My first days in Nicaragua!

Hola Amigos!

It has been quite the adventure traveling to Nicaragua! I will admit it has been pretty overwhelming traveling alone in a country that I don´t know the language of. I learn a couple of spanish words each day, and meet people everyday who speak spanish too! I can feel and hear my english becoming more simplified because most of the english I speak is to local Nicaraguans, where english is their second languange.

I am staying in the city of Moyogalpa on the island called Ometepe. I have woken up both morning to the sound of roosters calling and birds chirping. it helped me tremendously to just sit and listen to the birds and admire the beautiful landscape when I first got here, to relieve my nerves.

I will stay on Moyogalpa through New Years, and then travel to other parts of the island. The volcano on this side of the island is absolutely magnificent. It takes about 10 hours to hike it if you are in very good shape... I think i will try to hike the other volcano on the other side that only takes 8 hours, and is not active, with a lake at the top! Of course I will hike it with a guide.

I hope all of you in North America are surviving the cold weather. I am feeling good in my skirt, tank top and flip-flops!

Adios!

Next Stop, Nicaragua!

For those of you who celebrate it, Merry Christmas! As I am gearing up for my Christmas celebrations with my family, I am also balancing my time packing for Nicaragua. I will spending three months down there, mostly on an Island called Ometepe. There are three different farms I will be staying at on the island, volunteering my time and learning about their various, organic and permaculture practices. Each of the three farms have different unique qualities to them.

The first farm, El Zopilote, is the largest of the farms, and closely focuses on all the different aspects of permaculture. The second farm, Inan Itah, has a strong spiritual aspect to it's community. They offer yoga and meditation classes throughout the week. The final farm, Project Bona Fide, is the most impressive in my opinoin, as they have an expansive sustainable farm, and also use it as a teaching tool for local Nicaraguans.

Towards the end of my trip I will take two to three weeks to travel around northern Nicaragua and exploring the culture.

It would be dishonest to say I'm not nervous for this trip. I've never traveled alone before, and I've never been to a developing country. I can say, however, that for every nervous emotion there is an equal feeling of excitement. I truly think my time in Nicaragua will be a time that I will look back on fondly.

There are internet cafes that I hope I can post from in Nicaragua, so that I can continue to tell the story of my adventure!

And More Farm!

After lunch, I harvest a big bag of arugula to take home to my Mom as Sharon, Lauren, Dan and Chuck work to week the beets. Not easy work, but the weather is beautiful on this December afternoon.

I say my good-byes and then after a final look at the flowers, I give a final good-bye to City Roots and ride my bike home!

South Carolina has been good to me. As I sit typing this in the guest room of Greg and Karen's home, my bags are packed and I am bracing myself for the 20 hour drive home. I'll be back in Massachusetts by this time tomorrow! I'll be home for a mere two weeks, to celebrate Christmas and share all the stories that didn't make it to the blog. I hope you keep following me, as my adventure is soon from over. On December 28th I will be leaving for Nicaragua!!!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures :-)

More Farm

After the Micro Green are harvested, Sharon wheels them inside so that Beth, the green house manager, can wash and dry them.

Most importantly! The carrots! After a quick wash they are glistening in the morning sunlight in no time. If you can believe it, they actually are better than they look!

A Final Day on the Farm, Through Smiles and Tears

I'm going to make this easy for both of us and tell the story of the last day on the farm through pictures!

Today was the first day of a Winter CSA - hard to imagine in Massachusetts, but very possible in South Carolina. To the left Seth is carrying a crate of freshly harvested lettuce to a washing station. Above, I'm washing off some freshly harvested Joi Choy.

 

Here's Dan and Sharon, harvesting some Sun Flower micro greens. Not an easy or particularly fun process, but they keep each other company!

Holding Chickens and Driving Tractors!

