Arriving at Heifer, etc

Hello all! Nic and I have arrived safely, albeit late, in Massachusetts at Overlook farm! It is gorgeous here. We arrived extra late, at 2:00 AM, and didn't get to take a tour or anything until this morning. We slept pretty late, and then several people that lived in the house met us and took us around. We are staying in a place called Camelot/Camel Lot, haha, because there is a lot in the back with a camel in it. A guy named Al picked us up and told us all about the farm, etc. I have only been here twelve hours and I already smell like a farm girl. It's pretty amazing how quick you pick up the smell of animal. The focus really is on farming and agriculture, and it is radically different from Perryville. They do not eat the rabbit, but they do have the kids move the animals from pen to pen, feed the goats/chickens, do milking, take care of rabbits, etc. They do not have a week long global village event, but instead, a two day global village with a wide variety of houses. Here are some pictures of my husband petting animals.
Pig

Goat

Red Calf

Iamou the Inbred Baby Bull. Iamou= I am my own uncle.
Well, we have our first round of chores in about fifteen minutes so I do not have time to upload any more pictures. I took quite a few and will be putting them on this blog periodically. It's so gorgeous up here. There are ferns everywhere, tons of very friendly animals that are used to the attention of people, and great folks. Our home is beautiful and wood on the outside, I will put a picture of it later. We are actually the first of the fall volunteers to arrive, but we will be starting work anyway. I am happy and excited right now!

Good and bad things

Unfortunately, Nic and I were deferred from the Peace Corps for three months because Nic was recently injured. This means that we will not be going to Benin, and because there are not very many departures in the winter, we will likely not be going to any country with the Peace Corps until the spring. Initially, I suffered a lot of grieving and heartache. I was not at all happy about the fact that I would be idling. I am not the type of person that handles the waiting game very well; I like to have my future events relatively structured and planned. I like knowing that I will have a job in two months, etc. However, Nic and I decided that we should open our ears and eyes to jobs that we can dedicate ourselves to for several months.
In the meantime, I am working for Future Builders, Inc, a non-profit organization that does HIV/AIDS outreach. The group functions largely on grants, and actually, our focus groups right now for HIV/AIDS testing/counseling is the homeless and youth. As a huge perk, we Future Builder volunteers were trained by the Health Department to be certified HIV testers/counselors. We're certified, and have little certificates that we can show off in the event that we would need to, or someone doubts our words. Right now, though, these certificates are at Future Builders. One of the best things about the job is getting to talk to people; people have some incredible, smart, cool, quirky, painful, sad, and angering stories to tell about their lives. It is amazing how strong some people are.
And, after Future Builders, Nic and I would like to go to Heifer Ranch. We have applied for Education positions and right now are going through the formalities. We are waiting on some forms that we have to fax back in so that we can get a background check, and then there is some stuff we have to sign, and, finally, we need to buy plane tickets. I get paid on Thursday/Friday, and, if ticket prices stay close to the same to what they are, that check should cover my ticket and at least part of Nic's. We'll see. I hate worrying about money, but I spend a lot of time doing it. It seems hopeful and exciting. I am not going to get too excited just yet about the Heifer job, because I fell in love with Benin and then was not able to go. I am going to wait until I've got the confirmation in writing and on the phone that we're good to go, and until we have the plane tickets in our hands and our bags packed, before I truly get excited.
But believe me, when I get excited about this, I plan on jumping for joy. I am going to learn so much.
And! We will be there during harvest season!