Whatever Happened To…

1984-1989 · Student, 1995-1989 · Staff | Residing in OJAI, CALIFORNIA, USA

I came to Brockwood for the first time in 1984 as a prospective student. This was the beginning of a journey beyond my imagination, the birthplace of some of my closest, lifelong friendships and the special bond to a person who was going to grow into a central pillar in my life: Maxi Kogoi. What followed were two cycles of student life at Brockwood, with an interlude at “Le Centre National Professionel de Danse” in France. These were the years during which in my head and heart I was trying to figure out how I could combine and create a life around what I was interested in: Dance (learnt, practiced and taught in a non-competitive way), the study of the human body, and health.

I was among those BP students who “migrated” to American colleges in the late 80s. My three years at Bennington College felt in many ways as the natural progression to my Brockwood education and a blessed opportunity to explore a unique blend of the artistic process and academics. Both Brockwood and Bennington were able to meet my non-traditional upbringing and allow me to trust what I was interested in pursuing. My personal journey with dance, choreography and improvisation was redefined in a formative way during my undergraduate years, as was interdisciplinary somatic studies.

Experiencing Brockwood as a staff member was so radically different and at times quite challenging. Those years of teaching and contributing to the community have left cherished memories and some unique experiences of teaching, co-teaching and collaborating which I still find myself missing at times.

Eventually life circumstances brought me back to Bennington College where I was invited to complete my MFA while continuing my teaching path. Graduate school was unparalleled in intensity, depth and commitment. In both of these unpredicted returns – to Brockwood first, and to Bennington second – I found the same physical places, some of the same key people, yet I was a different person. I learnt and contributed in different ways, not just because of the age and maturity, but because I was primarily in a position of giving rather than receiving. I had been moving at a regular pace of 2 to 4 years cycles for 15 years, when I moved to South Florida in 2001.

There has been such a degree of flexibility, adaptation and creativity needed to maneuver this less-than-linear life path thus far. Even though there were many returns, it never felt as a step backwards but always as the continuation of the journey, punctuated with new beginnings. This was true also when Maxi and I met again and decided to share this journey once more. I feel truly blessed with a partner who has shown through many life lessons that he stands by me, embracing all that I am and aspire to be. So I recreated my life in the “nest” of the Ojai Valley in Southern California. This allowed me to be close to my beloved sister Anne (Anne Loustaunou Greenberg, herself a student at Brockwood 1985-1989) and her family and to share the precious childhood years of her two daughters with her. Family once more became central, as my mother was able to come visit us for an extended period of time every year. We had many adventures, took to the road, explored, played, laughed a great deal all together…

I now find myself rebuilding once more: finding my way back to working and dancing, redefining the relationships with my nieces and brother-in-law, and most importantly, (re-)discovering who I am in this next cycle of life that is necessarily based on a very different foundation.

1996-2000 | Residing in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Having grown up in the Black Forest in Germany until my mid-teens, my nomadic life started when at age 15 I moved to England to attend Brockwood Park. Four years at Brockwood shaped me immensely. It meant that my formative years were spent with people that taught me so much, in a place that will forever be in my heart as one of my true homes.

Finishing school and wanting to study costume design in Italy, I relocated there and took up an au-pair role looking after two wonderful children. I soon realised that the disorganised bureaucracy in Italy was too chaotic for me. So, I returned to England where I completed a degree in Journalism and English Literature, which then led me to Public Relations. I loved my role within an agency managing clients in the technology and medical fields. Yet, after the birth of my first son, I knew that I wanted to be home with him as long as I was able to. Which led me to retrain as a childminder/early years’ educator, looking after a group of children at my house.

In 2016 I relocated with my Australian husband and our boys (Luke – 7 and Max – 3) from England to Australia. What an adventure my life has been up to now! A year before our move to Australia we welcomed Max. I have loved being home with him ever since, knitting and crafting along the way. Earlier this year I was able to start spreading my professional wings and now work with an au-pair agency that sends professional au-pairs to Australia to help families with children with special needs.