 My day at City Roots started with microgreen harvesting and processing - just an average day. After lunch, Robbie, the farm owner asked, "Hannah, it's coming down to your last days on the farm, is there anything you've been wanting to do?" I looked at him, and reluctantly smiled. "Well", I started, "I told myself I would overcome my fear of picking up a chicken before I left"... Robbie is a fast moving guy, so without missing a beat, he states, "Ok! To the chicken coop. After, I'll teach you how to drive the tractor." My mind didn't even have time to process it, but my legs started moving as I followed Robbie the the back of the farm.

Once in the chicken coop I went over to collect the eggs, in hope of prolonging the big moment any bit more. As I put the last egg in the basket, I looked up and Robbie was walking toward me with a chicken in his hands. "Here" he says. He hands the chicken over to me without giving me a chance to think twice. I opened my arms, tried to get squirmish and accepted the chicken. Once in my hands the fear had totally passed, and the only thing I could do was stroke it's feathers! It was far bonier than I imagined it being, and thankfully very calm. I won't go as far as to say I'd want one as a pet to crawl into bed with me at night but I can imagine I'll grow some sort of special love for them.

Next we moved over to the tractor where there was a large mass of compost to be moved around.  Robbie started by climbing into the tractor, and explained what all the levers and pedals did as I watched and listened. I got into the drivers seat as soon as he would let me and just went for it. Some how a heavy piece of machinery made me much less nervous than and small animal with feathers. I successfully moved 3 bucket loads of compost, and I would have stayed on it for the rest of the day if I could. If fact, the only reason a tractor isn't on my Christmas list, is they haven't come out with a solar powered one yet!


Another day, another adventure! Thanks for reading! Peace.

Tomato in Prose

Tomatoes for Chirstmas! What a fabulous idea!!!

I won't blame the Tomatoes entirely for my blog absence, but they do have something to do with it. They are a labor intensive plant, especially when there are 200 of them. I have been trellising them, de-suckering (taking off extra growths) and giving them lots of love.

There is something unique about a Tomato plant. It has a distinct smell that can easily bring back memories of the last time one committed back breaking work to a precious Tomato plant. Today when I was supposed to be harvesting sunflower micro-greens (very detailed and monotonous work) I was lured over to the Tomatoes just on the other side of the green house. As I worked to make all the Tomato plants the best they could be, I was inspired to comprise the poem I posted before this. It was a group effort by many City Roots interns in the green house. Some wanted to contribute negative feelings towards the marvelous Tomato plant but I wouldn't allow it.

I was proud to report to Eric at the end of the day that the Tomatoes were in perfect condition. I got a high five for that!

In other news, I still haven't picked up a chicken. I suspect it will happen one day when a chicken comes too close to one of my Tomato plants and I'll have to relocate it.

a poem about TOMATOES

Tomato Tomato
how your suckers do grow
you never fail to turn my hands yellow
when I wind you up your trellis
the way you embrace it makes me jealous
Grape, Cherry, Airloom
I wonder when you will bloom
how I long for a fresh tomato
I am tired of the winter potatos
Tomato Tomato

ONE

Back in September, I attended a conference held by the Millennium Campus Network, and was connected with the grassroots organization called ONE. ONE was started by Bono of U2, to work on global issues such as eradication global poverty and increasing people's access to food and water. With the upcoming presidential election, ONE is trying to bring awareness to the candidates about these issues. Since South Carolina is now one of the earlier states to hold a presidential primary there is substantial motivation for candidates to visit the state. So... did anyone see me in the audience at the GOP debate in Spartenburg South Carolina last night??? I was there.

Getting a ticket to the GOP debate wasn't too bad of a night considering it was my second day on the job. haha! It really was just lucky timing, Charlie the field organizer for this area was just looking for more people to bring so that we could better spread out to talk to candidates. Fortunately we had gotten some time to talk to candidates on Friday at a local veterans day parade where Bachmann and Perry made an appearance, and earlier on Saturday at Gingrich's office opening in Greenvile, there was too much security at the debate to get any face to face time...

