Posts

Europe Tour Post 4

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(I will get back to post 3)

Stockholm

Stockholm
The conference is ending, and I am leave right before the final dinner. Vans take us to the train station. I plug in my ticket confirmation number to the machine to get my ticket printed. (Someone points out the little British flag, so it displays in English.) However, I can’t read my ticket – which word is train car and which one is seat? No matter, someone is always around to help kindly with these things. I sit in a strange glassed in area of first class. In my compartment at the table is a gentleman from Switzerland who works with an international labor organization, Mertin. He was raised in Bolivia, schooled in Germany, and now lives in Geneva. We talk all the way to Stockholm (over 2 hours). I learn all about his organization, his travels, and his city. We discuss thrivability, microfinance, and effective training and development programs (on and offline).
I arrive in Stockholm around 7pm. I am tired. Not as tired as you might imagine I would be, but tired. I have not prepared. I don’t have a clear map to Nadia’s place. My phone isn’t working properly. I give up calling her, and I take a taxi to her address. However, ringing her doorbell has no effect. I sit on my luggage looking around at this strange city. My technology is failing me. Foreign rates on data while roaming are significant, so I don’t turn data options on. What to do?
I pull out my computer and search for free and open wifi. Luckily, I find some. (You usually can in residential areas – some kind soul leaves it open.) I use skype to contact Nadia. She comes to the door apologizing for not giving me the code to get in. And immediately everything feels in flow again. We drop my stuff in her place before going out to eat. The restaurant she wants to take me to has a sign saying “gone for long weekend” on it. So we head to our second choice. Huh, gone for long weekend? What a quirky place! I like it. We eat Indian (although they say they are about to close, they stay open for us).
I met Nadia about a year ago. She wrote the page on Power in the Thrivability book. I asked her to write to that because when I met her, it was so evident to me that she exudes it and understands how it flows. She studied user interface and design, and that makes total sense when you get a sense of how much she understands about cognitive science. She is brilliant, beautiful, charming, and funny. We talk about Swedish politics, mutual friends we adore, generational change, and human dynamics. We dig into each others stories as dessert. We have drinks in a place where all the customers are women (accidentally).
We stay up until 3am laughing and talking in her apartment. When we awake in the morning there is just enough time for a shower and walk before I head to the train again. Off to Malmo. But first, a walk by the water. Stockholm is a city of water – there are many islands. We walk past a military fort where soldiers in odd costumes (like band uniforms)  march in a line while people lounge in the grass on the other side of our path. the grass is full of sunbathers of all ages, gazing out at the water where many boats float. One boat has a set of couples eating pretty formally at a table. It is so picturesque.
We walk too far, and we are pressed for time getting back. Instead of taking the subway, we order a taxi. Nadia sees me off at the train station once she has fixed the ticket. (I could not buy the ticket in Sweden – something about them knowing it was a US buyer…ordering from a Swedish IP?) So Nadia had bought my ticket for me, and there was some trouble transferring it from her mobile ticket to a paper ticket for me. We work it out though.
Now I have a 5 hour train ride to Malmo….

The conference is ending, and I am leave right before the final dinner. Vans take us to the train station. I plug in my ticket confirmation number to the machine to get my ticket printed. (Someone points out the little British flag, so it displays in English.) However, I can’t read my ticket – which word is train car and which one is seat? No matter, someone is always around to help kindly with these things. I sit in a strange glassed in area of first class. In my compartment at the table is a gentleman from Switzerland who works with an international labor organization, Mertin. He was raised in Bolivia, schooled in Germany, and now lives in Geneva. We talk all the way to Stockholm (over 2 hours). I learn all about his organization, his travels, and his city. We discuss thrivability, microfinance, and effective training and development programs (on and offline).

I arrive in Stockholm around 7pm. I am tired. Not as tired as you might imagine I would be, but tired. I have not prepared. I don’t have a clear map to Nadia’s place. My phone isn’t working properly. I give up calling her, and I take a taxi to her address. However, ringing her doorbell has no effect. I sit on my luggage looking around at this strange city. My technology is failing me. Foreign rates on data while roaming are significant, so I don’t turn data options on. What to do? Nadiacourtyard

I pull out my computer and search for free and open wifi. Luckily, I find some. (You usually can in residential areas – some kind soul leaves it open.) I use skype to contact Nadia. She comes to the door apologizing for not giving me the code to get in. And immediately everything feels in flow again. We drop my stuff in her place before going out to eat. The restaurant she wants to take me to has a sign saying “gone for long weekend” on it. So we head to our second choice. Huh, gone for long weekend? What a quirky place! I like it. We eat Indian (although they say they are about to close, they stay open for us).

