It seemed all too early when my alarm announced the start to a new day. Sunlight was filtering in through the blinds on either side of my bed, and it was only as I begrudgingly emerged from beneath the covers that realization dawned upon me - it was my first morning as a Mandala Fellow. Once this new fact settled into my mind, I was able to move around with a certain spring to my step.
I wished good morning to my villa mates; Anna, an athletic girl whose bright red hair has earned her the nickname Red, and Laura, whose heart-shaped face is encircled by soft brunette hair to match her delicate figure. We all chatted while making ourselves presentable for the meeting which was fast approaching. There was a mutual desire for another swim in the lake, and thus the three of us engaged in a short debate on whether or not to bring our swimming gear with us to the Mandala House, or to come back later to change once the morning's events had been concluded. In the end, we decided that it would be more wise to leave our swim things at home in case there were already plans for us waiting to be revealed in the meeting. A few last minute details arranged - a hairband seized from the counter, one last brush of eye-powder, retrieving the keys from their hiding place, a toe stubbed against a bed post - and together we set off through the front door and into the new day before us.
We waved and called out in greeting and good tidings to the other Fellows as each villa opened its door and exposed it's residents like clockwork on the hour. Anna and Laura had decided to run to the Mandala House, so I promised to see them soon and started my engine. A few other students drove or carpooled, however a number of our community decided to either ride bikes or jog to the morning meeting. By the time all of us were jammed into the little spa room, there was quite an assembly of wheels in the front lawn of the Mandala House.
Mrs. Bortins, with her chirping voice and glowing presence, kept the meeting short and sweet. The meeting started off with some housekeeping tips, just keeping things in order and a hint for one of the villas to trim their bushes. She explained to us about morning devotions, classes, and most importantly - jobs. The majority of the time in the meeting was spent describing the vastly numerous positions available to us so that by the time she had finished, each student could only remember whatever job had sounded most interesting to him or her. Many of the jobs were to be expected, such as the many branches grounds maintenance, or the company shipping crew, and even positions of accounting were available. Much of it seemed doable to me, however nothing really peaked my interest as she listed off more and more options. Suddenly, my ears pricked with excitement as the word "writing" wafted like a refreshing breeze through the room and to my ears. I immediately knew that I wanted to be a part of whatever she would describe next - be it publishing, editing, or even customer service. To be paid to do what I love doing would be beyond wonderful. I hoped against hope that none of the other Fellows would try for the writing jobs as Mrs. Bortins finished off the list of career choices with the options of technicians, programmers, radio host, and a music production manager.
The meeting being adjourned, the company of Fellows were invited to stay within the Mandala House for a lovely lunch of wraps. While eating I sat beside a lively girl with chocolate brown hair that had been died kool-aid red near the tips, whose name is Olivia. There was a lively conversation between all of the Fellows regarding what to do after lunch. Some of us wanted to go swimming, but some wanted to stay home, and yet a few others suggested games or cleaning. Still, no one seemed to have a particular opinion on the subject we all just went back to the villas to relax and clean up a bit.
Anna, Laura and I were making a shopping list when we heard the sound of a motor coming from outside. From our window we could see that the boys across the street had an electric hedger and were using it to trim down the gargantuan bushes in front of their villa. Surprisingly, the annoying whine of the machine had the effect of a call to arms. Villa by Villa, Fellows emerged into the sunlight and began a street clean-up. Sweeping driveways, trimming bushes, destroying ant hills, raking the pine needles and even picking up pine cones; my villa mates, neighbors and I worked together to make our new home a more beautiful place to live. The girls would wander over to help the guys with sweeping, and the guys would frequently offer assistance with trimming hedges. With an unspoken unity we aided each other so that soon the entire area shone with new vitality, and as I raked up the bush trimmings I marveled at this community affair. By the time we finished, everything from the walkways to the roofs had been cleaned.
With the work completed, it was high time to play. I was one of many of my fellows who went down to the Marina where we swam out to a floating dock. The other Anna, Blonde Anna, had brought along a ball which bounced on top of the water which we all tossed around while swimming or relaxing on the dock. The water was refreshingly cool and felt wonderful after all of the housekeeping we had done.
William Bortins, a tall Fellow with a fluffy mat of brunette hair, showed up with the motor boat and a two person tubing raft for us to go tubing in. I was extremely excited by this - tubing is one of my favorite things to do on a lake. So our group swam out and piled into the small boat. There were too many of us to all go in one trip, so Will dropped the guys off near his house before heading out into the deep waters with the girls. I sat in the front of the boat with my hair down to catch the wind. The sky had only a few clouds and the air was warm. Close to me sat Brooke, a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and bright eyes. Also in the boat were Red Anna, Blonde Anna, and Olivia. We all chattered on excitedly on how fast we liked to ride the tubes, and by the time we reached the deep waters we had already grouped ourselves according to our preferences.
