e-i-e-i-o

I have returned to the soil. Regressed to a time before there were petrochemicals and when horses were rototillers. My pace of life has slowed to almost a standstill. Wake, work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep and repeat. No commute. No errands. No social calls. My body and mind resisted the change for days, but are starting to adapt and enjoy the new experience.

Its really hot on the farm. You should taste the fruit though, it makes the heat worth it. As we pick plums and sort sun dried tomatos, a juicy piece of fruit reminds you of heaven. The tasks given to us by the Pereyra family are varied; hoeing weeds, picking fruit, labeling bottles of apple vinegar, gathering vegetables, harvesting seeds, slicing tomatos for drying, sorting dried fruits, cutting herbs, cooking marmalade, and fixing dinner. Normally we begin the day at 7 with some breakfast and coffee and then out to the fields. We do some hard weeding or clearing while its still cool and to wake up the body. Then we might pick something or box fruit up. At 11:30, we break for siesta. Lunch, followed by the day´s free time. I nap a little and read some and listen to music. Melissa and I sit in a shady spot under some trees by the creek. Its very peacful except for when the mangy, flea-bitten mutts come up and lick your toes as you doze off. Those little buggers can tolerate quite a few rocks before they yelp and scram. At 4:00, its back to work. We start in the outbuilding where the jars of herbs and sauces are filled and stored. We label the apple vinegar by putting a paper and twine combination over the bottle cap, glue on a label and shrink wrap them in plastic. I would estimate that each bottle gets 3 minutes of attention from us after the time it took to make the vinegar, and sells for less than a dollar. When it cools a little outside, we go pick vegetables, weed more, or slice things to dry in the sun. I enjoy working in the shed most. I meant to become a better slicer and peeler in my life, and thats really happening for me. At sundown, around 9:00, we call it a day and go inside for dinner, and bed. Its strange not having the evening off, but taking your free time in the afternoon. It makes the days go by quickly.

Its really hot in Mendoza. Nearly 95 degrees this week. It makes it difficult to motivate oneself to work. I have discovered that my work ethic has really slipped. I have Melissa to set an example for me. She opts for an early end to siesta for more bottle labeling. She is up and ready by 7:30, before the family is even ready to go. She really is Caroline Ingalls at heart. I am not sure what happened to me over the last 3 years, but it needs to change. I am re-learning how to choose work. First, I am grumpy to go and pick the beans again in the sun. Then I am grumpy that I know I should just choose to do it and be glad. Then I can transistion to being glad and finding reasons to be happy with whatever tasks come my way. Its getting better. I will be the hard worker I was known to be as a youth. A real renaissance.

Living with an Argentinian farm family is neat. We are vegans by default and spend every hour within earshot of another person. We speak spanish and all work together, to eat. You grow your food and eat it. Thats life. Its fun to see how they interact with the modern world, what they take and what they leave. A cell phone, but no VCR. A washing machine, but no working electric or gas oven. A refrigerator, but almost nothing in it. Getting to know them as individuals is also fun. The constant sarcasm of Rodrigo contrasts well with the serious face of his father Ignacio. As we get to know more about eachother, its easier to ask more questions and try to crack a few jokes. Anna like to spoil us by experimenting with new sauces in the shed and feeding us samples followed by fresh watermelon. She is amazing with sauces. Maria and her French boyfriend, Manu, are always busy with work but like to laugh and have a knowing glimmer in their eyes. Maria will work hard all day, like everyone else, but then spend another hour in the kitchen preparing dinner for the lot of us. We try to help, but mostly have no idea how to make anything good out of pure veggies. She whips up all kinds of wacky things. With the help of Annas sauces, I am finding combinations of things that I like.

