Brooke Balla's Blog

Full Moon Wild Women's Night

2006-11-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

NOvemer 5th 2006
A night of laughter, food, Good company and bicycles!!!
As a second year student at Prescott College I had noticed there was something missing n my life. Life has been so chaotic & rushed with working, class, african dance and planning for my year long journey to New Zealand. I needed relaxation, more laughter, more potlucks more bicycles....MORE female energy in my life. It is so easy to get sucked into the everyday routine and to become oblivious to what your mind and body need. The only thing that has been keeping me balanced this semester has been the joy of African dance and the community that comes with this. My body was sore and mind in overload. I needed the simple things in life that we often take for granted...loose leaf tea, chocolate ice cream, a fire circle, story telling, the full moon and a the new community of beautiful cycling women. And i got just this on this celabratory evening of wild women and la luna. The most exciting part of the evening was when 12 out the 16 women bundled up in wool hats & mittens, headlamps and christmas lighted bicycles to embark on a howling journey through down town Prescott. Little did we know that our howles would interrupt the filming of some reality show. When we realized this we decided to add a little jazz to the scene and peddaled our way past the blockades in howels and laughter. Maybe we will be in the bloopers. An enchanted evening of wild women & critical mass.
I recommend if you havent had a women's gathering to do so. The collaborative of women and the full moon is most healing.

On this rainy eve...

2006-10-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

Why hello everyone!!!
i write to you from the puddles!!! We just had a down poor that some were saying may turn into a flash flood. yikes! I suppose i should update from my last posting.
SUMMER
After just a week of potlucks and hiking with family and friends in good 'ol NH I was off on another adventure. I embarked on a two week cycling journey down the west coast of Ireland. I traveled with two dear friends of mine from NH- Tim & Owen. We camped on the Cliffs of Mohr surrounded by wild flowers and waking to the dew making its way through our sleeping bags. We explored quaint villages such as Doolin and Killarney National Park. These are just a few windows into our trip. We also picked up a bit of Gaelic and enjoyed some of the best Irish folk tunes...EVER! After this green adventure music and community spiraled throughout my summer. The most memorable of shows being Radiohead, beck, and Hot Buttered Rum. And let me tell you, if you want to hear some good energy bluegrass check out HBR. Not only are they beautiful musicians but they are environmentalists too. Their tour bus runs on veggie oil. They have even performed at the Orphium in Flagstaff. Hopefully they will be coming through again. Check them out at www.hotbutteredrum.net

From the beaches of Mexico to Snow covered cacti and the strokes

2006-03-21T09:17:00.000-08:00

MEXICO...this spring break I had my first experience in the colorful Mexican culture with 4 lovely Prescotteers. WE drove 10 hours to Kino Bay where the college campus is located. We then drove to San Carlos and spent the rest of our days basking in the sun, kayaking the Sea of Cortez, horseback riding through the Sonoran Desert where we saw the remains of the Catch 22 set.We also had a scenic bike ride through teh fishing villages. WE camped out on thw white sand beaches and stuffed ourselves silly with authentic mexican food each night. Now we are back in Prescott and events are being cancelled , schools delayed due to a powder dust of snow. Some people are even too nervous to drive. i chuckle because I'm form NH and we were driving to schhol with the power out and multiple cars off road. On the other hand there are some excited comunity member that are making a festival out of the snow- snowmen, skiing, sledding and snow with maple syrup.
Tonihgt: we will be driving to Mesa to see THe Strokes. Woohoooo!!!!!

March Madness

2006-03-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

March in Prescott, Arizona. It is gorgeous here...78 degrees. We kicked the month off with an art collective fundraiser for the Laboratory, the community art space. The mixed medias covered the walls, there were poetry readings, independent films, dances,3 talented bands and foooood. One group of artists danced around in a multi-colored maze of shirts. There were about 7 of them frolicking around the room with all of there shirts sewn together at the hands. Later on in the week the local info shop-the Catalyst- held a community vegetarian Bar-B-Q. There was a kickass bluegrass-punk band and a community bike ride. Just yesterday afternoon, myself and 3 other women joined Brian on Granite Mountain. He has set up a few weekends of trail work for the community, as a part of his senior project. Leaving there mountain covered in dirt, sweating, exhausted and feeling great! It feels so good giving back to mother nature and having the hikers pass by and really appreciating our work.
what's to come:
Spring Break!!!!
Next week students will be rushing to Kino Bay Mexico to bask in the sun, kayak, and enjoy a week of complete relaxation. Others will head to the coast to surf & paddle, climb at the Promised lands and Joshua Tree, skiing in Colorado, and relaxing in Prescott. When we return there will be a festival in celebration of Spring. The day will entail local musicians, the arts, trade and barter of jewelry, clothes,movies, books, music, and a gear swap. If you are interested in Prescott College check us out on our preview days. There will be free food .. ahhah, mmmmmm.
preview weekend:
March 25 & 26
April 22 & 23