So other than the obvious activism learning experience I have gotten so far from ONE, getting to see a GOP debate in person was pretty awesome too. I can't say I'm a republican so it wasn't like I got to see a politician I really liked, but I did get to witness a part of our democratic process. I really feel like activism is something I would like to pursue. There is something inside of me that has a need to create positive change not only with our planet but within humanity as well.

So tomorrow I start my 3rd week here in South Carolina! I hope to post something about the farm at some point this week, after all its the main reason I'm down here is this crazy state!

Much Peace.

Goal #1. Hold me to it.

Last week at the farm I was asked to get a chicken back into the coop, and I found it to be very challenging for me. I have never had a large furry or feathery animal as a pet, which I am pretty sure makes me nervous to handle animals.

When I was set out on the task to rile the chicken back in, I had to take a big breath and convince myself I could do it. When I approached the chicken I had to take a couple more deep breaths. I tried to think of the chicken as a warm hunk of play-do wrapped in a feathered boa scarf (that was the closest nonliving thing I could think of) so that I wouldn't be as nervous to handle it. I still couldn't bring myself to pick it up!

So I have started a list of goals for myself. The first one is to become comfortable handling a chicken. Now by posting it in a public place I have a greater chance of accomplishing this goal! I will need "chicken vibes" sent my way, so if you are capable of sending "chicken vibes" please do so.

This is why I am here.

I had a couple of different reasons for deciding to take a year off from school. The primary reason, was to broaden my horizons, and just see something different. Secondly I wanted to learn! Thus far in my life I have noticed that some of the best learning experiences have taken place far away from any school or classroom. (Not that school doesn't have its place) but it's a big world and there is endless knowledge to seek out. Traveling and getting involved in various organizations that interest me are two of the many ways I intend to learn on my gap year. Finally (although not "lastly" as there are pages full of reasons I took a year off) I wanted to take a break. Like many of my comrades at Andover High School, I was burnt out from juggling school work, too many extracurricular activities, and college applications, while simply trying to grow up!

I think to say, that one of my goals for my gap year is to learn how to relax, isn't a bad thing. Most wise people will say that moderation is the key to life. There are only so many job applications I can do in one day, and so many hours of NPR I can comprehend; one must make time for knitting while watching Grey's Anatomy!

Today while helping Greg chip the cement off bricks that he's hoping to reuse, a lovely feeling of true relaxation came over me. I feel settled in here. City Roots is going fabulously, I have a job interview tomorrow, and I'm meeting some great people. "Now I can allow myself to relax," I thought. I can reflect, take time to nourish the relationships in my life, and explore my interests! What lovely things!

It's Sunday night, tomorrow is a new week where opportunities lie. I hope to broaden my horizons, learn, and relax, everyday of this week. This is why I am here.

An Update from the South - O, what I am learning!

My Aunt Nancy warned me, "It's an entirely different culture down there Hannah." She is indeed correct! I am not going to make any sweeping generalizations about the south, that would be of poor ethic, but since I've arrived here about a week ago I have acquired some stories that do fit the typical southern mold. I also will include stories that oppose the stereotypical traits of the south, as I have a pocket full of examples of those as well!


Living on Farms:
One of the other interns at City Roots (who wishes to remain nameless) described a story to us on my first day. It all started when Eric was discussing the possibility of getting some male goats for the farm. The nameless volunteer proceeds to contribute a wealth of knowledge about goats, and why it is so much less work having male goats rather than females goats. She added "This one time, one of our female goats was minutes away from giving birth and there were some complications, so I had to stick my hand up a goat's butt to check if her birth cavity had burst..." "You did WHAT?" I asked. "You heard me" she said, "My family told me I had to do it since I had the smallest hands." We all giggled.


NPR:
They listen to it down here too, and not just the academics I'm living with or the students I'm working with. I've already had some great discussions about politics, the environment and more.