I have never considered being a vegan until now, and I won´t consider it further on. I miss cheese and milk and fluffy bread with butter. The meals don´t have an actual main course. We will make some potatos, maybe some pasta for the wwoofers, steam some vegetables, bake some others out in the wood oven, and then put out sauces. Tomato sauce, garlic sauce, vinegar and oil. Then you just grab and go. Add some of this with a little of that, take a slice of bread and put it all on top. Mix your salad with your eggplant and top it with sun dried tomato paste made that afternoon. Its pretty tasty, it just seems like all side dishes. They have started making more bread for us and I feel free to eat a lot of it. We even got some fresh dulce de leche from a guy down the road with goats, and after lunch and dinner I slather up a slice of hard bread with it for dessert. Everyday Rodrigo or Ignacio makes a comment about the sugar intake, but I ignore it or try to make a joke in return. If they only knew what I really eat. If only they could try one of my mom´s cinnamon rolls or sour cream coffee cake.

Overall, I am starting to just be content in this life for now. Its simple, and thats good. I am just not used to it. We have a little fun and eat a little fruit. I will probably miss laying by the creek for hours reading a book and playing Sudoko. I even like gluing the labels on the bottles. The repetion and relaxed pace give me lots of time to think and dream about home and Thailand and everything in between. I have a feeling that the next week and a half will have me falling in love with the place and being as excited as Melissa to go out there and scour the pole beans for dinner.

No pictures this week, but here´s a link to the farm´s website.

and on this farm, there was some lettuce

Here I am in my third country. Argentina. A land of tango, wine and cowboys. Well, I´ve only seen wine so far, but am keeping my eyes open for the others. We came here via La Serena and Santiago. Through a mountain pass in the Andes, down through the desert and canyons, and into wine country.

We left La Serena on a slightly somber note. We had eaten well, beached well, and walked well all over the city. But sleeping well..not so lucky. We had stayed both nights with a guy we met at the train station who showed us his place in the Rough Guide and offered to take us there. The price was right and the location good and although he seemed a little shaky, we went for it. It seemed like the right thing to do. When we came home from the beach at about 7pm the second night and he was drunk. Really drunk. He smelled bad, looked bad, and told us he couldn´t make our included breakfast in the morning - 9 was too early. We told him no problema and left quickly for our evening out. We were already slightly disgusted with the place - it was super dirty and the kitchen was unfit for human consumption. When we arrived back at midnight or so, the man was passed out of the couch, with opera music blaring from the stereo. Luckily it turned off an hour later as we were trying to fall asleep. We thought we could escape unscathed in the morning, but were not so lucky. At 5:20am, Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody came on so loud we thought the sky was falling. Of all the songs to pick... Queen lasted for about 30 minutes, and through 2 arguments with the sisters that lived there. The guy was wasted and nutty! We fell back asleep, half in laughter and half annoyed. Last time we do the train station hook-up.

Santiago is a good city. I was pleased to find decent coffee, falafel, a modern hostel and mass transit. Yes, mass transit. I love the whirr of the tunnels, the speed of the trains, and the magic of getting across town in 15 minutes. Santiago is a city of 6 million, I think. It was smoggy and busy as you would expect, but has some fun neighborhoods and clean, safe streets. Our day and a half was enough to check out the vista/funicular park, ride around the city on the subway, and try some different places for dinner. We also visited with a friend of Melissa´s who is in Santiago right now. It was really neat to have a home cooked lunch and talk with the aunts about politics, traveling and life in Chile. My favorite part of the city was, embarrasingly, our hostel. Free laundry, internet and breakfast cereal. I sat alone in the dark our second morning, eating cereal, drinking coffee and being quiet. Besides not having my hooded sweatshirt on, it was just what I would have done at home. It was a really restful break from all the long bus rides. We also met this German fella that was riding his bike from Tierra del Fuego to Canada. A crazy one for sure, but very nice and fun to meet.

We left Santigo with clean clothes and full tummies for Mendoza, Argentina. We got on a really nice bus and headed for the hills. Our journey through the Andes was more than spectacular. It felt a bit like Steven`s pass through the Cascades with a river beside the road and tall mountain slopes on each side. Then I realized that we were still in the foothills. The mountains got taller and snowier and the road got steeper and higher. We went through tunnels and over bridges scary enough to make the most sure-footed person wince. We caught glimpses of super high peaks when the clouds broke, including Aconcagua, which is 22,835 feet high! The colors of the rock fields and the grand scale of it all was unforgettable. So was the 3.5 hour stop at the border post in the middle of the mountains where we stood in line and waited for stamps. Or the sandwich that I ordered without knowing what I was getting. Who knew breaded, fried veal could be so delicious?

