November 20th, 2013
It’s been a relaxing two weeks
recovering from expedition and starting new projects around Palugo. Being in a
stationary place opens up a lot of doors for us. We have more time and
resources to spend on classes, crafts and projects. In the past two weeks, we
worked on academics, building projects and leather, cooked like crazy, made
ceramics with Adela (Thomas’ mother) and had some awesome classes.
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| Asha and Julia |
We worked
on semester book pages, which made up a large portion of our academic work
these past two weeks, as there was a lot of catch-up work to do from our expedition.
The semester book is a collective journal written by everyone, which documents
our experiences and the knowledge we have acquired, in a beautiful format. The
semester book will not merely be a vessel for memories, for many of the pages
are practical as well as artistic and can be used as a reference. For example,
Sosonna and Jackie wrote a semester page on the herbs class we did with Marcea.
Years after semester is over, we will all be able to look back on that page to
make a healing salve or tea for stomach aches.
The pages cover everything from the
geology of the hot springs we visited in Papallacta, to the baskets we wove in Shiwakutcha,
to reading river features, to building (or re-building) a cataraft. Each page
is unique and reflects the person who wrote it. We are given complete artistic
and linguistic freedom in the creation of these pages. So far, most of us have
completed four or five pages, and though that doesn’t seem like a lot, some
pages are actually many pages and involve technical drawings and lengthy
explanations which take many hours to write beautifully. All in all, the
semester book is an enormous part of the curriculum and it will be well
appreciated in the months and years after our graduation.
We had a great deal of work to do,
but that is not to say that we didn’t have fun too. On Halloween, we went
absolutely insane. Jack (food manager) made it a baking day and gave everyone
free range in the kitchen. The results? Three cakes with chocolate frosting,
chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter brownies, oatmeal cookies, gluten free
peanut butter oatmeal cookies, banana bread, chocolate cream pie, banana cream
pie, tree tomato cobbler, and biscuits. And that was just dessert. For dinner
we made at least twelve pizzas and a huge pot of pasta with two different
sauces as well as sautéed beet greens and chopped beets. It was a feast to say
the least!
The party that followed was no less
extravagant. Sosonna and Jackie put a lot of time into decorating the Chozon
(our communal area), which became a very festive space. Nadino sang and played
guitar for us while we danced (thanks to our enormous dinner, we moved rather
sluggishly). Basket Hands, aka Hannah, made quite the show with her costume - climbing
gear, basket hat, strobe flashing headlamp, creepy doll, and long skirt. As a fortuneteller,
she told hilarious fortunes. In the end, it was a memorable Halloween!
The day after our late-night
extravaganza, we worked in the gardens in the morning, and then headed out on
our two-day solo. The solo is designed to provide a time for each student to
reflect on the semester experience, to put into practice the skills we have
learned, and to create a time with little distractions. It was a unique experience
for everyone. Some people enjoyed it more than others, but it is something we
will all remember. We can all proudly say we spent 48 hours without food, living
in the highlands of Ecuador with only water, clothes, and a knife.
One aspect of the solo that was
universal for all of us was the weather. We were incredibly lucky to have no
rain at all, even in Ecuador’s rainy season, as well as a breathtaking sunset
on the second day. The nights were frigid, so we had to figure out ways to keep
warm. Jack stuffed his pants with grass and I danced, but in the end, we were
all at least a little cold by the time the morning came around. The first rays
of sunlight were very much welcomed!
Our solo concluded when Thomas gathered
us all up from our spots and we ventured down to the gardens. Rather than start
off with a full meal, we ate our lunch from the garden. Raw veggies were a
great way to re-introduce food to our stomachs and get our digestion system going
again. It was a light lunch for sure, but we filled up on pasta and sauce with
chicken in the evening. Tadeo’s family also came by that night and shared with
us special bread and colada to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. Even if we
couldn’t eat much due to our shrunken stomachs, it was wonderful to see Tadeo’s
family. We will be seeing them again soon on Cotopaxi, where we will stay at
their lodge.
