On my way - Again........

I am on my way. Off to another ecovillage near Popayan. I met someone from there at Llamado de la Montana. I’ll be there maybe one week before I have to leave the country heading to Ecuador before my visa is up.

I still don’t completely understand why I felt compelled to come to Colombia when now feel I need to move on. What was the reason for coming here? Did I really accomplish anything? I do know that my life has been touched by the people I’ve met at Aldeafeliz and Nashira and all the others along the way. I also know that I have traveled to one of the countries where there is so much bad media. Colombia has proven to be an amazingly beautiful country with equally amazing people. I feel I have been carried by angels this whole time. Come to think of it, it has been truly a unique experience. At each stop �" in Medellin, Bogota, Aldeafeliz, Nashira and Cali  - there has been people that I have shared so much, connected and have been cared for by them. The Director of this project has insisted I stay in her home, which is quite amazingly beautiful and grand, has made sure that I am chauffeured around and taken care of �" in each place I have been since I traveled here three months ago, I have been so well received and taken care of. 

This past weekend I said goodbye to the ladies of Nashira.  In this time I have really become close to many of them and I’m kinda sad to leave. Many of the ladies want me to come back �" quite sweet actually. Several said that they were just becoming accustomed to me. Oh yeah, I arrived on Saturday where there was a group of army guys �" not sure exactly what they were doing there, I understand that the equipment used to build the homes are being guarded as they are funded by the government �" I think. Not sure exactly, but sure know they were little hotties. Ah, such a hard life I have!

Back to what I was saying….. I hope that I can come back here after traveling a bit. The project is incredibly interesting and I would really like to see these women again and see how things are developing. I kinda feel I have become part of this here �" as I feel I became part of Aldeafeliz and the urban ag project in Bogota. I feel that there is so much potential here. I have all these ideas and this project is so fresh. In part I was really excited to keep working on it, but also part of me feels I need to move on, learn more, see more. There is a lot out there �" waiting.  I still think that there is potential to do a lot here both with Nashira and with the urban project, but I feel that if I stay here without seeing other opportunities I would be cheating myself out of a lot of experiences and a lot of knowledge.

I am not yet sure my exact plan. I know that I want to stop over in Ecuador and work with RGS for a bit and learn as much as I can from them about seed saving. I think I’ll still be going to Peru to work on a friend’s property and house near Cusco and maybe meet another friend who is supposed to travel there in April. I somehow feel my new destination is Argentina. Maybe I just pick a destination as far from me as possible as to create a new goal �" a new obsession. But, in reality there is one project in Santiago, Chile I want to see and maybe work with a bit. I have a friend that has moved there and I would like to see him and I have a friend that is supposed to move to Argentina in May. All this is so incredibly vague. I’m very nervous about it.

I think that is why I feel I have to go. I have to do what I’m afraid of. Years ago I dreamed of traveling through South America. I have a friend who told me of her experience traveling alone here. I thought that was the bravest thing I could ever do. For years I dreamed of doing the same. I think this is probably the boldest step I have taken. It started with first coming to one of the most ‘perceived’ dangerous countries in South America. This goes to show you that we create our own reality. I chose to seek out beautiful places and projects with beautiful people and that is exactly what I found. Although my Spanish is still horrid, being here at the ecovillage has really pushed me to learn rapidly. I’m still nervous to travel because of my very bad Spanish, but I feel a lot more confident.

Well, this is it. I begin the journey again on Wednesday. Not sure when I can write next. I will either be in Atlantida if I have access to the internet or Ecuador. Soon saying ciao to Colombia �" for now anyways.