They say all good things must come to an end, and in any company, particularly a young one that is gaining momentum such as Kalu Yala, good things turn into GREAT things.
At the end of stint 3 Marcella and I ransacked O.G. basecamp for all that is was (and was not) worth. The scene was an apocalyptic one, and its previous tenants must have run to the first rancho with only what they could carry. We harvested piles of usable wood, metal and plastic pieces, shoes, and tarps. O.G.’s only treatment plan after our raid was a controlled burned, and Jimmy gave us the go ahead with one condition: create a testament to those who once called O.G. home; a gone but never forgotten thing. Deal.
So O.G. Basecamp and all its rundown, rustic glory burned. Very, very quickly.
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To the birthplace of the community before the community- Rest in Peace O.G. Basecamp.
In thinking about Jimmy’s request for a colloquy, I started thinking about all of the other big changes that we’re experiencing or preparing for in the Valley. This past stint we finally completed our campesino-style water system! “Running water” exists in the valley! It’s elementary and simple, but it’s the little things, as I’ve said before.
Kalu Yala as a whole has also been working so hard to finalize designs for the buildings to be built this summer. Interns after this summer won’t know what it’s like to live in a rancho. Weird. That’s a fact we’ve struggled to accept because it’s one of our favorite parts about being in the valley, but we have to remind ourselves that embracing change is essential to growth.
For me, one of the most exciting changes I’ve got to watch over the past couple weeks was the blossoming of the greenhouse! Alex and the agriculture team has been planting seeds like crazy, and everything they’ve planted is flourishing! It has honestly become a morning routine to wake up, grab a cup of coffee, and go see what’s newly sprouted. Most of our seedlings are ones we may not get the pleasure of enjoying by the end of this semester, but we are literally watching the beginnings of Kalu Yala’s farm to table.
The whole idea of endings and beginnings comes back to the fact that all of us, as individuals, are ultimately the ones doing the changing and growing. Kalu Yalans are the ones who make the conscious decisions to move in the directions we’re going and in turn, stimulate the turning of the tables that we talk about and witness. Change is unavoidable and it is real, but as Shane said in his recent blog- we have to make our own reality.
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“The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself.” – C. JoyBell C.