Hello. So much has happened during the last 3 weeks since I have updated last. I spent one week doing intensive coffee training, learning how to improve coffee production from seed to cup. (see picture of coffee cupping/tasting). Then we had one week back in our training community. We all had major ganas to be active so there were a lot of jogs, some ultimate Frisbee, and some slack lining of the river near our houses. Finally, we have spent the last week in our future communities. It has been pretty emotional and I am definitely coming out of the semi-oblivious, dream-like state that training has left me in. This week left me with 2 reflections: 1) I really have learned alot during the past 8 weeks, and I can hold my own in agricultural discus ions with people, even in Spanish. 2) That anything that my community implements or experiments with in regards to their agricultural production potentially has a huge impact on their lives. I had entertained this thought before, but I hadn´t really let the weight of it hit me. If I suggest something, ex, using organic herbicides, and it fails, and their crop suffers, that´s on me. It´s been easy to focus on why this experience has been awesome and difficult for me, and how it is going to change me, and how much I am going to learn. But really, that isn´t what is about. So, summary... I´m feeling insufficient, and it´s scary. And I´m wondering if its hubris that brings me here, thinking I can tell anything to these people who have been doing this type of agriculture for years. I know these are feelings that alot of new volunteers face. I´m looking forward to checking in with everyone and seeing how they are feeling too.
Anyway, it was a pretty amazing week. Really high highs and pretty startling lows. It´s beautiful there. My community is perched precariously on the ridge of a mountain, on one side it looks out to the Pacific on the other you see the spine of the mountain range that runs through Panama. The people farm on the mountain sides. The slopes are amazingly steep. My photos don´t do justice to the deepness of the vallies, but if one were to fall they´d be hard pressed to stop.
I bugged my host family to include me in their activies, during all of which I felt really silly. They laughed at me alot, which for the most part is the best type of interaction one can hope for for the first time with the Nobe people. They took me to plant corn on the mountain side. I did more slidding down than anything. The 21 year old daughter took me to plant otoe and look for firewood and taught me how to make the thread with which they use to make typical Nobe bags called Chacras. It´s amazing how fast people grow up out here. I am 2 years older than her and she already has 2 kids one at least 5 years old.
I am really excited. And very nervous. But I would definately put the experience of planting maiz with my host family on a dangerously sloped mountainside late in the afternoon as the mist is closing in, as one of my coolest expriences so far.
the comp is taking a really long time to upload fotos. might have to do it later.
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