Time in Sorata and Prep work

September 2, 2009
Sorata, Intstructor orientation…

Maro, Helen, Crister, Eva, Tim, and I are all together…. Finally! We are at the program house which sits just outside of the main square of Sorata and over looks the river and the hillsides. We have about 14 acres of land with gardens of broccoli, carrots, fava beans, prickly pear, garbanzo beans, avocado, and more. Yesterday was our first day all together, it felt so good and complete to join after all this time of talking about meeting. Crister plays the guitar, we work together, to cook, and eat amazing food all together at a sit down table. So much comes from our garden and the rest from town. Eggs, gaucomole, bread, fruit salad, our taste buds are so content! The running is great, a little trail across a bridge that looks like it was made by grade schoolers to a road. I can run through the next ‘town’ which consists of about 10 houses. This is where our students do their home stays. It’s even more rural then being in town in Sorata, or our program house. There is one toilet for all of town. It’s dirty, with lots of crops and animals. Their journey here will be something to remember! Last night was the first real rain and it has calmed the smoke and the valley smells so fresh. We all seemed to get up around 6:30 to head out on our own paced runs. The sun cresting the mountains was beautiful and the light on the clouds was just so stunning!