I am now pretty well getting into the grove of things with Larry gone.  We have recently planted corn and a hundred banana trees.  We also have about 50 tomato plants growing not so well.  We will hopefully be planting many more fruit trees in the next month.  We are planning on planting papaya and pineapple next.  It has been mostly sunny during the days and rains in the evenings; pretty ideal weather.  I have been collecting different grafted fruit trees of superior quality including rambutan, mango, avocado, cacao and lime.  Also growing we have durian, guava, guayavana, coconut, passion fruit and soil building plants, and also some ornamentals.  Our vision is to build a gene bank of great stock as a resource for the inhabitants of the valley.  Eventually these trees will be able to be propagated and provided to farmers or other horticultural enthusiasts.  exciting business. we are also working on a little ornamental public garden, or park.  We have already done the hardscape, built a cute stone wall, part of which is for retaining and part as a bench.  we will be beautifying it in the next couple months.  it is a across from a clinic where people are often sitting waiting for the bus, so they will be able to wait admist a tiny slice of edenic beauty.  It is truly fulfilling work.

Sorry the blog site has been down for a while.  I have recently returned from a trip up through eastern Guatemala and Belize.  I visited farms along the way and the Mayan ruins at Tikal.  The main goal of the trip was to visit and old fashioned Mennonite community in Belize.

I can write anything about them I want because they don´t use the internet and they´ll never read this.  jk.  Anyway, it was one of the most impressive experiences of my life. 

Bumbling our way there, (I was traveling with my friend Laura) we finally get dropped of at the gravel road that led to the Mennonite community ´Barton Creek´.  Knowing very little about them except that they don´t use electricity or cars, we started making the 8 mile hike out to their community.  It was midday, with the hot Belizian sun beating down on us a couple miles into the hike when a horse and buggy approached with an old bearded man at the reins.  Seeing that we were headed to Barton Creek he asked if we wanted a ride, and we gladly accepted.  After rearranging his sacks of rice and several empty buckets we found our seats on the buggy for a slow bumpy ride.  Jakob, the driver, knew little english as he spoke an old low German as his native tounge, the language of the Mennonites.  Admitting much ignorance he started to ask about why food prices are going up, and if they are going up in other parts of the world.  After a discussion about oil scarcity, he said ´we may be going slowly on this buggy, but at least we are not using oil.´ All of a sudden, riding on a buggy did make a lot of sense. 

This was the start of a lovely weekend spent with the kindest, most hospitable people I have ever met.  These simple folk, all farmers, provide most of their food by the sweat of their brow from their own land.  And they gladly and generously shared this food with as we lived with them for that time. 

Their homes are simple and usually neat, spread out amongs fields and orchards.  Most families have about 10 kids, and almost all of them blond and blue eyed.  As forementioned, they speak a low German, as they originally descend from Germany.  Many of their people left during religious persecution going to Russia and many to Pennsylvania, some ended up down in Belize.  They have a zero divorce rate.  They need no insurance, as the community simply pitches in whenever one of them is in need.  When a woman has a baby, the community takes turns making meals for the family during early infancy, so that the mother may more fully devote herself to the care of the baby.  They have little concept of lying or laziness, except for some of the nearby Belizians that sometimes come to steal from them.  Of coarse they wonder why they steal when they could just come and ask for food. 

One of them asked me about something he heard about called a micro chip.  Another, was asking about war.  I struggle to describe what atoms were, as I tried to describe what a nuclear bomb is.  And that they use this technology to destroy entire cities in one moment.  And that men, from a computer in the United States are able to send a missile to any point in the world, that even this very house could be destroyed at any moment, if these men willed it. That these missiles come down on the homes of many people throughout the world. 

After a few days living with these peace loving, hard working people, the world did seem to be strange, even horrific.  These people that have been persecuted and scoffed at by generations now seem to posses a wisdom that the world needs to hear.  In light of environmental destruction, wars and rumors of wars, the destruction of the nuclear family and the destruction of the nuclear atom, the unbridled pursuit of self interest and profit, and spiritual hopelessness of millions of people, it seems that these simple farmers may be on to something.  A group who was labeled as backwards for so long now seems to be strangly progressive. 

