Update 5

A day at Tatoo

Dear Readers,

Our arrival to Ecuador marked a new period within our journey, and in a way it feels like a completely different life than before. We have been here for a little over a week now and have begun to feel its rhythm working within us. The first few days we took slowly to acclimate ourselves to this new culture and take in the amazing sights around us. As the week set in we began to pick up our work and set into motion the activities at hand. Our biggest project has been working on our knives, a tool whose countless uses will aid us for the rest of our lives (unless of course we loose them). Other than a few finishing touches the knives are now all done and it continues to amaze me how different and unique each one is. It was quite a process making them, and I know better than most the irksome feeling of not only having to redo something once, but countless times.

Hailstorm in Palugo

We have also been spending much of our energy learning new phrases in Spanish; Tupac has presented himself as quite an adequate teacher. Last Monday the more advanced Spanish speakers among us put on a glorious production, in which Nicole was a popular yet frustrated teenage boy who Phoebe was in love with. Malcolm was the proud and beautiful mother and Ciara made quite the Papa. All in all it was the production of the year. This introduction lended itself well to the theatre class we had with Marcela later in the week. It was wonderful to hear a little bit of her past and how art and creative expression has weaved its way through her life in such a thoughtful way.

Ayere at Tatoo

Apart from that we have been knitting up a storm, making pants at Tatoo, learning about the digestive system and nutrition, the geology and geography of Ecuador, running in the mornings, and practicing our skills at yoga. We have continued on with morning chores as usual but the experience is quite different here than it was in New Hampshire. For some of us the day starts at 3:45 when we rise to milk the cows. Personally I love milking the cows, it’s a somewhat serene way to start your day, but for others I know it’s a little harder to rationalize the early start. We still work on the farm, in the gardens, chop the firewood; the cooks prepare the meals and the Hormigas continue to sterilize the poop bucket.

Navigation class in the Highlands

On Thursday we had our first experiential navigation lesson out in the Ecuadorian Highlands. We left Palugo around 11:00 am and drove up, up, up and up in the backs of the farm trucks until we reached the mountains. When we got there it was sunny and clear, and you could see for miles. The mountains seemed to spread out under your feet like a colossal cloth of blue and green silk, it draped itself across the landscape and with its ripples it created the drastic edges in which we explored. We split up into smaller groups and began our quest using only a map, a compass and our amounts of knowledge about navigation. At this point in our hunt we became familiar with why it is so difficult to navigate in the highlands. As we looked out at our course, preparing to take our bearing, a thick sheet of fog and scattered rain descended on our clear, crisp day, leaving us on, what looked to be, the edge of the world. Now all we could do was hope we didn’t fall off. Our goal was to complete a treasure hunt of sorts in which we had to find various pieces of wood that were stuck in the ground, with the words “Kroka” eloquently carved onto them. My group (which consisted of Ayere, Malcolm, and Nicole) succeeded in finding the first marker through the fog, and afterwards as the weather once again shifted course, leaving us in a cool, but clear, fall day, Mathias decided to change our course. We were instructed to find a seemingly mythical lake, which was of course quite visible on the map, but nowhere to be found in the landscape. If we asked Mathias if we were headed in the right direction he would shrug his shoulders and smirk, he really was quite helpful. After many adventures, that included Malcolm halfway down a hole and our attempted escape/ sprint up a hill that nearly sacrificed my lungs forever, we found the forlorn lake tucked away in the rocks. Although we could not physically go to it due to the extensive time we took to find it, we feasted our eyes upon its sight from a nearby peak. Its watery depths were well worth some thorns in Malcolm’s feet, I don’t know if I would say the same if they were mine. When we finally returned to the group at the end of the day, everyone was bursting with their own stories and jokes, and one could see how ready we are to be out on our own, traveling through Ecuador.

Meredith knitting her hat

Now, as we prepare ourselves in as many ways as we know how, our first major expedition draws closer with the minutes. On Wednesday we embark upon a month long journey up into the mountains where we will stay with the community of San Clamente, and down into the rivers and jungles to the community of Shivacocha. We will travel on buses, bikes, rafts, and our own two feet all the while observing and learning the land, the people, the plants, the earth and ourselves. Afterwards with weathered hands we shall return to this place of growing abundance and rustic charm with a gift that is for now unknown.

Hasta Pronto, lots of love to you all,

  -Siena Siesta Emily Kate Flower Powers-

Kat’s reflection on herbs:

It is amazing that I have been here for three days and I did not realize the amount of herbs that I am surrounded by. An array of lavender, rosemary, and more exotic herbs lay right outside my door. I enjoyed learning all of their different uses. It’s almost like God or some higher being put these plants on Earth for the sole reason of healing, and we are neglecting the gift. People choose to take pills to nourish their bodies when they could walk outside to their own medicine cabinets. The world offers an immense amount of resources that are unknown to people. I’m very glad that I took the time to learn about them.

Nicole

“The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives”

-Native American Proverb-

“To gain knowledge, acquire something each day. To gain wisdom, eliminate something each day.”

-Lao Tzu-

Zoë would like to say a very happy birthday to her mum, Meg. Shai would also like to say Happy birthday to her friend Naomi!

Recipe for Tiesto Tortillas:

Measure out however much flour you want depending on the participants who will be eating. Add a few tbsp of baking powder. Melt a lot of butter, as Julia Child said (imagine in high voice) “The more butter the better”. Heat up some water and dissolve some salt (kinda a lot) into it. Combine said ingredients until you have a good texture, buttery, doughy, shouldn’t be too flaky or crumbly. Pack into little balls and roll out into circles that are about 4x4 inches. Cook on a wok like pan - handmade of clay - over campfire, Enjoy your creation with butter or any type of delicious concoction you can think of!

Churo and Phoebe

Tommy is getting a haircut with a machete

Charlie with "Rabbit Ears and Ciara