Day four: today we got up early to go to a small village where we were invited to take part in a community project. Half of the group went to help out with the water reservoir up the mountain and half the group went with some locals to help clear a path of vegetation in the forest to prevent forest fires. I choose to take part in the prevention of forest fires. This forest is very important to the people who live near it. They have recently given it the name of the water forest. This forest is has incredible bio diversity and is very important to the wild life that inhabit it. Most of the local people have great respect for this forest. So the group of us gathered at the community center and got onto the back of this truck. There were probably more than 15 people in the back of the truck and when we got on all the people from the community were sitting on the floor... we quick discovered why. Trying to keep your balance in standing up in the back of this huge truck with so many people surrounding you, and of course all of the tools aka machetes, while traveling on roads that were not the most beautifully maintained proved to be a challenging task. So most of us, myself included decided it would be best to take the locals lead and sit our Canadian tushes on the floor of this truck.
Today our job was to clear a three or so meter wide and 50 meter long section of the forest. There were many of us spread out so the idea was for each section to eventually connect with each other. We were paired up with a person from the area, showed how to do the job then we went to work. Our teacher was named Rowben. He didn’t say much but seemed pleasant. I was taken away by the amount of work he was doing and didn’t take a break until the job was basically done Chrissy and I on the other hand had to take turns working because we only have one hoe for the two of us...but we weren’t complaining.
We both discussed later though that even though we did get tired after a while and did need a break once we had a drink and caught our breath we wanted to get right back at it. We were the first ones to finish our section! I think Rowben was impressed. I even helped out another team for a little bit to give them a break. It was a good morning. Once we finished we all met up at the truck that had brought us to the forest where we sat, chatted and had some lunch. Then we all piled back into the truck and anticipated the long and bumpy ride back down to the town. For half of the ride I was able to sit on the top part of the truck above the people who were driving. This is most definitely the most dangerous way I have travelled, but was also the most fun!
Once we meet up with the rest of the group we were able to see the local towns people practising a festival, or parade I guess.
It was full of color and energy and I was glad that I got to see it (I have a video of a part of it) once the festival had past we regrouped. I was off to the side taking things in and taking a few photographs when I noticed an old man walking my way. I smiled, nodded and said bouines tardes to him and to my surprise his face lit up with a beautiful smile, he wished me the same and took my hand to shake it like we had hadn’t seen one another for a long time; old friends reunited. This is the first time a local has embraced me so warmly when I have said hello. He also thanked me. He seemed so appreciative that I had made this gesture. I instantly wanted to know more about this man. I asked if I could take a picture of him, so I could remember what he looked like, but he was shy and said no. We parted ways but he stayed with me for the rest of the afternoon in my thought. I wonder if he is that way with everyone who greats him on the street? Or maybe I was the first person in a while that had acknowledged him. I will never know but it made me think deeper into the importance a simple hello might be to someone.
Once we returned to the Abby we met for an early dinner then had a surprise visit from the Lopez family. They were on their way back to their village and wanted to stop to see if we had any specific things they wanted us to make for when we meet up with them next week. After a rather confusing piece of time we managed to get all the orders down for them to make. We also had an opportunity to talk with them in a more relaxed pressure free environment. When we met with them last year it was a kind of crazy situation that was focussed in one way on their story and in another way on them selling us their goods. So it was nice to chat with them without the pressure to buy and for them to just be around us.
After the Lopez family left we headed down to one of the halls at the Abby to listen to Dada a speaker and yoga instructor who came to talk to us about the importance of relaxation, meditating, and some life ideas. Some of which were the concept of human culture, which I found quite interesting because a traveler I enjoy exploring different culture but I have yet to explore the idea of the human culture that connects us all. Another idea was the importance of breathing. Breathing slowly quiets the mind and relaxes the body; it is the bridge to the body and mind.
He also spoke about the importance of positive thinking. Someone asked him ‘how do you stop the busy mind from wondering, how to you slow things down?’ his answer was a fusion between all the things I have just mentioned. Breathing slows down the heart and relaxes the body, positive thinking helps to feed your brain with positive energy which helps you see the important things around you, being aware of the human culture and understanding that everyone is connected and we are all fundamentally the same, and love. Love is the most important thing we can have in our lives. It is the only thing worth living for. It is what fills us the most. Love in a sense is the only real thing.
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