Flow of Day 1
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Story of Day 1
by Nam Taro (Apprentice) It was 1:30 pm. We were still rushing to finish the last bits of preparation before everyone arrived. I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead while my mind was surfing through the various small and big things I still need to get done. My heart was pumping. There was a mixture of feelings from each of us: excitement, anticipation, confusion, hope, ease… And yet, the previous day of preparation has built within us the capacity to witness and hold space for each other with intention.
It was 3:30. The usual quietness of the past few days in Bai Dinh Hotel was slowly replaced by greetings from the reception hall and the approaching steps of people arriving at their rooms. There was a hint of awe and curiosity in the air as people were welcomed by the grandness of the place, the surrounding beauty of Ninh Binh’s natural beauty and the “sudden strangeness” of a new journey unfolding: Who are here? What am I going to learn and experience? What is going to happen? Some of us were familiar with the Art of Hosting Training before, coming back to the place felt like coming home. Some of us were new to the place, even new to the country, and only heard about the training from someone else. It was 4:15. The training venue was already occupied by people cluttering in small groups - the ease and the unease of being in such a big crowd of almost 90 people. I saw people smiling. Some were hugging each other as they met again. Some were wandering around the hall, gazing at the hanging lanterns of vibrant colors over their head, some were silently observing in a corner of a room, some were eager to get to know someone new and some were already settled in their chairs in the big circle we already set up in the other room. |