Vincy, you were my best Christmas gift

Six months ago I quitted my job to pursue a dream and an impulse of leaving my life behind and donate my time and knowledge as international volunteer. When I told my family and friends about my decision, they looked at me surprised; even for some of them I was crazy, but still they were happy for me. For some seconds I knew that it did sound wild and I was even offered to take more time to make the choice and join the team of volunteers that was going to start the period in November. Even though it was an overnight decision, there was something that deeply told me that July was my time. I didn’t need more than two weeks to deliver my job position to my boss and friend who unconditionally supported me, buy the plane tickets and get everything I needed to move to this little-known country called Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, that since then became My Priceless Paradise.

I was also told by my friends that six months were a short time and with the blink of an eye I would be going back to Colombia. To that I used to reply that for such an intense experience, I didn’t think that half of a year was short at all, this as a “defense mechanism” because if that adventure hadn’t begin, I didn’t even want to think about finishing it already!

Unfortunately, they were right. I’m now going back to Colombia and I wished I could have stayed longer. This was, without a doubt one of the most enriching, unique, challenging, giving, spiritual and grateful experiences of my life. So of course realizing that this precious period of my life is done brings a bunch of mixed feelings. The good thing about this powerful time of my life is that a little piece of it will last forever because after such a powerful experience you can’t be the same person you used to.

Learning and seeing with no filters the real effects of climate change, how the life style of thousands of people depends on the extreme weather conditions of droughts and floods, not being able to go to the beach because the rise of the sea level completely whipped it off, studying and reading from Monday to Sunday environmental topics to prepare lessons for more than one hundred kids and working shoulder to shoulder with the farmers and artisans to enhance the local development was a huge labor and the satisfaction, joy and gratitude is indescribable.

Like if that was not enough, I had the fortune to meet invaluable friends, teammates and teachers with whom we enjoyed life at the maximum, like if every day was the last one. Endless road trips along the curvy Vincy roadways; flawless street parties where no filter was imposed to enjoy the Caribbean flavor; paradisiac landscapes of waterfalls, mountains and of course the master king; the volcano of La Soufrière; my little ones at the school that at first went running all around shouting “white people”; stopping at every corner because there was always a smile of a friend and time to have a short chat of how things were going; the best deal of three Hairouns (the local beer) for $10 Eastern Caribbean Dollars, which lead to always share a drink; the smiles of everyone after knowing that there was cake for dinner; the most beautiful sunsets seen from the boat of my friends the fishermen; lovely Bequia as my perfect dream goodbye and endless more memories that are impossible to list but that are kept in the deepest and most special pocket of my heart.

Vincy, you were not only the rightest impulse I have ever followed, you are my best Christmas present that has been making me happy for the past six months of this year and will keep on doing it because I’m definitely coming back to you <3 

One day at church in Saint Vincent

I can’t really talk about how each religion celebrate their rituals, but, I daresay that faith has been, along history, a way of bringing people together. Churches and temples welcome people, from babies to elders, and have been places to strengthen bonds, not only in a spiritual way, but also, in a homely manner.

St. Vincent and The Grenadines is by nature a warm-hearted place, then imagine how sympathetic going to church here is. I had the idea —taken out from movies like Sister Act — that it was going to be something with amazing voices singing, dancing and basically making a party out of worship. Well, that was not far from reality.

It was Sunday. The Pastor picked us up and his words where wise since the moment we went inside the car. He had lost his mobile phone, but, as everything else in his life, he let that in God’s hand. “I can’t stop things from happening, but I choose how to assume them, even though sometimes the situation seems to control me”.

We arrived to Petit Bordel, the village where the church is located. Everyone looked so nice: girls were wearing dresses that made them look like princesses, woman had fancy hairstyles and men, elegant ties, perfect for the occasion. 

That was just the beginning. The worship started. Most of the assistants closed their eyes and raised their hands towards God, making prayers and enjoying each second of that intimate encounter. I was surprised when one woman started to cry, so I asked the girl who was next to me why. She answered that the lady was feeling the Holy Spirit and her tears were a sample of joy.

The weather was getting warm, the location was small and crowded, but that didn’t seem to matter, because everyone was happy to share that moment. At the same time, some little boys fell asleep. The heat had lulled some of the children and their lovely parents consented them gently. Melodious voices completed the scene perfectly. A choir of women wearing colorful shirts, a man playing the piano and another one playing the drums made a party of bliss. It was simply impossible not to feel the music and joy, it was something contagious that unconsciously made your hands applaud and your feet move in synchrony with the music.