Brain Injuries:
As I shared with Greg and Karen (the relatives I am staying with), that my brother is recovering from a traumatic brain injury, Greg offered a comment about his students. "Ya know Hannah", he started "I've encountered a bunch of students throughout the years who have suffered from a brain injury and are in the recovery process. The interesting thing I observed was, many of the students from the north had their accidents doing sports while the students from the south had their accidents because they fell out of their friends pick-up truck."


Work Style:
They work just as hard as anyone in the north, the only difference is they are smart enough to take a real lunch break rather than sneaking solitaire on their computers throughout the day. Two different approaches, one not better than the other, just different.

Pesky Critters:
Up north their are mosquitoes, down south there are fire ants. I got my first bite yesterday. Their bite is a very concentrated piercing pain that lasts a couple seconds. The day after they itch like heck, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Today I'm a free bird so I'm really going to try to look for a job. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading :)

"Ya'll wanna help me plant some strawberry plants? ...there are 2,000 of em' "

I worked from 8:30 to 5:30 at City Root, and enjoyed almost every moment of it. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I pulled up on my bike at 8:30. I made a conscious decison to only learn enough about the organization before working there to know that I'd like it enough. I wanted to leave some aspects of the farm a surprise; this made it more exciting for me.

I was first given the task of filling trays with soil in the green house, and then moved on to weed the carrot bed. Then came the defining question of the day; Eric, one of the farm managers approached us and asked, "Ya'll wanna help me plant some strawberry plants? There's 2,000 of em'." To Amanda, Seth and Sharon, this seemed like a normal type of task to be asked to do, but the only thought in my head was, "Holy crap, that's a lot of strawberry plants".  Needless to say we worked on this task for the better half of the day, and we probably only got through half of the 2,000.

My first day at City Roots probably wouldn't have been the same if it weren't for the volunteers and staff I shared the day with.

Eric, the farmer manager I mentioned before, is the son of Robbie, the owner. Robbie and his wife travel to Mexico for extended periods of time, at which point they leave Eric in charge. Robbie started out his professional life as an architect, but then in 2009 decided to start City Roots. He was able to use the farming knowledge he had from growing up on a farm to make City Roots successful. Like father like son, Eric followed the same path. The funny thing I observed about Eric is he claims he enjoys farming, but also claims to be very grumpy when he's on the farm. There is no doubt he is a skillful farmer though, it was easy to see that.

The other interns I worked with Amanda, Seth and Sharon, all had different personalities, but the four of us (including myself) seemed to create a unique group dynamic.

Amanda, the first intern I met when I went to visit the farm last Friday, is a graduate student at the University of South Carolina. She grew up, and is still living on a livestock farm only 20 minutes away from City Roots. She is the one is the group with the continuous smile, and the continuous jokes. She has a witty humor, with a touch of sarcasm, but she frequently had us all giggling throughout the day.

Seth is an undergraduate student at USC, and very involved with the local environmental activism on campus. He has been working at the farm the longest, 2 months, so any of the the decisions we had to make on our own, we let him make the final call. He has an easy going nature, but you can tell he holds a wealth of knowledge and strong intellect.

Finally Sharon, is the oldest volunteer of the 4 of us, graduated for USC and is in the process of finding a job to start her career. She ended up at City Roots to keep herself busy until she finds a job. She describes herself as the 50% of the South Carolina's population that wants to "get the hell out of the state" (the other half of the state never wants to leave). She would like to move to Colorado, or somewhere in the northwest to work, but if the job search fails, she expressed a temptation to move to Latin America and just let go of the american culture for a while.

I start day 2 at the farm today. I'm sure we'll continue to plant the strawberry plants, and it's possible we still won't finish. Thanks for reading! Keep thinking green!!!

When in South Carolina do as South Carolinians?

