Day Two of the Seminar

This is Jose, Adrianna, and Rhonda and me taken on the patio outside the room where the class was held.

I couldn’t believe that Saturday night offered us more partying, more fireworks, more singing and partying until 3:00 a.m.! We overslept by about 45 minutes but still had plenty of time to make it to the Hotel by 9:30 or so. Neither of us felt very good and skipped breakfast – not something I recommend before giving a full day seminar in the 90 degree heat. I have to admit I felt challenged to do my best without more sleep. Thank goodness for meditation which I feel gave me the balance I needed to proceed with confidence.

Some of the class had done their homework assignments and felt good about it – others had not and I encouraged them to give it a try. Then I told them a story about something that had happened to Rhonda and me on our way home the night before.

We were waiting at the bus stop. A bus pulled up which was not ours. Sitting in the first sear by the window was a beautiful old woman. She had to be in her 80’s or 90’s. Her open and wrinkled face was framed by gorgeous full, white hair. She looked at Rhonda and then at me – and then just kept looking at both of us. Slowly, her face smiled and then she took her hand, kissed it, and slowly threw us a kiss – still smiling as the bus pulled away.

As I told the story I began to feel very emotional, as I do now. I can see that woman in total detail and I will for the rest of my life. I told the class that I had no idea who the woman was. I would never see her again, I am sure. And I wondered if she wasn’t an angel sent to bless us. I told them how that simple act of kindness on her part had deeply impacted me — and, to my embarrassment — I began to cry, on stage, in front of a roomful of students. I managed to compose myself and then told them that this is the effect they might have on someone when they perform a small act of kindness. I think they totally understood the assignment I had given them and how much of an impact they can make on their world.

After that, it was a little difficult to continue but I eventually got control of my voice and emotions and continued. The rest of the day was superb with the students asking great questions and enjoying the work we did together.

This is me with Alex and Nina. Alex was my translator for both this class and the one last year. During the second half of the second day of this seminar, Nina did the translating with Alex sitting beside her to help. She is studying to be a professional translator and this was the first time she did it for a group. Nina did a fabulous job and I told her so. I just love Alex – he is one of the nicest, most sincere, intelligent and gentle men I have met – and, ladies, as of right now he is single!

At the beginning of our last break, we all went outside to take the photo I posted yesterday. I am going to hang it on my photo wall at home so I can see these special souls every day!

At the end we all got in a large circle and said all the things we are thankful for. I had brought a small candle with me to give to each person. One I had lit from a candle I have at home that my friend and colleague DaKara gave me – lit from a candle that was blessed and lit by the Dalai Lama. After I had said my final words and said Adios, no one moved. Then someone began humming a song that sounded familiar- like “For Old Acquaintance…” but I need to find out what it was.

After the candles were finally blown out, everyone began clapping for me – and wouldn’t stop! It went on and on and felt so great. The students has appaulded at each break already so I surprised to get even more. I asked Nina to tell them that they were doing their homework assignment for the day by making me feel so good.

For another half an hour or so, I signed autographs in books people had bought, posed for photos, and mostly especially received thanks and hugs and kisses that made me know the students had gotten a lot out of the class. One woman whose back had been hurting her had no more pain after we did the session on letting go of guilt and forgiving those who have harmed us.

One of the many wonderful hugs I exchanged with the students.

One woman told me she had been “stuck” before coming to the seminar and now felt totally clear on her path and what she needed to do next. Several people came up and told me I am an angel, like the woman on the bus. And some shared what they had done for the homework and how fabulous it made them feel.

We went back to the apartment where we watched the soccer game between Spain and Germany and WE won! We were so proud of our adopted country! There was more screaming and fireworks as everyone celebrated but I was able to hit the sack and get a great night’s sleep.

Love,

Krysta

Day One of the Seminar

 

(This is a photo of most of the people in the class and myself. Rhonda is missing – she took the photo!)

