(MY) Life - Monday, October 15, 2007 17:09 - 4 Comments

Partay Time, Dream Time

Partay Partay!

Yesterday (Sunday), Jorge two other participants and I went to our work supervisors house (the two other participants had spent a few weeks with her at the beginning of the program.) We went because she spiked my curiosity when we started talking about sustainable design. She informed that her house is slightly unusual, and that it sits on 100 acres of land. When I heard this I became super intrigued / excited. She picked us up and the two other guys yesterday morning to take us to her house. I feel like I have committed treason by saying the following, but I think that living in Ontario (from mid may - September) might actually be an attractive option. Yikes! Please do not run me over with a tractor… Her house is one of the cutest pieces of architecture I have ever seen. It is an edifice of a round nature, with bedrooms /small pantry on the first floor; and a kitchen, bathroom, t.v., sitting area, and table for eating on the second floor. It is constructed from large pieces of timber. The interior gives you that warm fuzzie feeling! Enough said. Most of the 100 acres is rented to a farmer who plants organic alfalfa, but they do have 20 acres of forest. I had an awesome time climbing trees (6 to be exact) and romping around with their fun-loving dog Max. Jeremy (the Canadian participant who came with us), our work supervisor (Pat) and I spent much of the day stacking and splitting wood. Needless to say, I had a great time! Jorge and the other Cuban decided that they would stay inside to watch movies and make a traditional Cuban dinner. You guessed it: caviar, fine French fine, and stuffed duck…followed with a side dish of steaming rice and beans. Anyways, as they were indulging in relaxation and cooking rice, Jorge decided that he should marinate himself in some good Canadian Beer (Pats husband makes beer). It must be noted that Jorge eats very little and is about the size of a toothpick. Compared to Jorge, I'm a cement mixer. He was very happy and had a great time dancing??? When we arrived back home his stomach decided that it would be a good idea to empty itself on the driveway. Surprisingly, he emptied much more than I thought possible considering his small internal food container. I had the fun job of spraying down the driveway. I love volunteering!

On Saturday we went to a little girls birthday partay. She turned a big 2! It was lovely to see the joy on her face to have received so many presents and to have so many people at her partay. A piece of advice. Two year olds (at least this one, I will allow her actions to speak for all two year olds) love stuffed animals! She was given a stuffed dog, and upon clenching it in her tiny hands she began jumping up and down with the biggest smile you have ever seen. So cute!

Other than that, this past week has been following the same general routine as others. Jorge and I did more painting at the Library followed by affixing ghosts by their skulls (?) to the ceiling. However, today started work at the School. We will now be there every Monday teaching the following subjects: espionage, paper airplane manufacturing and high speed bike chases. Wish us luck. or else… I have also taken to reading adventure motorcycle books. I just read one about the Paris-Dakar rally. It is an amazing story about following your dreams, persisting amongst deadly difficult situations and lots of sand. What is it about following your dreams that is so exciting?

Keep on riding (life is a highway, I want to ride it all night long: la la la)
Zach