It's been a full and excited first three days in South Carolina. Friday I went for a tour at City Roots and started looking for a paying job. Saturday I caught up on sleep, went to a local farmers market and looked for a paying job. Today I went for a hike in the morning and then looked for a paying job. I guess I should have let my dad's warning sink in a little bit more when he pointed out that South Carolina's unemployment level was higher than the National average, as well as how living in a college town would make finding a job a little bit more difficult than I would expect... There really is no reason to rant about the unfortunate job status though, I've submitted 4 applications already and will keep it up until I get a job that will work for me.

I'm really enjoying it down here, I love the change of scenery. The typical "southern" things I've encountered so far are:
1. People talking half the speed I am
2. Anyone you pass on the street giving you a friendly "hi" and a big smile
3. Trying grits for the first time
4. Hearing the aligators called gata'
It's all made me wonder how many southern quirks I will take with me when I travel back north or elsewhere. hmm. I do like the sound of ya'll...

Today my cousin Greg, myself and one of his friends (a philosophy professor) went for a hike in the Congaree National Park. (This is where I heard someone say gata', although we didn't see one.) This park is the home to the largest known Loblolly Pine tree. This beast extends 166 feet in height and over 15 feet in circumference. Of course I felt obligated to gave this king of a tree a big ol' hug. I was very interested by the different type of forest I was walking through, but not as much as Greg! He is a geology and environmental science professor at USC and would frequently stop along the trail, stare at given natural feature, sometimes ask a question to Jerry or I about it, and then continue on and jump back into whatever conversation we were having. (He makes fun of himself too for being such an academic.)

SO, tomorrow is the big first day at City Roots! I have my overalls, work shirt, and flannel sweater all laid out so I can jump into them and bike the 2 miles to my internship in the morning! Expect a post tomorrow night or Tuesday night all about my first day at City Roots and all the sun I've been soaking up, compared to [cough cough] New England...

As always, keep thinking green! Do one thing a day to help out the planet, and together we'll make it a more beautiful place!!!

Whoops! "sow" not "sew"...

What would we do without teachers? If you have made it to this second post you have probably already laughed at me for using the wrong "sew". I only discovered this, not because of careful proofreading but because my 3rd grade teacher messaged me on facebook to correct me! I don't think I'm going to change the name of the blog to correct it, but instead will try to think of a way to make "sew" also metaphorical... When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Any ideas for a metaphor? I'll add it to the description!

14 hours = 1 knitted sweater?

The first destination of my gap year is South Carolina. I am staying with my second cousin once removed (not kidding) and his wife and interning for the organization call City Roots [http://www.cityroots.org/].

I decided to take a train down the South Carolina, a) because I thought it might be more environmentally friendly and b) because who doesn't want to spend 14 hours sitting in the same exact seat?!?. I also decided I was going to attempt to knit an entire sweater. I knew going in, that it was an ambitious task, but I thought, "I have to at least try". After 14 hours and some very tired fingers I had completed 10% of the sweater at best... My new goal: 2 months in South Carolina = 1 sweater. I'll keep you posted on that.

I left out of Penn Station in NYC, and it was the classic "send your kid off". My dad drove me from Andover to the train station. We were rushed to get there on time, but thankfully did have time for a big final hug and "I love you". The final glimpse of my Dad was the top of his head, as the escalator I was on descended down to the train platform. I will admit I was holding back tears, it was crazy when it hit me that I was actually leaving. All we needed was some sappy music and it could have been a scene from a movie.

I couldn't have asked for a better guy to sit next to on the train. No future husband but friendly and very respectful. He was my dad's age (born the same year!) and was headed down to South Carolina to see his family for the first time in 30 years! Across the isle from us were two ladies in their mid 70s. It was a sure sign that they were true southern bells when one leaned over and said "What are ya knittin' over there dear?" This sparked a conversation about knitting patterns and different tricks we use throughout different types of projects.

It was hard to believe the train ride was actually over when I heard the conductor call my stop. But at 1:46 in the morning on October 28, 2011, I stepped off the train, and stepped onto South Carolina ground for the first time in my life. This is the start of my adventure.

1st seed sewn: long train rides.