August 13 Today I spent the day packing. Lots of things to sort and distribute between my carry on and my back pack. I'm bringing a variety of technical gadgets: my external cd player (cause that's how I do music); an external video camera that can be turned in different directions to capture more than what appears on the laptop monitor (I plan to record some stuff using zoom); an external video storage unit, etc etc. Took a break in the afternoon to have dinner at the county fair. That seems to have cleared my mind so that I can take care of a few more things on the to-do list. Where did I leave off in my last post? Not sure, so I'll write a little about what's been on my mind the last few days. I guess I'm still "scratching" (as Twyla Tharp calls it), my ears and eyes open for bits of information and inspiration to guide me. I very much feel like I've just set something in motion because I was curious to dig deeper. Some people think this is a family history project but, although it begins with my mother being forced to leave her home by the Nazis, it has now become more than a personal story. Every individual story of migration - involuntary or voluntary, horrific or aided kindly - is different. I want to know what it's like for others, I guess. More than anything, I don't want this to be seen as self indulgent or exploitative. I want it to be helpful, to help people who are away from their homes to find something worth holding on to and for people who are afraid they will be giving something up to find a place of generosity.

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