Peeing in the woods

Today, we have come into town so that Marcelo and Kim can run their errands and stock up on the supplies they are not yet able to produce at their place. For the other volunteers and myself, today is one of our two rest days a week and although i would have much rather stayed at the farm, i had a few things i needed to check/emails to send etc.

Anyway, the first week at Mama Roja has been great. We wake up early with the morning sun and after a breakfast of homemade cereals, fruit and bread we set to work on the days work. There is a rota for various daily activities such as bread baking, kitchen help and plant watering. The afternoons are free for us volunteers to do as we wish. I often spend time reading (Marcelo and Kim have a great collection of books about sustainable building, organic gardening, arts and crafts etc etc), pottering in the garden, playing in the river, doing yoga or exploring the jungle-esque surroundings of the farm. The other day we all went out to explore the surroundings (Machete-ing down a previoud overgrown trail) and noticed an orange tree. After creating a viable path to the tree - during which we also found a passion fruit tree - we collected two bags of oranges which we will make into marmalade.

Our main project at the moment is building a shade covering structure for one of the vegetable gardens. The shade covering fabric is designed to let in enough light for the plants to be productive but prevents the very harsh rays which in the summer heat can frazzle the poor greens. In addition to this we have been doing lots of other little jobs such as constructing trellis for the cucumbers, staking the tomato plants, harvesting wheat seeds to name but a few. Everything here is very sustainable and in harmony with the environment around. Everything is reused or recycled (composting toilets!), food scraps are fed to the chickens or contribute to the compost which then feeds the rest of the garden. The river provides all the water needs and also gives us a nice place to bath/wash our clothes. There is a shower in one of the earthern bathroom buildings but the river is much more enjoyable place to bathe.

There are lots of creepy crawlies around inlcuding some amazingly coloured caterpillars and butterlies. I also saw a coral snake yesterday, heading straight for my tent, hmmm, however Kim reassured me that it wouldn´t go into my tent!

I am learning lots about how many things we buy can easily be made by ourselves eliminating lots of chemicals and giving you the satisfaction of having created something for yourself while preserving the resources and environment around you...watch this space!

Off to Mama Roja

After a quick stop-off in Corrientes, one of Argentina´s oldest cities and full of lovely architecture, parks, plazas and a nice riverside parade, I am now about to head up to Obera. Here I will spend some time volunteering at a sustainable living centre called Mama Roja. They are building adobe houses, practising eco-living, restoring the land and other green activities to build a healthy alternative lifestyle.

You can see their mission statement here at their blog...

Obviously no internet at the centre, but will hopefully be able to keep you guys updated when we go into town occasionally!
Besos xx

Couching in Rosario

Rosario, birthplace of Che Guevara and home to some very lovely couchsurfers. I stayed with Patricio aka Pato who is currently studying at the university and lives with his younger brother. Whilst he was in classes, i spent some time wanbdering around the city getting excited by its tree lines streets and range of different architectural styles. Situated next to the Parana river, Rosario is an industrial and export centre. Strolling along the riverside, where there are lots of parks reminded me of the southbank in London during summer, with lots of people enjoying the afternoon sun. I went to the Monumento a la Bandera (flags!!!), where the Argentinian flag was raised for the first time. Standing at 70m tall the monument is a great place to go to get a panaramic view across the city. In the evening, we went to a couchsurfing gathering at one of their favourite hanuts the tango bar, Chamuyera, where I was introduced to lots of other friendly Rosarians. I spent the next few days in Rosario hanging out with Sandra and Sofia and their friends and a big group of us had a nice picnic in Parque Urquiza, as it was the day for the census and lots of people had a day off work. I also stayed with Sofia who teaches spanish to foreigners and is studying to be a translator so she helped me with my castellano. We laughed about finding our principes azules (Prince Charming) and she also taught me some new Argentinian words, like Huesito, which means ´little bone´ and is what you call someone who you are seeing!On my last night (i was about to catch a night bus to the northeast of Agentina) we had a nice stoll around the lively night scene of shops, bars and restaurants which after their afternoon siesta had come alive!!