One month anniversary

Hello !!!

I realize it has been weeks since my last post and I apologize for any fret or fright this has caused. I have been catapulted with full force into the not so apologetic dysfunction of many things...... irrevocable exceptance for the national mentality of "No pasa nada" which translates to "don't worry about about", because if one were to worry about every time something went wrong (the bus that guy told you about doesn't exist, no one told you how to get water from el señor de agua, and instead you had to walk 1 1-2 miles with a 20 liter bottle of water or else thirst to death, there are mosquito larvae in your bath water etc). What else can you do expect hope to the patience to embrace the sentiment, take a deep breath and begin the next day.

I should give a bit more background, although there are too many notes in my journal to describe all the details, however, this means that we should immediately get together upon my return to recount each crazy mishap after another. By that time I should be laughing about it... I hope.

I have been living in Colola for two weeks on a the Turtle Preservation. Myself and four other volunteers from France, Belgium and Israel have been living in a hut on the beach. The hut is constructed coconut tree limbs and sheltered by its leaves. Each morning I am woken by the illustrious crashing of Pacific waves, the reliable honking of the burrow nearby and the sweet chirp of mourning doves and meadow larks. It is very beautiful, there is no doubt, but is does come with it's infinite and seemingly irreversable challenges.

Water for one, is a particular challenge, not just in the sense of finding drinking water, which I now know that I can hail el señor de agua every morning who will deliver large gallons of drinking water every morning for 2 pesos less then the tienda down the street, where I either has to walk or hitchhike back--- in an extreme case that a happened this week, I was forced to do both. There is a motor to pump water from a well, that is if it has gas or feels like functioning that day. I have been talking with community leaders about my interest in water issues and possible solutions that would save them money hassle and resources. They are interested, so am I. Water issues around the world are unavoidable, my research project is growing by the second.

The Turtle camp is a mile and half walk from the main village of Colola, which is complete with a cyber cafe and boombing soundsystems blasting the musica belove by every Mexican teenager MANA, looped with the same Coldplay song over and over. It is also incredible hard to find good fresh food... which is amazing to be considering that most of Mexico?s economy is fueled by agriculture, the irony is terrible. The issues that face impoverished communities in our country are the same the world over: access to good fresh food, safety, isolation and waste are abound the world over. The comparisons are striking between this rural village and the north lawndale neighborhood I call home.

The work with the turtles is run by the Coire indigenous community group native to Colola . The preservation is home to the largest amountof Black Turtles nesting spots in the world. The workers on the preservation are called Tortugueros. Qualifications for such employment may be acquired by outsiders, but really the main ingredient is an indigenous knowledge of the land and the social and scientific behaviors of this gentile wild animal that we handle with infinite care. Each night, teams rome the beach looking for either turtles in the process of nesting and laying eggs or nests that have been carefully buried in an instinctual protective mechanism. As this point I have engaged in many acts that may be equated to tortuga gynecology, hand covered in either tortuga depositing mucus or blood, I reach deep into a carefully constructed underground nest where the egges will be deposited and hidden from predators. We remove the eggs, document statistics about the turtle, mark her with a tracking number and return the eggs to the "nursery" where we reburry and nurture them until they peak their little head up from the sand. We collect the tortugitas and "liberate" them to the sea in the middle of the night to protect from predators.

I am slowly, slowly adjusting, and by the time I am adjusted, it will be time to return home. The first round of volunteers will complete their last week at the camp next weekend. One chapter closing, the other opening and a whole new reel of adventures will begin again. I miss you all so much. I long for the comforts of home: a sugar bowl that I dont't have to negotiate with big bold ants, personal cleaniless (I go days without looking in the mirror or caring for that matter) , a delicious salad of mesculin greens and avocados, and great big hunk of love and comfort from all of you. Most of all, I miss the autumn colors, cool nights and hearty home cooked meals in a range of amazing autumnal colors. Bake the pumpin with me in mind next time ok? Until next time.