From Global to Local, landing in Sweden

Week 1 in Sweden! Sunday, September 08, 2024

From Global to Local 

Exploring challenges of healthcare, education, agriculture, nature on a global scale and learning from local experts what they are doing in the Jarna area responding to the challenges. 

“Abstraction without practice is an illness”, by the founder of Forest School in Jarna. He emphasizes the importance of experiential learning to be the foundation for children, playing and get their hands and body moving in order to learn any abstract theories later on. 

We learned basic of biodynamic agriculture which utilize and activate all resources in the land to produce food and preserve the ecology. We visited his farm as he showed us his passion to find connections between all beings, from plants, to animal to humans. 

We learned the holistic approach to healthcare from an anthropological perspective that look at spiritual root cause apart from physical symtoms. We practiced a few healthcare methods to take care of ourselves in winter time like foot massage to keep our body warm, ear relief if having headache… We went to the local clinic and learned with the nurse. 

We visited an ethical bank to learn how money should be consciously regulated and spent here. The bank provides social therapy, loans, and free money to ecofriendly initiatives, fairtrade activities, renewable energy businesses with low interest rate. Really admire that what makes them different is the transparency of the transactions and loans they give out.

inside the bank, a hundred year old building made out of wood

They could build trust and relationships among clients who could find connections within the client network. And so the bank has very commited customers for 20 years + I am interested in learning the ethical side of the banks I use.

We also visited a school and learning center for the people with different disabilities including children and adults. So it's opportunity of education and livelihood. The founder who will soon retire share about the challenges of how to create an inclusive education for people considered as neurodivergent, and how dedicated the staff here have to be who might not make much income but willing to support the place.

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I was so excited to put down my learnings from the whole fantastic week. Yet at the moment, my heart is so heavy, pondering about my home country. I composed a poem this morning, praying for a more peaceful world, of us being able to recover from the storm. The loss is so painful. None of the broken property or infrastructure is mine. But they have become part of me. I have to hold my breath reading and looking at the photos of fallen trees and post-disaster. I call this a real disaster. I want to talk more with Bella about her country as well. 

I had just got to enjoy this gorgeous place in Jarna while my people, and then my country are suffering so badly.

Why all of a sudden? Now asking the question why, and I would be able to find a way to address the situation. I need to live in the present, yet I could feel the suffering from afar. Seeing people have to disconnect with electricity and pause all ongoing activities. 

I wandered alone in the forest. I felt the realness of my dream. I dreamed of being close to forest, walking barefoot and immersing myself in the sunlight everyday. It is within my hand, within my nerves, my skin.

The softness of grass massaged my senses, soothing my worries about my people. My mind, yet, is longing to do something for my people. My heart aches as I appear helpless. 

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Random Poem

Trees in Hanoi

part of my youth cycling in the city

I walked past many trees, and photographed some

bothered me as they were being exploited on pavements

Yet, they were alive

I love them

Trees in my hometown

My childhood wondering in the hills 

My highschool we hung out under the shades

We made bonfires and had conversations

At times of stress, spacing out into the greenness

my soul was rescued and healed

now that my dear friends are in pain or lost

I haven’t prepared to grieve

what could I do? 

I want to offer support…

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I guess that we all contribute to the cause of the storm in some way. Articles say climate change has increased temperatures under the ocean, so storms attract more energy that increases wind speed. With the scorching hot summer this year, this storm must be part of this strange climate. 

Now, I am strongly feeling the climate anxiety. I really need to do something, can’t be complacent with what’s given to me. 

Questions

As we talked about challenges of healthcare, education, agriculture, nature

we have discussed which internship place we want to go to: Places close to my heart

I may take this event to study more about what I could do to enhance this reality of climate change? 

Should I go back to my home country? 

I am going wild in thinking wondering with questions. 

People are cleaning up the demises; helping to provide food; sending gratitude to those who passed away; spreading care and pray for safety, offering places to rescue the fallen trees. So painful to know that those trees have to stay in large area of land, otherwise, very hard to stay alive. We have thousands of trees all over Northern provinces. 

I need a run…

My mind brings me everywhere. 

Repetitive history

I am reading “Salt to the sea” (Ruta Sepetys) about a fleeing journey of a group of people to Baltic sea for a better life. These European countries also have their tough history. Actually not only my country that suffered from war. Poland, Czech, Lithuana, Latvia, ect suffered from brutal Nazis and the Russians. World politics was in control by different nations, but same intention, claiming power. In the act of realizing that intention, there is little room for humanity and love. Humans were treated like objects. Immoral ideas inserted on the society caused humans to encounter hunger, unwanted pregnancy, illness, disabilities, trauma, anger and fear. This remains the same in a modern approach. Humans are threatened to be jobless by technology or extraordinary talents, people fight over one another to stand out, competition over collaboration, cynicism over compassion, the saddest thing is human gains over nature. 

I’ve done some reading about Waldorf education and its stance in Vietnam. I have the belief in that Anthosopophical philosophy as well, afterall. It speaks to me immediately what they do, why experiential learning matters so much. I want to integrate experiential learning into a place to teach adult and children to explore and appreciate human-nature relationship. And yes, we could be aware of the power of a peaceful natural world, and the anger it may lay on us. 

Most schools in Vietnam are kindergartens. I want to attend the secondary or highschool ones that suits my personality better. Maybe I would look for schools that really adopt this philosophy in the offerings to learners in their country. That would be great! Wonder if there are any schools or organizations that create learning environments for learners including the young and their parents? 

Next week will be diving into system thinking. I want to bring the event in my home into discussion. I want to hear what my friends’ ideas are in this situation.