I met Nadia about a year ago. She wrote the page on Power in the Thrivability book. I asked her to write to that because when I met her, it was so evident to me that she exudes it and understands how it flows. She studied user interface and design, and that makes total sense when you get a sense of how much she understands about cognitive science. She is brilliant, beautiful, charming, and funny. We talk about Swedish politics, mutual friends we adore, generational change, and human dynamics. We dig into each others stories as dessert. We have drinks in a place where all the customers are women (accidentally).

We stay up until 3am laughing and talking in her apartment. When we awake in the morning there is just enough time for a shower and walk before I head to the train again.

Stockholm1

Off to Malmo. But first, a walk by the water. Stockholm is a city of water – there are many islands. We walk past a military fort where soldiers in odd costumes (like band uniforms)  march in a line while people lounge in the grass on the other side of our path.

Stockholm2

The grass is full of sunbathers of all ages, gazing out at the water where many boats float. One boat has a set of couples eating pretty formally at a table. It is so picturesque.

We walk too far, and we are pressed for time getting back. Instead of taking the subway, we order a taxi. Nadia sees me off at the train station once she has fixed the ticket. (I could not buy the ticket in Sweden – something about them knowing it was a US buyer…ordering from a Swedish IP?) So Nadia had bought my ticket for me, and there was some trouble transferring it from her mobile ticket to a paper ticket for me. We work it out though.

Now I have a 5 hour train ride to Malmo….