The celebration finished after a couple of hours and, to our surprise, the pastor called us forward to present ourselves to the community. Everyone was warm, receptive and happy to welcome us, as when a new member joins a family. It felt just like home, a new home that since that day has had its arms wide open to this group of volunteers that can only be thankful for all the love received from the vincentian community.

*This article is specially dedicated to Juliet, Glenroy and their children, who have been an example of a special, caring family and unconditional friends in Saint Vincent. 

A prince charming came into my room

For some reason, I’ve been waking up one time during the night for the past few days. Last evening, I went out of my room for a couple of minutes, leaving the door open. I hadn’t even repair on that; anyway, I knew I was not going to take too long outside.

When I came back, right in the middle of the dark corridor, with the dim romantic light of the crescent moon, he had sneaked into my room. One jump was enough to have him inside. Just as when love arrives, I couldn’t have time to think or hesitate. It was just like a crush that freezes you out, without knowing what to do. I was totally disconcerted, thinking why I hadn’t closed the door, but all these days I had been out without having this surprising visit. After hesitating for a couple of minutes if I should go inside, I decided to be courageous and get in, to deal and confront the situation, just like any compromised couple does.

I took the first step, without knowing what to do or what to say. I sat on my bed and started to smile and laugh, but some tears came out of my eyes. To be honest, I wanted to cry. It was just like the reaction brides have when they get their bridal dress. They feel happy but they can’t hold their tears. What a powerful feeling. And as more as I wanted to control it, the stronger the feeling became.

I didn’t want to see him. I turned my head just a couple of times to know where he was. I wasn’t brave enough to make eye contact. We were just there. Both sitting. Waiting. That awkward moment when you are fighting and silence takes over the place. Everything passed through my head: ways to fix the situation, going to a specialist to deal with the issue or just leaving the room and wait until next day. I was so confused. I just didn’t know what to do. Laughter and tears became more powerful and unstoppable.

After some minutes I decided to take the initiative and confront what was happening. But when I turned my face to see him, it was not there anymore. I didn’t feel the getaway. Shocked and confused I walked to my room door to see what had happened. Five meters far from me, in a corner, there he was. Quiet and resigned. His heart was bumping so fast that I could see the chest moving back and forth, heart going crazy with diastole and systole palpitations.

He just knew that it was not meant to be. I was glad and thankful to be understood. Silence had said everything. I really hope that that prince charming finds her princess, because at least now, I don't want to kiss any frog. 

Taken from:  http://photobucket.com/images

¡La felicidad es amarilla, como el Caribe!

Hay días en que la felicidad es completa, es amarilla, es de todos los colores maravillosos que pasan por los ojos, sorprendiendo cada milésima de segundo y excediendo las máximas expectativas de lo que el paraíso podía ser.

Compartir con los vicentinos es algo que me llena el corazón, es una bocanada de aire, es sentir que va a explotar el corazón, tal cual como le ocurre a un globo cuando lo inflan y parece que no diera más, pero siempre cabe un poco más de felicidad. A mí me cabe cada día un poco más de felicidad por estas personas.

Es un paraíso único, sin igual, y su gente lo hace simplemente maravilloso. Los chiquitos disfrutando cada segundo y su risa sonando constantemente como melodía. Verlos recitar el Padre Nuestro o el Gloria con sus ojitos cerrados y moviendo su cuerpo, casi bailando, porque cantarle a Dios es para ellos una fiesta, que aunque no haya música, la sienten y la celebran.

La capacidad de hacer amigos en una noche —realmente amigos— dejando de lado lo que estén haciendo, para llevarnos de regreso a nuestra casa para evitar la extenuante caminata de 50 minutos, sabiendo que la próxima vez que nos encontremos, el apretón de manos y el choque de puños será un símbolo de complicidad al hablar el mismo lenguaje, el de la música y el de la risa.

La bandera vicentina

Cuando era pequeña aprendí en clase de sociales, geografía, e incluso arte, la distribución de la bandera de mi país, Colombia.  Primero debía dibujar un rectángulo que incluiría los tres colores de la nación. Luego, este rectángulo debía dividirse en dos partes iguales en sentido horizontal. La primera mitad de este sub-rectángulo correspondía al color amarillo, alusivo a la riqueza de nuestro suelo, el sol y el oro hallado en épocas precolombinas. La segunda mitad debía dividirse en dos partes iguales, siendo la del medio de color azul, representando el cielo que cubre la patria, los ríos y los dos océanos que bañan las curvas de ambos costados del territorio: el Pacifico y el Atlántico. Por último, el tercer recuadro debía ser rojo, relacionado a la sangre vertida en los campos de batalla para conseguir la libertad.