The first day of the seminar began quite nicely. Even though we had not gotten much sleep due to the neighborhood partying most of the night, we were up on time and we got out of the apartment on time and caught the right bus to take us to the Hotel Gran Via which is right across the street from the school that sponsored the seminar. The class was to begin at 10:00 a.m. and we got to the building at 9:00 a.m., plenty of time to set up and get a feel for the room and to be focused when it was time for me to “go on.”

Although we only had one floor to go up, we were carrying our heavy computer bags (with computers) and decided to take the elevator. The first time, it took us too many stories up so we got back in and told it to go down. Instead, it went up where the doors opened and two women from France got on with us.

The elevator started to go down and then it stopped. We punched buttons. Nothing happened. The elevator would not move! If you have been to Europe, you know how small the elevators are. Rhonda likes to say they are the size of a casket built for two!

One of the women hit the emergency button and after awhile a voice came over the intercom. The voice didn’t know English and our Spanish wasn’t quite enough for her to understand at first. The voice also didn’t know French and our new elevator-mates didn’t know hardly any Spanish and only a little English. Eventually, we were able to tell the Voice where we were and that the elevator wouldn’t work. The voice said she would send help. We had no idea where the voice was – certainly not in the hotel.

One of the women started to get panicky and began to pound on the door. A voice on the other side said, “Un momento.” We heard him trying to open the door and then heard him say in Spanish, “It won’t work; I can’t open it.” YIKES!!! 

We waited some more. The two women took of their sandals and began to use them as fans. Did I mention it was already 80 degrees outside and that there was no air or fan in the elevator? Did I mention how hot it was getting? I decided the best action was to continue breathing and knowing that we would get out in plenty of time for my class. Even if they had to cut the doors open, I was sure we would get out in time. And I thought to myself what a great story this was going to make.

Then the lights went out. Do you have any idea of how black black is in an elevator with absolutely no light? It is very black. The absence of all light. Our new friends began to panic a little more. We could hear that the technician had arrived and eventually the elevator moved and we could see a slice of light. Before much longer, the door opened and we could feel fresh air and see light. We were free!

We had been in there for 30 minutes! I still had plenty of time to get upstairs and prepare for the class. I thought to myself, “This will make a great story for my section on ‘dealing with challenges.’” Indeed, it made a great story to which I could allude many times during the seminar. I admit this is not the way I would have consciously chosen to begin the first day of my class in Barcelona, but what we can’t control we must accept!

The students were wonderful. Many of the 60 or so people had been to the Kabbalah Congress where I spoke last November and it felt great to see them again. When I was preparing the class I had tuned in to these particular people so that I would cover the material they would most enjoy. I must have tuned in pretty well because they truly enjoyed the class and the material I presented.

My book “22 Steps to Success” was available in the Spanish edition and many of them were buying the book and having me sign it — plus getting and giving kisses and hugs. These people who came to my class are so incredibly special and I told them so. The room just buzzes with love. I don’t think it is possible for me to convey the feeling they exude. Sometimes I had them do exercises together and then the energy was over the top. I allowed myself to bask in it. Both teacher and students were benefiting, that is for sure.

The first day ended with my giving them a homework assignment: to do or say something positive to a person they would not normally do that for – such as a clerk in a store, a waiter, a stranger on the street. It could be as simple as smiling at someone who appeared to be sad. They were eager to do this!

Day one ended with hugs all around and everyone being happy, including José Luis and his wife Adrianna, the people who brought me to Barcelona. They are at the far left in the photo above. I will include a better picture of them in the next day’s blog.

Love,

Krysta

 

 

The Seminar is over

Have you missed me the past few days? It is because I have been giving the two-day seminar that brought us here. I just got back to the apartment and I am going to kickback and think over the experience I just had. At the end I received numerous hugs and kisses and thanks and I am now going to go and bask in the warm feelings. Tomorrow, I will write more and post some photos Rhonda took.

Love,

Krysta

Video session and my first bilingual consultation!