Once William made the hand signals clear - thumbs up meaning 'go faster', thumbs down meaning 'slow down', waving one finger in a circle above one's head meaning 'loop the loop', so on and so forth - we were ready to get started. Red Anna and Olivia went first, being the more adventurous of our number. We were off as soon as they had their hands clasped onto the handles, building up speed quickly. This boat was much faster and much smoother than the one I had grown accustomed to, and so the sailing was a new and exciting experience. The nose of the boat was tipped upwards as we sped across the surface of the lake, the other girls and I laughing merrily as Red Anna and Olivia struggled to keep their grips on the handles. It was a long and greatly amusing turn but after a sharp turn and a burst of speed, Red Anna was finally thrown from the tube. We picked them back up and allowed Brooke and Blonde Anna to clamber onto the rubber raft. When they had figured out their system of grips, we began once again. This trip was much slower than the first, and much more peaceful. I relaxed and just felt the wind sweep through my curls while we made our way around the lake once more. Though this trip was far less aggressive, it was still just as entertaining to watch the girls' expressions as they glided across the water. Finally, it was my turn.
I was the odd one out, and so had the tube all to myself. I got a good grip on the handles, my thumbs turned outward and wrists upward for optimal support, before signaling the thumbs up to get going. The roar of the boat engine sent a jolt through my nerves as the cord attaching the tube to the boat was pulled tight and my adventure began. The wind whipped past my ears as the boat's wake grew larger, building up speed slowly. Too soon though I grew bored of the peaceful ride, and for some strange reason I though it would be fun to taunt Will by letting go of the handles and using my hands as a head rest instead. It was only a short while before I though better of my actions and once again grasped the handles and then raised my fist with the thumb pointing to the sky. The engine revved and we skimmed along the surface faster, making waves with each turn. Every now and then I would put my thumb up again until we began to make circles and the waves nearly knocked the wind out of me. By a miracle, I managed to hang onto the tube until the end.
After we each had a turn, Will turned the nose of the boat back to his house. The other girls and I got off at the Marina to get our stuff before heading back to the villas. My villa mates and I made some angel hair pasta with seasoning. We had already agreed to eat dinner together each night, and so we all spoke lively of the day's events. During our meal there was a knock on the door. Ian, a tall and well built Fellow with short brown hair, had come over to ask us if we wanted to go into town with him. We agreed because we had a lot of grocery shopping to do, and so we quickly concluded dinner and gathered our things to head out to Wal-Mart. We had a lot to find in the store, and it was nearly an hour before we managed to get it all. The veggies, rices, eggs, and other essentials took a while to gather, but finally we had gotten our shopping for the week taken care of. I thanked Ian profusely on the drive home before settling into the back seat of his Jeep. I danced and sang along with his music, but I was far too tired to really get into it.
We had left the Villa unlocked because we knew that no one came far enough back in the neighborhood to find our street, not to mention the other Fellows were still around. Yet when we got back inside to unpack our groceries we noticed that something was different about our kitchen. On the table sat a strange curiosity - a round loaf of bread. Anna and Laura didn't really give it much thought, but I wasn't about to eat something that I didn't know the source of. I remembered that Barnabas had brought a bread maker, but I decided that I would ask him about it before eating the bread.
After unloading the groceries, my villa mates and I decided to go down to the other girls' villa. We were welcomed warmly by the smell of popcorn and a lively game of cards. There was many lively conversations and lots of laughter as we passed around the giant bowl of home-cooked popcorn. We played one of my favorite games, Apples To Apples, with the other girls till after 11pm before we remembered that we had to get up and ready for church in the morning. Mrs. Bortins had kindly invited us all to her church to help us get started on finding one for us to attend during our stay. So Red Anna, Laura, and I bid our friends goodnight and went back to our own villa.
After changing into my pajamas and climbing into bed, I got out my journal and wrote down what I could remember of the day's affairs. I was weary yet excited from all the excitement, and the anticipation of a new day didn't help my mind settle down enough to sleep. I had set my alarm extra early to give myself time to dress more formally for the service. My mind was filled with expectations, and my heart with excitement as my head dropped into the pillow's warm embrace. Heaviness weighted down on my eyelids as I finally slipped off to Dream Land.
No comments:
Post a Comment