Santo Domingo Orchards & More (Weeks 1)

Last post's summary would be that we didn't have much going on besides a major hunting experience. First for a place to stay and then for food. In the morning the troubles were forgotten. We had spent so much time looking for food the night before and mostly finding places that were closed; we knew just the place to go for breakfast. After food and some texts with the Farm owner, we just had to wait for a ride. A sleek silver truck pulled up and after a few looks back and forth we hopped in. I'm always excited to meet knew people, but I like to give myself a chance to figure out my impression of them before I let them drive me off somewhere. I usually can determine if someone is trust worthy after a few moments and a good look into their eyes...or just the one if that's all they have, which wasn't the case this time.

Mr. De La Paz or Mr. P, which I've never used until now, asked us the basics about our life and what we'd like to do on his farm. Maybe it was the heat, just waking up, or something I'm not aware of but I was drawing a lot of blanks about his farm at the time. After some inside information on their operations, Meg and I got an idea of what we wanted to do and what we could do. Helping with a banana harvest sounded excellent! The rest of the to-do items where to be determined.

The place we were staying at was amazing! The place was a bamboo/cement palace...okay, I'm exaggerating, but look at these photos!

And check out the plant life all around!

I believe this is the finished flower bed...we only planted the seeds, so no flowers yet.

Another bit of the lower bed before it was finished.

And look at some fun videos!

   

While I don't appreciate the “sport” of Cock Fighting, being next to a large Cock Fighting training ground was both noisy but also very cool to see all of the birds in person.

The first week was mostly spent figuring out the flow of the farm and what we were capable of doing. I learned a lot and I found my passion for farm work. I find something so rewarding in growing food. The something could be knowing that you helped feed someone by your hard work, not sure although it is a great feeling.

Hanging with Mr. P was both informative and fun. It was really nice to have some in-depth conversations. I love talking with Meg but a little tech, nerd, and geek talk is needed in my life :) Super nice guy and very generous. I'm not sure I can say enough nice things, but I have one more post on this farm, so I'm sure I'll have more opportunities!

Being on the farm was also a great experience because I had the privilege of talking with the other local farm hands and getting an insight into their life and dreams. Also, they helped make a mean/great papaya shake!

Hanging out with everyone after hours was a blast. On the night before their day off and after dinner, we'd gather at a near by home. Once the TV and speaker system was pulled outside, we Video-oke'd it up! Video-oke is the same as Karaoke, but people in the Philippines call it Video-oke.

By the end of the week I hadn't written much, but I had made some great friends and memories. The best part was I had another week there!

Oh, and here are some random ones from around the farm:

Everyone crowding around to look at the photos we took :)

Tip for the Day: Work on a farm for at least a week. It is an experience you need at least once in your life. Food doesn't get to your table by magic.