Y es que, en Colombia, a pesar de cualquier falencia social, política o económica, somos patriótas y vestimos con orgullo “la tricolor”. Incluso, recién llegué a este paraíso, de las primeras cosas que hice, —inconscientemente— fue tomar tres hojas de papel: una amarilla, una azul y una roja, para armar una bandera y pegarla con orgullo en la parte exterior de la puerta de mi cuarto, como si fuese un sello distintivo.

Al pasar unos días, mientras sosteníamos una conversación con amigos de diferentes partes del mundo (Bélgica, Chile, Dinamarca, entre otros) uno de ellos habló de otro voluntario que también era colombiano y que había estado aquí hace unos años. Por algún motivo hizo mención de este compatriota para ejemplificar cuán apasionados éramos los colombianos al hablar de nuestro país.

¡Bélgica celebra el fútbol al mejor estilo paisa!

Valga mencionar que este sujeto no sólo era patriota, sino buen negociante, pues con él trajo varios ponchos paisas para venderle a los extranjeros, quienes intercambiaron una cantidad formidable de dólares americanos por dicha prenda autóctona de un país que, para su información, no sólo es conocido por la marihuana.

Me sorprendí gratamente de que él fuera distinguido de esa manera. Mi interlocutor percibió mi gesto y entre risas me preguntó: ¿pero acaso cuando tú llegaste, lo primero que hiciste no fue poner una bandera de Colombia en tu puerta? Tenía razón. Sólo que tal vez era algo que había hecho en modo automático y sólo lo vi claramente hasta después de su reflexión.

Y es que la bandera de cada país es sin duda uno de los símbolos patrios más importantes y más visibles ante todo público. Es un estandarte que denota ciertos colores en un orden, proporción y sentido específico, pero que connota toda la historia, cultura e idiosincrasia de un pueblo.

Dicho esto, era evidente mi interés por conocer el significado de la bandera de San Vicente y las Granadinas. Podía buscarlo en internet, por supuesto, pero quise preguntarle a un nativo qué había detrás de esas franjas de colores, pues no hay nada como escuchar el testimonio de alguien que respira sus creencias desde cada poro de su piel.

Mi inquietud la solucionó Erasto, un rastaman de alrededor 60 años, que trabaja desde hace más de 15 en la Autoridad de Parques Nacionales, Ríos y Playas de este país. Debo admitir que su “oficina” tiene mejor vista que la del mismo Alejandro Santo Domingo en Nueva York. Es más, tuve el lujo de que respondiera mi pregunta mientras caminábamos hacia La Soufriére, divisando a mi izquierda el océano Pacífico y a mi derecha Richmond Peak, el punto más alto de la isla sobre el nivel del mar.  

Erasto Robertson

La bandera de San Vicente y las Granadinas tiene, en su versión actual, tres colores: azul, amarillo y verde, divididos en franjas verticales. La primera representa el océano que rodea estas islas del Caribe. Por cierto, la superficie hídrica de este país es mucho mayor que la superficie terrestre, que cuenta con un área de tan sólo 389 km². La franja amarilla, protagonista en la proporción de la bandera, alude a los rayos del sol que alumbran durante más de 12 horas diarias la jornada de campesinos y pescadores. Por su parte, el verde asemeja la vegetación abundante que hace de este destino un lugar perfecto para el ecoturismo. Para finalizar, en el medio hay tres diamantes que representan al país conformado por múltiples islas, las Granadinas, que en total son 32. Estos rombos forman una V que podrían relacionarse con la inicial del nombre la isla mayor; asimismo, con su ubicación en las Antillas.

Es una explicación corta para la basta belleza de este paraíso y, como suele suceder con la historia, cultura e idiosincrasia, sólo estando “a este lado del charco” —como decimos algunos colombianos— se logra tener una visión holística. Tras mes y medio de estar viviendo aquí conocí de primera mano el significado de la bandera vicentina, y luego de 55 días debo admitir que comienzo a sentir el corazón divido entre mi natal Colombia y esta isla que seduce con sus paisajes y enamora con su gente.

Paradójicamente termino este escrito escuchando el CD de soca —música típica del Caribe— que compré hace unas semanas en Kingstown. De vez en cuando mi mirada se aparta de la pantalla del computador para encontrar la palabra perfecta que poco a poco ha conformado esta secuencia textual. Conduzco los ojos hacia la puerta de mi cuarto que, estando cerrada, tiene al respaldo la bandera de San Vicente y las Granadinas, mientras que sobre el pasillo “la tricolor” sigue resplandeciente. Es una dicotomía de amores que, en tiempos de guerra, tal vez sea la única dualidad válida.

