Gina, Gloria, Patricia, Sandy, Harriet, Judy D-B.(with hand raised.) Seated: Glenda and Judy Reeves.

Here is a short piece Sandy Olson wrote the first morning of our retreat to the prompt, “Foreign Countries.”  I thought it might give you a bit of the flavor of our writing retreat. There were eight of us staying in Gloria’s son’s house in Acapulco.  He has a design business that designs and builds theme restaurants for Disneylands and Disneyworlds all over the world, thus the colorful and art-filled nature of his vacation home.  more photos to follow. Here is what Sandra wrote:

Gathering this morning with coffee—slowly—first Harriet, then me, then Gina, sitting outside on chairs in the grass. Then the others, one by one.

What are we—not a covey of quail, pride of lions, murmuration of starlings, herd of water buffalo—we are writers, dedicated to the muse, brought together, a distinct subspecies of humankind. Seekers. Watchers and scribes. We look like we’re having an inconsequential conversation this morning  but we’re visiting and exploring each others’ foreign country and our own as well.

“I’m in my own foreign country.”