Backcountry Skiing & Avalanche Training

2006-02-13T09:06:00.002-08:00

Why hello there,

I just returned from a month long adventure in the mountains of Idaho. The class consisted of myself, 8 Prescotteers and 2 instructors. we toured from yurt to hut and lived simply with everything on our backs. we even had a few winter camping nights where we built quinzhees(snow shelter like an igloo). The mountains were beautiful-the Sawtooths, Pioneers, Boulders and White Clouds. One yurt stands at 8900ft, secluded from the life in the valleys. it was here that 5 lakes surrounded us and the gray wolves, elk, snow shoe hares roamed. our instructor Francie spotted some mountain lion tracks just 50 ft from the yurt, which lead to a kill...an elk. Can you get any more experiential than this?
each day we awoke to a woodstove fire, hot brew and whatever the cook crew has prepared for breakfast. After breakfast we all had to do our parts whether it was clean up, chopping wood, snow collection for H2O or tending to the fire. then we would strap our skins on and head out for a glorious day in the powder. on our day tours we were"mastering" the tele turn (with a few face plants in between) and studying avalanches. we dug pits, identified terrain, snow packs, map navigation, winter adaptation skills , winter ecology, beacon searches/avy scenarios, and lots more. i was with an amazing crew too. most nights we would be exhausted after skiing all day, finishing up chores, and student presentations so wet supported one another in massage.
When we were in Hailey Idaho we met some locals who told us that it is the most snow they have had in 50 years and the coldest it has been in 10 years. which made for great and safe skiing, but not the best conditions for the avalanche curriculum. we only spotted one slab avalanche the entire month. After a month of simplicity in winterwonderland we were certified in level 1 Avalanche Awareness for backcountry skiers. i highly recommend taking this class if you are interested in Adventure Education. Or id\f you are reading this and want to do this with friends/ family or solo be in touch with Joe & Francie St. Onge. they are the two enthusiastic owners of Sun Valley Trekking. Check out their website. http://www.svtrek.com/winter/education.html

2005-12-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

Great News! Raina Rose will be returning to Prescott in April to put on another amazing performance. Speaking of performances we have had four amazing shows in the past five days. The first being the art show with beautiful paintings, photographs, still life and even a dress up box model. She had a treasure chest full of belly dancing bells, fur(not real of course) coats, make up/body paint, tape, bubble wrap and wacky thingermabobs. She had a sign that read
"dress me up and then pose me." She was a big hit at the show. After the art show the comedy group did stand up, improv., monologues, and skits. I was laughing so hard that my laugh was in silent mode. on saturday evening the African Inspired dance class put on a colorful show. they had made their own costumes-orange, red, yellow, bright blues and greens with tribal make up accentuating their smiles and energy. they danced to a tribal drum circle; one guy was drumming so hard he put a whole in the drum! Towards the end of the show one of the dancers did a solo...to Michael Jackson's "Beat it." When the show had finished the dancers went into the audience inviting the crowd th join them to the African beats. it was the most beautiful dance performance i had ever been to. Lastly, the dance & improv. class danced to the 5 rhythms and put on a poetic performance. We have a strong dance community here in Prescott and everyone is welcome. Tuesday evenings we have a free African dance jam with a drum circle known as Village Life- so check it out!
Happy Holidays!!!!!!!

cHAOS IN NEW ORLEANS

2005-11-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

We (myself and 13 other PC students) arrived back in town late Sunday evening, after spending our Thanksgiving break in New Orleans helping with the relief. This week long adventure was nationally known as the roadtrip for relief. And changed the lives of hundreds of volunteers and community members. It is hard to share my experience with others because I'm still processing the madness of it all. We worked with volunteers who had traveled from as far as Canada and organizations such as Code Pink, Common Ground Collective, Animal Rescue and The Rainbow Kitchen. Most of our time was spent gutting out houses which required protection from head to toe. We geared up in white suits with hoods; gloves, rubber boots, gloves, goggles, and respirators. And still people broke out in mold rash. It never ceases to amaze me how corrupt the Gov. really is. The police have been on a power trip accusing and throwing in jail innocent people, writing outrageous tickets for double parking, and harassing the volunteers; not to mention the other "things" they do that I cant talk about. It has been three months since the levee break brought dervastation to New Orleans and there's still so much to do. The lower 9th ward which was hit the hardest has seen the least attention and is in the most need. There are children walking the toxic streets in slipper socks bc they lost EVERYTHING. When I was working in the distribution center i overheard a little girl asking her gram, "When will New Orleans be fixed?"
They need people now! When the Tsunami relief effort reached its 3 month mark they were farther along then New Orleans, and they are a poor country. The differnece being COMMUNITY EFFORT. I strongy encourage all of yuou to help ourt community. It is a life changing experience. Some may be concerned with the price but it doesn't cost much at all. Once your there and plugged in you have a place to sleep and food is distributed. Just bring boots and a sleeping bag. For 14 of us to drive out it cost about $900 which we fund raised. Get donations from your community and help with the relief. A great organization to plug into is Common Ground Collective. If you have any questions or need more info. on organizations to get involved with feel free to email me.
bballa@prescott.edu