When we complain that we are subject to the systems that are perpetuating this global destruction, that it is policy or technology that will save us from our deadly ways, I reflect on the Mennonites, who do not indulge in selfpitying victimization but instead buckle down and hold together and make a life for themselves that is not only sutainable, but beautiful. 

Larry has left to the States to get married.  He won´t be returning until January, so I am now holding down the fort here in Las Mangas.  This whole aspect was unexpected when I had originally committed to come down to work on the farm.  Now I have many more responsibilities than originally expected.  It is certainly a growing experience to try to get stuff done in a third world country.  Driving alone is pretty insane but I welcome the challenge and embrace the responsibility.  I have also decided that after a one month stay in Massachusetts in September, I will be returning to continue to look after the place until Larry and Allison return in January 2009.

In light of these new responsibilites Larry has recommended a book to me titled The Road Less Traveled.  It is written by a psychiatrist about problem solving, responsiblity, love and spiritual growth.  I have found it very stimulating and empowering during this stage of my developing life. 

On the farm we have recently planted a lot of velvetbean, an aggressive legume that puts nutrients in the soil.  The rain as started to come back after a brutally hot dry season, so things are starting to grow vigorously.  I have also planted a lot of tomatos and peppers.  All the farmer are planting beans now, and I will be joining them later this week.  Beans are the basic crop grown here, so it will hopefully accelerate my understanding of the subsistance farmer through growing what they grow. 

the past couple weeks have been good.  We have been doing a good bit of work up at the farm in La Muralla.  We have been clearing these tall grasses and planting velvet bean.  Velvet bean is a very aggressive legume that helps put nutrients in the soil.  we are also hoping that it beats out the invasive grasses that have taken over.  it is kind of like a battle, using different qualities that plants have to use them against each other, or with each other.  Also last week there was a death in the La Muralla community.  A father and his son where walking down the trail and the father had a loaded shotgun.  He slipped and the gun fired and it peppered the son.  It wasn´t serious though, certainly nothing fatal.  They took him to the hospital and things seemed to be okay, but the doctors would not release him because they wanted to observe him.  After a few days he caught pneumonia and died.  We went to the funeral then next day; it was really sad to see.  It was a good reminder for me that even though I come from such a different walk in life, from the US, they come from farming the hills for generations, there are certain things that are so common to all of humanity, and in the end these things are so much greater than any difference. 

Larry and I recently got back from Nicaragua.  There we visited a demonstration farm called Rancho Ebenezer.  they emphasize small livestock,  goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits and vermiculture (worms).  It was pretty amazing.  Their thing is to help campasinos to use a mere 1.2 acres (3/4 of a manzana)  to grow all the forage necessary to take care of a bunch of these animals that will suit much of their dietary and all of their financial needs over.  the program as been sucessful in 9 communities throughout Nicaragua. 

