It's hard to remember that it's winter these days ;)

From the terrace of my cabaña at a hostel in Mazunte, on a hill above the beach, I was trying to imagine cold and rainy Portland, my land-mate back home, fighting off raccoons in the middle of the night to save our chickens and ducks.  I was trying to imagine driving my car, listening to the news on public radio, or the sounds of geese and the great horned owls. Or the first buds starting to open in the forest after a long winter.  It felt so far away.

Then I started imagining where I was going next, a small ecovillage, in a small village in the mountains of Southern Oaxaca, with a little preschool and primary school for the local indigenous children as well as the children of the foreigners who live there. I could feel myself already there, and so excited to get inspired and help as a volunteer in any way I could.

And now, after a 2-hour collectivo ride through the extremely windy mountain roads, with the driver going so fast around the curves, wondering if I should have brought a plastic bag with me (just in case - or is my stomach strong enough?), I have arrived here at Ecovillananda.  Again, I find myself up around 8000ft, but here, the air is so clean. Again, cold nights and sunny days, the familiar sounds of turkeys gobbling, roosters crowing, and the occasional eruption of dogs barking. I can't wait to get to know this place, already feeling that 3 1/2 weeks will be too short.