Dear sweet, delicious Mosaic folks--

I’m in Vermont, right now. Did I tell you guys that already? Spending my days doing yoga and playing with the most marvelous baby. I miss you guys so, so much. Yesterday, I went to North Country School, the boarding school where my partner Andre spent her time from 4th-8th grade. It’s the most unusual boarding school. It’s in upstate New York, near Lake Placid. It’s located on acres and acres and acres of wild land. There’s a full farm (that the kids all work on) with an extensive vegetable garden, chickens, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, a donkey, geese, a couple of cats, and miscellaneous other creatures. They tap the trees for maple syrup, which is the only sweetener the kids are allowed. (No sugar. No money. No television.) The school buildings are so interesting. There are these awesome slides next to several sets of stairs, so the kids can slide from the top to the bottom. There’s a rock climbing wall and a beautiful performance space and I spent a long time mesmerized by this immense collage of two (huge) faces looking towards each other, the word “Namaste” in between and at the top it reads, “The God in me sees and honors the God in you.” (There was just nothing like this at any of my schools, let me tell you.) All of the postings up on the walls said things like that, talking about the interconnectedness of all beings and other things like that. I think the school was put together by anti-war, progressive, subvert-the-dominant-paradigm types. The whole thing is like a big, huge Mosaic project (with the addition of math, science, english lit, french, spanish, and farming). I think that Lara should go visit there. And it might be a place that folks would be interested in teaching, if they’re ever trapped on the East Coast and can’t make it back to this part of the world for the month of May. The campus is lovely. There are ponds and lakes and wooded areas and a few traversable mountains. We climbed the one named Trouble. I felt half-certain that if I veered off onto the right trail, it would lead me back to the Enchanted Hills Site, where I’d find all of you beautiful people, singing or laughing or drumming or talking. I missed you all so much while I was there, it physically hurt. I’m sorry I’ve been so absent in the past months. I can’t even handle the fact that I haven’t spent any real time with most of you since May or June. I’m coming home in a week. I want to see you. I want to make plans and spend time. Please . . .

so much love,

Ariana