Europe Tour Post 2

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June 3 – Thursday Reworking
Last night was quite a sight. First, it doesn’t get dark here until past midnight and starts getting light by 3am. So when I say sight, I mean you can see clearly. I also mean to say – there was something to see. The 1700 participants at Rework are housed between three cities – in cottages, hostels, and hotels. These are small towns. I am staying in Leksand Strand, a 2.5 km walk from the event. We take buses at the end of the evening. I sit down next to Issac from Ghana. He and his pal Gabi (from Cameroon)are here as part of a ten person multiple country team to talk and learn about youth, ecology, and entrepreneurship. I share a bit about thrivability. Isaac is convinced I should talk to the World Bank guy that arranged for him to be here. He is animated and enthusiastic. When his contact calls, he hands me the phone. I agree to meet this gentleman later.
A bus of people arrives, and we all have to find our shared rooms. The staff has a non-alphabetized list which has changed from the plans they sent out to some earlier. It is chaos. A long line. Another bus arrives. The line is longer. Line-mates start to talk. We start to brainstorm how we are going to improve the situation. One person says we should just go to a room – whatever room – and go to bed. Maybe we should organize ourselves to make it easier on the staff. They try to improve it by opening a second desk, but the light is not quite good enough to read by and everyone wants to see it at the same time. However, this, I think, is actually a wonderful opportunity to get to know people near me. The woman behind me is Elina. She is a student in Southern Sweden. She has a warm and easy way about her, which makes her delightful to talk with. Eventually, I get my cabin number and go to my cabin. The door is locked. I have to run back, push through the line and ask for a key. Someone from staff takes a golf cart over to the cabin and opens the door. My cabin-mate is sleeping already.
In the morning, she is in my group for the nature walk. After breakfast, we form into small groups of about 10. A guide takes us into the nature reserve next to our cottages. We walk together, then in pairs, then in single line. We pause by Lake Siljan. We focus on our senses. First of skin, feeling the wind, our clothes, and feel of the ground. Then we focus on sound, sight, smell and taste. Our guide is specific about something to sense, so we can really focus on the sensation. Then she invites us to have our own sense experience. Next we bring in the symphony of all the senses.
The landscape reminds me of Minnesota – the land softened by glaciers and full of lakes. The climate is cold, and the trees are mostly birch, pines and cedars. There are woodland flowers blooming, and the sun creates sparkly speckled ground, as it is filtered through the trees, with their bright green branch tips.
Our guide gives us space to sit alone with nature. Later I discover that Elina has a sunny spot. Mine spot was a tad chilly. I sit calmly and meditate for 15 minutes. This is a divine experience. So later, when I am at the conference, I get quickly tired of being talked at. I even grow tired of the open space that forms on the lawn outside a session grown too full. I walk away to sit in the grass and just BE. Reflect. Soak it in.
But first… Hans Rosling speaks. His talk is amazing. I have tracked his work for over 5 years now, so I didn’t expect anything new. But it was fresh! He didn’t use powerpoint to start it – he used some big boxes to represent a billion people each. How many billions can afford shoes? A bicycle? A plane trip to Malta? 50 years ago? Now? In the future? Then he showed gapminder, revealing how those people can be divided by age ranges and locations. Fascinating. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to explore.
Bo Ekman interviews Elinor Ostrom. I am so excited to hear Elinor speak live. But no, Bo went on and on about things.. and finally, when he gave her the floor, it was all too brief. Very disappointing. Not Elinor mind you, just the way it was handled. And one of the questions she was asked at the end, got a really interesting answer that sticks with me. Someone asked, “What models do you think work?” And Elinor replied something to the effect of – we are in trouble as soon as we have models… Days later I would point to it again and again – we prototype, then practice, then prototype again. Let us be agile rather than static. I even think this is a piece of holding thrivability – it is not a static plan or set of practices – instead it is an aim, where we will evolve our plans and practices over time. Practice with me.
For lunch, I walk over to the meal tent with Cilia. She does intercultural awareness work with organizations and has her MBA from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. This event speaks to her. We sit together to talk more. Our seats are with two friendly folks – an Ecuadorian (originally from Kentucky) and an Australian (management consultant). The older gentleman from Ecuador has a school there, about 2 hours canoe trip… And he knows of the Twists and the Pachamama Alliance (mutual connections abound in the oddest places). The conversation moves focus from one person to another. The discussion is lively. We discuss thrivability as a concept, testing out each person’s feel for it. (This happens in nearly every conversation I enter – people want to play with the idea. And I am happy to engage.)
In the afternoon, I have been sitting in the HUB popup rather than attending sessions. I didn’t come to this conference because of the speakers. I came to meet people. So meeting is what I am doing. Christina Jordan, from Brussels, says that Simon from the HUB in Brussels is at the HUB popup. I introduce myself. And then I meet Jay Standish. It is funny to meet people you already follow on twitter. After a half hour of talking, we had uncovered dozens of mutual connections and interests. Niclas Ihren meets me there too. Then Juan Carlos is there, standing at the Zanby desk talking with Leif. What? I had to take a deep breath. I met Juan Carlos in Mexico in March of 2008. Could it get richer? Oh yes, so then Jay knows Juan Carlos too. So all of us go together to dinner. And we are going to sit with someone Juan Carlos knows names Morel Fourman. It is a small world. Morel is with Gaiasoft (where my friend Mushin works). This is all magical. The conversation is fast and intense. We hear Juan Carlos speak his idea, and we discuss it.
Then there is dancing… to Saulti Sol. Time to play…

June 3 – Thursday – Reworking the World

Last night was quite a sight. First, it doesn’t get dark here until past midnight and starts getting light by 3am. So when I say sight, I mean you can see clearly. I also mean to say – there was something to see. The 1700 participants at Rework are housed between three cities – in cottages, hostels, and hotels. These are small towns. I am staying in Leksand Strand, a 2.5 km walk from the event. We take buses at the end of the evening. I sit down next to Issac from Ghana. He and his pal Gabi (from Cameroon) are here as part of a ten person multiple country team to talk and learn about youth, ecology, and entrepreneurship. I share a bit about thrivability. Isaac is convinced I should talk to the World Bank guy that arranged for him to be here. He is animated and enthusiastic. When his contact calls, he hands me the phone. I agree to meet this gentleman later.

A bus of people arrives, and we all have to find our shared rooms. The staff has a non-alphabetized list which has changed from the plans they sent out to some earlier. It is chaos. A long line. Another bus arrives. The line is longer. Line-mates start to talk. We start to brainstorm how we are going to improve the situation. One person says we should just go to a room – whatever room – and go to bed. Maybe we should organize ourselves to make it easier on the staff. They try to improve it by opening a second desk, but the light is not quite good enough to read by. Everyone wants to see it at the same time. However, this, I think, is actually a wonderful opportunity to get to know people near me. The woman behind me is Elina. She is a student in Southern Sweden. She has a warm and easy way about her, which makes her delightful to talk with. Eventually, I get my cabin number and go to my cabin. The door is locked. I have to run back, push through the line, and ask for a key. Someone from staff takes a golf cart over to the cabin and opens the door. My cabin-mate is sleeping already.LeksandCabin

