EC Blog Archive for May, 2008

The preparation of the EC summer course 2008 continues. Over then 150 people came this weekend up to the house and our ground to meet, work and plan the upcoming summer event. The program was clear: welcoming, updates, presentations, divisions into the teams and organization of workshop called Market place. After the work, meditation and a party which rounded the whole Saturday, we started on Sunday at 10 a.m. with working in particular teams in order to present our achievements in the attic of the barn. Thanks to using the skilful methods as the Market-place and ongoing exchange the event in August got more concrete frame. The whole organizing team, which will have maximally 150-200 members, is responsible for a nice environment preparation and all other things necessary for friends from the whole world. The team motto is: as efficient organization as possible. The next big meeting for the EC course will be directly before the course, so this weekend was necessary to make all things clarified, ordered and prepared. In case you are interested in helping before, during and after the course contact, please, the organizers. We are writing the history and everybody can take part in it.

Honza & Klara

By klara

This week, we celebrated Buddha’s birthday and enlightenment with a day of four meditation sessions – two with 16. Karmapa and two with individual practice – and an inspiring evening lecture by Patricia about the life stories of Nagarjuna and Saraha.
Alex and Miki removed the old carpet from the entrance, Claudius went over the floor with a sander and Beate in the end treated the fresh wood with strong lacquer. Eleonore took the big task of sorting out all the keys left in the house and finding the right key holes everywhere (it took several days!). The Plamber boys prepared the big parking lot outside the entrance. The local construction company put fine earth and spread grass seeds in the backyard where they had dug a big hole some weeks ago. And everybody initiated the freshly renovated eating room after tea and talk after Thursday night meditation. Now we look forward to the big team weekend – around 100 team members will come to continue work on our big summer course.

By ecteam

After the wonderful time with Lama Ole here, we have had a few more quiet weeks in the EC. All work goes on, but with less people and as some of you have already read on DWBN, we would be very happy if more people could come to help with all the preparations for our first big milestone – the International Summer Course 2008! Write to work@europe-center.org if you have time to come during the next months. We need more people and you are all very welcome!
But luckily we can also make people ourselves! Last Saturday in the late morning, Mirjana was getting ready to give birth to her and Philip’s boys, our new residents, and so we had our first helicopter action here in the EC: On this particular Saturday morning, the Plamber boys and their team had been digging up the road to the center since the very early hours and it was therefore closed for the day. When they realised Mirjana was giving birth, they spent quite some time covering the holes again… but in the end it was decided that it was better to send a helicopter in any case. So we had our first dramatic and very exciting helicopter landing on the fields of the EC. Mirjana was placed safely inside, the helicopter took off and disappeared over the mountains again. It was a very touching moment for everyone. The twins came in the afternoon and the whole family is doing well. We look forward to welcoming them home.
Now, work continues everywhere: Lasse from Holland helps Nicklas and Gosia in the kitchen for a longer period. In the villa, the ceiling in part of the eating room has been restored after an old water damage from the balcony above it. The walls are being painted and next week the old flower fabric in one corner will be replaced by new. Roof work on the garage continues and there was even a little extra work for the men on the roof as it was decided that a third window should be put in. The tool room at the entrance that will once turn into a café to greet people has been insulated. The Plamber boys keep flattening the ground and moving big piles of earth around for up to 16 hours a day. The cleaning of the first floor of the barn that we will use for office and meeting space for the summer course has begun. And it is DUSTY!
After all of this, we danced a lot in our new, extended workers’ café Friday and Saturday. Edwin was great DJ.
So work goes on and we will get ready. But please come if you can! We are having a great time – and you will too.

By ecteam

Once upon a time appeared an old decorated carriage in front of the gates of the EC. Five horses were waiting enthusiastically for their first ride. The sun was about to start to shine and light wind was blowing. Then the Volvo came out of nowhere. The doors opened and…and the bride and groom jumped out for the first official wedding confirmed by the local authorities. „The wisdom of experience is a feminine quality. Mind’s playfulness that creates things in space is a masculine quality and when these qualities come together we have absolute richness“, blessed Ole the wife and husband – Michael and Michaela Fuchs. Just married in the EC.

By klara

This weekend we have arranged „guided tours“ though the EC for all visitors coming from Nesselwang course. And we have really prepared ourselves properly! Friends gethered on the green spring grass in front of the house and the guides started with information how the house appeared in the beginning of the 20. century as a romantic idea of nature and culture together. We told everybody all we knew about the history of the place, previous owners, architecture, future plans and visions. Did you know that this house was the first building with electricity in the area or that it was build by 150 especially chosen workers in two years?

By klara