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| We are proud of our newly constructed bathroom! |
The relaxed
schedule didn’t last long though, for the next morning we rose at 5:30 for a
morning run. After chores, breakfast, and Congresillo (our weekly meeting), we
headed into the big projects of the week. We worked on finishing the
construction of a composting toilet building near the Chozon as well as helping
Mathias with the construction of his house. The bathroom is finished now and we
have all been enjoying it immensely. Obviously, Mathias’ house did not get
finished, but we did put up some of the floor beams.
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| Our finished products |
In addition
to our construction efforts, we worked with leather, making bags, book covers,
and wallets. The original plan was to make covers for our semester books, but
Thomas decided we could make bags that hold the semester books if we wished,
for bags would be more likely to be used with greater frequency. Thus, some of
us made leather book covers, while others made bags of various sorts. Some of
us even had time to make wallets and journal covers. Regardless of the final piece,
the experience of cutting the leather, making holes, and sewing the pieces
together taught us a lot about this amazing material. Unfortunately, we didn’t
have time to tan hides, so we worked with leather that had already been commercially
tanned. Working with leather still made us appreciate its durability and
flexibility.
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| Incredible leather work |
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| On the wall |
Last
Friday, we took a break from our projects and hit the crags. Nichole, Hannah,
Sebastian (who will be leading most of our next expedition) and Roberto took us
to a cliff just down the road from Palugo. We had a blast and spent half the
day top-roping. Isaiah and Jack have been talking about rock climbing since the
pre-trip weekend, and when we arrived, they couldn’t keep their eyes off the
routes. Nichole first led us in some warm-up yoga and stretching. We then got
on harnesses and began making our vertical ascents. The cliffs were tough, and
our arms and bodies definitely felt the strain - but it was awesome!
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| Go Jack! |
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| Nachito |
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| Isaiah belaying |
By noon,
most of us were done with climbing. It was hot, and after completing 3-5
routes, we were through. We returned to Palugo for a restful afternoon and had
a theater class with Hannah. Improvisation and other fun theatre games and
exercises filled our afternoon with laughter. Roberto made us a delicious
dinner of papas fritas (French fries), lentils, and salad, which we gladly ate before
heading off to bed. Even Roberto’s excellent cooking couldn’t match last Saturday’s
culinary adventure though!
After a Permaculture class with
Thomas, we left Palugo behind and biked three hours to a very unique restaurant
- the waiters were all blind and there was no light in the restaurant – the diners
eat in total darkness!
Our dining experience began with an
introduction to the restaurant on the upper floor (where there is light and an
entirely different restaurant operation). We made our orders before descending
down a long stairway into the cave. The lights grew dimmer as we followed the
waiter down. We stopped and organized ourselves into groups according to tables
before the yawning darkness of the last stretch of the tunnel. Our waiters came
and directed our hands to their shoulders and led us off into the darkness.
After going through several layers of heavy curtain, we were enveloped in total
darkness. We learned though, that it was still possible to “see”. We could
listen to each other, and carefully felt our way around the table, locating salt,
pepper, mayonnaise and ketchup with our fumbling hands. And when the food came,
we couldn’t see it, but our fingers, nose and tongue could create a picture of
what we were eating. Our meal was delicious, and it was with no doubt the
culinary experience of a lifetime! We are all immensely grateful to Jack’s
parents who generously paid for this trip; we couldn’t have done it without
their support!
The following week, the week of
November 10th, was similarly relaxing and fun, though the focus was
on academics, rather than construction and leatherwork. We had several Spanish
and Permaculture classes along with a tunnel adventure with Michael and two
skills tests. And of course, we have also been preparing for our last expedition
by dehydrating and organizing gear.
Our Spanish, I must say, isn’t
particularly good… it is quite hilarious at times, but we are learning
nevertheless. We wrote stories in Spanish this past week and as well as putting
on some skits, which were most assuredly amusing even if they weren’t grammatically
correct. In the end, the amount of Spanish we learn on semester is ultimately
up to the individual student and how much effort they put into speaking and
studying the language.
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| Heading out for a class |
Permaculture, on the other hand, is
an area of study, which we are all learning thoroughly. Throughout all of
our travels, we’ve seen many aspects of permaculture and it defines the way we
live here. Permaculture is the art of designing sustainable human environments
that support human needs without harming the earth’s natural cycles. It is
translated into agriculture, forestry and architectural designs, but more than
anything else, it is an attitude. Permaculture is a way of designing a
lifestyle that follows the patterns of nature.
