Permaculture

Yesterday I went to a permaculture workshop. Permaculture is something I've been interested in for a while now.

Last week, I told a friend that I was going to this workshop and he asked, "What is permaculture?" My answer was, "Well I don't really know; that's why I'm going!" All I know is that most everything I've heard about it makes me like it, and makes me want to learn more.

The teacher yesterday (Sam) defined it as "ecological design science." Basically, it's a collection of principles for how to do lower-impact agricultural activity. Drawing on local resources, taking a lot of time to observe and plan, considering the entire ecosystem, and working as (our interpretations of) nature would are some of the foundations.

Sam said that for the first few years he was learning about it, he was unable to come up with an intelligible definition. So now I don't feel too bad about not knowing, and I've taken another step to learn more.

More info, of course, at Wikipedia, here and here. The picture is from the cover of the permaculture bible.

Good icebreaker

Just ran across this browsing random design blogs...an icebreaker where everyone answers "I can teach you..."

Here's the flickr set.

One impression of rural Costa Rica

The past week we've been traveling to some pretty rural towns. I noticed that men stare "deeper" there, with more penetration, as compared to what I normally experience around here, in the urban areas. In most of Latin America, men stare pretty often, and sometimes do more (whistle/beep/etc), but this was different. Like 90% of the men on the street stared at me and it made me feel physically, viscerally objectified. Made me feel like I was wearing a bikini, when I was wearing way more clothes than the climate allowed for (hardly any skin showing)...wishing I had a cloak to add on top. I can't find the right word for it, 'disgusting' keeps popping up, but that's not quite it. Completely devalued? Naked? I'm not sure. They were definitely not looking at what I felt was me. All of this was walking next to Justin - and a couple of times he said buenas dias/noches or hola to them and they didn't even acknowledge him, just stared right past him to me, through me. God, it was creepy and I hated being there. So unwelcome.

Soccer

I've been at my computer during this game between the US and Costa Rica, the game to determine which team goes to the 2010 World Cup. Unfortunately the US is losing 3-0 with 15 minutes to go, but every goal, the entire town around me screams and dogs bark. Needless to say, Costa Ricans are kind of obsessed with soccer.

I have to admit, I'd like to be at a bar or at the game, but I was a little scared to see what would've happened if the US won.

a second for the environment

weird we feel like we're "helping "the environment"" when we buy a car that still uses gas and is made from all kinds of unsustainable materials. yes, it's definitely less bad than most other cars on the market, i think, but it's still a weird thing to say. furthermore, i'm not comfortable, from a psychological standpoint, with our use of the term (and conception of the idea) "the environment". what exactly are we referring to in that sense? and what makes us feel like we're helping it when we buy a car or, say, change a lightbulb? i feel that term and the phrase serves to distance ourselves from nature - from something tangible, from creation/our mother earth. people who say "save/help the environment" aren't usually in touch with that. (in my opinion, which i know is pretty "radical")

2 quotes

Two totally unrelated quotes:

From John Ruskin (1819-1900, British romantic environmentalist):

Whereas the mediaeval never painted a cloud, but with the purpose of placing an angel in it; and a Greek never entered a wood without expecting to meet a god in it; we should think the appearance of an angel in the cloud wholly unnatural, and should be seriously surprised by meeting a god anywhere. Our chief ideas about the wood are connected with poaching. We have no belief that the clouds contain more than so many inches of rain or hail, and from our ponds and ditches expect nothing more divine than ducks and watercresses.

I personally like his mourning about our loss of expectation. If nothing else I feel that this loss may be the greatest for humanity solely, as through an anthropogenic lens.

From Dan Savage (The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Get Pregnant)

The same impulse that drives grown gay men to walk around holding hands could be pushing us toward this [adopting a child]. For same-sex couples, taking a lover's hand is almost never an unself-conscious choice. You have to think about where you are, whether you're safe, and you have to look. By the time you determine you're safe, you're not even sure you want to hold hands anymore. The genuine moment has passed, but you've invested so much energy and angst that now you can't not take your lover's hand. You wind up holding and the only reason you take your lover's hand is to prove that you can.

Surely, this fascinates me because of my interest in psychology; I think he does a great job at explaining our relentless doubting/insecurity (whether this is socially or individually caused).

I just visited the US and picked up a few new books!

Costa Rica

This and the next few posts are my personal experiences from being in Costa Rica. You can read the more professional blog from the project site: www.nvov.org/blog/. I've been here for about 2.5 months now and I'm still learning a lot!

Here are a few things I've noticed and want to remember:

1. People are happy here. They smile, they take their time, and are usually very friendly and helpful. Like a lot of other places in the world (Latin America and Europe for sure), people kiss on the cheek to say hello and goodbye.
2. Lots more waste. It's definitely harder to recycle here, and as someone living temporarily it's hard to compost, because I can't have a garden!
3. In certain roles, people are more patient. For example, take waiters/waitresses. Here, there's no harassing. They assist you when you feel like, and you are in control of the service (for the most part). Rather than constantly bugging you like in the US, you need to ask to get service here. I like it.
4. Kissing on the cheek! I like when cultures embrace physical contact. I think it's more inline with our psychologies as human beings than trying to deny it, as I sometimes feel we do in the U.S.
5. Cool new Spanish phrases. Pura vida, todo bien, etc. It's been interesting to see how my Spanish skills were geographically-based, and now to be able to incorporate some Costa Rican vocab into the mix.
6. The nickname "reinita." I was walking in the market and some guy was trying to convince me to buy his cheese (or meat or fruit or whatever) and called me "hey little queen." A little endearing?
   

Things I miss about the US:

1. Sidewalks. Flat, usable sidewalks, without lots of dog poo. Yes, I do miss that.
2. Friends and family, loved ones in general. I've made a few friends here, but it's hard to make good friends quickly. I miss knowing people.
   

Other things:
It feels weird to constantly be comparing "us" and "them". I find myself doing that pretty often - we do this, they do that - and I'm not sure that I like it.

This is just a start to what I hope will be an avenue for my reflections.