By Alice Yvonne, Erick Moreno and Kayla Vang
An ‘ussie’ or group selfie with Daniel and Vicko of Finca Mono Verde (FMV) in Tabuga, Ecuador.
Our week here on the coast has consisted of trips to the beach, some red sun tans, and learning about the principles of permaculture farming. Our stay here at Finca Mono Verde has been very insightful and playful, from learning about how Daniel efficiently manages the farm to making our own coffee using different brewing methods. We have also had the pleasure of working with members of the co-op and community at the farm. From touring the coffee roasting process, to composting with sawdust, we have immersed ourselves in the principles of permaculture (profitable product, respecting nature, and respecting humans and our planet).
During the first day we went on a walk around the finca. We did some physical work to collect some microorganisms from the ground and transformed them into fertilizer.
Leila and Kayla are planting mushroom “traps” around the tree.
These traps are used to capture fungus so that it can reproduce microorganisms to create nutritious soil for the plant to feed on.
The process of making the sawdust for compost connected us back with the earth. We each got our hands dirty, mixing up soil and separating out the rocks and twigs from the dirt to create a perfect mix of earth minerals. Adding in the coffee shells that are reused from the roasting process, we have created the compost mix that will sit with a trapped seal for 30 days to then be used once we’ve completed our bathroom duties (here at the farm, we all shared 2 composting toilets).
Creating micro-organism compost!
Erick and Alice hold cups of coffee made via a pour-over process at the coffee co-op. Alice Yvonne’s barista tricks came in handy!
We went to the beautiful coast of Tabuga on Wednesday and met with Carlos, a local fisherman. He explained to us all about local efforts to pick up trash on the beaches and how the fishermen navigate the water to get primarily shrimp. Unfortunately, after picking up a lot of the trash, their only option is to burn it. Apart from trash however, some of us found some amazing crystal agates on the beach and swam in the beautiful turquoise water.
All of us at the coast in Manabi with Carlos the fisherman after a homecooked seafood meal!
Back at the farm, we learned more about effective ways to compost, the zones of permaculture (where to plant most used products around the house) and played with the cats and dogs of the farm (who were super friendly!) So far, every spot we have been to there has been an animal friend.
Alice Yvonne holding Bruce, one of the three cats at FMV.
Along with playing with the animals, many games of Cabo have been played the last two weeks, and we have even watched a bit of an anime movie. I think we all can agree that our systems are getting adjusted to our new environments. Like plants being transplanted, we can become stressed and need proper care to grow and flourish. Healthy nutrients and enough sunshine and water have all helped us get through these days in Ecuador - some being better than others. Thankfully we have our awesome OEs Matt and Carol that have been rockstars with helping us with our personal and travel needs. Some of us are traveling outside of the US for the first time - some of us are out of the state of Oregon for the first time!
The Paint Posse of Tabuga. A bunch of the local kids all got the same facial paint from Erick. Pictured above are Tiernan, Erick, Carol and Daniel in the background.
Later in the week, we had the opportunity to paint a neighborhood of Tabuga with the locals to empower the young kids in the community, followed by a socratic seminar with woman in the community to discuss woman’s rights.
Los Quemados advancing on the Women’s soccer team of Tabuga.
Soccer time with the women's team from Tabuga!!
After a long morning of painting with the community, we met with the local team to play a very competitive game of soccer. We called ourselves “los quemados” or the burnt ones because the majority of us were sunburnt from being at the beach. At some point we were down by 5 goals but somehow managed to make a comeback in the last 15 minutes. We ended the game in a tie but if you ask me (Erick), we could have won because we weren’t done playing and maybe they knew that and were scared.
Our expression of gratitude was a crane mobile!
At the end of our time at Finca Mono Verde everyone participated in our expression of gratitude. Everyone painted a branch that Carol and I (Erick) found on the land. Us leaders gave everyone square pieces of paper to write something they learned that week or some words of appreciation to Daniel, Vicko, Yohaira, Jacinto, and Lilita. Kayla helped us turn our little pieces of paper into origami cranes which symbolize health and luck. We hung the cranes from the branches and had a sweet farewell in which they thanked us for bringing young energy to the finca again.
Next stop - BANOS! See you on the other side of an 8 hour drive. Many more adventures to come in our time in Ecuador. :)
Alice, Erick & Kayla