In the morning, Elina is in my group for the nature walk. After breakfast, we form into small groups of about a dozen. A guide takes us into the nature reserve next to our cottages. We walk together, then in pairs, then in single line. We pause by Lake Siljan. We focus on our senses. First of skin, feeling the wind, our clothes, and feel of the ground. Then we focus on sound, sight, smell and taste. Our guide is specific about something to sense, so we can really focus on the sensation. Then she invites us to have our own sense experience. Next we bring in the symphony of all the senses.

The landscape reminds me of Minnesota – the land softened by glaciers and full of lakes. The climate is cold, and the trees are mostly birch, pines and cedars. There are woodland flowers blooming, and the sun creates sparkly speckled ground, as it is filtered through the trees, with their bright green branch tips.

We each meditate at a distance from each other for 20 minutes. Sublime peace. NatureWalk

Our guide gives us space to sit alone with nature. Later I discover that Elina has a sunny spot. Mine spot was a tad chilly. I sit calmly, soaking it all in. This is a divine experience. So later, when I am at the conference, I get quickly tired of being talked at. I even grow tired of the open space that forms on the lawn outside a session grown too full. I walk away to sit in the grass and just BE. Reflect. Soak it in.

But first…the conference. Hans Rosling speaks. His talk is amazing. I have tracked his work for over 5 years now, so I didn’t expect anything new. But it was fresh! He didn’t use powerpoint to start it – he used some big boxes to represent a billion people each. How many billions can afford shoes? A bicycle? A plane trip to Malta? He uses giant props for shoes, a bicycle, and a plane. What about demographics 50 years ago? Now? In the future? Then he showed gapminder, revealing how those people can be divided by age ranges and locations. Fascinating. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to explore.

Bo Ekman interviews Elinor Ostrom. I am so excited to hear Elinor speak live. But no, Bo went on and on about things.. and finally, when he gave her the floor, it was all too brief. Very disappointing. Not Elinor mind you, just the way it was handled. And one of the questions she was asked at the end, got a really interesting answer that sticks with me. Someone asked, “What models do you think work?” And Elinor replied something to the effect of – we are in trouble as soon as we have models… Days later I would point to it again and again – we prototype, then practice, then prototype again. Let us be agile rather than static. I even think this is a piece of holding thrivability – it is not a static plan or set of practices – instead it is an aim, where we will evolve our plans and practices over time. Practice with me.ReworkPlenary

For lunch, I walk over to the meal tent with Cilia. She does intercultural awareness work with organizations and has her MBA from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. This event clearly speaks to her. We sit together to talk more. Our seats are with two friendly folks – an Ecuadorian (originally from Kentucky) and an Australian (management consultant). The older gentleman from Ecuador has a school there, about 2 hours canoe trip… And he knows of Bill and Lynn Twist and the Pachamama Alliance (mutual connections abound in the oddest places). The conversation moves focus from one person to another. The discussion is lively. We discuss thrivability as a concept, testing out each person’s feel for it. (This happens in nearly every conversation I enter – people want to play with the idea. And I am happy to engage.)

In the afternoon, I have been sitting in the HUB popup rather than attending sessions. I didn’t come to this conference because of the speakers. I came to meet people. So meeting is what I am doing. Christina Jordan, from Brussels, says that Simon from the HUB in Brussels is at the HUB popup. I introduce myself. And then I meet Jay Standish. It is funny (brain tickles) to meet – accidentally – people you already follow on twitter. After a half hour of talking, we had uncovered dozens of mutual connections and interests. Niclas Ihren meets me there too. Then Juan Carlos is there, standing at the Zanby desk talking with Leif. What? I had to take a deep breath. I met Juan Carlos in Mexico in March of 2008. Could it get richer? Oh yes, so then Jay knows Juan Carlos too. So all of us go together to dinner. And we are going to sit with someone Juan Carlos knows names Morel Fourman. It is a small world. Morel is with Gaiaspace (where my friend Mushin works). This is all magical. The conversation is fast and intense. We hear Juan Carlos speak his idea, and we discuss it. Brilliant!

Then there is dancing… to Saulti Sol. Time to play…