1971-1978 | Residing in SLOVENIA

It is fascinating that over 40 years have passed since I left Brockwood after staying there a marvellous 7 years in the ‘70s, but friends have stayed just as they were 40 years ago, as playful and devoted as they were in their youth. Time has only made a few minor physical improvements, such as brown hair to ‘blonde’, but otherwise there seems to be a timelessness to our friendships that chronological time just doesn’t seem to affect.
Whenever I return to what I consider my second home, which Brockwood will always be, memories of those wonderful 7 years return and also the amazement that I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to live there. Of course, the contrast with what a ‘regular’ school is like always strikes me. The way I see it, Brockwood is all about excellence: the excellence of its exceptional surroundings amid the rolling Hampshire hills, and the excellence of the people it has always attracted. There is also a peace to the place, and having known places not like this, I feel this peace creates space, which is a prerequisite for learning. One part of this is academic as in any school, and what a joy this was compared to the authoritarian atmosphere of a regular school, which is very successful in killing the desire to learn. It certainly did for me: to the amazement of my parents, I managed to have a marvellous collection of the lowest possible grades by sixth grade. Brockwood, in contrast, made it fun to learn again, as it is the natural state of the young to be curious, to want to learn.

Aside from academic learning, what really makes Brockwood a unique and very special place are Krishnamurti’s teachings. I was very fortunate to have been there when it was K’s home. I don’t think I was old enough as a teenager at the time to get the most of what he tried to convey, but hearing him talk about the meaning of life and whether it is at all possible to live without fear, sorrow, endless conflict and psychological time was fascinating. It was only later that I realized what he meant when he said, ‘Go into it now, you will be too caught up in life later’.

Now, many years later, after learning much about the ways of the real world, the immense disorder and violence everywhere, the World governed by the industrial, military and banking cartels and so seeing democracy swindled away from all of us, I see Brockwood as a crucial place where maybe a change in the conditioning of the human mind might come about. It is not an easy feat it seems, as the conditioning is so old, deep and all-pervading. It is clear that no outer revolution ever did change anything except the players in the game. I know this first-hand from having lived in a communist country.

I do feel very happy that Brockwood is in such good hands; the staff members and trustees seem to be doing a marvellous job. I also feel privileged that I can help to keep K’s vision alive by helping out with regular small gifts. As there are many of us alumni who feel responsible for the future of Brockwood, I am sure we will all make sure that our oasis of true education survives and flourishes. We owe this to K, to our children and to mankind.

1972-1977 | Residing in KAMPEN/SYLT, GERMANY

I left Brockwood Park School in 1977, moved back to Germany and completed a three-year degree as a cabinet maker. In 1980, I moved to Munich to work at Ketterer’s auction house. As I had grown up surrounded by art, this was a natural step and it brought me closer to my parents. Consequently, I felt the need to cultivate a business background and studied business management in Hamburg. After four years in Hamburg, I had two options, of either becoming a financial controller for a construction plant (AEG) in South Africa or taking a leap of faith and moving to New York to explore the art world. Thankfully, I did move to New York, and joined the Reece Gallery as their manager. After a few years at Reece, I opened my own gallery, Falkenstern Fine Art, on Broadway in Soho.

In 1990, I moved to Madeira where I built a gallery-cum-home on a cliff edge 55 metres above the Atlantic Ocean. I got married in 1986; our daughter Katharina was born in Berlin in 1991 and our son Alexander was born in Hamburg in 1993. In 1994 my wife and I decided to separate, and I changed my home into a hotel, though the gallery continued. Currently I mange Gallery Falkenstern Fine Art and Gallery AKAS on Sylt in Germany. I collaborate with different galleries, dealers and museums internationally.

Travelling and working post BP, meeting people from different walks of life, overcoming problems, finding happiness, experiencing sorrow, moving on in life, I understand more and more the importance K’s teachings had and still have on my life. I had only recognized this partially while I was at Brockwood. Growing up has taught me to value the profound beauty and value of K’s teachings. It has made life so much more meaningful. I am grateful to have made lifelong friends at BP.

