PROLOGUE

I always pictured my first campfire to have logs as seats, classic sing-alongs, meaningful storytelling, and haunting ghost stories. I certainly did not envision wearing my heaviest winter gear or wondering if my toes were still there. Yearning for the fires warmth, we crouched in a circle roasting marshmallows until they turned a golden brown. Though I only checked off two campfire requirements, the fire and marshmallows on sticks, those alone were plentiful. When the fire started to dwindle, I looked up at the cloudless, dark sky and was amazed. I located and identified the Big Dipper almost instinctively. As I noticed that some of the stars twinkled, out of the blue, there was a streak of light. It took a few moments to register and believe what I saw. Pointing in its general direction, I shouted Shooting star! Shooting star! Where? Where? someone said. Still looking in the same area and reluctant to blink, another one shot across the sky and disappeared as fast as it had appeared. It wasnt until the end of the week that I sought out beauty, not only in nature, but also in challenges and friendships. If I

hadnt been searching, I wouldve only seen the Big Dipper in textbooks and wouldve missed out on the rare chance of experiencing two consecutive shooting stars. To my teammates surprise, it was actually my first shooting star and yes, I did make a wish. Life is beautiful, I whispered to myself, disregarding the bitter cold.

 SUNDAY; MARCH 2
In the three and a half hour drive up to Unity, Maine, the conversations that gradually filled up the initial awkward silence broke the ice among the eight of us Leroy, Dan, Maddie, Amanda, Lauren, Jessica, Mindi, and me. Aktan, one of the staff members at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), led us to the bunkhouse we were staying in. It was a small, quaint house with a unique sense of dcor, and we quickly learned the owner of this house didnt have the typical kitchen supplies. There was no microwave, but there was a food dehydrator, a popcorn maker, and a Popsicle maker. Told to make ourselves at home and use

anything there, we checked the refrigerator for missing food staples and ingredients to add to the grocery list. Maddie spoke up and said, Im a vegetarian. Lauren and Jessica raised their hands and said, I am, too! The rest of us are carnivores, right? asked Dan. Amanda, Mindi, and I nodded, but Leroy said, Im a vegan, but dont worry about me. I brought a lot of nuts and dried fruit. Life is beautiful. Thinking on how to compliment three different diets, Dan concluded that it was most reasonable to eat vegetarian for a week and that Leroy would just not eat the dairy that we buy. Never having any experience with vegetarian recipes, I worried that I would get my sufficient fill of food and if the meals would give me enough energy to work throughout the day. I was also hesitant because there were a lot of vegetables that I didnt enjoy, but vegetarians think of as staples, like tomatoes, carrots, chickpeas, celery, and beans. However, that was the least of my worries. Other than being ready by 9 AM, the team still did not receive instructions for the rest of the week and was left speculating. I never liked falling asleep not knowing

the next days plans. Apparently, no one else in the room did either. Frustration was written all over our faces, but, with a smile, Leroy said, Its okay. Life is beautiful, wished us a good night, and walked into the mens bedroom. After hearing those three words used several times, I figured that it was Leroys motto. When he was asleep, the rest of us giggled at his philosophical character.

 MONDAY; MARCH 3
Dress warm, guys! Were going on a walk! recommended Aktan, as he walked in forty-five minutes late, which he didnt seem to mind. We promptly returned to our rooms to change. I put on several layers, but I wondered, how bad could it possibly

be? After being welcomed by temperatures low enough to get frostbite in merely half
an hour of exposure when I moved to Boston, I thought I built resistance to the cold. But no, Mother Nature whipped painful, icy gusts of wind in our faces. Our walk, which began with side conversations, became silent because our lips, like the rest of our faces, were too frozen to speak.

As if standing in the cold and collecting reeds, hollow, purple-brown bamboolike plants, for what seemed like eternity wasnt enough, the nine of us hiked through the snow to another area to collect branches, two to three inches in diameter. Other than the roads cars drove through, MOFGA had not shoveled and the layers and layers of snow were so tightly packed that it became the new ground. This white terrain was unstable and in certain areas, the snow was softer and incapable of holding my weight. Falling through and stumbling surprised me every time, and it was a serious workout. Forced to trek through it, our muscles burned, and the sweat only made us colder when the wind blew. When we arrived to the spot where we were permitted to gather wood, those who had hands saws rigorously cut the branches. As we complained about our runny noses and numb extremities, I started to regret applying for Northeastern Universitys annual Alternative Spring Break. Having fallen in love with traveling within the first two and half months of my semester abroad in Australia, volunteering for a week sounded like a rewarding opportunity. Now aware of the Northeastern workload as a health

science major following the pre-med track, just thinking about the midterm and paper waiting for me when classes resume gave me a headache. In response to our verbalized discontent, Leroy said, Its okay. Life is beautiful. Already frustrated while others were lying on beaches and catching up on sleep, comforting words was the last thing I wanted to hear. Thats when I stopped what I was doing and looked at my surroundings. Just like he said, it actually was beautiful. The ground was laden with undisturbed white snow and the sun, low in the sky, peeked through the tall trees. The sky was clear of clouds and the air was free of pollution. I was so focused on being productive and efficient that I didnt take the time to appreciate the beauty that was all around me. His words kept me on my toes and my eyes open for more.

