start, week 2
things are getting better here. maybe the weekend apart has been good for all of us as i have been more confident and people have been more friendly. and today i got to "facilitate" a few activities and i think it showed people i know what i'm doing, even if i'm quiet. so that was good.

can you just believe i said i was being quiet? i compare myself now to how i have been behaving in the last year and a half and i am surprised that there is quietness in me.

there's this creek/stream that runs right next to the ropes course. we're kind of in this valley and you actually have to cross the stream in the car/van to get to the ropes course. first of all, every tiem the van bottoms out (it's often full with 12 people and gear) someone inevitably talks about fatties in the back. i was flabbergasted the first time someone said that, because the first day you meet someone, you can't go making fat jokes at home. but then obesity is a bigger issue in the states, but it's becoming a bigger problem here as well. second, we can drink out of the creek/stream. it's pretty amazing. on hot days, as we ford the stream back to the road, we'll stop the car in the middle and just lean out the door and fill up water bottles. and there's no issue with ghiardia or pollution or mercury. it's great. it's amazing.

cheers.