It was a beautiful Friday afternoon when I set off from my home in Stallings, North Carolina. After months of planning and anticipation, I was finally going to the Mandala Fellowship! Inside of my red Honda CRV I was having my own private jam session by car-dancing to a christian rap CD I was given a few days prior to my departure. The car in front of me was a silver mini-van, also made by Honda, driven by my mother and co-piloted by my grandmother. They led the way from my home town to a place nearly three hours away - the place I will be spending the next 10 months living at.
My anticipation set my nerves on end, but the shoulder-jive I was doing helped calm me as I wondered about what I was approaching. What kind of people will there be? I hoped that no one would be too snobbish. Especially the two other girls who I would share a Villa with. I was already informed that I would be sharing a room with one of two girls - Anna and Laura - and that the one who didn't share with me would get her own room. What if my room mate was selfish, or worse, girly? And then there was the issue of my sleep habits; the annoying way that my days and nights are mixed in such a way that I can fall asleep whenever the sun is up, but once it has set I am wide awake. Would my room mate mind if I kept a light on so I could read? But now was not the time to be worrying about such things, because I we had reached the gate at the entrance to the neighborhood; and now we were on the right street; and now we're parked at the end of the drive to the house of Leigh Bortins, founder of Classical Conversations and the Mandala Fellowship.
I gazed around me as I walked up the drive and into the Mandala House. The grand building has a very sizable and skillfully landscaped front lawn. A porch leading to the kingly wooden double doors is made of cobbled stone and gives the whole place a regal effect. The inside of the estate was, if it is even possible, more beautiful than the outside of it; with its wooden frames and spacious interior decorating, even a spa and stage-style back patio. To make the Bortins' house even more enchanting, the back yard leads into a small stone area with tables, chairs, and the largest fire pit I had ever laid eyes on, all a mere few feet away from the lake. There was a dock and sand bank filled with kayaks, floats, a canoe, and even a small motor boat. Altogether, the effect was quite breathtaking.
Inside the house were many people - the other Fellows (students of the Mandala Fellowship) and their families I assumed. Upon entering, we were approached by a rather tall man whose black hair swooped down to his shoulders. The man's long face, wide eyes, and large hands gave him a naturally theatrical aura, which I found familiar and unmistakable. The man was named Caleb Skogen; I had met him only once in person, however I had been emailing him for the past few weeks in order to iron out the details of my life as a Fellow of Mandala. He smiled as he approach, clasping hands with each of us in greeting. I vaguely herd him explain about the parent meeting that had just begun in the back yard, however my focus was on the fast approaching first impressions exchanged between myself and the people I would be living with for the next ten months.
My mother went outside to join in the meeting, so I escorted my grandmother to a sitting place. I scanned the area around me for anyone who would seem to be my age. Outside, there were a number of figures on the docks and in the lake who looked like they may be students, however despite it being after 5pm, it was still very hot outside and I didn't really want to go into the heat just yet. Casting my eyes upward, I noticed a small group of people playing a game of pool in the loft. My mind was set before I even gave it conscious consideration - I would start by introducing myself to whoever was up the stairs. I made sure that my black fedora was fashionably tilted to the side before making my way up the stairs to the second level of the house where people I assumed to be other Fellows were.
I stood to the side and watched as six boys sized up the marble spheres while conversing and laughing with one another. Two of the boys were pre-teen, named Justice and Matthew; the rest appeared to be only slightly older than myself. I joined in the merrymaking as more than nine rounds were spent by both teams aiming and missing the final 8 ball before the game was finally concluded. Once the game was over I asked each person for his name. First was Harrison, whose lean figure and jet black hair would give him a mischievous aura were it not for his bright smile. Next was a student who, despite having light brown hair, reminded me of Ronald Weasley from the Harry Potter books partly because of his height but mostly for his freckles; his name is Chris. Thirdly was Austin, whose soft features set off his intelligent electric blue eyes. Lastly, but far from least, was Barnabas who was smartly dressed in a tan suit with a matching hat which segregated him from the others despite his average build. Thus, I had my first encounter with some of the Fellows of Mandala. I was glad to have met some other students, and so I introduced myself, Gracsyn (don't try to spell it), with my short size and cherub features. Just as the introductions were concluded, I was called to by my mother; it was time to unload the car into my new home.
Mr. Skogen lead the way to the villas in his car, closely flanked by me and lastly by my mother. There wasn't much time for my anticipation to build again, for after a two-minute drive up the road we pulled into the driveway of Villa 125. There are five villas in all, three on the left and two on the right. Both the two villas on the right of the street, as well as the middle villa of the left side, belong to the twelve male Mandala Fellows; while the first and third villas of the left street belong to the seven females. The drive in which we parked was attached to the first Villa on the left, the one in which I will be spending nearly a year in.
