Argentina Blog Numbero 7

Well the life of a WWOOFer is great. I love the other volunteers and what we get to do is so rewarding. I haven´t ever really gotten a change to work in a setting like a farm or working so hard with like minded chill fun people that at the end of the day we are exhausted, but drink tea and chat in spanish then go to bed by 11pm. I love it. I also love the freedom of not having to bathe, shave or even brush my hair. Everyone is smelly, sticky from apple juice, and covered in dirt. All our clothes are stained, and we continue to wear the same thing every day. I just love that atmosphere, and making juice is wonderful. We do it for about 5 hours in the morning switching between all the jobs and machines, then again in the afternoon for about 6 hours. I am in love with it. I never knew it was so much work to mass produce juice, but we make over 1,500 bottles of juice each day and it is all natural. Literally pressed fresh apple guts. You would think by now we would be sick of apple juice, but it never gets old, and at the end of the day the foamy stuff we drink at dinner. I am still so happy with the place I am, but I am sad to say my adventure in Argentina is coming to a close. By this time next week I will be in Peru to begin my next adventure helping children in an orphanage, and doing more growing as a person. Also I have been going by Nata here in Argentina for about 3 months, and really love my name being that. So I´m gonna keep that up even in the states. A new identity for a new me and I am still going to take Washington by storm. I am so jazzed for Guatemala to see my friends there. I great end to a wonderful year.

Life Again.

Well I´ve successfully completed 7 months and a couple days of being away from the USA. But to be honest, I´m terrified to go back home. I am so scared to go back to a place I feel I don´t belong. I know it sounds drastic and I´m only 20 years old, but with every fiber of my being, I know I don´t belong there. Since I know that, my heart and spirit is a little sick. I am excited to see my family and hang with some of my good friends, but in reality, I feel I´m not going back for me. I´m going back for them. I love Argentina, and really feel a connection here, and that I belong here. I´ve gone 20 years of my life feeling like I didn´t belong anywhere, and now I finally realize that is not true. I belong in Argentina. I know I still have many places to visit and maybe that will change, but the states are not for me. I don´t know what will happen this year at school, but I am really battling with the fact I feel I´m not going for me. I am tired of doing stuff for other people´s sake, and just to please them. I love the people in my life that love me for who I am, and will always love me. But I know there are people I am acuainted with that if I changed or did something ¨wrong¨they wouldn´t like me anymore. In fact, I´ve come accross those relationships and don´t want to deal with the shit that people put me through because I´m not perfect. Get over yourselves, and take me for what I am and who I was meant to be. I´m done with the drama of people in their white bread worlds, and when I do come back to the states to finish what I started so that I can move to a new life, I am taking it by storm and with my family and dear friends by my side, and my excellent self, nothing is every gonna bring me down. So suck that haters.

Argentina Blog Numero 6

When they said the apple doesn´t fall far from the tree they clearly had never picked up apples from the floor of an apple orchard with over 20 large trees. That being said, I have been spending the month of March working on an organic farm in Vista Flores, Mendoza, Argentina. La finca Pelegrino. The family I work with are all living in the same land in different homes, a mother and her 2 children and their spouces, her ex husband, and volunteers. The family sells the produce at a natural market on Saturdays in Mendoza which I helped out with yesterday. Definitely different then El Bolson, but still wonderful. People would come to talk to Anna the lady in charge whom knows so many things about your body and how to be healthy naturally. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met, and I love watching how much she loves her food and the people she helps and lives with. The other people in the market sold organic honey, and beauty products and other produce and wine. I loved talking to them all about their products and such. Also did you know that there is black honey and white honey? It just depends on what type of flower is pollonated. Interesting huh? Black honey is pretty good I must say. Not only just helping at the ferria,  I have been clearing apples from the floor of the apple orchard to get the prep ready for apple vinagar, and fresh apple juice without sugar. It is soo good. I am addicted and would love to make it when I get home. I am learning that you don´t need additives like salt, sugar or other junk to have delicious food. We have been eating a strick vegetarian and vegan diet here and its not that bad. We eat a lot of vegetables, and fruits and occasionaly whole wheat pasta. I really love nights we have pasta.The family is all vegan, but us volunteers get bread and eggs sometimes at meals which I really like. What my day looks like is this. We wake up at 7:30 am and meet up at 8 for breakfast. Then around 8:30 we do our first job of the day usually until 12ish. This job includes canning vegetables, cleaning the work shop we work in doing such, clearing apples from the ground or picking vegetables and fruits. Then we have lunch and get to rest until 4. I usually take a nap or read Harry Potter. but generally  we are all to tired to do anything really. Then at 4 the second job begins which includes, clearing more apples, picking apples, or making pasterizors for the jucie jars. Eventually in a week or so it will only be picking apples and making juice. So that will be the most interesting, but also the most stressful cause all the apples have to be picked. Luckely there are 11 volunteers from all over that are fun to work with. I am still very happy here, and love Argentina. I am still planning to come home, but leaving is getting harder and harder each time I think about it. I never thought I could fall in love with a place and culture and people as much as I have with Mendoza, Argentina, but I have, and will definitely come back.

I still can´t believe I´ve been gone for almost 7 months. Time has flown by, and I´ve changed so much and can´t wait to share my stories with you all when I get back. I´m going to continue living in the momen t and enjoying where I am at this moment.

