Feeling "Centered" =)

Hello!


     I am writing to you from the public library in Center Consolidated Schools! It is great to be here. I had a great week in Denver relaxing.  I mostly spent time on campus, but I also

 cooked with friends...

...and ate with friends at Fire 7's house... they are local this round doing taxes in Denver.  We made an amazing vegetarian feast!

 I also got to enjoy the view of the Rockies from City Park with my team.

     We debriefed on our disaster relief experiences with all the other teams who went to New York.  It was a great way to process our time there, and we felt very appreciated and welcomed back by the staff.  Our regional director and many others sat in on our debrief to hear about how everything went.  A few other teams are heading to New Jersey to help out now.  I think they flew out yesterday!  

     Before we knew it, it was time to head out to Center.  The drive was absolutely gorgeous!

Center is four hours south of Denver.  We drove straight into the mountains.

During the drive, it was hard to put my camera down.  See my reflection?

We stopped to eat and switch drivers in Salida, Colorado.  This is what Fire 1 looks like right now.  During transition week after Christmas break, Nadav and Tobin were switched to other teams and we gained Eric (the tallest guy in the middle) and Kyle (the guy farthest right).  Recently, Conor decided to leave the program to take advantage of an exciting job opportunity.

After just a few hours, we arrived at our new home!  It used to be housing for migrant farm workers, so it has a lot of rooms, showers, stoves and refrigerators.  It's perfect for us!

We took a quick tour of the school and met our sponsor.  This building houses all of the K-12 students of the district and the town's public library.

They're the Vikings, just like Lakewood. =)  Our training to work in the school doesn't start until Monday, so we have the weekend to relax...

...make valentines...

and explore the tiny town!  This is Center's busiest intersection. =D  It reminds me so much of Sunfield.

It's a cloudy day, but I tried to get some pictures of the surrounding mountains.  This one turned out best, but it still pales in comparison to actually seeing them.  The town is nestled between a few different gorgeous, snow-covered mountain ranges.  I'll definitely be hiking during my time here.  

     The people of Center are even more impressive than Center's scenery.  It is such a close-knit community, and everyone has been so kind to us already.   Tonight we have been invited to eat dinner at the superintendent's house with his family.  I'll try to post again soon, after I know more about what my work here will be like!  Until then... =)