I´m in paradise. The bus ride down to El Hoyo took about 23 hours, but with a constant stream of food, and a purple lighting show that lasted over 6 hours, the time flew by. The farm I now live on is a beautiful little organic ranch surrounded by snow-capped Andes Mountains, nestled between gigantic emerald green lakes that look as though they flow right under the mountains. Brian and I are living the good life in our two-person tent, waking up to bright blue, cloudless skies, and falling asleep under the biggest silver moon I have ever seen. At night the horses gallop around our tent, not used to the white intrusion on their uninterrupted green landscape, and sometimes get so close, I think they´ll crash into us.
Work for me starts at 9, and consists of weeding the herb garden, preparing meals, sifting compost, teaching english to local kids, shoveling cow manure, and trying to keep calm when dealing with the unpredictable worms that weasle out of the rich soil every 5 minutes. Brian, on the other hand chops wood, turns flower beds, and does more manly chores. Today he fashioned a sled out of pine tree branches to haul wood out of the forest. We are the new cast members of Lost.
Showering here is a bit interesting, seeing how we have to light fires to warm the water tank in order to receive a hot shower. If the fire is stubborn, i´ve been instructed to put a few walnut shells in the shower oven to get her going. Similarly, the toilet situation is also a bit untraditional. To ease the flushing process, we are asked not to put any toilet paper in the toilet... ever. Being from the western world, this is an extremely hard habit to break.. and i´ve definitely forgotten about 18 times so far. bleh.
The ranch keeps three horses, three dogs, two cats, and three kittens (born only a week ago) in addition to their permanent members and volunteers. Currently there are 7 volunteers here, counting Brian and I, from all over England, Australia, and Canada--all in their early 20´s. So far everyone has been getting along really well, and we spend most of our free time cooking, reading, snacking drinking, etc., together, and it´s great to have the company. I am also taking some free Spanish lessons here from a girl who lives close to the farm, and am learning more here than I did in the city. Like everything else here, the food is fantastic. Everything is vegetarian, and DELICIOUS, and for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we all eat together, and have a nice little hand-holding silent prayer session beforehand. After lunch we always have a 2 or 3 hour siesta, where everyone reads or naps away the meal. Most days, after this nice rest, Brian and I head off into the mountains for a day hike, and stay in the woods until it´s time for dinner.
I wish I could describe where I am, and what I am doing better, but I don´t think I can. To summarize it simply, though, this place is magical. The food, the landscape, and the community is incredible, and I hope everyone reading this gets a chance to experience it one day. I feel incredibly lucky.
Work for me starts at 9, and consists of weeding the herb garden, preparing meals, sifting compost, teaching english to local kids, shoveling cow manure, and trying to keep calm when dealing with the unpredictable worms that weasle out of the rich soil every 5 minutes. Brian, on the other hand chops wood, turns flower beds, and does more manly chores. Today he fashioned a sled out of pine tree branches to haul wood out of the forest. We are the new cast members of Lost.
Showering here is a bit interesting, seeing how we have to light fires to warm the water tank in order to receive a hot shower. If the fire is stubborn, i´ve been instructed to put a few walnut shells in the shower oven to get her going. Similarly, the toilet situation is also a bit untraditional. To ease the flushing process, we are asked not to put any toilet paper in the toilet... ever. Being from the western world, this is an extremely hard habit to break.. and i´ve definitely forgotten about 18 times so far. bleh.
The ranch keeps three horses, three dogs, two cats, and three kittens (born only a week ago) in addition to their permanent members and volunteers. Currently there are 7 volunteers here, counting Brian and I, from all over England, Australia, and Canada--all in their early 20´s. So far everyone has been getting along really well, and we spend most of our free time cooking, reading, snacking drinking, etc., together, and it´s great to have the company. I am also taking some free Spanish lessons here from a girl who lives close to the farm, and am learning more here than I did in the city. Like everything else here, the food is fantastic. Everything is vegetarian, and DELICIOUS, and for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we all eat together, and have a nice little hand-holding silent prayer session beforehand. After lunch we always have a 2 or 3 hour siesta, where everyone reads or naps away the meal. Most days, after this nice rest, Brian and I head off into the mountains for a day hike, and stay in the woods until it´s time for dinner.
I wish I could describe where I am, and what I am doing better, but I don´t think I can. To summarize it simply, though, this place is magical. The food, the landscape, and the community is incredible, and I hope everyone reading this gets a chance to experience it one day. I feel incredibly lucky.
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