The descent down to Mendoza got me thinking about the 3 weeks on a farm that we were headed for. What will the family be like? What will we do? How far away from the city will we be? How close to a vineyard will we be? The countryside kept getting more beautiful as we went along, and I started getting more excited. After a night in Mendoza featuring great food and a wonderful little hotel community with fabulous plazas, we got a hold of our family on the phone and got bus tickets out to the country. We were picked up in the closet small town, Vista Flores by Rodrigo, our new house brother. He took us to the house and we sat down for lunch with everyone. They quickly found out that my Spanish is less than adequate, but welcomed me in with a table full of vegetables. Vegetable soup, vegetable bread, salad, and steamed vegetables. The house is small, but well layed out for a family of, now, 9. There are two other girls here from Switzerland and England. We were showed to the guest room, containing bunk beds, a few small tables and 3 stinky puppies. That afternoon, it was off to work! Sorting potatos, weeding cabbage beds, picking peaches and labeling apple cider vinegar.

The farm is in view of the Andes and filled with trees and rows of plants and a little creek. Its gorgeous. I kept looking up from my peach box and seeing snowy peaks looming over the green fields. The work here is difficult. I would like to write that I feel very close to nature and that the work is bringing me closer to my spirit and to God. So far though, its just exhausting. Hot and dusty and never ending. I believe that its just my office ridden arms and couch conditioned back that are bring me down. I will get stronger and more used to being dirty and hot. My skin is already turning brown, my hair blonde and my hands rough. I feel fortunate to be able to see this way of life. To know a family that left the city for a life of hard work, little extra money, and a sustainable diet of whatever is in season. Which is vegetables. Always vegetables. I think its going to be an educational and rewarding few weeks. If I make it that long.

Padre Ignatio is a small and hard man that will speak to you in spanish until he is sure you understand. His patience for us city slickers is impressive. He makes bread from scratch in a brick oven for market on Saturdays. He is thin and tanned and direct. He asked us why all the volunteers that come are always looking for something in the world. Why do we go to college, get jobs, then quit and go looking for something else. He thinks we should stay with our families and work the business that the family is in. He had many jobs in Medoza before he bought the farm and likes to learn about the world. I am starting to really like him.

Madre Anna, is a tiny woman who eats only vegetables. No bread, no dairy. She works hard both in the kitchen and in the fields. She moves quickly and expects us to do our work, and enjoy our siestas. Sister Maria is equally small and gluten intolerant, but stronger than me and better with the hoe. She smiles and jokes and shows us all around. She is positive and tells us that she enjoys the volunteers, wants us to be happy and ask lots of questions. She never wears shoes in summer. Rodrigo is also helpful and funny, but sticks to his work a little more.

We all share a kitchen, a bathroom, a table and food. I am finding little ways to cope with the close quarters and all green diet by sneaking plums from the storage shed or bringing chocolate in from the town and munching it after meals. Today we are in town and we had a gigantic meal of pasta, wine, bread and water. We will probably get some ice cream before we head home. I hope these calories at least get me through tomorrow. Its an adjustment for me, being a little shy about my living space, to accept the hospitality offered me. I can already feel my guard coming down though. I can live with two cold showers a week. I don´t need privacy. I can bust into the kitchen and make myself some tea. They don´t mind. Anything else, just ask. This experience will be a challenge to my courage, my stamina as a worker, and to my introvered nature. I am sure to be better for it in the end, and with an understanding of sustainable living in its purest form. And maybe I can show you how to make brick oven bread when I get home.

there was salt, big grains of salt!

Today, I surfed. And for those of you who know me, you know that means I am a happy woman. Yesterday I layed on the beach in my bikini and watched good surfers tear up nearly perfect 4-8`Chilean waves. I wondered, who am I? How did I get here, at this time, in my life? January 15, at the beach, in the southern hemisphere, smelling salty breezes... Whose gift have I received? What fortune have I run across?