While there, my heart was stirred by the Nicaraguan people and there history, so I did a little research.  Early in the 20th century, after the Nicaragua gained independance from Spain, seeking to secure economic interests in the country,  the US landed a bunch of marines.  Resisting this invasion, Sandino, organized a small militia to fight the marines.  He traveled through the mountains, using guerilla tactics, was not able to be caught by the invaders.  After time, recognizing that he would not defeat them, and with his arms in short supply, he sought aslyum in mexico for a time, where he had somewhat of a spìritual transformation.  While in Nicaragua, things came to an agreement, Sacasa was elected president democratically, and the US pulled the marines out.  But not without establishing a National Guard, funded and armed by the US.  at its head was general Samoza.  Sandino returned proclaiming some of his new religious beliefs, that of the Spirit of Light and Truth which is Love, and to negotiate with Sacasa, the new presedent.  They agreed that Sandino and his group would get land in a northern region to practice their cooperative land ownership intentions.  At the end of the meal with the president, and perhaps unbeknownst to him, Samoza, intervened, capturing and executing Sandino in Managua.  Two years latter Samoza, backed by the US, overthrew the governement and established himself dictator.  A tyranny that would last 40 years.  Samoza and his sons ruled oppressivly, ending up with over half of the farmable land, and controlling most of aspects of the economy.  Father Samoza´s reign ended when a 27 year old poet shot him dead on the street.  The national guard then shot the poet over 50 times.  After his death, his son came to power as president, the other son being the head of the national guard.  Things came to a head when in 1972 when an earthquake destroyed much of Managua, the capital city.  Samoza intercepeted much of the international aid, and sold it to the suffering people on the streets.  The cruelty had gone too far, and adopting the name of their national hero sandino, the sandanistas came to power.  Samoza jr fled to Miami, and then to South America where he was executed by leftists.  The sandanistas very much cruel also, faced more military struggle as the US launched a contra war against them from Honduras and Costa Rica, which fueled a terrible civil war that lasted about a decade.  in the late 80s they came to a cease fire, had an election and suprisingly the sandinistas where voted out of office.  since then there has been peace, but certainly not prosperity in Nicaragua. 

im just writing this off hand, so if any of the info is wrong let me know!

things are going well.  Allison left, so now it is just Larry, Joel and I.  It is good to get some good quality time with Larry before he leaves to get married in June.  Yesterday we planted tomatos peppers and onions.  and today i cleared a slope on our demo farm to plant beans.  things are becoming more day to day now.  the sun is hot hot, as it is dry season now.  often after work at two i take a small nap on the concrete floor.  the heat really saps the energy out of you, at least a gringo like me. 

Jay, one of our employees and I, finished another terrace today.  we have done four so far in a yard across the road from ours.  it is funny;  working landscape construction in massachusetts, i built stone retaining walls, like terraces for luxury.  they are indeed beautiful.  down here i am doing the exact same work, but it is purly for function.  This is what love about edenic development, overcoming the dicotomy of function vs. aesthetic.  i find that in sustainable land development, what is functional is beautiful, and what is beautiful is funtional.  that is how i imagine the garden of eden.  it is beautiful but also abundant and life giving, serving a primary function of providing food.  it is stange to so far segrate much of the functions present in our world from our overall experience.  when this unity isn´t taken into consideration is where our present global problems arise, pollution, desertification, erosion, leading to hunger, illness, violence and poverty.  when we can appriciate and lovingly accomplish every step of our agriculture and industry, in harmony with the environment and society, we will really step forward to a more sustainable culture, and a prettier planet.  at least this back yard with nice terraces is prettier and more fruitful now.  one backyard at a time i suppose.

you on facebook may have read my update about how i was wondering when the lump on my arm would stop oozing.  well, it did.  after my friend squeezed a bot fly larvae out of it!  yuck!  it was the grossest thing i have ever seen on my body.  there i was sqeezing the puss out one night, and then all of a sudden there was a little white pointy thing poking out of the hole.  i sqeezed harder and a little more came out, but i couldn´t get any more out with one hand so i went to my friend Mac down the road.  dependable Mac, slowly sqeezed and pulled till an almost inch long larvae came out of my arm.  as it came out puss squirted on Mac´s face.  yuck!  but man am i happy to have that out of my arm!

 last weekend Mac and I went on an awesome camping trip up above a huge waterfall, deep into the virgin forests up in the mountains.  it was breathtaking, waterfall after waterfall.  we came to an increadable view of where our river, the Cangrjal, empties out into the carribean by La Ceiba about 10 kilometers away.  we could see all this from a full days hike up from the road into the jungle.  we saw three snakes, and a howler monkey.  As we were bushwhacking up a steep hill to ascend a waterfall Mac almost grabbed the most poisonous snake in the americas, the Fer deLance.  It was perfectly camouflauged in the leaves.  i never would have seen it.  it really freaked me out.  but we went on, and no snake bites.  yey.  we made it back safe two nights later with a lot of amazing photos, (Mac is a photographer), a better friendship and really sore calf muscles. 