For example, one of the fundamental
tenets of permaculture is using organic fertilizers and supporting micro-organism
growth. Plants, fungi and soil microorganisms have been evolving in tandem for
millions of years, and recognizing this relationship, permaculture designs
strive to create an environment that allows plants to grow in a more
self-sufficient, sustainable manner. During our permaculture classes that
Thomas taught this past week, the curriculum encouraged us to reflect on our
experiences and what we already know. Thomas’ knowledge and passion is
inspiring and I have no doubt that we will all view our lives at least a little
bit differently when we return home.
As part of our schedule last week, we
had some adventures outdoors during Michael’s class and our skills test.
Michael has been teaching us about Ecuador’s geology and geography throughout
the semester, and this past week, we had a class on Palugo’s water aquifers.
The class began with a description of the huge impact that human activities have
on earth are creating “human geography.” In the past, the land has shaped the
people, but the tables are turning and the people are shaping the land more and
more.
Later, we had the chance to see one
way in which people shaped the land. We explored the handmade tunnels under Palugo,
which brings water from the ravines in the highlands to the fields. The tunnels
were all dug by hand and are pretty amazing to explore. Some places are quite
narrow and short, but the water was low, so we didn’t get wet above our knees,
that is, until the last section.
The last section of the tunnel we
walked through was very thin. It was
about a foot high and ten feet long, and to go through, you had to duck your
head underwater and pull yourself through with rocks and roots. The water was
frigid, but almost everyone made the exhilarating crossing through the tunnel,
even Chris who despises being cold and wet. All in all, it was an awesome
class.
Our skills tests this week quizzed
us on our knowledge of knots, fire lighting, navigation, knife sharpening,
carving skills, our fitness level and our knowledge of the Ecuadorian flora.
The first day, we had to boil a pot of water in 20 min, do 8 knots in 8
minutes, and run about 5 km in under 29 minutes. On our second skills test
session, we had to create a pulley system using our knots, write descriptions
and drawings for several tree species, sharpen our knives, follow a stream to navigate
our way to find Hannah and do a triangulation to figure out our location on a
map, do 60 push-ups and 100 sit-ups, and identify herbs from Marcea’s garden.
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| Studying the maps in preparation for our next expedition |
Skills tests aren’t necessarily
everyone’s favorite things to do, but they are extremely important, for they
are skills that everyone must know.
If we are in an emergency situation and we need to rescue some one with ropes,
it is absolutely essential that everyone in the group can tie secure knots
quickly and get the victim to safety. Similarly, if we can’t triangulate and
read coordinates correctly to find ourselves on a map, we could be in big
trouble if someone got hurt and we needed to call in for help. Therefore, the
skills tests are taken seriously and we all have to pass, even if that means
getting up at 4 a.m. to do our knots (which we all had to do on Wednesday
morning).
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| Cotopaxi - here we come! |
In sum,
it’s good to be at Palugo and working. On expedition, we are gifted with many
amazing experiences and the thrill of adventure, but since we are constantly on
the move, we don’t have the time to slow down and make things of much
permanence. Every night we set up camp, but in the morning, it is all taken
down and we erase our presences. Here in Palugo we are working on projects that
will continue to exist long after we are gone. The students of next year’s
semester will get to use those composting toilets we made, and the beams in
Mathias’ floor will always have the mark of our chisels.
Time has
flown by and the next expedition is upon us. We all find ourselves appreciating
the moments we have here. Our days are so busy, and over the course of these past
four months, we are realizing how special the time we have together and our
time here at Palugo. In everyday life,
few people are able to take two full days out of their schedule to go out on a
solo, but here, we are granted that time. In the next sixteen days of
expedition, we will have the chance to experience the magnificence of the
mountains and challenge our bodies and minds in the extremes of high altitude.
Until we
return from the mountains,
Sonya
PS - We
apologize for the scarcity of photos from last week, as we didn’t have a camera
until the end of the week. However, we now have a semester camera, which I am
in charge of, and I’ll do my best to capture our experiences.
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