Well, I know how I got here at least. From La Paz, I took a 4 hour bus to Oruro. Then a 7 hour train to Uyuni. Then I slept and the next morning got into a land crusier. I sat in that for three days and travelled to the moon. Then I got out at the Bolivian border post and got on a bus that took me to Chile. I stayed in an artsy desert town and then took two more buses over two days, 8 hours each, and arrived here, in La Serena. Suddenly everything was hot and clean and beautiful. And there I was. At the beach.

Bolivia was fantastic. I loved it there. The people are so nice and their country is spectacular. My favorite little bit from that long train ride (besides seeing lots of llamas and flamingos) was this little boy standing to the side of the tracks with his chest puffed out and arms at his side. He was wearing a little striped yellow polo shirt and had dirt all over. He was looking up at our train, from 15 feet away, with a look of complete excitement and fulfilment. I wondered if he just loved trains, or if he wanted to get on and go somewhere, out of his dry and dusty home in the middle of the middle of nowhere. He was really precious. His piece of Bolivia is filled with space and ghost towns and old mines. Wind and sun and flourescent pink birds. He has no idea how special it is. Or maybe he does.

From the jeep, I saw the most desolate and beautiful landscapes that I have ever seen. An exaggeration, you are thinking. But it was so crazy! Huge wide plains rung by huge colored mountains and the strongest sun. Our first day was at the salt flats. The world´s largest salt flats. White, white, white. There was a volcanic island right in the middle with cacti over 1200 years old living there. It was a trip to drive across the blinding surface and then stop for lunch at this dry oasis. I even saw a little bird on the island!

We drove on to a hotel. A hotel made of salt. The walls, the beds, the floor, the tables - all salt. It was great. Luckily the shower walls were not made of salt, nor was the roof.

The next day we left the salt for the desert. I saw every tint and shade of green to tan to red that there is. The minerals in this volcanic zone make the colors out of this world. Muddy flats, rocky desert, sandy desert and UFO looking rocks. And the volcanoes. They are everywhere. High peaks coming out of high desert, with a donut powdered sugar dusting of snow on top. I got a sore neck looking out at it all. The next day featured more desert, geysers, colored lakes, and hot springs. It even snowed for a bit at the geysers!

I´ll have to say that I am thankful for the safety measures that we have back home near active volcanic zones. I was worried for those tourists that were teetering at the edge of bubbling mud pots and ferociously steaming geysers. I kept my distance for fear of becoming a headline.

This picture is of the two brits and two kiwis that we travelled to the moon with. Our jeep is the one with the hood open. We had some trouble with the starter...

Lets go over wildlife. I have seen thousands of flamingos. I saw a bunch of penguins from the bus going down Chile. Lots of sheep. I have seen llamas, alpacas, and the other ones like them, to boot. One tarantula. I have seen one dead dog in La Paz and two dead birds. And lots of stray dogs eating dead birds.

And food. I ate llama steak. That was yummy. I eat a lot of stale bread with peach jam, which is the featured entre of `included`breakfasts. I drink instant coffe and lots of soda. They do scrambled eggs a lot and fry anything they can get into their baskets. Fried meat, bread, and vegetables. Mmmm. Over all, it was a bumpy and dusty ride through the lunar landscapes of Bolivia. I loved every second. And wanted to paint and draw and photograph every scene, so that I could get it into my pocket and take it with me forever.

So now we are in Chile. Its a lot like America. They even warn of cancer on cigarette advertisements and have guardrails along the (paved) roads. I can pay $7 for a sandwich and $13 for a room. La Serena is beautiful, where Europe meets San Diego. Stately old buildings, palm trees, boulevards and the beach. I didn´t imagine that they would be renting surfboards, but oh my luck. Technical stats: Waves 4`-6`. 7`-6" Bic board. 3-2mm wetsuit. Lots of whitewater, but not too strong. Salty washing machine wipeouts - 3. Fun - 10 of 10. Sunburn - hands and face. It was a relaxing and fun day. This life of leisure is great.