I think this video taping session is best summed up with the word “Wow.” They have a room all set up with video and audio equipment and they have a young man who knows how to use it. First we worked with the lighting and right before starting I added a layer of makeup — with the heat, what I had put on had been blotted off!

They did not tell me about the questions they would ask except in very general terms. This was so my reactions and statements would be unprepared. They began with the easy things like what are your current spiritual practices and who has been most important to you on your path – and moved through issues such as spirituality and sexuality; what do I think of death and am I afraid of dying; to what is God!

Here they are during the taping:

And here we are taping together:

And here is one of the many close-ups Rhonda took during the taping.

And here are the three of us discussing the taping:

José Luis is the man with the tied-back pony tail and Enrique you have met in earlier posts.

After the taping I had a very exciting thing happen. José’s wife had asked me if I would do a consultation for her and I had said I would. I had wondered if we would use a translator because she does not know a lot of English and my Spanish is not that great yet either. She decided not to use anyone because she wanted the reading to be private.

So we went up to her office on the third floor (she is a healer) which was delightfully air conditioned. Believe it or not, I was able to give her a reading! Between my Spanish, her English, and some sign language, we communicated. I was very proud of both of us. And she loved her reading.

During lunch with José, Adrianna, and Enrique, we decided that when I return in November 2009 for the next Kabbalah Conference I will offer two or three days of consultations for people. We also agreed I would not use a translator for privacy reasons. This means I have a year and a half to get bilingual enough to do readings for people here. And I am committed to doing it. Most of what I have been learning so far gets me around fine as a tourist. Now I will learn to speak Spanish in a consulting role. It will be fun!

While I was at the school, I picked up a deck of angel cards and book that is totally in Spanish. As part of my learning practice I am going to pull at least one card a day and read about it — dictionary in hand, of course. This will help me learn some of the more spiritually-oriented words that might not be used so much in daily conversation.

This was a very fulfilling day for me and I am looking forward to Saturday and Sunday when I give the seminar. I ran into a few students today and they are so gracious and excited for me to be here. I am very grateful for this opportunity.

Love,

Krysta

 

Under the Sea

Besides that fabulous lunch I mentioned yesterday, Rhonda and I also took the bus and went to L’aquarium. Most of the sea creatures we saw live in the Mediterranean Sea and we hadn’t seen some of them before. Here is a sampling of the photos we took. This first one shows the statue of Columbus where he is pointing to the New World. It is the spot where he took off on his big voyage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards we visited a mall that is next to the aquarium where we watched some men dismantle a huge metal structure that had been put up for a music show a few days ago.

It was amazing to watch them climb up and down those bars – and without any safety straps, either. I just asked their angels to watch out for them and I hope the men ask for that before they go scrambling around that like.

Next…the day they shot a video of me……

Love,

Krysta

 

I saw my book cover today!

Today was the day I saw the book cover for my “22 Steps to Success” which is being published in Spanish by José Luis Cartig through his Escuelas de Misterios Ediciones here in Barcelona. Here it is called “Los 22 pasos al éxito.” A photo taken of me when I spoke here last November is the biggest part of the cover! It is a good photo of me and the cover is very nice.

They have also produced a DVD of one of my three talks from last year. I will be bringing some home with me and they are bilingual – so those of you who wanted to know more about my talks can get one of the videos. I will look into a distribution system for the book and video (with more of those to come) in Spanish once I get home since José doesn’t have a US distribution system yet.

We had one of the best lunches in my life. José, his wife Adrianna, and Enrique met us at the school at around 2:00. After we discussed the book and seminar, we got into taxis and went to a marvelous Italian restaurant. It was a rich person’s home many years ago, Enrique said, but now it is a two story restaurant. The statues and decor were fascinating and very different – I wish I had taken some interior photos but didn’t think to ask if I could or not! Rhonda took some of the door. You have to have a reservation and can’t just walk in. You have to announce yourself through the speaker and then be allowed to enter.

