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I woke up this morning, bright, beautiful sunlight shining into the white room - it was glorious! I went downstairs to see Alessandra & her mother. Gianfranco joined us shortly after. We visited for a bit, I got ready & then we had some breakfast. Part way through breakfast, Uncle René showed up. He is a character! We had many laughs & stories shared - in Spanglish! I really need to learn this language a LOT better! I can understand bits & pieces. They are all Cuban & I can at least understand them! (well, sort of!) I'm not going crazy!
Gianfranco walked me around the lake & told me ample amounts of information about the ducks, geese, coots, trees, shrubs, lizards... I was very impressed for a 9 year old! When we returned, Frank showed up. Who is Frank? Well. He is Cuban. He just came to America 4 months ago. On a raft. With 24 other men. Only 1 perished. He was a father of five children coming to America to make money for his family. It is very humbling to hear the story. It is so hard to fathom that conditions are so terrible in your own country that you would choose to risk your life & sail on a small raft to another country, knowing that if you don’t make it, you’ll be sent home and be killed by the government. It still sends a shiver down my spine.
Frank is going to look for work in L.A. He's all legal & stuff - :o) - if you know of any jobs, he's willing to do most anything... Let me know & I'll pass it on. He's 25-ish & a looker!
Alessandra & I left for Hippocrates shortly after. I'm hoping I can come back to visit on the weekend, but there are a few other girls I'd like to see, so hopefully we can make it all happen! The two of us had a great drive & visited about all things wonderful in life. I'm so grateful that she is helping me get started on this path in life! I'm just sad that it didn't work out for her to join me! Maybe before the week is over she can!
When we arrived, the orientation tour was already underway. We joined in & were shown around the grounds. It's very green, lush & peaceful. I think I will really enjoy it here! When we finished, we came back to the main hall & enjoyed the first raw vegan meal of my stay. Sprouts, beans, lettuce, peppers, peas, asparagus, cucumbers, and sun-dried olives - it was a heaping platter of food & I ate it all. Along with some funky tasting green juice. We'll see how the next meal goes. I have a hot headache already, so I think the detox is starting!
We found my room & my roommate - Ivana from Florida. She's gorgeous & originally Serbian. She's only here for a week, but I'm sure I'll enjoy getting to know her. She's a Mac girl - what's not to love! Oh & the room is really nice. It's a little suite & there is a sauna in the living room! Yay!
In fact, the entire group - 20+ of us - seems quite interesting. We had to introduce ourselves & share why we were there. I heard some really interesting stories! I'm excited for the program to begin!
On that note, I'm going to retire to bed! Sleep well & here's to your health!
Well… This is it. Tomorrow the detox begins. I’ll have to run a few miles to find a morsel of sugar, fruit, meat, dairy or flour. Let the withdrawals begin. Wish me luck! I can feel the chocolate shakes begin. And I don’t mean chocolate shakes like the ones that go with a burger & fries!
xxxx Maria (sadly without Jaco, Valentina, Oceana or Adios!)
Kingston & Easton check out Miami
The Neighbour's pride & joy
Proud pooch
Uncle Rene
The lake
Garden girl
The lake
Flora
Chillin' out on a Sunday afternoon
Bird's nest
Lizards
Flora
The lake
Gianfranco
Frank
Free at last
Frank from Cuba now America!
Uncle Rene
Me & Gianfranco