Argentina Blog Numero 5

Well after a turn of events I made my way back to Valdivia after spending 2 nights in Neuquen to recharge. I am so happy to be here again with my friend Consuelo and her family. I'm so spoiled with a shower, free food and the opportunity to spend time with my dear friend. We went to a feria today and it was really neat. there were artesans from all around the world. Russia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Rapa Nui and of course Chile. I desiered to buy the chocolate, but alas didn't have money. It was alright though, we had fun anyway. I also enjoyed a manjarita which is a packet of manjar that all the chilean children have eaten, so I am now an offical chilean child. Haha We walked around outside, and at the Jugo Natural stand the girls were dancing and having a blast selling their juices. It was so neat to see and the stand was beautiful. Now, tomorrow I'm going to buy my bus ticket to Santiago, and take a night bus there then go to Vina del mar y Valpareso. I'm so jazzed too see the coast finally and then Mendoza! I can't wait. It's been a great time here, and I'm so blessed to have the people in my life that I do. Thank you all for touching my life. I wouldn't be where I am or the person I am today with out you. hearts.

Argentina Blog Numero 4

Well I have had a crazy last few weeks. First off, I was told I had to leave my farm/artesan house because the owner was going to let the teachers of this big bio construction event live there. So Lizzie and I had to find somewhere else to live almost instantly. So we went and found an availability in re-claimed Mapuche land to help out 4 generations of Mapuche women get the land looking nice again. We were joined by our friend Sarah, and we were camping out for about 3 days and helping build a fence and learn about the Mapuche ancient people culture. Then we were told we had to leave because the daughter Claudia had to leave to go look after her husband, so no one would be there to keep us safe or help us if necessary so we went to her aunts house camped out for about 4 days in her "yard." We were living in her house and cooking vegetables and even got to watch TV. haha then we decided to go to Bariloche Argentina where we are currently. We have been walking about the city and eating chocolate, and went on a wonderful hike today to a beautiful lake called Lake Munoz and did yoga in the forest, which I must say was wonderful. Yoga should be done outside in nature more often. It has just been random and it's weird not working, and just traveling. I'll be getting back to work at an orchard in March in Mendoza one of my favorite hippy towns in Argentina. I'm really excited for that to learn more about apple harvesting, and permacultura.

I'm doing really well, and enjoying my adventures and can not wait to update more about what is going on in my life. Not much really right now just traveling and enjoying the life of a vagabond. Don't worry I'm being safe too. hearts.

Argentina Blog Numero 3

So yesterday we woke up around 10 and hung out for a couple hours in our little casita. Me and the 7 other volunteers whom I live with in a house built for 2. 1 girl named Sarah from Canada, 2 boys Benito y Batist and 1 girl Adeline from France, 1 boy from Germany Mich, and a boy Eli and his cousin Lizzie from WA DC. We all get along well, but definitely too many people living in the house. But it was Eli's birthday yesterday, and Juliet's a couple days earlier and Simon's in a couple days so we had a big party in Rio Azul. The place of bioconstruyendo where they are building a self sufficiant community. Really neat. We worked there and then in the evening were going to have a party/asado. The asado was going to be goat. Now, and interesting fact about getting meat in Argentina is you can go somewhere and buy the animal to kill it yourself. That is what we did. Simon, Eli and Juliet split the cost of the goat and we bought it and brought it to Rio Azul. Then after lunch we went into the woods and Simon with the help of Pastor killed the goat. I watched, and found it interesting that so much of the world eats meat, but doesn't see the process it goes through. Especially from a living animal to your plate. What we did before the goat was killed, was thank it. I did not feel sorry for it, I thanked it and God for providing the animal, and wished it's spirit into the woods of where we were. Now, having been thankful and not sorry it was comforting to see it killed. I wasn't sad. But the goat did cry out when it was dying, which was hard to listen to, but I was just thanking it, and praying for God to give it peace from the pain as it was feeling it. I never thought I'd actually see this happen in my life. It's so easy for me to just go to a store, buy some meat and cook it. But seeing the process was eye opening.
I'm still happy in Argentina, and will be going to a new farm in 2 weeks then to Mendoza, my favorite hippy town for March then off to Peru from April through the end of May. hearts.

Argentina Blog Numero 2

I've been here almost 1 month, and I can't believe how fast it's gone. It feels just yesterday I arrived and was greeted by a loving artesan family and started setting up my bed, and finding my way around the new and different city. I went to the grocery store and successfully got lost on the walk back, but asked for directions on my way back from a hotel, and it all worked out. I made it back. Now I know where everything is. I can find a taxi, get a drink, go to the feria (farmer's market) and even fix an old violin. Which to do so I went to find the store, went into the taxi place to ask for directions to a music store, adn the man working there made violins. So he fixed Pastor's old violin and I played it a little. Not a great sound, but decent. I have learned how to cut wood for windchimes, and assemble them and the cascadas. I don't know the name in english. My favorite thing I've done is paint mariposas (butterflies) and making a wall out of sand, dirt and milk. Smells terrrible but scalpling it more or less was fun. I am still very happy here, and the people are awesome. THere are a lot of people living in our volunteer house now, but I'm making due. Finding time by myself and writting and reading when I can. I made no bake cookies today, and everyone loved them. Maybe I should sell them at the market or something.

The way of life here is very chill. Everyone takes their time and it's not all about go, go, go. It's about quality time, and creating things with your hands. I feel so blessed to be in a place like this, and learn things like how to make an organic adobe house, and create windchimes, and construction. Something I have not much experience with. Now, we are hanging out with the volunteers from Rio Azul (the sight of bio construyendo) and the people of my casa. We are all going to go out tonight, and I'm excited to see the night life of Argentina a little bit. I haven't gotten to expirience it much. I am going to be moving on to a different farm next month hopefully, so we'll see where that puts me. HOpefully more in a farm doing farm work and organic farming and less construction. But I'm learning something interesting, and can successfully use a lighter now too! WOop that is an accomplishment. Also, my new favorite thing is liquados. Which is banana, ice, and milk blended together. So good, and I recomend anyone reading this trys it. hearts.