Ginger´s Paradise, Bolivia

I finally made it to my organic farm.

For those of you who weren´t privy to my "What should I do with my four months off?" discussions, organic farming was high on the list.  Ultimately, I never set anything up because I couldn´t plan far enough ahead to give the WWOOF farms enough notice and I couldn´t commit to a month in one place, which was the minimum time commitment for many.

I heard about Ginger´s Paradise, a little organic farm between Samaipata and Santa Cruz, from an Australian girl in Sucre. It´s run by an American expat, Chris, his Bolivian wife, Sol, and their two kids, Dizzy (10) and Ginger (5). It sounded perfect. I could show up whenever I wanted and could stay for as long as I wanted.

During my five days at Ginger´s Paradise, this is what I learned:

1.     I Don´t Think I Could Ever Be A Farmer

As beautiful as the setting was and as romantic as returning to the land seems, I realized that I couldn´t do this every day.  Hoeing and weeding is backbreaking work. I´m not quite sure how to describe what we were doing other than being human weed whackers. Don´t they have machines for this?! These weren´t normal weeds, these were weeds as tall as I am-- well watered, healthy suckers clinging to the dirt with every little root for dear life. 

I confess that every hour I spent hoeing felt like an eternity.  After accidentally uprooting a couple of bamboo plants within the first 30 minutes, I managed to catch on pretty quickly. Both of my hands became blistered and after just a few hours, I ached.  I thought countless times that I couldn´t possibly swing that hoe one more time. But I did. And in fact, got complimented on my hoeing/weeding skills. Personally, I think the compliment was really a matter of exceeding low expectations for the city girl more than anything else. 

2.     Always Check Your Belly Button for Ticks (Especially If You Have an Innie)

Warning: this is one of those "Eww, gross" stories.

Chris warned me that I should check for ticks after I took the horses from their grazing spot to the stream for water. So after I came back from watering the horses, I dutifully checked myself and even asked one of the other volunteers to give me a look. We found one on my hat and another making it´s way up my inner arm. 

Two and a half days later, I was playing with Ginger after breakfast.  We were hiding a piece of paper on each other´s bodies.  Pretty simple game.  She´d close her eyes, and I´d stick the paper in her hair or in her ear. While I closed my eyes, she tried to stick the paper in my belly button.  The next thing I hear her say is something like, "Hay una garrapata a dentro!" (There´s a tick inside!) 

"Uh, Chris, would you mind getting it out?" Strangely enough, I am completely calm, mostly because I don´t want to seem like the squeamish city girl that I am!  Ginger´s little fingers are already inside my belly button.

"Ginger is actually really good at getting them out," he says.  And sure enough, in two seconds, she´s pried it off.   

It turns my stomach to think that it was quietly sucking my blood for two days, lying with me while I slept.  Yuck, yuck, yuck! Later that night, I found another one on my upper thigh, but it looked like it hadn´t settled in yet. Apparently, it happens all the time on the farm.  At least the ticks don´t carry diseases here.

3.     Simple Is Good

Life seemed slow and purposeful on the farm. 

The last morning, while we were eating breakfast, Sol asked me if I ate breakfast at home. 

"Yes," I replied, "I eat breakfast while I´m at work.  I have oatmeal and yoghurt there because I´m usually too rushed to eat at home.  So I eat while I check my emails and my telephone messages."

After I said it, I realized how ridiculous it sounded.  We were sittng outside on the porch eating homemade bread with homemade peanut butter; homemade peach, pineapple, and strawberry jam; homemade pesto; a salsa of avocados, onions, and tomatos grown in their garden; and fresh juice from fruits from their garden.  Everything had been made by hand and I don´t even have enough time to sit and eat?

The days at Ginger´s Paradise were simple, but long and full.  Breakfast at 9 a.m., then after washing the dishes we would hit the fields.  After a few hours of work, time to prepare lunch, lunch at 2 p.m., an afternoon swim in the river, more work in the afternoon, then an evening around the table chatting, doing artesania, and playing games like chess and a 3 dimensional Connect Four game made out of lollipop sticks and beads.  They live simply in a one-room house with beautiful mosaics they´ve crafted on the wall and floor.  The kids have few toys, but never seem to lack for activity. 

Taking a swim break with Maarten, Maria, and Tal

Back home, I have so many possessions yet little peace and stillness. My insides always feel restless.  After a day at work, my mind is exhausted, but my body still full of untapped energy. Somehow there never seems to be enough time for both my brain and my body.

On my last day, I stood on the side of the road in front of Ginger´s Paradise waiting to flag down the next vehicle headed toward Santa Cruz.  Without having realized it and without even having loved every minute of my time there, I felt like I had been made whole. 

What I wonder is how much of these four months I can bring home with me to slow down my life and feel the same balance and peace that I do on the road.   

With Sol, Ginger, and Sol´s mother who was visiting from Spain