 

 

First, they brought us our choice of a white asparagus or red pepper appetizer. Then we had four pastas: one after the other. The first was a ravioli in a white cream sauce, the second pasta had a hot and spicy red sauce; the third was gnocchi; and the last was risotto. Each was fabulous. We were already full when they brought the main course – fish for me and roast beef for Rhonda. The meal was topped off with a refreshing passion fruit sorbet.

Our meal conversation centered around my weekend seminar but it was peppered with talk of airline flights; what good dogs we both have and that they are staying with our friends Kathy and Neil; and Enrique going through my slides for the weekend to be sure my Spanish translation is okay.

We waddled out of there totally full and content. Jose´and Enrique flagged down a taxi for us and we headed back home while they went back to the school.

After cooling off a bit we went out looking for a rock shop we saw during our 10 p.m. search for a bonfire Monday evening. We found the shop and it was open so I got to see a Barcelona rock shop. He had some beautiful pieces and his prices were good. I asked if he had anything from Spain and he said no, that the rocks here are no good! Too bad as I would have loved to bring home a rock from Spain. I guess I will have to keep my eyes open and see if I can find a rock on the sidewalk!

After a quick trip to the little market, we came back home and washed clothes, watered the plants, and will probably hit the sack early again. Tomorrow, they are making a video interview of me that they will use to market my books and DVD in Europe. It should be fun and interesting!
Love,
Krysta

La Sagrada Familia and Paella

Yesterday was very exciting for us as we went inside of the large church known as La Sagrada Familia. We were taken there by one of our hosts Enrique and his wife Montse, and their two children Pau and Ona.

They live only a few blocks from this one of a kind structure and the boy, Pau, sings in the choir there. The church was designed by the artist Gaudi and the construction began in 1866. It is still not finished and the projected date to complete it is 2020! They only build as funds become available – with it being the most visited stucture in Europe they should be getting in a lot of funds to do the job! 

There is no way to tell you all about this place in a blog like this. Google La Sagrada Familia and read about it as it is truly fascinating and we feel very honored to have visited there with people who live right in the neighborhood!

Enrique and his family are some of the nicest people I have ever met and we consider ourselves fortunate to know them. After visiting Sagrada, we went to their home where Montse fixed an incredible lunch. First, we had Spanish cheese (which we love and have been able to find at home, thank goodness!) with delightful olives and nuts. Montse fixed us drinks which are half lemon Fanta and half beer – very refreshing and delicious. Next came a fabulous potato tortilla – Spanish tortillas are not like the Mexican tortillas which are more like a flat bread. Spanish tortillas are more like Fritatas, an egg dish cooked in a round pan. I have seen them being made on the cooking channel but had not tried making one yet.

Unbelievably, next came small crusty breads with ham and crushed tomato spread on them – called Pan de Tomate. After we have moved to the dinner table, they poured some red wine and out came the Paella. We both gasped because it was so beautiful and an obvious labor of love!

And here is a closer view of the dish:

Not only did we enjoy a marvelous meal we had a wonderful visit with the family and had some interesting discussions about how Europeans see Americans as well as learning more about the psychology of Catalans. This is something I wanted to know more about since most of the people who will be at my seminar this weekend will be Catalan.

We finished the meal with something they called a Gypsy’s Arm which they had bought at their local bakery. It had chocolate ice cream in the center which was surrounded by cake and then topped with a sugar sauce that had been burned like is done for Creme Brulee. Magnificent!

Enrique was kind enough to drive us home where we spent the rest of the day reading, lounging and remembering our wonderful day. It was early to bed for us so we could be up early the next day and head off to the Aquarium and then lunch with José, Adrianna, and Enrique.

More about that in another post.

Love,

Krysta

 

Bonfires, fireworks, sweetbread and Kava

It’s 10:50 in the evening and we just got back from a stroll through the neighborhood. This is the night that the people light fireworks in the streets and build bonfires. It is to celebrate the Solstice and the feast of Sant Joan. We were told that the tradition is to drink Kava which is like dry champange and eat a semi-sweet bread called coca de Sant Joan.

