First day of Fast Track!

Today was the first day of my fast track... and I really enjoyed it! We were tested on a bunch of things, but that really appealed to the unschooler in me, as it gives you an idea of a)how much you DO know, and b)what you need to work/aim towards.

You'll be glad to know that I'm taking hundreds of notes (YES... left handed Kerrin is writing like mad!!) so you'll get to hear about my experiences... I'll also be sharing my experiences with all on the Parelli Central platforms, so be sure to check in there!

Almost finished my social media internship....

Between doing social media stuff, giving tours, attending meetings, playing with our horses (before and after work, and during lunch break...) time seems to fly by! So much so, that I'm embarking on my final week here at Parelli Social Media. Yes, I did say my final week.

It just so happened that there's a fast track starting at the campus, next week. It also just so happens that I fly back to the UK on the 29th Sept - a couple of days after the fast track ends. It also happens that I have a horse at the campus, and I 'm confident that our horsemanship level is fast track worthy. I also discovered that I've earned more than half the money for the fast track, just with working student credits. It seemed like too good a coincidence to miss, so I spoke to my boss about participating in the fast track.... and hey presto! After some chats with various people, I'll be starting the fast track on Monday, and ending my time here on Friday!

I'm sad to be finishing my time in the office. I've really really enjoyed it. More than I ever thought I would. Social Media is a very exciting thing, especially when its Parelli related! But I'm pretty confident that I'll be involved with social media in one form or another in the future; even if its purely keeping my own blog.

If you'd like to read my 'Link Round up' on the Parelli Central blog, click here

Never ending self-improvement...Life is for Learning!

Shakespeare said that "all the world's a stage" and someone else spoke about learning happening all the time (don't quote me on this, but I think John Holt said something to that extent). I'm reminded that life is a performance, and oftentimes, a spontaneous and unpracticed performance. If this performance has not been seen or experienced before, it leads me to think that it must be a learning environment, too!
I'm a constant learner. I'm pretty good at doing new things, and really enjoying things! I guess this is mostly due to the unschooling method by which I was educated. I've learned how to think outside of the box, and learn purely for the joy of learning. Interest and passion certainly have a lot to do with the motivation for learning.

So... I thought I'd share my latest discoveries with you! Firstly, I have to say that being in America, in Parelliville, and being involved in Social Media is a learning platform in itself... but outside of that I'm learning some tangible things too.
I have a passion for sailing, and have been pretty involved with the Ocean Youth Trust South for the past few years, I have been a member of their volunteer sea staff since the beginning of last year. I originally started out as a Bosun-mostly because I was too young to do anything else-but I really enjoyed playing a role where I didn't have to fit in with everyone's schedules, and where I got to learn a LOT about boat engines and maintenance. Anyway, now that I'm officially an adult in the world's eyes, I'm hoping to become a 3rd Mate with the Ocean Youth Trust South, which means that I'll need to do an assessment with them when I'm back in the UK. I'm hoping this will happen in 2010, but perhaps I'll have to wait until next year.Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to take my Yachtmaster theory qualification, so I'm currently studying for that when I get the cnace.

During my travels this year, I rekindled my passion for the continent of Africa. I also realized how little I know about this continent. So I'm currently memorizing the countries of Africa with the help of this program.... My 3 months in Tanzania this year (from March-June) taught me many things, the most obvious probably being the language of KiSwahili. I'm currently trying to get beyond the greetings, so I have downloaded a language program where I get to practice my Swahili more regularly.

The next big learning experience has been Parelli, Parelli, PARELLI! I've realized that I need to polish up on the knowledge aspect of things.... luckily my cabin mates are in the same boat as me, so we currently learn and test each other together. At the moment we're focusing on the 3 Laws of Parelli, the 7 Keys to Success, and the 8 Principles. I might actually bring myself to write them all out for you one of these days!

Me, Sharon & Gina

Of course now that I have Boltar, I want to spend every bit of free time out with him, but I try to set aside some time in the evenings (after dark) to focus on the above things!! Why can't we have a 30 hour day?!



Anyway, I hope you're all having a fantastic week, and continuously embrace learning! Maybe you care to share your learning experiences with us bloggers?

Ice cream. Horses. Fun times.

Ice cream face....

Everyone has an icon, a trademark. I'd like to think I go a lot deeper than food, but I have to admit that eating ice cream out of the tub is one of my best habits... its just one of those Kerrin things really. I mean, c'mon, ice cream HAS to be eaten in large measures, right? And obviously, buying a *BIG* tub of ice cream, grabbing a spoon, and just digging in is the ONLY way to eat ice cream properly....

I even took my trait over to Tanzania,
where I made my cousin eat Chocolate ice cream with me..around midnight!

Anyway. So last night was one of those exciting nights, where we bought a tub of ice cream, and Gina, Sharon, and myself gathered around with spoons and dug in. Of course the couple of ladies hanging around in the lodge soon noticed us, and couldn't help but join us. And there we sat for a good half hour, with strands of hay dotted around our clothes, a bit of horse snot on our arms, dirt under our fingernails. Munching away. Content. Properly horsed for a change.

YES, I did just say properly horsed. I now have a horse... at the Parelli campus... this is really what dreams are made of! Anyway, I guess I'll have to tone down my excitement, and backtrack for you dear reader... the last time I wrote, getting a horse was still pretty much only an idea...

I've been amazed at how many horses I've been offered over the past week, but I narrowed my options down to using either Renee's horse Boltar (whom I've played with a couple of times and have really enjoyed) or Sharon's second horse, Beau. I couldn't quite decide over the two, so we decided that I'd choose after playing with Beau. We spent last weekend in Las Vegas, picking up Sharon and Gina's horses, as planned. I really enjoyed the drive, and it was great to see where Sharon comes from, and of course meeting her horses was awesome! Everyone at the barn (where Sharon boards Sienna and Beau) is really friendly, and as I was saying to Sharon, its like having one big happy horsey family! As we got Beau out for me to play with, we noticed that he was limping quite badly. It turned out to be pretty serious, so that decided things for me. Beau would be staying in Las Vegas, and I'd be borrowing Boltar (who was kept only 20 minutes from the campus in Colorado). I'm so glad that I had Boltar as a back up, but I feel sorry for Sharon, she's been through this with Beau before.... anyway, to read more about our Vegas adventures, take a peek at Sharon's blog!

I had my down day on Monday, where I was really missing my horse, Blaine. Of course it didn't help that the other two girls had their horses, and were obviously very excited, but they were great and very understanding! By Tuesday (yesterday) I couldn't afford to be down, as the excitement started creeping in....Boltar would be arriving at the campus in the evening!

Pat Parelli was just finishing off something as Boltar arrived at the campus, and he happened to come over and say hello. What amazing timing.... me, with a horse, greeting Pat. I couldn't help but feel that there are exciting things in store for me.

Its useful that Boltar has had lessons at the campus before, because he was pretty relaxed, and I spent the evening playing with him. Gina and Sharon had their horses too, and our friend Mackenzie came out and took some awesome pictures! The evening was beautiful, and even more complete with horses.

Sharon & Sienna - Excitement!

Gina and her horse, Titan

Me & Boltar