1000 Trees

June 2, 2017

Minga! Reforestation minga!
that's how it was announced and indeed all participants, at least twenty, were ready somewhere at half past seven in the morning. it took another half an hour until everyone was standing on the village square, but so many people came, more than ever before.
it had rained overnight, which was ideal because the ground was wet and much easier to work on than if it were dry. it's never really dry here, but still. luckily, the rain stopped. tzama gave a fiery speech, not only about reforestation, but also about the village of tawasap, which is small but inhabited by people who do not wait for the government or authorities but determine their own destiny and future. intelligently, long-term, and not short-sighted. a friend from switzerland once explained to him why the swiss are doing so well. because they look out for themselves first, then for others. (I then wondered if it could have been me. Must have been!) they have to do the same. look out for themselves. as an example, he mentioned the planned fish ponds. they will build them together, in order to have good, healthy fish for themselves, to improve the nutrition situation noticeably for their children and grandchildren.
then he announced the goal of today's minga: in pairs, one hundred trees are to be planted in the area of the freshly drained zone. ten times one hundred, that's one thousand new trees. this is the goal, and to the applause of those present, everyone got to work afterwards. and how. wheelbarrows were brought in, baskets tied to their backs, then filled with plants from the nursery, and off they went to the areas along the freshly excavated drainage channels in the east of the village, which had been heavily damaged by the excavator. it was like a joyful competition in planting, everyone worked with great dedication and the hand movements were precise, showing that the people had done this before.
what does a Shuar do when he is working and it starts to rain?
he keeps working. simple as that.
what does a Swiss person do when he is a volunteer at the Shuar's and it starts to rain?
the same thing.
as I had already mentally anticipated yesterday, I went with the flow. who cares. it'll dry again and it's not cold.
however, I had imagined in advance that I would concentrate more on taking pictures and documenting. but tzama himself had his nikkon with him and was on his own PR mission. several times I had to/got to give an interview, invite volunteers, describe what is happening here, and how I feel about the work here, all in my insufficient Spanish. I had the idea of doing it in English as well, and that took another two minutes.
when tzama asked me if he could use the interviews for this or that, I gave him permission to use them for whatever he wanted. I'm curious if I will find myself on the internet someday, and I already know that I will be upset about my Spanish, and probably English as well. doesn't matter. it's perfect for volunteers looking for something special and sustainable.
what impresses me most about my time here: I am accepted here like a family member. the guy who doesn't understand much, but still participates in everything. that's just how he is and that's how he is accepted. exactly how they treat their own people. the greeting is 'hermano'. some children also call me amigo, for example Messed's little one. other children are more respectful or don't know how to address me. I feel very comfortable here, but I'm still looking forward to returning to the city. I just hope the weather there is now friendlier.
what do I miss most here? (besides my beloved Andrea and the family)
unbelievable!
unbelievably Swiss.

cheese!
and you can buy that in the city.