The original gate sign now hangs in the Aptos Library. The 62-acre site was purchased by Rafael Castro in 1872 and served as a horse ranch and summer residence when he wasn't in San Francisco. Polo originated in the Middle East and came to the USA in 1876. It was called the "sport of kings" because keeping ponies was, and still is, very expensive. Because there are many horse ranches in the USA, the sport spread, even to Hawaii. Polo began playing at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz in 1922. In 1924, the site purchased by Rafael Castro officially became the Aptos Polo Field. At the time, it was described as "the most perfect polo field in the West, if not in the United States."

One afternoon, we visited the house Chrysalis and listened to music on the record player and read newspapers together. It was very cozy!

A German volunteer took two Hungarian colleagues and me to San Francisco, where we went out to eat together. He found a German restaurant, the "Suppenküche". Here, we finally enjoyed German food and beer again – it was truly delicious! It's also very expensive:

0.3 liters of Hofbräu Helles: $6, 0.5 liters: $10, 1 liter: $18

Currywurst with fries: $22

Potato fritters: $16

Pork shoulder: $38

Chicken schnitzel: $24

Very tasty, but given the price and the distance, it won't be my regular restaurant.

A teacher at the academy is currently experiencing health problems. She has a dog that she can't walk at the moment. Therefore, our walking group offered to take "Tigger" with us on our walk along the beach. He's a very well-behaved dog, even our residents were able to keep him on a leash. The following week, we went for a walk in Manresa Beach Park. Unlike the other beaches, it's not very busy here (at least on Tuesday afternoons), so we were able to enjoy the beach in peace.

A colleague from the SAGE Group recommended the Wingstop restaurant to me. I love fried chicken, so I tried the chain near Capitola Mall. The chicken, which comes with or without bones, is prepared with a sauce. There are numerous sauces to choose from. My favorite: Boneless Wings with Hickory Smoked BBQ or Hot Honey Rub. They also offer wings on the bone, chicken sandwiches, crispy tenders, fries, and brownies. On Tender Tuesday, you can get two tenders for three dollars—a great way to try different flavors.

MEXICAN STREET SPICE

ATOMIC

MANGO HABANERO

CAJUN

ORIGINAL HOT

HOT HONEY RUB

LOUISIANA RUB

SPICY KOREAN Q

HICKORY SMOKED BBQ

MILD

LEMON PEPPER

GARLIC PARMESAN

HAWAIIAN

PLAIN

Last year, I ordered faux fur for the couch in my room. I love the texture of fur, but I don't want real fur. I recently pulled the fur throw over my office chair and now I have a comfortable reading chair.

Every Wednesday we have a lunch cafe. On Wednesdays, many people have meetings, and our class has an academy, so not every house cooks separately. Instead, there's a larger team that cooks for the entire community. This is nice because here at ISHI, the whole community comes together on our terrace, and you can chat with people you don't normally have much contact with. Our academy is currently on break, but we students aren't; we're helping out in the community. Since someone at the lunch cafe got sick, I stepped in and helped with the cooking. It makes a big difference whether I'm cooking for 12 people, like on Mondays, or for 60. We cooked rice, salad, beans, vegetables, and baked lemon pudding with blueberry jam. It was fun, and we received a lot of praise afterward!

I follow the California Highway Patrol in our region and am often amazed at how many crazy things happen around here. Recently, a stolen vehicle was recovered. The officers found a 60mm mortar shell inside! It's classified as a military weapon and had been modified afterward. So, the bomb squad was alerted, and in collaboration with the EOD forces from Beale Air Force Base, they defused the munitions.

It was our new colleague from Tennessee's birthday, so we ordered food from Pretty Good Advice. Very tasty vegetarian burgers from a former Michelin-starred chef who left his restaurant to open his own chain.

In the garden, we spent a lot of time watering the plants and weeding. Some of my colleagues find this boring, but I enjoy the meditative nature of the work. In my project, we continued working on the box, painting it, making a sign, and filling it with interesting activities.

The grandparents of a resident brought us numerous kitchen utensils, such as coffee machines, dishes, and glasses, that they no longer needed. Our homes were very happy about the donation and expanded our kitchens. I found a coffee capsule machine, which, although it's ecologically unacceptable, makes a really great mocha, unlike the other coffee machines.

The nurse in our community gave a talk on medicinal herbs. We were divided into groups and given the task of finding the herbs in our garden whose benefits and effects she talked about. It's exciting to see how many medicinal plants we have in the garden, such as calendula, dandelion, plantain, rosemary, catnip, sage, yarrow, and lavender.

In dance class on Thursday afternoon, we learned a lot of new dances. I made a funny discovery in the supermarket: above a refrigerated cabinet full of alcohol, there was a sign saying "Must Have for Moms." That made me laugh so hard.

It was a colleague's birthday and he invited us to go rollerskating with him. I'd never done it before, and for the first few laps, I just rode along the edge with one hand on the railing. I got tips from my colleagues on how to push off, and I gradually gained speed. Then I dared to ride with a distance from the wall. Normally, you push off alternately with your left and right leg. I was able to push off well with my right leg, but I had a little balance trouble with my left. In the end, I kept my left leg stationary and pushed off with just my right. Amazingly, it worked well! I gained more courage, but I also fell to the floor twice when I overdid it. My wrist hurt for a few weeks afterward, but the evening was still fun.

One Sunday, I managed to have a video conference with two old friends. One is from Rendsburg (Schleswig-Holstein), whom I've known since 2010, and the other is from Simbach am Inn (Bavaria), whom I've known since 2011. We spent a lot of time together after school as teenagers. Because of the distance, we usually played video games together and talked about our lives. Being so far apart isn't always easy, but at the same time, you don't know each other's environment personally and can therefore offer a more neutral perspective and better support for some questions.

Our house participated in a festival in San Lorenzo Park, organized by "Shared Adventures." Many different people from the field of supporting people with disabilities were there and talked about their work. There were free hot dogs and burgers, hands-on booths where our residents could paint, and many giveaways. There were also live bands and opportunities to dance. A great afternoon!

On a hot day, I bought ice cream at "The Penny Ice Creamery". It was delicious, but also expensive at $6 for a scoop. The selection isn't as good as Marianne's, so this shop remains my favorite.

I visited Chrysallis, where I petted the neighbor's cat again. Over time, I realize how much I miss having a pet—or animals in general. At Triform, we had two cats in the house, as well as the many animals I worked with on the farm. I find the presence of animals very calming, and it's also nice to take the time to just sit and pet an animal. When I walk down the hill, I always pass a house where two huskies are lying on a balcony, watching the neighborhood. The sight always warms my heart.

The plumbing in the kitchen was broken. My colleague from Bavaria, whose family owns a handyman business, can usually provide immediate assistance in such cases. However, he wasn't available, so my new colleague from Tennessee stepped in, whose father gave technical instructions for the repair over the phone.

There are many informational signs along the bay and the stream with interesting facts about the natural environment here. I took some pictures of the signs to give you an insight into the natural diversity here.