 TUESDAY; MARCH 4
On the drive back from shortly visiting and grocery shopping in Belfast, I looked out the window and was awed to see the hundreds, if not thousands, of stars in the sky. Born and raised in New York City, it was the first time I couldnt count the stars with my ten fingers. It was also the first time I saw the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper in real life. Because I was thrilled to see as many as four stars in the city, I was almost certain that I was in a planetarium, not in a car. Artistically embellishing the sky as if someone hung each one, some shined brighter than others. Seeing the band of stars, which I learned was the Milky Way, was surreal. It was humbling to be reminded that despite all the accomplishments I ve made, I only took up a miniscule amount of space. It reminded me that I shouldnt live

my life focusing on me, but also revolving around others and the greater things. Attempting to think like Leroy, I thought, life is beautiful. I felt silly for not being able to take my eyes off the sky when we got out of the car because this view was normal for the team members who came from suburban and rural areas in the States. I wasnt ashamed though because they took such magnificence for granted. The single thing that made me go inside was the cold.

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 WEDNESDAY; MARCH 5
After a whole previous day of tying tight knots to bundle reeds and using power tools to build planter boxes, we became experts and were as efficient as machines. Three of MOFGAs work-study students built a planter box, but the nails werent flesh with the wood and it was tipping from side to side, obviously unbalanced. The messy carpentry annoyed us. Taking apart the planter box, remeasuring the wood, and rebuilding it took longer than it wouldve taken us to build it from the start ourselves. Life is beautiful. Life is beautiful. Life is beautiful, we repeated, discouraging the impatience and irritation welling up inside. It was evident that the phrase stuck with us.

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 THURSDAY; MARCH 6
Aktan marched in with good news that wed be taking a break from woodwork and working in the green house down the road. Unsure of what to wear after bundling up for the past three days, we all wore our bright yellow team shirt that read ASB 2014 with husky paws prints across the front over a long sleeve shirt, and on e layer of long pants instead of two. Because we havent felt such warm temperatures since last summer, walking into the green house felt like walking into a sunny paradise. Eluding to the tropical vacation spots, Jessica exclaimed, Guys! Its finally spring break! Life is beautiful! Laughing and chattering, we planted organic seeds for the approaching growing season.

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The team leaders decided to end the day early, and eat dinner at Grand Central Caf in Waterville, the next town over. As we drove there, again, looking through the windows of the car, I was speechless at the sunset. People say that a pink sunset is an indication of air pollution, but here, in Maine, it was a gentle lilac color. Its a color Ive never seen before in the sky. The purple faded into the different shades of blue on the side of the sky where the sun wasnt setting. Life is beautiful, I said in my mind. As we waited for and ate our vegan-friendly pizzas, the team had both meaningful and carefree conversations. The relaxed and open atmosphere that hung above our table was similar to the one I thought only existed with my best friends. I admitted that life could be beautiful in different ways, outside of just nature.

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 FRIDAY; MARCH 7
As Aktan finished constructing the bee hotel according to Mindis design, the team painted three bat houses and signs for an Earth Day event with choices limited to yellow, red, green, and black. We were all itching to see the main project we worked so hard on. To complete it, all we had to do was stuff the sections of the bee hotel with the branches and reeds collected on the first day. Seeing the finished project, we all stood back and looked at it proudly. As Leroy would say, life is beautiful, said Maddie. You got it! agreed Leroy.

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To show his appreciation for a week of hard work, Aktan surprised us with permission to have the small campfire weve all been crossing our fingers for. After visiting an alpaca farm and eating dinner at a restaurant, we hurried to the back of the bunk house, where a square of snow was cleared for the wood. I always pictured my first campfire to have logs as seats, classic sing-alongs, meaningful storytelling, and haunting ghost stories. I certainly did not envision wearing my heaviest winter gear or wondering if my toes were still there. Yearning for the fires warmth, we crouched in a circle roasting marshmallows until they turned a golden brown. Though I only checked off two campfire requirements, the fire and marshmallows on sticks, those alone were plentiful. When the fire started to dwindle, I looked up at the cloudless, dark sky and was amazed. I located and identified the Big Dipper almost instinctively. As I noticed that some of the stars twinkled, out of the blue, there was a streak of light. It took a few moments to register and believe what I saw. Pointing in its general direction, I shouted Shooting star! Shooting star! Where? Where? someone said.

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Still looking in the same area and reluctant to blink, another one shot across the sky and disappeared as fast as it had appeared. Did you see that one? asked Mindi. I did! I did! It was my first shooting star! And to see two in a row?! I responded ecstatically. I was so happy that I was nearly skipping back to the bunk house. To my teammates surprise, it was actually my first shooting star and yes, I did make a wish. Life is beautiful, I whispered to myself, disregarding the bitter cold.

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 SATURDAY; MARCH 8
On our way back to Boston, we stopped in Camden, a coastal town, where the team leaders had found an easy hiking trail that ended with a breathtaking view from a tower on Mount Battie. Like it was with many other things during this trip, it was my first time hiking. As we hiked higher up the mountain, wed turn around to catch stunning glimpses of the full view awaiting at the top of the tower. To push it to the end and climb up the old, winding staircase in the tower, we managed to sing Hercules Go the Distance and Mulans Ill Make a Man Out of You in between our gasps for air. It took a few minutes to take in the 360 degree scenery. Standing at the top of the

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tower, being above the clouds I saw rolling in over the bays water was empowering. And somehow, the taller surrounding mountains humbled me at the same time. We sat with our feet dangling off the tower for about twenty minutes, resting exhausted bodies. After becoming close friends in one week, we seldom had times of silence, but there was an unspoken consensus to quietly reflect over the week as we absorbed the jaw-dropping, panoramic setting. Life is beautiful, Leroy said, Life is beautiful.

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