Thursday and Friday are now my favorite days of the week, and possibly Wednesday too. I have successfully unwed myself with ADICTA and I believe that now we have a more healthy relationship as divorcees than we ever had while so intimately united.
Thursdays I now work in solely in Tuisinsé (possibly Wednesdays too) and Fridays in Armenia. As already reported, I told one of my NGO's that I was not pleased with my current working situation. I said that I wanted to work more on my own and focus on only two communities to start, because as things were, I was not accomplishing the goals of my program: to start family vegetable gardens to promote better nutrition in the homes of subsistence farmers.
ADICTA was very supportive of my taking initiative and helped me select and a couple nearby villages. Tuisinsé is right across the valley from my home, it's on one of the ridges below Tajumulco if you're looking at one the photos from my front porch. I could hike there in two and half hours I think. So far I've only hiked from about half of it and taken the surprisingly good public transportation they have here for the rest.
Yesterday, I visited a home near Tusinsé and we planned out their garden together with a neighbor. I'm going to return there Wednesday and we're going to plant, then I'm going to the neighbors house to help her plan her garden.
Side note: While in training I thought how can I teach these people anything; they are farmers, they're great-great grandparents were farmers. What's a punk kid with a philosophy and English degree and 3 months of training going to be teach them. However the truth is that many of the farmers here know how to grow corn and beans and that's about it. They have no or very little experience growing hardly ever any experience growing without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. My program promotes organic methods because it more feasible for the families because it uses resources that they already have, is safer and produces vegetables with more nutrients.
Side-Side note: Unlike in the states it's not a fad of the rich and informed to eat organic and local here, it's natural and a necessity. However, here chemical and organic produce is not differentiated in the markets. You could ask the vendors who are also the growers but of course they will say anything to get you to buy. So on the downside growers are not rewarded with higher prices for using organic methods like they are in the states, because here the people just want to buy the biggest watermelon. They don't care how it got that way or perhaps that it has less vitamin B, they just want that big one, and they'll pay more for it.
However, none of that really applies that much to my work because I'm working with small family gardens. The produce is for feeding the family, so it's irrelevant what price they can get in the market for it. The important thing is that it's feeding them (and feeding them well) and hardly costing a thing.
As you can see, I have faith in my program.
Back to my recent divorce from ADICTA, I went to Armenia today and was able to help advise Doña Elda Días with her little garden that already looked quite beautiful but was lacking a few major elements and later another family. Then afterwards in the group meeting we fixed up the demonstrative compost pile so it will actually start composting and made some progress on the group garden! It's really good to finally get into some work that I can sustain and have complete of which I have complete control. Meaning it's not dependent on program of ADICTA or Intervida which may or may not receive funding. This I can simply do.
In other news, this Tarantula scared the hell out of me a few nights ago. I was throwing a beetle out of my room that landed on my head while I was reading so I went to throw him out of the room and felt something touch my bare feet so I looked down and found this delightful little creature. I´ll post more pictures on flickr shortly, but I´m out of free space this month.
Thursdays I now work in solely in Tuisinsé (possibly Wednesdays too) and Fridays in Armenia. As already reported, I told one of my NGO's that I was not pleased with my current working situation. I said that I wanted to work more on my own and focus on only two communities to start, because as things were, I was not accomplishing the goals of my program: to start family vegetable gardens to promote better nutrition in the homes of subsistence farmers.
ADICTA was very supportive of my taking initiative and helped me select and a couple nearby villages. Tuisinsé is right across the valley from my home, it's on one of the ridges below Tajumulco if you're looking at one the photos from my front porch. I could hike there in two and half hours I think. So far I've only hiked from about half of it and taken the surprisingly good public transportation they have here for the rest.
Yesterday, I visited a home near Tusinsé and we planned out their garden together with a neighbor. I'm going to return there Wednesday and we're going to plant, then I'm going to the neighbors house to help her plan her garden.
Side note: While in training I thought how can I teach these people anything; they are farmers, they're great-great grandparents were farmers. What's a punk kid with a philosophy and English degree and 3 months of training going to be teach them. However the truth is that many of the farmers here know how to grow corn and beans and that's about it. They have no or very little experience growing hardly ever any experience growing without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. My program promotes organic methods because it more feasible for the families because it uses resources that they already have, is safer and produces vegetables with more nutrients.
Side-Side note: Unlike in the states it's not a fad of the rich and informed to eat organic and local here, it's natural and a necessity. However, here chemical and organic produce is not differentiated in the markets. You could ask the vendors who are also the growers but of course they will say anything to get you to buy. So on the downside growers are not rewarded with higher prices for using organic methods like they are in the states, because here the people just want to buy the biggest watermelon. They don't care how it got that way or perhaps that it has less vitamin B, they just want that big one, and they'll pay more for it.
However, none of that really applies that much to my work because I'm working with small family gardens. The produce is for feeding the family, so it's irrelevant what price they can get in the market for it. The important thing is that it's feeding them (and feeding them well) and hardly costing a thing.
As you can see, I have faith in my program.
Back to my recent divorce from ADICTA, I went to Armenia today and was able to help advise Doña Elda Días with her little garden that already looked quite beautiful but was lacking a few major elements and later another family. Then afterwards in the group meeting we fixed up the demonstrative compost pile so it will actually start composting and made some progress on the group garden! It's really good to finally get into some work that I can sustain and have complete of which I have complete control. Meaning it's not dependent on program of ADICTA or Intervida which may or may not receive funding. This I can simply do.
In other news, this Tarantula scared the hell out of me a few nights ago. I was throwing a beetle out of my room that landed on my head while I was reading so I went to throw him out of the room and felt something touch my bare feet so I looked down and found this delightful little creature. I´ll post more pictures on flickr shortly, but I´m out of free space this month.
I was telling my landlord, Don Catilino, about it (he likes to come and hang out almost every night and chat. I think he's quite worried about me, and thinks me a bit odd for living in a house by myself.) When describing the incident, I just used the word "araña," spider, and after viewing the picture, he said, "no that's actually not a spider that's a 'tarantula!'" so he gave me a little life science lesson and then reprimanded me for not killing it. I really ought to have caught it and put it in a glass jar. I think Don Catilino is greatly entertained by me.
4 comentarios:
Matt, aren't tarantulas deadly?
Good grief, I'm glad you're alive.
And your gardens sound like an incredibly satisfying project. I hope it rains not too little and not too much, but just right.
Take care!
Thanks val. I just got your letter the other day! Thank you for that too. Where are you right now?
Woah, you wrote that comment a long time ago. I'm in Wheaton for a couple more days. It's good to be back in the States! (Then I'm headed to AL).
Just catching up on your blogs. That's hilarious about the spider and beatle that landed on your head. Man I love it. Not sure why I think it's so funny. I'll probably go to bed now and laugh about it some more.
Publicar un comentario