the flipside cafe

I'm sitting in "The Flipside Cafe" which is the cafe portion of the
Boise Co-op, haven of hippies. Although I had vegan choices on the
menu, I'm having vegetarian pancakes with non-vegetarian sausage. Did
you know David is a vegetarian now?

On the wall to my right is a piece of art incorporating pictures of
Guatemala, and on my left is a series of portraits of Guatemalans and
landscapes. My waitress is wairing a vintage dress and reminds me of
Linden. They have wireless internet and I'm in between Quaker meeting
and picking my mom up from the airport (she was visiting my aunt in
Seattle).

I opened up my laptop to read a friend's sermon, after just meditating on
and talking to David and Beth about the concept of spending next year
in Nicaragua. I'm in such a different environment than I was when I
made the decision to go. I see going there in a different light
because of my different environment. I guess there feels like a big
disconnect between my life right now, living in a huge house in the
suburbs, and a third world country. There didn't seem like as much of
a breach in Oberlin, where I was on a tight budget and lived among
many people who had relationships with Latin American countries or
people from those countries.

So, coming here after feeling disconnected, confused, and lonely for
weeks, I just got this rush of goodness coming over me, of God's presence tangible with fulfilled promises. The pictures
of Central America, the connections with faith communities at Meeting
and reading the sermon, and hippie food-- I guess I just felt at
home.

I'm praying about how to prepare for Nicaragua. According to Emma, I should get vaccinated, pack a change of clothes, and get ready to be surprised.