Eduardo and Roberta, our Brazilian Friends

Having good friends makes everything so much fun!  I met Eduardo and Roberta at my Intensive French classes in Toulouse.  They were there for the 30 month course...  I was there for only 5 weeks!  Needless to say, they both now speak beautiful French while I am still struggling with conversation.

Anyway, they came to Anzere for 2 days (far too short a time) but we did some fantastic walks and picnics in the short time they were here.  Standing on top of a mountain is an awesome experience, and as the highest 'mountain' near their home is 300 mtrs, you can imagine how blown away they were to be walking in the alps.  It is such a joy to be able to give and to share a new experience with friends who are on the same wave length as you.

(Also, it was Roberta who told me about Vipassona Meditation and we were on that course together.)

Besançon

We drove to France and visited a good friend, Miriam.  She and her husband were 'given to us' as passengers in a balloon during a balloon meet 4 years ago in Dole.  We all became good friends and have kept in touch.  Her husband unfortunatley died of cancer last year, so we wanted to see her again and spend some time with her.  Needless to say, we had a wonderful time.  I do love being in France!

Vipassana

June 27th to July 8th

I travelled to Hereford, England to do a 10 day mediation course.  It rained every day with gray threatening clouds 99% of the time it was not actually raining.  I didn't mind the rain but it certainly made me appreciate the blue sky and sunshine of Australia!

The meditation course was difficult yet immensely satisfying. It is called Vipassana and really was quite non-denominational...  not really religious in any sense of the word.  It was Buddha's technique for teaching people how to meditate deeply.  I didn't mind the silence, the 10 days of not talking, nor not being able to have any communication with fellow meditators.  The vegetarian food was excellently good!!

I did find meditating 10 hours a day a little daunting and did get bored and wondered what I was doing there a few times!!  But this all passed and I found that during the x3 hours a day of deeper meditation, I could sit for an hour at a time without moving so much as a finger!  Did have problems with trying to silence my chattering mind!

It is not a good experience for everyone however.  Three people left the course in the first few days...  and I found out that a close friend tried it a few years ago in Blackheath in the Blue Mountains (a Vipassona Centre is located there) and left within 36 hours.  She couldn't stand it.  But she does have personal issues.  You really have to be able to 'go within and look at what is there'.

But in all, it was worth the experience and I would recommend it to anyone who wished to delve into themselves a little bit.  I think my overall ability to be calm inside and not react to things has improved, and the 'dealing with emotional baggage' side of it was excellent.

I will probably go back to a Vipassana Centre in the years to come for another injection of peace and calm.