Cristin Smith

This space is a collection of my ramblings and a bit of randomness. An archive of where I've been, where I'm at, and where I'm going.

I write most consistently on my personal blog, not because I'm particularly keen on sharing the intricacies of my life with strangers, but because it contributes to living an honest life. If I were a goldfish...

My professional blog is **suppose** to be used for the purpose of cataloging my non-profit work. However, both fear and procrastination have been the key contributors to those remaining unpublished.

I currently reside in Tijuana, B.C. where I am hard at work harnessing my fear and procrastination among other things. Most of my days are spent reading, praying, and of course...writing. I'm learning how to slow down, be still, and even silent. Cultivating postures like listening; listening to myself, to the Spirit, and to those around me.

Although my sabbatical has been centered around synthesizing my work and constructing professional teaching tools it is also characterized by cultural research. I'm learning Spanish as well as immersing myself in daily life here in Tijuana. My hope is that the influence México is having on me wouldn't just affect my work, but would also mar my soul.

I realize I'm not just residing in a country that's not my own, but I've taken up residence in (what I'm calling) the land of liminality. A space that anthropologists use to describe rites of passage in ancient cultures. Liminality finds its roots in Latin meaning, "threshold".

For me this time has been set aside for "fruitful waiting" and "divine purification". This "narrow space without answers" is my classroom, teaching me how to abandon the status quo so that I might participate in a life-long revolution!