Since 2006, I live with the dancer and choreographer Aditi Mangaldas (who I met in 1976 at BP) in Germany and India. I am very grateful for all the inspiration and motivation that I have received from my friends and family. I end with a quote by Karl Foerster, a landscape gardener and a good friend of my father’s, “people who want to make dreams come true, have to dream deeper and be more alert than others”.

1986-1991 | Residing in AUSTRIA

For more than a decade I have been working in international business for different industries. My open approach to business partners from around the world is firmly rooted in my BP experiences. From the tender age of 14, BP honed my communication skills in interacting with all of you from diverse cultural backgrounds. I truly believe that BP has shaped my personal “barrier-free” and unprejudiced approach to people regardless of where they come from.

Two key abilities, which I developed during my time at BP and again I truly believe that I could not have developed them anywhere else, are the ability to “listen” and to “question.” On a daily basis both in my professional career, when dealing with diverse clients, while leading a team or discussing business strategy as well as in my personal married life, they form the cornerstone of how I approach life. BP also opened the door for a continued “love” to be with and in nature. School trips to the Grand Canyon, hiking the Lake District, ski touring Switzerland, camping trips to the New Forest, “abseiling” the Cliffs of Dover and kayaking the English Channel are among the few activities, which we were privileged to experience.

So, whatever happened to me? I enjoy nature and take a stab at life equipped with the confidence of a “listening” and “questioning” attitude, which only Teachers at BP could have instilled in me. Thank You!

Manuel Mendez Huerta

2002—2004 | Residing in LONDON, ENGLAND

2009-2011 | Residing in BAVARIA, GERMANY

After Brockwood I traveled and volunteered in a variety of projects and countries. I studied drama, dance and outdoor education. Then I came back to Brockwood as a Teacher Apprentice. It became clear that Brockwood opened doors for me as a student but was too small for me now. Therefore I left Brockwood again and started to work as a freelancer in outdoor education as well as growing vegetables on a large scale in a CSA project.

In August 2018, after two years of renovation and building, me and my husband started a school on a bio-dynamic farm in the north of Germany with 16 children, their parents and a very diverse team. We were trying to develop a totally new kind of a school that attempts to empower children to take on responsibility for their own lives, to discover honest and truthful relationships and spend as much time as possible outdoors to love and learn from nature and one another.

Whilst adapting as a new family, after our daughter was born, the school team decided to become a Steiner school and therefore changed the original approach and goals. My questions in education go elsewhere. Therefore we decided to leave the project.

We are now living in Bavaria, working at an alternative kindergarden, chewing on our questions. We are looking for a new project or place in which we can make use of our experiences, expertise and questions to bring about something healing and nourishing working in education with nature, art and looking at relationships.

2007-2010 | Residing in DONAUESCHINGEN, GERMANY

I was given responsibility and trust to learn how to manage my life within this amazing bubble not only on a theoretical base.

How did I manage when I left? In fact, I did quite poorly. I fell in a hole realizing life isn’t like this anywhere else. All my friends moved away, and I was told ‘to spread my wings and take off, leave the nest’. So, my feet led me to University where I studied mathematics and philosophy, being all in my head and not my heart. Life is full of challenges, but I really felt I wasn’t prepared for a number of things: How do you pay taxes? What is important about a contract? How do you get along with people who do not have that same mentality and sense for questioning?

Eventually I started my own business (a yoga school) when I was 21 years old. About two and a half years back I reconnected with another alumnus, Malena Halmer, and we fell in love. Next year my little sister is going to Brockwood, she is the 6th of the Schirmaier family to attend. Like this, my entire family is keeping the spirit around in my everyday life. Whenever I meet someone from BP I find this special, common base.

1988-1990 | Residing in PEMBROKESHIRE, WALES

I came to Brockwood as a mature student at the age of 20. The two years that I spent there changed the course of my life. I didn’t always find it easy being around so many people but I felt held and cared for and met many inspiring people in a beautiful and nurturing environment. I met Iwan, the father of my children at Brockwood and we moved to Wales together and had 3 wonderful children. Maia, our eldest, studied at Brockwood for 3 years as a student and Osian is currently there as a mature student. Daniel, our youngest, is at the UEA in Norwich.

