29 kids down, one week to go…

This past week, we had 29 kids on board. Needless to say, it was rather hectic – dodging oblivious children with trays laden with stacked dirty dishes, complying to every need, be it one more Shirley Temple or picking up vomit at three o’clock in the morning (luckily that was not me), or reprimanding insolent boys when they try to sneak chocolates from behind the dining room settees. But, we made it through and now I only have one more week to go and then a whole month off! There are only 5 kids on this next trip, so hopefully it will go smoothly and fast.

I haven’t taken many opportunities to get outside lately. I’ve been doing yoga most afternoons, but I think being inside all day is getting to me. So, for this next trip, I’m hoping to go on some hikes and maybe even kayak.

On another note, I just finished Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food and it has changed my mind about veganism. The main concept is that most of the food we eat is not actually food. It’s just a bunch of chemicals, food parts, vitamins and minerals put together to create something that is edible. Pollan’s argument is that we need to go back to eating things that have not been overly processed and that don’t come in saran-wrapped packages. This includes the vegan cheese and vegan meat-products that I’ve been eating for the past two years. So… I’ve decided that I want to try eating cheese and yogurt (I’m still skeptical about milk) when I get back home. BUT, I’ll only eat products that I know where they come from and ones that have no hormones, antibiotics, etc… i.e. products that come from the farm itself, a farmer’s market, or a local health food store. I’m still not, however, going to eat meat. I recommend this book to anyone, whether they are vegetarian or not – it’s a big eye-opener on what our society is actually eating.