A Typical Education Field Trip @ Prescott College

2005-11-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my Foundations in Education class ventured over to Sky View for an observation of expeditionary teaching. Our local Outward Bound expeditionary school is a multi-year K-8. When I arrived I observed grades 1,2, and 3. The morning began with the teacher leading the students in the sun salutation (yoga). Then they all went around shaking hands, saying "hello" in Korean, and saying how happy they were that the other students were here today. They sat in a circle singing songs; wrote poetry that was revised by a fellow classmate,shared their dioramas, researched Prescott's history and were working on a living museum of Prescott. Sky View values experiential learning, community,self-discovery, expression,experiencing curiousity,diversity and the natural world. There 5 core practices are learning expeditions, active pedagogy, culture & character, leadership & school improvement, and structures. I had a great experience at Sky View and am thiunking about doing a work study there next semester. My competence area is in experiential educatuation reason being why i enjoyed Sky View so much. But don't fret, if you want a more traditional school setting we also take field trips to public schools, Waldorf, high schools, etc.

If you want to know more about Sky View or experiential learning go to: www.elob.org

Raina Rose

2005-11-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

This past monday we had the talented, acoustic folk singer/song writer Raina Rose preform. The show was organized by the "F" word class (women studies)to raise money for the new haven project. The show was opened by two students, with Raina joining in for a few songs. Her poetic honesty enticed the audience. Some have called her the love child of Paul Simon & Ani Difranco. She sang songs from her newest album, "Raina Rose...Despite the Crushing Weight of Gravity." Her energy filled the room rising people off the commfy couches to the dance floor. After the show she was so personable and humble...a real muysician. She sold some CDs and had an army duffle full of recycled shirts with her design. The embossed design was of a tree the blossomed into the neck of a guitar, with fiddle heads and her name.
it was a beautifully relaxed show and the "F" word class raised enough money for new haven.

cONTRA Dancing

2005-11-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday! That means only 2 days until the community contra dance.
For those of you who may not know what contra dancing is I'll tell you.
There is a caller, someone who stands infont of the lines and guides the dances. There is also a live band playing either folk or bluegrass tunes.A dancer and his or her partner dance a series of figures, or moves, with each other and with another couple for a short time. They then repeat the same figures with another couple. People of all ages and lifestyles, including children, are welcome. Contra dances are a place where people from many walks of life come together to dance and socialize a Barn Dance. IN contra dancing you are constantly spinning so you can get pretty dizzy. To help with this you make eye contact with your partner(s).This adds to the connectedness of the dance, and helps reduce dizziness, especially during the swing. Contra dancing is pretty much a barn dance, but nothing like country line dancing. There is no right or wrong dress, but women usually wear long, flowing skirts with tank tops because you work up a sweat, while men wear loose fitting pants and some wear skirts too. Many dance barefoot while others have light dancing shoes. WE have a small group of us here that go contra dancing in Prescott, cottonwood, Flagstaff and we hope to get down to Tucson. If you like great music and friendly people you'll love contra dancing. WE also have Indian dance jams in town that are so much fun!

Halloween Weekend

2005-10-31T09:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

What a crazzzzzzzzy weekend! On Friday five of us drove down to the stae fair to see Beck in concert. They were touring funky white boyÃ’s latest, Guero. A band called the Islands opened for Beck; all dressed in white suits and trippy colors flashing on the projection screen. At this point we were in row 18 where "we were supposed to be." As soon as the lights went out we rushed passed security to the stage and ended up in the 3rd row!
Words can not describe the Beck experience, it was the best show ever!!! The energy was beautiful, there was even a 95 year old gram getting down. One song beck was playingthe banjoo while the rest of the band were beat boxing. For another song they had a dinner table set up with spoons, knives, plates and wine glasses; these were their instuments. One of the members did an Irish jig for most of the show while others began to thrust the audience. They even invited a girl on stage where she played the accordionn, swaying her hips with the beats. IT was Amazing!

While I was at Beck some other PC student went to Vegoos a folk festival held in las vegas where DMB, Yonder MOuntain,Beck, etc. would perform.