Tomorrow, we get another 8 hour bus ride (hopefully filled with spanish dubbed movies, little kids throwing up, and the sickest lunches you can imagine, to keep up with the other trips) to Santiago. We will visit with Melissa`s friend for two days then head to Mendoza. There, we will begin our farming experience on the apple orchard. Buy some Mendoza, Argentina wine to celebrate with us. The beginning of our education. To know the people, the countryside, and the meaning of hard work. Salute!

yellow feathers in my hair and a dress cut down to there

Everything in Bolivia is huge. Including; the mountains, the lakes, the hills, the plains, the distance that we could fall off a cliff if our bus doesn´t make this next turn, the time it takes to get 10 miles on a ferry. Except the alpacas. They are small and cute. So are the old ladies.

We went to see Lake Titicaca. Luckily it was only a four hour bus ride away, which was divided by a ferry crossing that we had to get off the bus for. The scenery was incredible. Giant hillsides, expansive plains, and a lake that you can´t see across. I loved seeing the people in the countryside. There were kids spending theiSaturdayay laying in the grass or racing boats down the creek while their parents milked the cows or weeded the rows of crops. Arrival in Copacabana had us in a hotel room with a view of the lake and the seashore below that had a paved boardwalk and paddle boats for rent. It was really neat to see the Bolivians on vacation. We checked out the town, and the bright white cathedral at the top of the hill. In this town, the priests bless cars in front of the church and they are decorated with flowers and ribbons. Everyone was so excited to have their cars blessed. It was quite a scene to take in.

The next day we took a passenger ferry to the Isla del Sol. This is an island where the first Inca was born, where the sun jumped into the sky, and where ancient people from Mexico to Chile traveled to make sacrifices. The ferry boat was a wooden boat with a single, small engine, and 50 passengers. I estimated about 5 mph. To get on the boat you walk across rough wood planks on stone and wire piers... The whole system was wacky and it is only a matter of time till a boat sinks or the docks splinter into a thousand pieces. This was after an earlier ferry crossing where the whole bus was driven onto a wooden barge, also powered by a single fishing boat motor! I had to stop being surprised at it, for risk of losing my composure.

Once we arrived, we started hiking across the island. The trail was a beautiful reddish-yellow stone, with 1 ft walls on both sides. It was like a mini great wall of China, and I loved it. I was floored by the views. Steep terraced hills, blue, blue water and amazing little villages. The people there provide tourist services, but also farm. The distant views to the Bolivian Andes made it that much more stunning, and I dare say it was more lovely than Capri. I took a million photos, drew a little and asked the mountains to marry me ten times. We befriended a trio of younArgentineansns, who spoke english, translated for us, and entertained us with good conversation. If it wasn´t for them we would have been lost, without proper tickets, and never have heard the true stories about the Incan history. Probably woul have missed the boat back to town too. What a great place.
Our second evening in Copacabana took us out of the tourist realm and across town to the opposite hill. From here, at sunset, the town looked awesome. There were kids playing soccer, ladies herding their sheep home for the night, and the daily parade music moving across the city. It was so joyful there, and I am sure that there was a child laughing at all times.

One last note about el lago. The food of the day is trout. Lake trout. You can get it at any one of restaurantsnts, all of which serve only trout. Trout with butter. Trout with garlic. Trout with lime. I was super excited to try some, so we went for it. The trout arrived at the table on a bed of rice and fries. So flavorful and delicious. But it was looking at me. Not only was the tail on, but the head complete with eyeballs and teeth. I told him thanks for the meal and ate it right up. About time I ate something with eyes.

Tomorrow we attempt to go to the legendary salt flats. By bus, train or however else people without reservations get there. Its sure to be lunar-like and very impressive. I think its going to really seal the deal with Bolivia for me. After a four day jeep tour, they will drop us off at the Chilean border. Someone will then pick us up and take us out of the desert, down from this elevation, and onto Santiago. Hurrah!

