Hello friends! I know it has been a few days, but so much has happened I didnt have it in me to start typing at the end of it all! For starters, the french couple and 2 others went on their way so we now expect to see 2 back at the end of the week and the couple back at the end of the month for a bit. We have gained 4 guys from Oberlin in Ohio and another couple who are on a repeat visit. Also a girl from Quebec if I have not mentioned her yet. Late last night 2 brothers from Connecticut(i think?) joined up as well. So I believe we are up to 13 right now with growth happening again soon.
The biggest project of the last 2 days has been trying to convert the pool area and kitchen into the WWOOF area to cook in and hang out. The kitchen we had been using and the bedroom I am currently enjoying are part of an apt that Robert hopes to rent out to those looking for a bit more comfort on their trip. The biggest challenge right now is Charlie, the old naturalist that "volunteers" here permanently and is a terrible hoarder. The area that we have converted into our kitchen was by the wall we painted a few days ago (i think i posted pics. I dont think I took a picture of Charlies area bc it is pretty awful. Piles of things, mostly broken and tossed about randomly. The transition was forewarned by Robert months ago, and I know it has been discussed at length as the best thing to do for the farm, but he is very resistant to the change to what he is now calling "his area". We had a few guests over for lunch yesterday so several of us worked really hard all morning to scrub and organize and move kitchen materials (2 shelving units, dishes, food, appliances etc) so that we could all squeeze in and enjoy the new space by lunch. The next morning most things had been moved around and everything was already dirty again. Needless to say this was very disappointing for all of us who had followed instructions and worked so hard yesterday. Hopefully this problem will be discussed and sorted out by Robert so that us WWOOFers are not fighting an uphill battle the whole way. In the bright side, this new (old) area has a ton of potential and really helps alleviate the space issues we were having in the apt along with the fact that the porch we had been eating on was so windy we could hardly serve salad! The Oberlin boys went to town last night and bought sausage and chicken and cooked a feast for us last night. It was awesome! And the first meat I have had here. Robert asked us at lunch yesterday how much of the meal had come from our own garden, and it turned out the only thing we hadnt grown here was the pasta itself. Everything in the pasta and salad and on the table we had picked that afternoon for the meal. To me, that is a really awesome thing! I even learned last night how to harvest Yucca, and we had some fried up as an appetizer which was delicious. For those who are not familiar it is a starchy potato-like tuber that you dig out from under what looks like a young tree. You then just break apart the branches from the tree and stick them in the ground and you will be on your way to new Yucca in no time! Catherine and I had to weed around the pineapple plants a few days ago back near the Yucca, and that is really an awful task. The leaves are super pointy and spiral out in a pattern that makes it nearly impossible to reach the ground beneath them to properly pull out the weeds. Ugh. And bc pineapple take so long to grow, we may not even taste one while we are here. Other than the kitchen, my other big thing over the last few days was that Martine (Quebec) and I built a couple benches out of bamboo! We were short on chairs before the big lunch, so I suggested we try and make benches out of scraps we find around so that we could seat more people. We found some broken wooden chairs in the scrap pile for bonfires and cut off the backs and reinforced the bases and lashed bamboo across the top to make room for 3-4 people! We were so proud and it was so successful that we did another one today. Martine says she wants to make everything out of bamboo now lol and it really is fun and fulfilling to do! We even made a backdrop for the buffet in the kitchen since it isnt up against an actual wall right now. It makes you feel so good to have a finished product like that for everyone to use that you know will last long after you are gone (hopefully!) Another project like that will hopefully be the mural on the big wall in the kitchen. That will require some paint though and we dont seem to have any around yet.
I have walked into town 2x now and am a bit more comfortable with the route. I can find the grocery and market, but I need to figure out where the bus stop is in relation to everything. Luckily people keep getting thirsty so we will continue to require trips in. :) My Spanish is awful, but I am a little more comfortable with the money transactions as long as i can see the money amount on the screen as it is rung up. (Typing with 1 hand bc Canela requires my other one to scratch her ears right now.I should also mention that this keyboard is set up for Spanish so things are in different places, esp punctuation) The market will still be a challenge for me though since it is all verbal. Natalia and I went on a hike yesterday evening as well, so now I know the general direction to go to see our local waterfall (she was here for a few weeks in Oct so had prior experience.)SO hopefully that will be a trek we try later in the week and I can share picture with you! She left this morning though, so now I have a room to myself again. :( I may end up moving out to the common area and sleeping on a crap bunk just bc it will be lonely in there now that noone uses that kitchen. Though it will be hard to give up having a mattress, the sound of the 40mph winds banging things around on the porch outside my window has been keeping me up most nights anyway. So it may not be such a bad trade...we will see.
I have been working on my tan as much as possible while working, so I will try not to be too disappointing upon my return ;) The worst thing right now is all of the bug bites covering my legs and some on my arms. There are little noseeums that eat you alive if you are out at the wrong time of night or your bug spray has worn off. They itch like hell at random times (like when you wake up in the middle of the night) and make me look like I have chicken pox. I am hoping a nice tan on my legs will help make them look less terrible, we will see. Mosquitoes havent been an issue at all since it is dry season but they would almost be a welcome change. Aside from the possibility of disease from them of course. Also we eat a lot at meals, but it is completely vegetarian and mostly fruits and veggies so all I need to do is make sure I shovel enough horse manure into enough beds during the day and I will be fitter than with any gym membership over the years! In reality I have been doing more sawing and moving furniture the last few days, but there is always manure to be shoveled so I am not worried.
Had a good bout of homesickness just after lunch today, so noone worry about being forgotten. I love you all and miss you a ton. But I want you to all come here instead of me coming to the snow! Esp my little Dexter, this would be heaven on Earth for him. (only an improvement on his current location in Dayton bc of my presence. We all know he loves the snow, and dads lap from what I hear!) I am so glad for the dogs here who help keep me content with their little looks and trots and wags. Sam and I like to play pull or tug with a giant stick in his yard, and Gordy (Gordita lol) loves her belly rubs while Lady gets so excited sometimes she had to leap her fat little body into the air and wiggle with all her might until you start to pet her. I gave Canela a lovely green dye job in her blond mohawk which suits her perfectly (unfortunately she hates the camera!) I am very thankful to everyone who helped me get here and supported me in my big leap of independence. Hopefully I can express that to you all in person, and have something good to show from my experience when I return home (other than my tan and muscles of course, hehe.) You are all loved, and I think of you often. Enjoy snowy hikes, and days off cuddled in the home for me and I will bake in the sun and dig in the earth while I can with all of your hearts in mind!
Lots of love
Erin