I didn't notice that I was holding my breath as I opened the door to my new home. Directly inside Villa 125 there is a roomy living area connected to a small kitchen area. A door from the living area leads into a small yet beautiful bedroom which contains two twin beds, two desks matched with two chairs, a large dresser and closet, a sink with cabinets, and a bathroom with a shower. It appeared that someone had already settled into both of these bed areas, and so I moved on as a thought began to form in my mind. A short hallway near the kitchen leads into another bathroom, then a turns a corner and holds the doorway to the other bedroom. The second bedroom held only one double bed, yet still contained two desks, two chairs, a dresser and a closet. My excitement peaked when I realized that the second bedroom was vacant of any signs of occupation; it was my room. Caleb confirmed this fact before heading back to the Mandala House, and I had an inward celebration as I realized that my worries had been meaningless.
There was plenty to bring in from the two cars, and it would have taken a much longer time if it weren't that two of the students I had met earlier - Austin and Barnabas - decided to help. Working together, it only took a few minutes to unload both cars into my new room. We all talked and shared a few chuckles as we worked, and I became sure that the connections born of the Mandala Fellowship would be those which lasts a lifetime.
When we all returned to the Bortins' home, there was folk dancing lessons taking place on the back porch. Barnabas and his mother appeared to be professionals in the particular dance style we were learning; and as I had years of dance lessons from other styles of dance, this new class of music was exciting for me. This was where I met and danced with many of the other students, with a few exceptions. The dances were simple, fun, and filled a mixture of cries of frustration and laughter. My mother and grandmother left part way through the dances, and I returned to the villas to change into my bathing suit so that once the dancing was over I could go for a swim in the lake. Once we had said our goodbyes I had returned to the Mandala House, I skipped and laughed and and a wonderful time as I got to know my the remainder of my new friends.
The lessons were concluded with a circle waltz that made me giddy from excitement; the time for impressions was over and now I could let loose and have fun. The live band - which had been playing for the duration of the lessons - played one last song for those who wished to freestyle. I clapped along with the beat and the other onlookers as I watched the two experienced couples dance to the music. Barnabas and his mother had a definite flourish to their dance moves, and it was great fun to watch. Part way through the dance, for it was a very long song, Barnabas' mother left the stage. The boy, now without a partner, turned to the closest appropriate partner - which just so happened to be me.
Feeling extremely outmatched, I allowed him to pull me out onto the dance floor. In no time we were spinning and dancing and having fun all over again. Unsurprisingly, Barnabas turned out to be a great lead; though I still made a great number of amateur mistakes. I was soon out of breath, and we parted so that he could bring another onlooker into the haze. All the dancing had made me, and many of the others, very hot. So once the dance had been officially concluded we all went down to the lake for a swim.
The water was cool and refreshing, and I even managed to jump into one of the floating tubes. After some swimming and socializing, I was able to get my hands on one of the two kayaks before everyone decided to swim further out to a sand bank. I watched from my kayak as the other Fellows played water games, and I joined into a great many conversations.
By the time we got back to shore, the sun had long set and the families had gone back to their hotels or rooms for the night. A beautiful woman with short dark-gray curls came down to us when we got out of the lake and were drying off. I recognized her as the founder of Mandala and Classical Conversations, Mrs. Leigh Bortins. Her sweet voice trilled as she told us where she kept the extra chairs and instructed some of us to find matches to use to light the bonfire. Soon enough there was a circle of chairs and Fellows surrounding the fire pit, within it a raging inferno of logs, sticks, and browned leaves blazed up and warmed our still damp swim suits.
I poked at the flames with a rather long branch while talking with my neighbors and villa mates. A girl with curly ginger hair I knew was named Elizabeth and a very tall boy named Seth were talking about shows as another boy admitted that someone had switched the couch they had with another one. Upon reflection, I realized that all of my worries were without need. Everyone I had met was very passive, and was excited about the upcoming months of learning and working. There was a feeling of intimacy from being surrounded by my peers who I knew to be like-minded to me both in faith and in desire to learn.
In the morning there was to be a meeting at the Mandala House, and so after writing down all the happenings of the day, I tried my best to get some sleep. As I lay in my bed that night, having unpacked all of my belongings, I realized that in my heart I felt an understanding bloom that Mandala was exactly where I was supposed to be. At that moment, my new house in Villa 125 became my new.
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