Saturday night there was a Super Hero party held to raise money for a senior project. Some super heros were...well some may not be appropriate to write so if you come here you'll find out next year. There was bobbing for beer, and battles-good vs evil.

Tonight foe Halloween there will be a rolller skating shindig put on by the school and a talking heads themed costume party where there wil be a DJ and live band!

Have A Happy Halloween!!!!!!!! Maaawwwwwaaaahaaaahhaaaa!

A Monday Night In Prescott

2005-10-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

After finishing a paper for Writing workshop and reading for my other classes I bike home to grab my paints and some jasmine tea. I pack my things and put on my head lamp; which guide sme through the darkness to meet Jess at the chapel. We were meeting at 7 pm for a life drawing. At 9pm we went back to my place to make pesto ravioli stir fry and brownie sundaes for dessert. After feasting on the delicious meal we watched "The Constant Gardener," now on my top 5 list of movies...watch it. So it was a relaxing , stress -free MOnday night. This weekend is going to crazy with everything going on. Some of us are driving down to pheonix to see Beck and Wide Spread Panic on Friday while others are headed to Vegas for the festival. My next blog will be a concert review.

sunflowers & kisses *)'

Crazzzzzzzzzzzy Fun!!!!

2005-10-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

What Wacky Wednesday!

There's so much going on here! We just finished up with the Bioneers conference and the Twin Peaks controversy is still protesting. Twin Peaks- Snowbowl is a ski resort in Flagstaff also a sacred mountain.We have had some great jam bands and reggae concerts, crazy kids going wild on the dance floor. Some students did some fire dancing...it was kickass! I group of us will also be going to see Beck in a few short days. Woohoooo! Our Peace Studies techer Randall will be taking his class to New Orleans to help with the relief. They will drive out on Thanksgiving break. we also have a preview day coming up in November, so come and check us out.

sunflowers and kisses

NOv. 12 &13
Prescott College
Great opportunity to get a feel for the Prescott community
877 350 2100 or email me at bballa@prescott.edu

Living in Prescott

2005-10-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

As you may all know we do not have dorms on campus. Instead we live in studios, apartments, houses that room up to eight people and some even live out of a tent in a backyard. This can be nerve racking for some who this is their first time away from home. NO worries, there are staff and students that will make this as easy as eating a slice of chocolate cake, mmmmmmm. You can go to our website , click on student life and then housing. Here you will find all of our housing and then click on general housing. This will bring you to a list where students are looking for housemates and land lords are seeking renters.
I live on a dusty, washboard, dirt road two blocks from campus. This is an ideal location because it's so close to school and there are footpaths to the center of town. The beautiful thing about living in Prescott is you can go everywhere on foot or by riding you bike. FYI there are a lot of awesome thrift stores and pawn shop to pick up bikes, beds, and clothes. I recommend that anyone who comes must go to the DAV. Anyhoo, i live with 6 other people in our little blue house, the neighbors are great too. Our back yard includes a fire pit, large couch, rope swing, clothes line, compost pile and we are currently working on a garden and constructing a rock climbing wall.
Now for the food. We don't have 3 huge dining halls like your typical college but we do have something better. We have the Crossroads Center Cafe with a beautiful brick patio. The food is delicious organic and comes from local farmers, They are currently working on a food card where you have a certain amount, works like a debit card. They also offer meals for vegetarians and vegans. The other option is the CSA- community supported agriculture. You can purchase a winter share which begins in Oct. and goes through May. You go to the crossroads center cafe where they will have a table set up each week, the produce will vary each week. Some things they have are melons, sprouts, canyon grapes and there is a meat option. You get a huge bag of organic goodies and it's enough for a household of 4. There are three local health food stores and at least three grocery stores. Some have discount for students too.

The Beginning

2005-10-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hello beautiful people!
This is my first sememster at PC and a big change for me. I'm originally from the rinky dinky town of Acworth, which has a population of 700. So this is a little bigger then what I'm used to but it is perfect for me and maybe for you too. My first class here was wilderness orientation which was crazy-fun. There were 10 of us and we called ourselves "the tribe." It is the first class you will take at prescott; a three week long course where you will study the natural history, wilderness first aid, along with the connections you will make with thebeautiful AZ wilderness, peers, and self. This allowed me to put some things into perspective. Wilderness Orientation gives you a taste of what PC is all about; our community, the environment and life.
Currently I am taking Writing Workshop, Foundations in Education and Dance and Improv which are all instructed by enthusiastic educators. All of my classes have 12 students or less, they do this based on how many people can fit in a van. So you wont just be a number.

I love the community we have here in prescott and am eager to start fire dancing and connecting with more amazing people.