More info: kerstsongs@gmail.com

How does life in London mould and shape us? And what have we got to offer? Let’s inspire and encourage each other in how to build our lives here.

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Coming from another country we meet various opportunities and challenges. By listening to other stories and sharing our creative gifts, we can inspire and encourage each other to make London a better place to live - for ourselves and for those we live with. But where do we start? How can we make friends, find jobs and adjust to London life? It is not easy to come up with answers, but at least we can face such questions together.

It’s also not easy to know how we can make London a better place: how to contribute with our own stories and personalities, our heritage and our gifts....

What can we offer to an area which isn’t our own? Maybe it helps us to see how others with their backgrounds and upbringing make a life in London. Let’s exchange stories and insights. Let’s try to walk together into the unknown, instead of doing it all alone. By discovering more about the other, we may discover what we didn’t know about ourselves.

EYE TO EYE: GATHERING TOGETHER

Each time we meet, we listen to someone’s story. There is no pressure to participate. This is a meeting place, for those who face this issue: how to find our own, true selves in a foreign land... This is a place to learn and reflect on our own life journeys in the big place that London is. It doesn’t really matter, whether you are from London or from far away. Even if you grew up elsewhere in the UK, you might feel that London is like a foreign land; those born and bred here face many changes in the city landscape. You, too, might find it interesting to come along and learn from people who have different perspectives and other cultural backgrounds.

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In short, EYE TO EYE is about gathering around the stories that we bring; EYE TO EYE is about gathering together to meet and befriend each other. Whether you participate from the front, or you just want to listen in, your contribution will be appreciated by you simply being there. Come round!

Perhaps you remember The Garden as a soothing place of quiet reflection. A place to hide from the busy city life. Somewhere to unwind, to look at what's 'inside' and to find what really matters. Although House of my Heart is about social issues such as immigration and homelessness, you can still recognise the same reflective feel of The Garden, while you listen to this new set of songs.

A time of quiet reflection can be such a treasure, when we want to escape our busy schedules, or when we need to reflect on the winds of change and the ways that life surprise us. It can be truly restorative to take time and space to find meaning; to find a better way of facing the future, when we feel uncertain or insecure of what lies ahead of us...

Concerts and events with a prayerful or more ‘retreat like’ focus, will also be listed here. Feel free to send an email, if you like to know more about these contemplative events or gatherings.

If you go to Kerst’s writings, you find Kerst’s reflections of the past few years, as well as a new blog with more recent writings.

"I hope this walk will help us all to embrace the city life with a fresh sense of joy and freedom..."

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AUTUMN 2013

"A heart warming time....”

One of my pupils retired in autumn 2013 and decided to take her friends in London out for a walk. Marking this new chapter of her life, she booked the walk which passes some of my ‘Favourite trees’ in London. By doing so she supported the recording of ‘House of my Heart’, released in November 2014. The walk itself contains songs and stories from ‘The Garden’ and ‘House of my Heart’.

As we passed my ‘Favourite Trees’ on that Friday afternoon in October, we enjoyed the autumn colours, the hidden history of London and some inspiring company. We finished with coffee and cake at the Garden Museum: a unique spot, and relatively remote from the busiest parts of London.

Others decided to enjoy the same walk at different occasions; it has been an honour to walk with them all through various seasons at these familiar places...

ORDER A WALK

“Great to take time to relax and enjoy London, creation, Kerst’s singing, leading and fellowship...”

Didn’t Cleo Laine sing “You must believe in spring..”? This year it took a lot of faith, but it is arriving indeed! Maybe just the right time to walk and to talk...

The walk gives us time and space for reflection in the busy heart of London; it is a relaxing and inviting experience for both individuals and groups. It is also an opportunity to spend quality time with friends. This can mark a special occasion or you find the walk helpful for building your team or your network. Perhaps you want to give the walk as a present to someone?

INFO

"It was a walk through history. Not only did our group get glimpses of British history, by listening to Kerst's inspiring stories I was drawn to my own history."

For more info about this walk, please send an email to kerstsongs@gmail.com. I am also open to suggestions regarding how to amend or adjust the walk, if needed. There is availability both in weekends and on weekdays.

Whether we reside in London or only visit the city for a few days, I hope this walk will help us all to embrace the city life with a fresh sense of joy and freedom.

Let’s walk!

Kerst