The Farm, a Week in.

¡La Finca, Al Fin!

So, I´m finally at the farm. I am beginning to see that it will be sort of difficult to post with regularity simply because we are kind of far from things like computers and stores. Which is charming and was certainly the goal of this trip, but yeah, it might be a while before the next post. Also, I now have a mailing address, so feel free to contact me if you want it! I like presents!

Jenn and I arrived 2 weeks ago after carefully following Cecilia (the owner)´s directions on how to arrive at her rural abode. After boarding the local buseta (read:minivan with a few extra seats squeezed in) and winding slowly out of the city of Manizales, through little hilly towns, and finally along the windy country road that snakes around the edge of the valley of coffee fields down below, we finally arrived at a rickety old sign with the name of the town. ´´A walk of fifteen minutes from where the bus drops you off, and you will arrive at our home´´ was what Cecilia what had said to us. I pictured a casual stroll down a dirt path. What she should have said was, ¨after forty five minutes of straight uphill mountain climbing, you´ll encounter a brief break of flat road, and then another steep hill awaits you. This should take at least an hour.´´ So, needless to say, with all of our belongings strapped to our backs, after a brief ´´you´ve got to be kidding me´´ exchange, we began the ascent in silence, like two little goats. Good thing we both used to be varsity athletes. An hour later, we arrived. Sweaty and buggy, but relieved to have finally found our new home!

The next day we boarded a bus with Cecilia to attend an eco agricultural conference in Pitalito, which is in the south of the country. It was an international venue for farmers, vendors, and people from various non profits to meet and learn about what others have been doing around south america in the name of ecology and agriculture. It was really interesting to me because it was organized by a leg of the Colombian government called SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje, or national learning service). Every region of Colombia has an office, and they run a school for children who mostly come from rural families with few resources, and in these schools the children learn all about sustainable agriculture and managing projects, and they each choose a practical focus like business management as well. And, it´s completely free. Really cool stuff. I wish our country had governmental programs that taught kids how to farm! Once the students graduate from the high school, they typically only have to go to university for 2 years instead of four because so many of their credits transfer. This makes university access more affordable as well. Brilliant.

Ok, so like I said, this conference was international. International, yes, but only for nations in Latin America. So, you can imagine that Jenn and I created quite the stir. Everytime I stepped out of the auditorium, someone grabbed my arm to either take a picture of the giant gringa, or they wanted to ask us what we thought of Colombia, or they wanted to practice their English. At one point, we had a giant crowd of about 70 people surrounding us, asking us questions and taking pictures. It was the Jenn and Ali show. I was interviewed for their local television channel, and I was also interviewed by one of their journalist students for their radio station. Famosas. Apparently they don´t get foreigners around there often.

Now, back at the farm, life is more simple. I feed the chickens every morning. The big momma ones make so many glucking and clucking noises when I enter their home to feed them, and it really makes me laugh because it sounds like they´re saying, ´´gurrrrrrrrrl...........whatchu doinnnnnnnn....gurrrrrrrrrrrrrl.....´´ and so I talk to them in the same way. They are large and in charge. Other daily chores involve feeding and milking our goat, whose name is Navidad. She is essentially a dog on crack, with horns. I´m slightly terrified of her, but I pretend not to be because I think animals can tell when they have the upper hand, and then they manipulate you. See last entry on cat attack.

Cecilia also typically has school groups come to visit the farm, and both Jenn and I help out with these as well. I really enjoy working with children, and I think it´s so cool that they get to have these types of experiences at such a young age, coming to a completely sustainable farm and learning about the importance of biodiversity. Cecilia is so charismatic and the children all stare at her, wide eyed, during her presentations. Then we take walks through her trails around the house and learn about the many different plants and animals that make that space their home.

I intend to be at this farm until the beginning of December. I already feel like it´s not enough time.