Transitions and Perspectives

Hello,

I see it has been a while...I am in beautiful Etna, CA and I have just started my program for Belize. I have two months and then off through central America for a month. I started spanish class today and my brain is challenged to fit spanish where Portuguese has been occupying for the last few months. No worries, I have Brazilian friends here with which to talk to to be able to learn both. My flash cards have two languages on them instead of one so I can just continue and add on.

I spent a few weeks in clothes collection again but it was an amazing experience. There was no heavy work load this time. Line, my friend from MA and leader here in San Fran, started a door to door collection in the bay area, namely Berkeley, CA, where we go door to door leafletting information about who we are and that we'll be coming by in a few days to pick up clothes donations in a van. So I have been passing my days touring the streets of Berkeley for eight hours a day, ( I can get you anywhere in Berkeley), finding the most amazing bungalows and gardens. My days have passed peacefully between the sweet smell of jasmine gardens and bowing to all the Buddha statues I pass. I try to smile and engage everyone I have met along the way.

I have taken pictures with my blackberry,maybe I can upload them here when I get out of the stone age. Anywho, I really enjoyed my time in the Bay. I saw my old friends and went dancing and to art shows and Haight-Ashbury and Goldengate Park and Golden Gate bridge and Chinatown and tresspassing with Kabriele. Line (Lee-na), I miss. We became friends through our passion for positive focussing, and bless her heart for letting me have her car everyday;) We had two Brazilian folks on our team and now they are leaving, so its just me and five Koreans...ohmigosh, it can be too quiet! I feel like a barbarian sometimes because they take thier time and are very gentle and consider things for hours, almost. I am happy to learn from my new teachers how to tread lightly.

We are building a garden from scratch and the first two days I was here, we all worked together to build a fence and move compost and dirt and make mounds. My team today decided we would like to raise some baby chicks, so maybe we'll have a new pet.....um,...what else...oh, I have made myself a studio in the utility closet,its so sweet. Just me and my quotes and drawings. I started giving away my studies. Its taken a hold of me, drawing, I have started seeing in angles and shapes and shading. I have plans for creating my own perfect schooling...

Oh, the school is in a valley, surrounded by moutains. Its so beautiful, I can't believe it when I go running. The backyard is two moutains peaks and yesterday there was the most amazing rainbow between them. I took a picture, so you can see. CCTG is in the middle of town, so you can walk to the library or coffee shop or little theatre or moutains. I see horses everywhere so I'm putting a posting in town to see if I can trade a portrait for riding,I miss riding. Everyone says hello and nods when you walk past, its like Jesup, only there are only 700 people in Etna.

Okay, thats about it for now. I have tons more to talk about but i have work to do.

Tchau!