Christinaswwworld Unlimited

Exploring my benelux surroundings, Dordrecht is a darling town I've enjoyed discovering in the Netherlands. It's such a friendly place - local families socialize on front porches and terraces. Though it's not a super tiny town (worthy of 2 train stations!), everyone knows everyone. A man who spoke with me on the street for a moment told me so. He knew right away that I was a stranger since the don't get many tourists in Dordrecht. He thought maybe I'd come for the little fair that was in town that weekend. Altogether a lovely late afternoon. In case the embedded slideshow below doesn't show up, there are some photos on flickr I've shared over here .

In the background as I work this afternoon, I've got TedxVolcano rocking in the background. What an amazing thing. A group of Social Entrepreneurs and big money who want to invest in Social Change got stuck in London after the Oxford Jam and Skoll World Forum last weekend. Their first thought, put together a spontaneous Ted event in 24 hours. Way cool. I'd managed to get home from the weekend's events with a previously booked train ticket, but it was enough to make me wish I could go back. Meanwhile, last week's overarching theme was collaboration, so my inbox is overflowing with emails from people I met last week, who are still stuck in London and organizing post conference meet-ups among the stranded. I have a feeling they are getting some amazing things done right now. I have to wonder when they actually will be able to leave, and can't help but marvel at how powerful this volcano will end up being historically, in both destructive and constructive w...

For the past 25 years or so I have gypsied my way around this wide world of ours, breathing in the experience of life, as it is known to all sorts and kinds of people who live it. My quest has never been to experience the world's diverse natural wonders and climates, nor to witness all of humankind's amazing inventions. What drives me is to understand people, and how they make life work in different kinds of contexts. Along the way, I have lived with European millionaires, who call the very best that the world has to offer "normal." I have lived among the poorest of Africa's poor, displaced from their homes by some of the worst ravages the world knows how to inflict upon itself. I have lived with Asian Buddhists, who embrace self-inflicted poverty as the wealthiest kind of life they could possibly live. I've been a mom, a daughter, a sister, a neighbor, an employee, a boss, a friend.... albeit sometimes from far away. If there is one thing I have learned, ...

Just a heads up to those of you who've been following my month long journey of connecting with new colleagues and old friends ~ looks like the whole country is getting stuck in snowstorms, so my planned landing back in Brussels Saturday morning could change. I am scheduled to spend tomorrow in Atlanta with my friend Cynthia G., visiting an amazing treehouse for a special summercamp that she has designed. But 1-2 inches of snow are expected in Atlanta tonight, so the chances are getting slimmer that I will land in Atlanta tomorrow morning. The flight from there to Brussels is scheduled for 12 hours later, so I may still be able to catch that. But if it keeps snowing then I might just have to sit tight in Southern California for a while longer and reschedule the whole thing... I will keep you posted