A Case of Oz

So it turns out I had a case of Oz....I had to leave home to realize that everything I´ve ever needed or could ever possibly need I already have. Funny how life works. :) My home....or where ever my loved ones happen to be....is my ocean of love and my mountain of peace. And the happiness that finds me in other magical places around the world, while it is wonderful in itself it is nothing compared to the love and happiness that I can find in good ol´ Green Lake. Therefore I am returning home from my adventures early (or right on time..depending how you look at it), only to embark on more adventures with my love and my darling family. I have learned lifetimes in these last four months being away and now it´s time to pull all the strings together and light this place up....

And as my friend J.C. Ford once said, ¨Real love, not bought or sold love....really really REALLY will change all of this.¨

And it´s true!!

And it´s a good thing beacuse I am about to dive head first into the biggest adventure of my life....finally the ball is really rolling and very soon we will have a certified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. More specifically, I will have a community-based non-profit that will act as a platform for human beings from all walks of life to share/teach/learn about how we can lead a life conscientious sustainability and responsible stewardship- A life of harmony concerning ourselves, our environment, and our neighbors near and far. My little snowflake of a dream has really snowballed into something miraculous that people seem to be calling for. All those happy, positive thoughts are really paying off.... ;)

So now back to Wisconsin to make some magic happen! :)

Peace, love, sunshine, and everything beautiful from Quito, Ecuador

Namaste <3

Jose´s AMAZING Project and the Huao School

I had to take some short and wonderfully ¨me¨ clips out of pure and nervous excitement ...

:)))

Jose explaining the documentary project to the class.....

The project involves introducing themselves and their families and taking a video camera around with them thus documenting their daily lives. The seven project participants will act as  naturalist guides giving both the Huao name and Spanish name for all they encounter. 

Note: we used my little camera to film these clips...should have reminded our lovely cameraman that I´m not technologically advanced enough to rotate the video clips....but here ya go just for proof´s sake. ;)

Talking about where I´m from and working with the Charter kids in the 

GL Global and Environmental Academy.

Discussing our projects concerning stewardship and being a responsible/ethical steward. 

(guardiano = guardian = steward....no literal translation for steward in Spanish)

As we had anticipated the class was quite shy and quiet, however, you could tell their gears were

crankin´ away upstairs....faces illuminating with understanding and comprehension as little lightbulbs went off in their beautiful, jungle brains. And friends, let me tell you....that feeling, that moment....is what it´s all about. Knowledge, learning, awareness.....yes, indeed. :)

Jose stayed two weeks longer and has been back and forth spending the bulk of his time in the community continuing to organize the project and get the guides started with their intro´s and first segments......I got a sneak peak and hands down is some of the most amazing footage I´ve ever seen. 

Hope you´ve enjoyed and are remembering to breathe deeply and play outside!! Namaste :)

Part 2 of Huaorani Happenings: More Amazonian Activities

Gathering chonta with Eloy´s little sister so Ciara and Anita (volunteers/students from the States working on their Fulbright fellowships) can make chicha. Chicha is a fermented beverage that is traditionally made from maize, however,  it is often made from manioc (yucca) in addition to other regional/seasonal fruits.  

After putting the chonta in a huge pot over a fire for a few hours we peeled the skins off

 one by one and put the tasty seeds in a separate bowl to snack on later. 

The final step in making chicha de chonta is to chew, or masticate, the pieces of chonta and spit

 the juice into a communal bucket. It ferments overnight and vuala, you have a tipsy treat. 

I, quite frankly, have always had a sensitive gag reflex and such quantities of spit threatens to press certain buttons....however, if it were offered to me, for example, by any sort of indigenous person....I would have no choice but to gladly accept for it would be an exceptionally profound

 insult if I were to refuse.  

In this case I happened to have to catch a canoe ride back down the Napo and head back 

to civilization....so I guess you could say I was spared for the moment....

-jungle paths to fruit trees-

A new friend that I met along my journey. The wonderful and lovely Kristina from Sacramento, demonstrating an indigenous technique of sorts...how to carry heavy packs of jungle treats. :)

Kristina and Ciara tearing open another kind of tasty jungle treat....

-waba-

-the sweet and fleshy inside that covers every single seed-

-an extraordinarily delicious and refreshing surprise on a hot day in the rainforest-

-naturally skilled climbers with inward-curving feet to prove it-

-carefully harvesting waba for everyone below- 

-heading back to the volunteer buildings to put the chonta on the fire-

-a runway for tiny little airplanes-

-self explanatory- 

-the volunteer and elementary school buildings-

-always on a nature hike-

-just to look at...not to eat-

Hello big, wise tree in the Amazon.....

Teach me what you have to know, 

Let me absorb and feel me grow..... 

See me grow brighter as I sink down my roots,

Pass on to me those secret life truths. 

Ajo Pachamama!

<3

-sweet little gecko hanging out on the tree not 5 feet above where I rested my hand in the above photo- 

-oh how I want to know....

sapo = rana = frog = toad 

one in the same.

-rockin camouflage- 

;) 

- close-up -

- another wee little frog friend -

-as golden as the fallen leaves-

-some other breakfast reading material- 

-for the curious folk....some helpful pronunciations....-

..... 

¨His journey had begun deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, in the homeland of his people, the Huaorani, a small but fearsome nation of hunter-gatherers who have lived in isolation for so long that they speak a language unrelated to any other on earth.¨

.....

¨Savages¨ by Joe Kane

Read it.

-another river ride-

Eloy clearing yet another fallen tree from the river between the lodge and the community.

-steady and sure, hacking away with the machete- 

All in all I saw and learned some pretty spectacular things with the Huao. Or perhaps certain lessons were simply reinforced and further established within me....either way it was an indescribably and intensely real set of experiences that I won´t soon forget. I hope you give a minute to quietly study my pictures and let them do the majority of the talking for me. And don´t hesitate to ask questions!! Enjoy and Namaste! <3