This weekend I went to San Pablo en Los Santos to work at an organic farm started by one of my contacts, a woman named Felicia. Two other girls from the States were going up too, they're seen a flyer at UCR (la universidad de costa rica en San Pedro) so we shared a taxi to the bus station in San Jose. We got there at 6:30 because we had been told that there was a bus to Los Santos at 7 and another at 9 and we wanted to get there as early as possible so as to get there with time to work before the rain. When we got the MUSOC station they said the bus was at 9, the earlier one had left at 6. Loaded up with hiking boots, sleeping bags, a map, a slack-line and two and a half hours to kill, we quickly located a park and off we went. However before we found the park we came across an outdoor mercado, that looked much like a farmers market. So of course we took a detour up the street to see what we could find. Mangoes, piñas, bananas, guyabana, platanos, passion fruit, aguacates, queso, jabón... but no park. We bought some fruit and sat under a tree sharing stories and asking the rutine questions like Do you have siblings? Do you know so and so? Do you smoke?
At 20 minutes to 9 we wandered back to MUSOC and sat in the chatting amiably about the trials of diva cups, as if we'd known each other for years. Suddenly Jillian looked at her watch, "Hey guys it's 9:02, maybe we should go outside." Looking out the window we saw a tall white bus pulling out of the parking lot. Tyran jokes, "That's probably our bus." Out reactions suggest little faith in the punctuality of the buses in Costa Rica (although in my brief experience the buses are quick timely). It took us about 15 seconds and then Tyran jumped up. Jillian yelled, "Run Tyran run!" while I scrambled to gather my straw hat and camo sleeping bag from the floor. We somehow got in front right as it was pulling out onto the main street. The driver looked amused, but let us one. A couple people snickered at us as we puffed and panted and looked for space in the overhead to stow our accessories.
The bus ride took about 2 hours. And although the seats in this bus we much cushier than the buses we took in and out of jose, I would have preferred being on the latter. The combination of the lack of leg room and the poor infrastructure of the windy rural roads, left both my knees soar and bruised. When we arrived Felicia was waiting for us in a small white Subaru truck. She let us ride in the back up the dirt road to her house.
Melina, who was living with Felicia and who had been out correspondent thus far, greeted us at the gate. She was the daughter of one of Felicia's good friends, a dancer and yoga instructor, and was, for the time-being helping Felicia with the farm. We had a quick lunch and then went up to the farm to do what work we could before the rain came. It was a 10 minute walk up the mountain from Feli's house. She already made 10 beds and several of them had plants in them, although most of them were dead. We cleared some beds, turned soil, started planting potatoes and started setting up a parameter around the edge of the farm. We were only five but I felt a surge of energy and accomplishment when we put down our shovels. There was still work to do but our work was apparent. Back in the cabin we made tea and danced a bit. Feli confessed that she was a "dance freak" and for a bit we thought of going out dancing. But we were tied from traveling and ended up staying home and talking about gardening and self-sufficiency. I slept inside on the floor with Feli and Melina, and Tyran and Jillian slept outside in a tent they'd brought.
I got up at 6:30 and Felicia was already up making coffee. Meli led us in a gentle yoga session, during which I finally learned the word for knees, rodillas (because she kept telling me it was okay to bend my knees). We ate some papaya and drank coffee and around 8 more people started arriving. Ten to 15, all of which seemed to be friends and family. Melina's mom, Felicia's mom, Felicia's younger son, Ivo and his son, Tomás, who was two and a half. Everything was very relaxed, not rushed. People talking, sitting, munching on fruit, playing with the dogs. Then we gathered in a circle and Felicia talked a little about the farm and what the idea of it was and what she wanted it to be in the future. She was mixing self-sufficiency with community, education with art and music and health. She asked us "Que es la cosa que es nesesario para que la vida existe en el planeta?" What is the thing that is necessary for their to be life on earth? I was thinking the sun, water, oxygen, Amy's mac and cheese. But she said soil, suelo. Without soil nothing would exist. And soil is disappearing. Not without cause. It is being depleted, quickly. By pesticides and my our conventional methods of mass production. This I knew. I also know that almost half of the fresh produce produced in the United States is thrown out before it reaches our plates, and that pesticides that kills insects also harm humans (in smaller ways but also unnecessarily).
Before moving to San Pablo, Felicia worked for the Ministry of Agriculture. That's why I had her contact information, I figured she'd be an in for me with some people higher up in the system so I could do some real investigative work on conservation. Felicia basically started the organics movement in Costa Rica. Although she saw some successes working in government she stopped after 3 years. She told be it was too much, the individual must sacrifice so much. So she was going to live as an example for others. The idea of the farm was not only for her to be self-sufficient and re-cultivate the soil there, it was also a place of learning where people can come and see that it is possible and take back little things to do at home. This is the idea.
And so we sat in a circle and she told us about organics and then we all trudged up the hill and went to work we we'd left off the day before. It's amazing how powerful numbers can be. Our manpower had increased and with it our enthusiasm and energy. We sang and laughed and when Felicia called for lunch some of the people kept working and she had to wait for them to finish their task, they were so immersed in it.
We had another potluck, this time with live music and much more food. Jillian had to leave early but Tyran and I played danced and played with the kids. Tyran got a ride back with a friend and I went back with Ivo and Tomas. Ivo not surprisingly is just a wonderful as his mother (she had told us that he was the son who was more like her in his love of nature). He is a psychologist and works both at a private German high school talking to students about problems they are having and also at the Universidad Latina, teaching a class. He is also studying homeopathy.
I got home at 6, driving was faster than taking the bus. Mary had dinner for me and asked me how my weekend was. She shuddered at my dirt encrusted nails. Catalina came down to keep me company while I ate, since Costa Rica was playing Mexico and so Mary had retired to her room. Some how Catalina and I got around to talking about religion and she said she doesn't think any parent should raise their child without religion, no matter which one. She was talking about about her kids and how they're grown now and aren't interested in church but it's alright with her because she knows that they understand faith and are good honest people. But I wondered where she thought that religion was the only way to attain such morals and values. I feel like I've been having a lot of conversations about God in the past week. Maybe I should have should be doing a theological study instead of an environmental one?
Bed time!
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