13 October (Part 2)

Today just could not fit into one blog.  Around 6 p.m. Zac Barnes picked me up on his grand steed (a tandem bicycle that remains nameless as far as I know).  Zac has been wonderful.  He has brought me fresh produce from local community gardens for the past couple of days and told me so many wonderful things about Eau Claire that I would have never otherwise known.  With his, and other’s amazing contributions of non-purchased food items, I will be able to live on less than $1 a day for the duration of the week.

So off we galloped (kind of) on the twists and turns that are Eau Claire’s bike paths.  I felt like I was on a roller coaster and on more than one occasion I had to subtle remind Zac, “Buddy, you know my life is in your hands right?”  We finally arrived at the community gardens near Phoenix Park and it was beautiful.  Lines and lines of well cared for plants lay atop perfectly sculpted mounds.  The sun was setting on the day and the growing season but Zac showed me how they had recently planted barley so as to enrich the soil with more Nitrogen for the next growing season.  We talked about his own adventures in Latin America and how he would love to go back to start local food growing trends in developing cities and towns.  Most of the fertile growing areas in Latin America are used up by large corporations to produce cash crops, such as bananas and coffee.  This same land could be used to feed a hungry nation.  After all, $2 a day goes a whole lot further when you can pick your food daily from a community garden.  

I have been thinking lately that my project is only the first step in a long process.  Getting to know more about the human condition is one thing, but identifying a problem and finding a solution is something entirely different.  Through La Sed  (Latin American Sustainability and Development), an on campus organization my friends and I started I have had a taste of that sort of action in motion.  If you are interested in what we have done please visit http://www.uwec.edu/lased/about/mission.htm. 

When I got back to my shanty Maria was there waiting for me.  I almost jumped out of my (now a little dingy) jump suit.  It felt so good to have somebody to hold or cook with.  Something that I feel that bonds us as human beings more than anything is love.  The love that we share can transcend any boundaries.  With Maria and I there are times when we don’t even need words.  We just know.  I just know, when she’s here with me, the shanty feel more like home.