By Kelsey English

After sleeping in for the first time, we woke up to a glorious mountain morning.  Although towering mountains surround us on all sides, I have never felt a freedom so pure.

The vibrancy of Agora overwhelmed me in the best possible way.  After 25 hours of traveling we were finally in the place we had envisioned for so long.  On my morning adventure, Kathryn and I encountered a tad bit of confusion due to a language barrier but after some clarification we felt comfortable and welcome.  Soon after we were drinking chai, learning how to spin wool and many CCS girls were dressed in traditional clothes.

How often can you show up at a stranger’s doorstep and be dressed in their clothes merely 20 minutes later?  I was truly amazed by the genuine generosity of this incredible village.

Everyone chose their own adventure – there was so much to be explored.  The character of Agora is too incredible and complex to be explained in words.  Cows and mules wandering the streets felt completely normal.  Everything seemed so simple.  After experiencing it, I found the simplicity satisfying.

Life in the remote village of Agora was far from normal or comfortable by American standards, but I came to love and value it for its purity.

Up here I feel both physically and metaphorically so far above all of my troubles.