Kopila writes after the first week of training

Small group goal setting discussions. We did have chairs set up but they were abandoned early on.

Two participants display their lemon pickles

Punctual participants with our banner

We had been talking and thinking about the training for such a long time. Now the day had arrived. Today was the first day and I was so excited about our training but wondered whether we could reach there on time. [Editors note: a valid concern. She does try to squeeze a lot into the morning!] Unfortunately, as usual, I was late. [Ed: Not by some local standards] When we started, we organised the time and began the program in an informal way. Gopal welcomed the ladies and Wendy didi lit the candle and we all introduced ourselves. Then we had a meditation training. I had never felt so excited working in the office before. Even though some ladies were from far away, they all came punctually as promised. It gave me the energy to work more. [Ed's note: This is a somewhat daunting thought! Kopila works amazingly hard] I really don't feel tired.Our first week was very emotional and the ladies were very thoughtful. Each lady had excitement on her face. An interesting thing was when we had the "Ice Breaking" session and they laughed and enjoyed the activities. I felt that, for the first time in a long time, they had the chance to open up and see a light of hope. In the break time they all wanted to exchange their feelings with one another.During all the planning and preparation still I felt I was juggling so many things and I wondered if it would all happen. So now, first week is finished. I feel more relaxed about the rest of the training!Kopila