La Paz

Arrival. In so many ways. The time is here and here is Bolivia. Its crazy! Latin America like I have never seen it. Who goes to Bolivia, honestly? A few europeans, peace core volunteers and Melissa and I. The city is steep. Everywhere you walk is uphill, likely both ways. The main streets run down the bottom of the canyon. Brick homes run up from skyscrapers to the tops of slopes like ski runs. Everyone here is short and dark and colorful. Its a busy city, but not a fast moving one. Maybe it´s the altitude, but people and cars move more slowly. If it wasn´t for the pigeons and dogs running through the sqaures you might think things run in slow motion.

Its a great town to walk around in. We have been down and up slopes to see out and to see the dead. Yikes! We went to the city cemetary on recommendation and it was neat. People bring all sorts of stuff to their loved ones. Including flowers, toys, trinkets, and musical cards. Its an eerie thing to hear christmas music coming from several directions, some out of tune as batteries die, as you look at grave cubbies. Happy birthday was popular too, which is also a little ironic.

The people going to mass have also been interesting. They buy incense and these scary baby jesus dolls in little baskets with lace. The dolls have grown up faces, are giving the papal peace sign, but wearing diapers. I love stuff like that. Who knows what they do with them.

Yesterday I was sloshing around the city, trying to focus as a headache that could split trees vibrated through my forehead and walking ten steps made you stop for a coke. Altitude is a funny thing. I am really starting to come around though, and have enjoyed the day. Tomorrow we will leave for Lake Titicaca. That should be crazy beautiful. The place we are staying is great (and $5!). They brought Melissa a birthday gift of chocolate and sang happy birthday. They are so nice and have really made our time in the city personal. Melissa said her birthday was neat, waking up to an airplace sunrise with sharp snowy peaks coming through the clouds and a sweet view of the altiplano as we descended into the city. And we napped half the day and had coffee milkshakes, so thats not bad either. Well off to buy some homewoven handicrafts, find something yummy to eat, and look around the rest of the city.

I have felt very safe so far, but am hearing tales of peril and despair enough to scare me a bit as we travel tomorrow. Just in case those stories are not totally blown out of proportion, please shoot up a prayer for us. Bolivia is the most rough of our South American tour, so as soon as we are into Chile, I can relax a bit more. Until next time..

no really, time to go now

I could tell you how I am feeling, but you can probably guess. I'm leaving in and hour and a half for the airport. I have attempted to fill myself with familiar things lately; the smell of my room, the crackle of the living room fire, the taste of my mamma's incredible cinnamon rolls. I don't think you can fill yourself up with home though. Its just something that people are supposed to stay in, so leaving it is a little odd no matter what.

I also cannot count the tears that have been running down since I starting feeling my emotions again Monday night. I guess emotions are good, but my eyes hurt and my heart aches.

I want to thank everyone too. Everyone who has been taking me out to eat, bringing me gifts, driving over to visit, calling, writing, cleaning up after me, sending me 16 text messages in two days... I feel loved, to say the least. You are all making it difficult to leave though.

I hope that my excitement returns before the day is out. I want to want to see things again. Finish with all this sadness, turn it into thankfulness and courage. Be eager to see if the water really does turn the other way down there. See if African animals do what they are supposed to, like on channel 9. Are the beaches in Greece really that white? Is India as colorful and textured as the pictures? I must find out. I will provide a full report, so maybe you won't have to tear up your roots, leave your people, and see for yourself.

why i wake up 10 times a night

Happy new year! What are my goals as I begin another year of life with a fresh start? Wait, I need to waterproof my shoes so they dry in time! After I finish switching that laundry. And call Kristen. Oh, there's some fudge! And my coffee is getting cold. Perfect, my cross stitch ornament for my mom is almost done, I'll just do that now here in the living room. Or maybe it would be relaxing if I see that Johnny Cash movie, where is the movie page... Here it is under my bank statement that I need to copy in the family room. I should sort that into this pile next to these shampoo bottles that need to be set aside in the bathroom for when I get back. I suppose this is as good a time as any to take a shower, since I'm in the bathroom. First I should take these clothes to that laundry pile at the other end of the house, then come right back and do that. Oh, I need to try out that new card reader that I bought that's sitting at the dining table...