Here is what Yahoo Travel says:

“On the night of June 23 each year, neighbourhoods in Barcelona organize celebrations with bonfires where people burn old furniture and unwanted items and hold firework displays. Bands play and people dance the night away. Traditionally, everyone eats a special kind of cake called coca, made of pine nuts and dried fruits. It was originally a pagan festival that celebrated the summer solstice (shortest night/longest day of the year). Many places hold private parties and celebrations, but it’s more fun to attend the traditional public outdoor festivities in plazas throughout the city. It’s free.”

We dutifully went to the bakery earlier and bought a half loaf which set us back about €9 or about $14 US. It is VERY good. I waited in line for about 10 minutes because everyone was stocking up on breads. We skipped the Kava and chose to go with a nice red Spanish wine.

We were told to expect the fireworks/bonfires around 8:00. We went out into the streets then and found nothing but a lot of people doing their shopping. So we came back to the apartment and both worked awhile longer (I know – working in Spain – but THAT IS why we came! Rhonda was working on the front page of the Monitor and I worked on some changes/additions to my seminar). At 10:00 we decided to go out again. We walked quite awhile but finally saw a bonfire several blocks away in the middle of the street.

Fireworks were going off, people were laughing and screaming and having a great time. Dogs are popular here in Barcelona. People have them everywhere and tonight was the same. The dogs out with their people didn’t even seem to notice the fireworks. My poor baby Jazz would go nuts here tonight. More about dogs in another post since this is a subject dear to my heart!

This is going to be a long night because there are tons of fireworks still going off right across the terrace from us. The people next door are having a party and sitting there with their Kavas visiting as if they were not in the middle of what sounds like bombs dropping. It is actually very surreal!

Tomorrow we go to Sagrada Familia where one of our hosts is giving us a tour. He lives across the street and his son sings in the choir there. Afterwards, he and his wife have invited us to his home for Paella. YUM! More on this in another post.

Love,

Krysta

 

Buenos dias!

Hello, once again. It is Monday morning, June 23, about 10:45 our time, and 1:45 in the morning, Seattle time. Today we are meeting our hosts José Luis and his wife Adrianna and her son Enrique for lunch at 2:00. One of the reasons we came a week before my seminar is so I could get acclimated. Not only is there a nine hour time difference but the times for meals are quite different here. Lunch is usually sometime between 2:00 and 5:00 and dinner is sometimes as late as 9:30 in the evening. It takes a little getting used to and we are starting to adjust.

The last time we came I had only one day before my first presentation and, although I was able to do quite well, it took a lot of extra effort on my part. By being here earlier, I will be more rested and able to do an even better job than before. At lunch, I am sure we will be discussing the seminar this weekend as we have some details to arrange. I have done a Keynote presentation to go with my talk (Keynote is similar to PowerPoint) and they will want to check my Spanish translation to be sure I am not saying something embarrassing by mistake!

Yesterday we took a bus! Rhonda researched it on the internet and managed to figure out which bus we needed to take to get where we wanted to go. I am very proud of her  - and we did it all with our limited Spanish. We went to a large department store called Corte de Ingles which is nine stories tall. We had been there the last time we were here but now found out they have a restaurant on the ninth floor and that there is a fabulous view from there. We were able to ask where the elevator was and after getting on the wrong one, we eventually found our way to the right place. The view of the city center was, indeed, spectacular.

Then we took a stroll along La Rambla where they have statues that come alive if you throw a coin in their little box or basket on the ground in front of them. When you give them a coin some of them perform, others let you take a photo with them. Here are two of them we saw yesterday and a picture of La Rambla.

The second one had a little basket and she handed you a small scroll that had a saying typed on it. Very sweet.

The streets off of La Rambla are very narrow and filled with apartments, hostels, and shops.

