Andra's Bio

In college I studied environmental science at Southwest Missouri State. I really wasn't certain what I wanted to do with my degree. In general I wanted to do something that created environmental change for the better (save the world, save the lemurs, all that jive). But what did that mean? Eh, I didn't know. During college, I lived in Springfield (read: Bible Belt), where the most radical organization on campus was Amnesty International (of course I was involved). Looking back, there were a lot of things in college I wasn't exposed to (feminism, environmental activism, sustainable living) mostly because they weren't readily available around Springfield, but also because I was recovering from suburbia.

After college these exposures caught up with me. I began working at an engineering company making maps with GIS software. (This isn't where I was exposed to more radical ideas, this is where I spent unhappy hours in a cubicle.) To indulge my radical side, I spent my evenings and weekends working at the Green Party office for the Nader campaign. I was definitely living a double life. This Jekyll and Hyde-ness ended after I attended a People's Summit on Globalization. The event completely shifted the perspective of my reality. From here, my activism, awareness and knowledge snowballed. I quit my job and the snowball rolled right into Quebec City for the FTAA protest. My friends and I were among 60,000 or so other protesters. The support and trust among protesters was amazing. But overall, what did we accomplish? Not much. (It seems governments (corporations?) no longer listen to large demonstrations. Perhaps it will take something greater than demonstrations to make those in charge change.) From this experience sprung an idea: to build a positive way of life instead of fighting against a negative way of life. (Not to say protests aren't needed. Resistance takes all forms. But then, that's a whole other topic).

I began shifting my life to be closer to one I could feel good about. I took a job with an environmental non-profit in Kansas City, planted a community garden plot, helped out on an organic farm and saw lots of live music (this didn't have much to do with living-with-consciousness, but made me happy nonetheless). Through this life, I educated people on waste reduction and pollution and provided myself with lots of organic produce. I still wasn't satisfied with the manner in which I was living because I was still living inside the usual culture (so to speak). I felt I was simply creating and playing along with different systems, but in the old way of thinking, to paraphrase Daniel Quinn.

I began looking for a different place to live. I had heard about Dancing Rabbit when I stumbled upon their website while I was in college. In my search for a new home, I researched all sorts of communities, but only visited Dancing Rabbit. Whilst visiting I discovered that this is where I needed to live. The special bonus to my visit was that I met my (former) partner Penn. I left my city life and moved to DR in September 2002. Since then I've been learning and experiencing more than I had imagined. I'm thankful to have a life where I am more self-sufficient and less involved in systems (read: corporations) I don't believe in supporting. Mostly I love the silent winter nights and the lack of locks on doors. Above all, where else could I live where folks would accept, no, encourage (!) my handpuppetry?

July 2003