I spent 10 years at home with the children, dabbled in photography, trained in massage and then began a career in catering and later ran an organic cafe too. Recently I trained in Scaravelli inspired yoga and have been teaching for the last 2 years. I also re-started my massage business. My home is split into two flats and I rent the lower half out on Airbnb, this affords me to work part-time doing things I absolutely love and that are good for me—which feels essential now that I am in my 50’s!

1985-1988 | Residing in LONDON, ENGLAND

I lived in different cities and managed to travel a little bit. I learned an enormous amount about seeing the world through many different eyes. After completing my PhD, and after being in New York for the attack on the Twin Towers, the so-called ‘9/11’, I returned to London and began work at a small college in the University of London – the School of Oriental and African Studies – where I teach Modern South Asian History to undergraduates, postgraduates and doctoral students.

2003-2010 | Residing in JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

I had the pleasure of being a mature student and then a staff member at Brockwood from 2003 – 2010. Having left in July 2010, I spent a year in London before deciding to return to South Africa in September 2011. I now live in Johannesburg and my path continues to be coloured by my Brockwood experience. Shortly after I returned from the UK, a friend told me about a small new school which they thought sounded similar to Brockwood. When I saw the name, ‘Kairos School of Inquiry’ I was immediately interested — inquiry: now, there was something I was familiar with!
A few years later, I became a founding teacher of what is a very special primary school: my Krishnamurti and Brockwood Park influences have been invited in and welcomed there. My years at Brockwood were some of the most consistently happy, challenging and rewarding of my life so far. Brockwood shaped me, and my life since leaving remains coloured by those experiences. Having two small children of my own now, I dream of a time when they may be able to be at Brockwood themselves.
Despite my theoretical and practical studies in Art History and Fine Art, I have always been drawn to teaching. I imagine that will always be the case — no matter where I go or where I work, somehow teaching always seems to find me. Maybe this is because I really love learning. My best teachers have been the children I’ve taught and the friends I’ve made along the way. I think I really found myself in Brockwood. The people I met there, of all ages and stages, have had a profound impact on how I relate to everyone I’ve met since.
Like many people who leave Brockwood after living there for some time, I found it very challenging to find my fit in the society I live in now. It made a world of difference to have one of my dearest friends from my Brockwood days come to South Africa for my wedding. She met her future husband, stayed here and joined us at our school! We even live on the same property, so I suppose we have created our own mini-Brockwood here in Jo’burg.
At the moment, I help to run the school with my husband. I am otherwise occupied full-time with the most profound learning experience of my life: being a parent.

1976-1979 | Residing in BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA, USA

My brother and I were both admitted at Brockwood Park in January 1976 and I immediately felt the relief of being among good people. I was quite shy—awkward even—but I wanted to belong and was happy to do my share of chores! I made friends, learned to write in English and tried not to make too many mistakes in the laundry room—which was my first responsibility. I loved being outdoors, in the kitchen garden, in the grove or just sitting under the majestic cedar tree on the lawn. I learned a great many things both in and out of the classroom. My relationships with staff and peers helped me develop confidence—and of course, it was at Brockwood that I first fell in love. He was a kind, artistic and mischievous boy with a gorgeous head of blond curls. Really I did, and I was happy.

Krishnamurti came to talk to us when he was in England, and when he was not we listened to clips during morning meeting. Although I was open to learning from Krishnamurti, what he said made sense but seemed impossible at the same time. I had just turned fifteen when I came to Brockwood. For my first few years, the community I had joined was the most important part of the experience. Later, Krishnamurti’s idea that changing ourselves was imperative for a life without pain, and that this change was instantaneous, really grabbed hold of me. I became very serious, and even a bit withdrawn, as I grappled with this concept. I desperately wanted to better myself and make this change, but truly could not find the way. This time at Brockwood was very hard for me. Luckily there were friends on staff and other students whose affection and concern helped me.

I made poor decisions because I was trying to be a good human being, but eventually I realized that I was just as important as other people. Odd that this should have taken me so long to learn. However, in the last thirty years, I’ve created a good life for myself: simple and happy.