Tom’s say:

Well, 2006 has ended. Faith and I have made some changes this year. To sum it up, we sold our house in Austin, I quit my programming job and we joined the Peace Corps.

We will be in Madagascar for 27 months as environmental educators. It is a long stretch for me to be an educator, since I have been a software engineer for many moons. I am sure some of my knowledge will translate. But, during our three-month training session we will find out our project and town. We will keep y’all informed via our blog (http://blog.faithandtom.com)

One aspect of Peace Corps is to inspire friends and family to learn about where we are going, so here are a few links:

The World Factbook – Madagascar: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ma.html
Embassy of Madagascar: http://www.embassy.org/madagascar/
The Lonely Planet: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/madagascar/
Cortez Travel and Expeditions: http://www.air-mad.com/
The Living Edens –Madagascar: http://www.pbs.org/edens/madagascar/ 

There have been many amazing people come into my life. At the Kushi Institute I meet people first coming to Macrobiotics, people with a well-developed practice and teachers that have dedicated their lives to the study and development of Macrobiotics. My volunteer-ship was very rewarding. Here is more information about the Kushi Institute (http://www.kushiinstitute.org).

I volunteered in the kitchen and programmed for EnlightenNext.  It is a non-profit that produces “What is Enlightenment” magazine. Andrew Cohn is the founder. I was able to take two courses to help me understand the teachings of Andrew. I enjoyed and got a lot out of the philosophy and feel honored to meet fellow participates and the teachers. Special thanks to Katherine and Jeff. For more information checkout (http://www.enlightennext.com).

Faith and I were very fortunate to be treated by a great acupuncturist, Lonny Jarrett. He is a great and amazing guy. I realized he was in Stockbridge Massachusetts (25 minutes from Kushi Institute) after ordering one of his books “Nourishing Destiny” (http://www.spiritpathpress.com/). Simple put he is very good. I will definitely see him when I get back.

While in Austin I meet and got treated by Dr. Hinz. He helped me get past specific emotional issues I had battled for years. I like his work and hope to study with him in the future. (http://www.arcturusfoundation.com/).

We were able to spend time in Boston and see Warren Kramer, my favorite Macrobiotic Counselor. He is a wonderful person and awesome chef. (http://www.macrobioticsnewengland.com/)

We were in Austin for a few days and it was great to see everyone. I love the Austin Macrobiotic scene. Special thanks to Dawn Pallavi and Casa de Luz (http://www.casadeluz.org/) for all the work she has done in creating community. (http://www.naturalepicurean.com/)

Over Christmas I was able to hangout with my great grandmother and relatives. I had a great time. There was a lot of Love over the holidays.

Faith and I were in Denver for new years. Now we are in Southern California. The weather in Denver beat the crap out of our car. It is in the shop now, but our plans are to travel around. We are heading up to San Francisco very soon and I am going to visit my parents and friends in Texas. Then we head off to Peace Corps Feb. 18^th.

Peace and Joy in this year to come. Love Tom