Albuquerque:
I really enjoyed my stay in Albuquerque. I spent most of my time with my uncle Alan, working in the yard or simply enjoying the peaceful and quiet landscape. When we were outside, Alan cup his ear with his hand and say, “Do you hear that? --Nothing, just the way I want it…” There is definitely something to be said for living away from the hustle and bustle of the city or even other people. In the city, I can constantly hear the freeway or BART trains in the background. These sounds are not necessarily a bad thing, but they definitely encourage a different mind-set. With such on-going activity on the city, I am influenced to live with a faster-paced, more interactive approach. However, when removed from this environment, I have the opportunity to engage my surroundings at my own pace and practice a slower, more relaxed attitude. This may just be a Southwest way of living- a little slower, a little more relaxed, just a little more “chill”.
I spent a whole day with the Gorvetzians (my roommate’s family) and saw much of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Santa Fe is simply gorgeous, from the artwork in the galleries to the architecture. We visited several art galleries and craft shops; the hand-made Indian bowls, jugs, and figurines are incredible. The choice of shape and color in each piece is amazing. The pueblo style of buildings and the color and texture of adobe is very appealing to me. In contrast to the natural tones of the adobe, much of the artwork incorporated many bold and distinct colors. The picture is of a staircase built by a mystery carpenter who built it for free for the church- it uses no nails or fasteners, either. Nancy, his mom, gave me a tour of Albuquerque Academy, the most impressive and extensive high school I’ve ever seen. Afterwards, his sister taught me how to stack cups; I had no idea there was a specific routine used for competitions. After a few tries, I did the routine in less than 30 seconds (29.5 to be exact)!
For dinner, we had some Mediterranean/Armenian food- delicious. Later, I had lunch with Jill Levin (My “Aunt”- since Brooke is an un-official mother to me)- thanks for the New Mexican food! As we talked about all the activities that her son was participating in and at times feeling overwhelmed with, I couldn’t help but think of my experience and I’m sure the experience of many of the kids at Albuquerque Academy. There are so many options and great things to do, but spreading oneself too thin can be harmful- more on this later. I had lunch with Ann Petersen and did some yard work at her house. I spent an afternoon cutting down trees, which involved climbing, tying rope, chain saws and axes- simply awesome.
From Albuquerque, I took the train to Raton, NM and then the bus to Denver, CO. The bus went threw a huge storm- so much rain and lightening. My weekend in Denver just happened to be the weekend that a bunch of the Murray’s were gathering at Kearin’s house, so I got to meet (more like connect faces with names) many of my uncles, aunts, and cousins. The constantly changing weather in Denver was quite surprising. One day could start sunny, then snow, then sun, then rain, then snow, and then sun- each hour was a surprise! I spent a day with Kearin, driving around town and checking out the city- it started sunny, but then it snowed so hard they had to shut down the highway in both directions. Coming from Alaska, Kearin said this was nothing, but I had never seen it snow so hard. I met my uncle Denis at Regis University where we works and attended a small party for the participants of a dual-language program. Also, I met Bill- Denis’s boss and a very close friend to the Murray family. The Regis campus is beautiful- especially when spring makes everything so green and crisp. College campuses are awesome for exploring; cool people and neat places. Driving from Regis to Pine (up in the mountains where Denis lives) was quite an adventure. A huge boulder had fallen onto the highway, blocking both lanes of traffic. Police had to turn everyone around end us back out of the valley. Our car was literally the last one to leave the canyon, but it provided a bunch of visiting time for Denis and me. For dinner that night, we had home-made pizza (which rivaled the pizza we make at dad’s house…) In the morning, Denis and I went for a run next to the river- beautiful scenery, peaceful atmosphere, and a great workout at altitude. Breakfast was a feast- eggs (cheese and green chilies), potatoes, sausage, and fruit! I could definitely tell Denis and Frank are brothers- they both know how to cook. Then we went to the sledding hill to enjoy the last several inches of snow. And although we forgot the sleds at home and cardboard didn’t work too well, we borrowed a few sleds and had a blast! After the Murray party that evening, we went to Collin and Erik (Kearin’s kids) hockey game. Although they lost, they inspired me to take up hockey at some point in my life. I want to play a sport where I can wear pads and hit people as hard as I can- now I just have to learn to skate… The next morning I attended Sunday mass (the first time I’d been to church since doing the Buddhist meditation retreat)- I’d never had such a spiritual experience in a church before… That afternoon, I went fishing with Denis in his pond and caught 4 fish! They weren’t very big, but it was quite exciting for me- I’m definitely going fishing more often. Even if I don’t catch any fish, I really enjoy the patience in waiting and peacefulness of being outside. Before I went to Union station, Denis, Mary, Monica, and I went to cheesecake factory and indulged in four pieces of the biggest, richest, most delicious cheesecake I’ve ever had. Talk about a food coma afterwards… Then we took the streetcar around downtown, which crashed into a trashcan and a planter box. I’ve never seen a public transportation vehicle run into a non-moving object- apparently it has happened a lot in Denver recently. On the train, I met a man who had just attended a balance and alignment retreat in Berkeley, CA. The retreat focused on the awareness of posture and natural alignment- which he claims leads to a balanced life.
