Mapping

Mapping Ritual

9th April, 2019, mapping ritual exercise

First class of cultural diversity was mainly about the project, including the introduction of the lesson, ritual, the healing rituals,different rituals and mapping our own rituals.
What I found in my mapping was the ritual between secular and individual. I had a stereotype about ritual is more about the country, religions and traditions. However, a daily routine or a personal habit can be a ritual also,which depends on how it impact on you, how it can be passed and how it can be a culture. Rituals have the power to communicate between nature and human, death and life, different culture and people etc. From my cultural background, there are so many old and mysterious rituals in different places. Sometimes I feel far away from them because I grew up in the cities. I still remember there was time that I was so afraid of worship ancestors when my grandma told me to burn incense, pray and kowtow, which made me very strange and awkward. That was a natural reaction from me, so I firmly refused. Now I always think whether I have missed so much about the rituals traditions, the strong relationship between me and my family or family history. When I look back, I found I just want to find these lost things back.

Sensory Mapping

12th April,2019, Botanical Garden Leiden

It was a sunny day to go to the botanical garden. Actually it was the first time to experience a mobiled classroom. We had a short-time Chinses exercise from Amy, having the blind-folding tour and the theory lesson.

Amy's warm-up section reminded me of the senior citizens in my country. For them, morning exercise is a ritual everyday, to fresh themselves, to waken the body and to start a new day. It was a good beginning of our lesson.

What impressed me most and influenced me most was the blind-fold tour section. Being blind, at first, was a little afraid and untrustful to your partner. Everything was in a extreme uncertainty. But soon, I felt good in the blind. The world around you became very big and I was so tiny in it. I tried to touch the stone, the water, the plants, and tried to say hello to the kids even if you can't see. This uncertainty gave me a very broden imaginary world, where you can redefine the material from different ways.
The other interesting thing was the conversation. When I was guided, I focus more on the sound and touch. I was more willing to talk, to make sure I was connected and not lonely, which brought a good conversation between me and my partner. This was the conversation between two people. Besides, another was the communication between people and nature, to know the material world in a different way.

(I can feel something changed in my mind, a feeling of relaxation, not so embarrassed taking to people, happiness and more concentration.)

Because of the blind-fold, when I read the articles during the theory section, It was much clear to listen to others summary and I can pay more attention to what I was reading.

Got a lot on that day!