Your Host
Christina Giorgio
– Musical gypsy, creativity all rounder, mamma, partner and woman.
Christina studied film and theatre at university. She has had films screened internationally and has a deep love of acting, but has found her creative home in music. A singer songwriter, she writes, records, performs and cherishes expressing herself through her folk-fusion originals. Christina has been working in the arts and cultural sector for almost 20 years. She has worked as a trainer and facilitator and providing support and guidance to artists of diverse ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds. She has explored fair trade fashion, does web and graphic design and generally lives and breathes creativity in her working life.
Christina is a gypsy at heart, travelling extensively through south East Asia and Europe. She has lived in Italy and Demark and spent extended time in Thailand and Bali. She has travelled in central and South America, New Zealand and her home country of Australia and plans to continue exploring our precious planet all her days.
Christina has two young boys and is step-mum to 2 teenage daughters and a teenage son. As a mother of 5 she has become the consummate short order chef, launderette coordinator, cleaner extraordinaire, ace landscape gardener, crackerjack scheduler and master multi-tasker! She has negotiated this dynamic family adventure with her right hand man Rick for 9 years. They keep it fresh by living in sin, that way she can still introduce him as her boyfriend.
Christina has embarked on wild travelling adventures with all 5 kids, including trekking the rainforests of Borneo and touring New Zealand in an RV. Over the past 6 years she has turned to Bali as a place to recharge, be nurtured and keep plugged into her creative juices. She is super excited to share this nurturing, creative energy with other mothers and women.
Schedule
During your retreat experience feel free to embrace what suits you and leave what doesn’t, this is your precious journey. All playshops are suited to inspire creativity in women ranging from professional artists to creative novices. The daily schedule allows a great deal of flexibility to accomodate for travel with young children but flows a little like this!
7am – 8.30am –Enjoy an indulgent breakfast spread with fresh tropical fruits, eggs made to order, home baked breads, coffee, tea and more!
9am- 12 Get those creative juices flowing with our morning creative workshop. Each session is tailored to relish local Balinese cultural wealth, expand artistic skills and engage creative flow.
12.30 Lunch! Healthy vegetarian delights lovingly prepared. Tantalise the senses with a vegetarian buffet of fresh, seasonal Balinese dishes.
Afternoon – Run free! Create. Relax. Reflect. Connect. Explore. Sleep. Be.
3pm – Reconnect with the group for the afternoon creative flow session. All sessions are tailored to the groups special needs and include hands on creative exercises, discussion, special guests and guided reflection.
Evenings – We have left evenings free to set your own schedule. Experience the foodie sensation that is Ubud, from raw food to fine dining, Ubud has it all. Hire your babysitter for a few extra hours and embrace the nightlife and delve into the cultural smorgasbord on offer. Stay home, order in and create by the light of the fireflies and to an orchestra of soothing night sounds.
Location
Nestled in the mountains and surrounded by rice fields and farmland, Ubud is to arts and culture what Kuta is to Bintang Beer and surfboards in the tourism landscape of Bali. Developed as a tourist centre specifically oriented on traditional Balinese cultural preservation and artist expats, Ubud is Bali’s arts Mecca. A foodie’s paradise, it is home to renowned fine dining eateries, a world class raw and health food revolution and any number of local warungs. For yogis it has become a spiritual centre, flanked by temples and holy sites, it is a pilgrimage place for spiritual retreats and yoga centres.
Accommodation
Be welcomed into a family owned and run home away from home. Using traditional Balinese architecture and open air stylings, the Alam Family Guesthouses are all intimate guesthouses nestled in lush tropical gardens a short walk into town. Local staff will nurture you during your stay with attention to detail and exceptional service. On site is a tranquil day spa if you wish to pamper yourself with signature massages and treatments. Rooms are immaculate and lusciously comfortable. Spacious and thoughtfully designed by local artisans with a combination of modern clean lines and traditional décor. Built in harmony with nature, our retreat venues boast gorgeous aspects, local wildlife and lush tropical surrounds, a perfect space to find inspiration!