We also went to the Cathedral Barcelona. Many of the statues and wood carvings date back to the 15th century and are quite impressive. We bought and lit little candles that we placed in front of some of the statues to honor some of our relatives who have passed over. We spent some time just sitting and enjoying the energy of the place. It has been prayed and meditated in for many years and has a wonderful feeling to it.

Outside there was a fountain where people were filling their bottles with drinking water. We figured it had been blessed and took some for ourselves as well.

Once we got back to the apartment I realized that Martha Norwalk’s radio show would be on since it was 9:15 a.m. your time and already 6:15 in the evening our time. So I went on the internet and was able to listen to Martha and Kim Miller. For fun, I sent them an email which they got and read on the air. What an amazing thing the internet is. I can be so far away, yet can send a message that they get right away and I can hear them live on my computer! Just amazing.

We did our first load of laundry where both the machine and the washing detergent are all in Spanish. But we managed to figure it out. We hung the clothes outside to air dry (there is no dryer and who needs it with this heat). By the time the second load was done some of the first was dry. Yes, it is that hot! Here is a picture of part of the patio, the door that leads into the apartment from the patio and the front door to our building that I forgot to put here before.

There was a big soccer game between Italy and Spain that started at 9:00 p.m. yesterday. Spain has not won this particular match for over 60 years and we were told they would not win. As we listened to our neighbors and heard the yelling and screaming, we knew Spain had a chance. We couldn’t find the game on television but followed it on the internet. Yes, SPAIN WON! We were so happy as was everyone in the complex. We like to think they won because we are here but doubt the truth of that!

More adventures to follow.

Love, Krysta

 

Day One in Barcelona

The weather here is a fabulous 80 degrees plus – with a nice breeze. We both slept very soundly and awoke ready to face our first day in the city. First we walked around our own block! The neighborhood is built with apartments on all four sides which face the center. There is no courtyard where we are but everyone can see everyone else’s back porch or patio. No one seems to pay much notice to anyone else.

 If we wanted we would never have to leave our neighborhood. We have it all: bakery, bar(s), fruit and vege stores, a market, pharmacia, video store, shoes and handbag store, jewelry….and each side of the block has trash pickup, including recycling. So instead of everyone having their own trash pickup you carry it out every day when you leave and just drop it in the neighborhood container. I guess the Catalan women don’t nag the spouses to take out the garbage one day a week, on “trash day!”

This is the lobby in our building.

We walked to the Arc de Triomf which is the “triumphant gate” – it has Islamic style brickwork and was the ceremonial entrance to the 1888 Universal Exhibition, the first such event that was held here.

There are huge iguanas that roam the streets. A little scary but they keep the bug population down!

We walked to a delightful park where lots of people were out with their dogs. It was very pleasant. There are big mastadons that roam the streets but they are friendly.

As you night know the Spanish are really big on beer and wine and bars as well as food! So, just about everywhere you go you can get beer or wine quite easily. We stopped and had a snack at the park. About half the people were drinking their beer. I don’t know how they do it because public bathrooms are not plentiful here. If you’re like me you don’t buy beer, you rent it.  There were some facilities at the park, but generally if you want to use the facilities you have to go into a bar or cafe and buy something, even a bottle of water will do it.

What we found most interesting today that we did not see before is automatic beer dispensers. You don’t find pop or water, but you can always find a cold brew. And the brand seems to be Damm!!! I am not kidding. This is an actual beer dispenser on the side of the street. We saw three of them today! That is probably how they manage the many, many roundabouts they have here! Seriously, this is the only place we have seen the dispensers and I suspect it is because of being so near the park. I don’t mean to imply that the people here drink all the time because they don’t! I just have never seen a beer dispenser by the side of the street!

 

About two blocks from our apartment is an acupuncture office. On one side is a bakery and on the other is a cervesaria (bar with beer). So if you drink or eat too much you can visit the acupuncturist for relief!

That’s it for now. We are off on another adventure and I will post more later.

Love,

Krysta

June 21, 2008