June 2007

Tonight I post pictures from the International Summer Institute with Harlene Anderson and Grupos Campos Elisios Faculty. Highlights of the trip? Meeting new and old friends; spontaneity and surprise in the large group processes; the cultural celebration presented by the faculty of Kanankil Institute; the Bava sisters; many many conversations relating to research; boisterous singing with the roving guitar on the sand by the water, each country's national songs sung, translated, danced; the laughing; the Las Palapas hotel, soon to be levelled; accidental conversations in the lobby; belonging at "Greg's place;" meeting with Sally, Dan, Margarita and Harlene to talk about the project, imagining the next steps; those mangoes; darkness at 8pm and the sweetness of cooling temperatures; Sara's improvisory art and the stories of her process, and Salma's too; 5th Avenue at night, the smells, lights, music... and the peaceful quiet of the winding driveway to the hotel.

Wednesday afternoon... taking a draft of my dissertation back from Harlene's keeping to spend an afternoon going through it in a little cafe, Spanish love songs playing, I am the only patron, three young Mexican women giggling behind the til,...... I turn one page at a time, Harlene's comments, questions, underlines, circles... I am touched by her presence all throughout my work, first in pencil, then in blue ink, then black... In the cover, she writes first, "Janice, the voices are incredible..."

Today I completed an introduction... and soon I will mail out a letter to all therapists joining in this collaborative inquiry - last chance to suggest changes. Then I must sit with Sally's questions for a bit, and write a last piece.

Janice