Why children are welcome
This retreat has been designed to accomodate women who are unable or not wanting to be away from their young children due to factors such as parenting style, family situation, breastfeeding or even simply a desire to share the magic of Bali with their children. We believe that a nurtured, fulfilled and connected woman is a happier, more energetic mum, wife and person. From our own experience we understand that in the early years it can be tough to find the space and time to meet our own needs, the batteries go flat and motherhood can be a time of exhaustion and disconnect. Our retreat is an opportunity to light the creative spark and nurture the needs of the woman, so you can move forward as a reenergised mum with more joy, passion and energy to share with your children.
Babysitting Service
While mothers are responsible for their children for the entire duration of the trip, you will be supported daily with a local babysitter who will assist with your child/ren for 8 hours everyday. For mothers travelling with more than 2 children in most cases an additional nanny will be required at an additional charge, email us to discuss further. You also have an option to pay for additional hours if you wish. It will be up to you to decide how to use your babysitter to best support your experience. There will be a play zone set up for the duration of the retreat with toys and activities. Babysitters are screened, have basic English, police check and first aid. If you prefer to bring your own nanny this can also be accomodated. We aim to link families and sitters shortly after you are booked in so you can get to know each other a bit over Facebook or email.
Travel with Children
Travelling with children can be an amazing adventure. Seeing the wonder of the world through a child’s eyes can add a whole new dimension to travel. Children open us up to meeting more people and connecting through the universal experience of motherhood and parenthood. Bali in particular has a deep reverence for children. In Bali babies go from arm to arm for their entire first 6 months, families sleep together in a shared room and the extended community care for all children as their own. Most people travelling in Bali find that this love is extended to their own children when visiting.
Travel with children in developing tropical countries can certainly also be a challenging experience at times. Young ones adjust to time differences, unfamiliar places and food, insects and humidity. Safety standards are different from the West and there is a need for a certain level of vigilance. As the retreat gets closer Christina will share years of experience travelling with her own young children in developing countries and Bali in particular with blogs on travel health and safety, flights and Bali for children. The following article is packed with great info.
Ethos
We are committed to supporting the local Balinese arts and tourism industry. Many retreat centres and hotels are owned by foreigners, our accommodation is entirely locally owned, run and staffed creating employment for the local community. Our traditional creative arts workshops are run by local master artists with generations of experience. By working with local artists we are supporting the continuation of traditional culture in Ubud. In addition to our buy local ethos we contribute a percentage of profits back into the local community for programs that support women’s health and Balinese arts and culture. Our principal organisation we are supporting on this retreat is the Bumi Sehat foundation. http://www.bumisehatfoundation.org
Details For Arts Industry Professionals
For those of you working in the arts this retreat in many cases is tax deductible. We recommend you discuss this with your accountant. Please communicate any specific invoicing needs with us, we are happy to work in with your taxation needs as required. Ubud is a haven for the arts and there are many inspiring professionals to connect with. If you would like us to connect you with any specific art form practitioners, teachers, galleries or opportunities please let us know. Christina works 1 on 1 with individuals on their arts business, career and creative life and will be offering some limited sessions during the retreat. Sessions are also available prior to and after the retreat via Skype or over the phone. These sessions are highly personalized and designed to explore specific focus areas. These sessions are also tax deductible for arts professionals and are AUD$88/hour.
Cancellation Policy
Our retreats our are non refundable but fully transferable. A $395 non refundable deposit is due to secure your place. The balance is due 30 days before departure. In the unlikely event that we cancel the retreat you will be given the option to transfer your balance to future events or will receive a full refund of the retreat fee. All participants are required to obtain travel insurance that includes cancellation coverage to cover any other expenses related to an event cancellation. Please make sure your travel insurance will cover you for any other causes for retreat cancellations.
Photo Gallery
If you want to check out pics from previous Ubud creativity workshops, from around Ubud and of the accommodation then follow the retreats on Instagram.
Even More Info
Come over and join us on our Facebook event page for the latest updates, photos, blogs, links and more!
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