GAA’s incredible travel group in January 2016, with participants from the U.S., France, Germany, Australia, Kenya, and Tanzania

After spending three relaxing weeks in Germany and two incredible weeks in Kenya and Tanzania, I am back in Chicago going on with my crazy life. Getting back into my old, everyday life rhythm turned out to be more difficult than I expected it to be.

It felt like coming back to a foreign place, like I was supposed to be somewhere else. But traveling through Kenya and Tanzania; working together with local artists and other expressive art therapists; and learning about drama, dance, music, and visual arts was an extremely rewarding experience. It contributed a lot to my professional growth as a dance/movement therapist.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post “Karibu Sana,” I had the opportunity to visit Kenya and Tanzania (East Africa) to work together with local artists and other expressive art therapists from all around the world. There we learned and shares knowledge about the therapeutic use of dance, music, drama, and visual arts.

Within 14 days, our small group of 26 people traveled from Karen to Nairobi (Kenya) and from there to Arusha, Dar es Salaam, and Bagamoyo (Tanzania). On the way we created workshops on dance/movement therapy, art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, counseling, and trauma; shared skills such as block printing or east African dance; and worked with children from different communities.

Both countries are beautiful, with admirable landscapes and extremely friendly and welcoming cultures. In addition it is summer there right now, so we had comfortable 25º–33º C (77º–91º F) weather. Dreamlike with me coming from both Chicago and Germany, where it’s currently a snowy, cold winter.

I enjoyed being able to follow my natural curiosity about similarities and differences between the cultures and people and being able to engage with all of them. It also is a wonderful feeling to be with people who enjoy the arts just as much as I do and believe in their healing power.

Mount Meru on our way to Arusha, Tanzania

Being able to share with others the healing power of dance and movement—and demonstrating how to use both in a therapeutic relationship—really touched me. I realized that my passion for dance/movement therapy does not just come out in my work with my clients, but also (and maybe even more so) in my efforts to educate about and promote the field.

That might be a reason why I was drawn to this ambassador position. It constantly challenges me to re-evaluate my work and to take on a different perspective on what dance/movement therapists do and how to explain it.

Trying to explain dance/movement therapy to people who are not therapists, and maybe not even movers, also helps me get a clear view on the basics of DMT. Of course, knowing different theories and forms of movement analysis is important to communicate in a professional field, but when it comes to the therapeutic work dance/movement therapists do, a lot comes down to being present and attuned in relationship to others and yourself.

Mindfulness is the key. Even if I learned about this in one of our first summer classes, it took me until now to realize the importance and full extent of this word—and I am still learning.

Bus drive to Kibera, Kenya, in our typical van!

A lot of people would say that this was an experience of a lifetime. Even if I do not really like this phrase (I believe that our life is shaped and influenced by many experiences no matter how big or small, positive or negative) it is fair to say that this trip was an experience that shaped my life in some way or another. And the exciting thing about this trip is that it is offered one to two times every year, giving me the opportunity to participate again, but also promoting the trip to others.

Yes, it is pricey (up to $5,000, including everything), but it is worth the money! So if you feel inspired, check out the website of Global Alliance for Africa. It’s definitely worth a thought!