Semester News
By Lisl Hofer, Semester Coordinator

It is hard to believe that I have been at Kroka not even half a year. So much has happened since the day I said goodbye to my community at the Kimberton Waldorf School and arrived at Kroka on August 1, 2006. I now understand what the proverb “baptized by fire” means.

Immediately upon my arrival I was offered a most remarkable experience. I was to go on Kroka’s summer program journey to Ecuador with eight students from America, seven from Ecuador and Mathias and Michael Dammer as teachers. Certainly challenging, yet unforgettable: the beauty of the Andes, the Ecuadorian Coast with its pounding sea, the lobsters and fish caught and shared by local fishermen, the abundance of food ranging from bananas, oranges and yuccas, to coconuts, chocolate beans and papayas, the generosity of the indigenous people, the joys and struggles of young people and last but not least the Dammer Family’s endless gifts to Kroka. What could have prepared me better for the fall months ahead, especially for the planning of the Vermont-Ecuador Semester? I feel so lucky, so grateful for having the opportunity to work for such an inspiring organization as Kroka.

Once I returned from Ecuador at the end of August, Misha, Stefan and Laurel finished my new home, the yurt. After three months of wandering, it was a happy day when I finally could settle again. Now I live in this beautiful yurt behind Misha and Lynne’s house, cozy and warm. My commute to work is truly sustainable – about 200 yards walking one way. I am so happy to be here.

Since we have moved indoors, our work has been intense, I must say. While we were reviewing the past programs – semester, summer and school, and launching into a new phase for Kroka, we were learning to work as a team and getting to know each other in the office setting. Our striving has begun to pay off. We are getting the work done and we are on the way to a great New Year.

Chris and Ashirah have been working independently on the Vermont Semester, while Michael, Thomas, Marcea, Misha and I plunged into developing the Vermont-Ecuador Semester. We were fortunate to have Mara and Yosif Golfman, Misha’s parents, helping us with mailing thousands of brochures, a task that is quite overwhelming. As of now we have responded to a number of application requests and are waiting for the applications to come in.

Amidst of all this work we went on marketing trips: Sara DelRio organized a day of presentations in her son’s school. Eric had been on the summer Ecuador trip ‘05. Michael and I presented the two Kroka Semester Programs to all the Spanish classes of that day. We must have met a few hundred high school students from the Wendam-Hamilton High School. Both of us left the school tired yet invigorated by the attention and interest we had felt. Jude, Aaron Rice’s mother, organized another presentation for Kroka. Aaron, one of the students on the summer Ecuador trip ‘06, had also been a Kroka student for many years. It was such a pleasure to bring the birch bark canoe and share this beautiful work of craft with people who can truly appreciate it. Aaron and his family live in an intentional community near Boston. Many of the children from that community have come to Kroka in the past years and so we were delighted to share crafts and slides from the summer program as well as the Vermont and Vermont-Ecuador Semester. It was wonderful to be surrounded by the familiar faces of our Kroka students and their parents.

Michael, Thomas and Marcea visited the Sharon Academy in Sharon, Vermont, where Cody Spiegel, Miles Hooper and Michael Hoffman attend High School, all three were participants of the summer Ecuador trip ‘06. One hundred and twenty students gathered in the gym and enjoyed the inspiring presentation by our semester teachers.

Finally, in early November while I was in Sacramento, CA at the Rudolf Steiner College for my Waldorf Remedial Training, I was invited to give presentations to three Waldorf Schools. Again, students and teachers were amazed and inspired by the beauty of the crafts, the physical and emotional challenges of the semester journeys and mostly by the potential such journeys provide.

In addition, I had the opportunity to present our program to a group of professional educators and therapists at the Rudolf Steiner College. Wherever I have gone and spoken of Kroka and of the Semester Programs the response has been one of excitement, support and hope for the future.

Kroka Expeditions Semester Programs are on their way. We are spreading the word about the semesters and we are hopeful that young people looking for such learning experiences will hear about it. Remember that you too can help us in finding young persons for whom this program is right. Please contact me at 802 387 5397 or at lislkroka@gmail.com

Wishing you a peaceful Holiday Season.

Lisl

July contradance
on the new workshop floor.