I am now in Costa Rica for the renewal of my visa; it is valid for only 3 months.  I have taken this opportunity to visit a friend of mine from middle school in Wheaton IL, Caitlin O’Connell.  Having not seen each other for 10 years, we reconnected on facebook, and now are hanging out at this very moment in Costa Rica.  It is funny how things work out but it has been a delightful time so far, following monkey and catching up on the last 10 years of our lives.  Caitlin is researching capuchin monkeys through a UCLA research project in Bagaces, in south western Costa Rica.  Yesterday I went into the field with her to follow a group of monkeys that they have been observing for 17 years.  we headed out at 4:30 in the morning and didn’t get home to 7 at night!  they observe them from dawn to dusk every day.  It was pretty amazing, the monkeys have been habituated, which means they they are not afraid of us humans that follow them around.  they went from tree to tree, playing, coming down to the creek for water, eating fruit, napping at midday, and doing things the primates like to do.  the morning was slow and relaxing, but in the afternoon, a storm hit and started pouring down rain.  then the monkey became more active going from treetop to treetop rather quickly and it was tough to follow them at points.  but alas, come dusk, they settled down in a tree, and we headed home in the dark.  The researchers have a whole language or code to document their behavior, and they take extensive and precise data.  the drawback is that monkeys is such a huge part of their life, its hard to get them to talk about anything else.  But I was able to get a few reminiscent stories out of Caitlin from a time when we were in a very primat-ive stage of life– middle school.  Its nice to know that i wasn’t such a dork after all.

I am in Tegucigalpa for a couple nights visiting with a friend Gustavo, who I met through Larry. Last night, I went with Gustavo to drop off some bananas to a friend of his, and he turned out to be my old p.e. teacher Ben Benitez, from elementary school at Acadamia Los Pinares. He remembered me well and my whole family. He said he used to pick me up when i used to be small. It was crazy, then he pulled out an old year book and sure enough there i was in several picture (more than i’ve ever been in in any school in the states). I also saw pictures of many of my old friends which he still presently knows, notably Juan, who wasn’t really my friend, but he was the fastest other kid in my class, and we would often have foot races during recess. It was kinda a show down between the gringos and the hondurans and the races were always close, but id like to think i won more often. Since this coincidental encounter, i have felt strangely content in this loud, sprawling, polluted two-thirds world city.

my two weeks with Rob was amazing. It was awesome to have such a good friend come visit of so long. it seemed that he was learning a lot, seeing a lot of strange stuff, especially how so many aspects of american culture are so strange when viewed through a different lens. Our trip culminated in a visit to the Copan Ruins, an ancient Mayan city that was long ago deserted. It was really inspiring and beautiful. we had a fully functioning tour guide who was also schizophrenic, and whenever he wasn’t in our immediate presence he was talking to himself very intensely. he said that he worked for the us air force in the 70s and that they (the US military) “have custody”of him which means they use some special technology to send messages straight to his brain via some sort of sonar energy. poor guy. but he still gave a great tour. After the tour rob and i really embraced doing sketches in liu of taking photos. we both came out with some good drawings. it was good to sketch, and i wondered to myself why i didn’t more often, after all i did major in art in college. i miss rob but i hope he comes back soon and brings friends.

tomorrow i go to Managua, Nicaragua, and then to Liberia, Costa Rica and then to Balgeces to visit and a friend from middle school that i reconnected with on facebook, who is studying monkeys and to renew my tourist visa, as they only last 3 months. so three months down 5 more to go.

My friend Rob, my former roommate from massachusetts is visiting now.  it is fun to have that connection between my new life and old life.  it is funny how you don´t even realize how your life is so different till you someone come comment on all the ways it is.  he brought a fresh supply of dark chocolate and peppermint tea and encouraging letters from home.  it is really empowering to know that i have a community behind me in my mission here. i hope that more will be able to come down in the future; there is alot of work to be done.  thank you kingdom of beverly!