Getting Settled In

Our first day at the Margarita B&B exceeded our expectations not only with the amenities and staff, but more imprtantly, with the intent of my sabbatical. At breakfast, we met a group of folks from Canada. As we talked, I found that one of the men was a policeman from near Toronto. He works with the Mennonite Church using non-violent negotiating skills in places of conflict around the world. He is also involved restorative justice in the Canada court system. What a find on the first day! Although we did not have much time to learn more, I expect to visit him later this spring.

Next, off to the Quizur Peace Academy, the retreat center we expected to stay at during the BePeace workshop. There, we were greeted by Nicole Bucherre and Dyana Berwin. They were, as you would expect, magnificent in their presence and their helpfulness. As we found the accommodations regarding meals to be difficult, Rita Marie Johnson, Razur Foundation founder and workshop leader, jumped right in with Nicole and Dyana to help us out. Our experience with them and a chance meeting with one of the workshop faciliators reenforced our high expectations regarding what we are to learn next week.

Since we ended up resolving our meal problems by moving to a nearby hotel, I took this opportunity to shoot my fIrst B roll of Quizur, since the workshop will actually be held at the nearby University of Peace, http://www.upeace.org/.