Going beyond second chances (Part II)

It’s amazing how a nice experience can change your perspective about things, persons or, in this case, animals. As I shared in my last blog entrance about second chances with horses (click here to read it), it is wonderful how feelings can change in such a positive way. I was not scared anymore about getting close to these medieval beautiful creatures that are commonly portraited in fantasy books. The amazing turning point is that not only the fear was gone, but it had turned into excitement and happiness of seeing again the lovely Elena; in fact, I actually had missed her and when I saw her, it was like meeting again an old friend with whom bonds are tight enough.

Within a peaceful landscape and a green surrounding, Elena was ready to have fun. She was full of joy, despite it had been a sunny day, that frequently leads to fatigue and laziness. This was not the case and it worked just perfectly to be astonished by her intelligence, that increased with a sweet motivation. Three buckets and some treats where enough to enjoy this time with her.

As usual, she smelled my hand to feel familiar again. Then, I pampered her with some tickles in her neck and brushed the black mane. When she loses her haw and stares at you like if she was smiling, is an affirmative way of saying how much she likes it, and absolutely, a “please don’t stop” expression. But Elena knew that there was something else; something that not only called her attention, but her stomach desires: treats that could only obtain by being polite, obedient and making an occasional wit, just like a house pet.

After the game started she knew what to do, where to go and how to behave. First she stepped back as a sign of respect. Then, she waited the instruction to go towards the first yellow bucket, touch it with her nose, and come back to see if she had earned the tasty price inside the black can. This was the moment when no pressure was allowed; a patient and meek behavior would be the credit to take the treats’ payback, and indeed, she earned them one time after another. The jackpot for Elena came after several games when she was able to receive not only a few, but a whole portion of comfits that was left in the bottom of the bin. She was there, eating happily, while I was sitting calmed and joyful of the moment.

That was Elena, a serene, docile and charming creature that not only gained some candies, but the affection of someone who used to be scared of horses, but now is pretty close to become a huge fan of them.

The reasons behind wars on food and water

There is a lately common maxim that states poverty as a great business. Different authors have developed this declaration to explain why the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. The economic system that enables these pronouncements is the Capitalism, which is based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit[1]. With Capitalism come specific actors: owners able of decision-making and investment. This figure can be seen in dominant countries, international organisms and big private corporations that have a clear interest in making things happen in a very specific way. These calculated moves are thought to be applied over developing countries, wage labour and people with needs, who are more likely to accept deals in which the balance scale clearly leans to the side of the most powerful.  

An evident example of help and deals with hidden interest is the food aid provided by different organisms during stages of drought or floods when food production of agricultural countries is lost. This statement can be named “food aid used as a weapon”[2] that destroys the alimentary independency of farmers, getting them used to external supplies, and leaving aside their traditional work force, knowledge and way of generating economic incomes by selling their surpluses products. Ethiopia, Indonesia, Philippines and Jamaica are examples where food aid seriously affected the agricultural practices, economic incomes and, as a result, acquisition of imported expensive products. Again, rich industries get richer, and poor population gets poorer.

From these examples there are two important considerations: the first is scarcity of resources because of climate conditions and the second, how the shortage of food and water can lead to war. Asia and Africa are prone continents to suffer these conditions, making people and social movements fight over supply sources. Syria, Turkey and Iraq have a conflict over water in the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and oil resources. Palestine and Israel battle over the control of water that comes from Golan Heights, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. The region of Darfur in the western Sudan is in conflict because of water scarcity and the rainfalls have decreased by one third over the last 80 years and Rwanda suffered the terrible genocide in which between one half and one million Tutsis were slaughtered by Hutus over a few months in 1994, basically as a war over access to the fertile land in this densely populated small country.

These are reliable examples, among many others, of how water and food are assets that in case of scarcity can lead to serious struggles. Not in vain has been said that if there is a third World War the reason would be the fight over water. All though governments, media and power groups frequently make believe that religion or politics are the reasons why conflicts are taking place, it is pretty evident that under those arguments, environment, resources, water and food are the genuine motives that lead to violent encounters.

But why are we most often presented for other explanations for these conflicts? There can be several reasons. The first one can be that developing countries are more likely to have raw materials and agricultural practices, but it’s a business for developed countries to sell them fertilizers, pesticides and expensive seeds. In addition, this can also lead to higher rates of importations, that benefit Capitalism, so they are clearly not interested in changing this consumption model or making obvious the importance of valuing the natural assets. As a second fact, land grab has become a new kind of war over food, in which countries like Japan, China, Libya, United Arabic Emirates and Egypt have acquired “vast land areas in the developing world, to secure the food and biofuel production they need”. It is pretty obvious that these deals are not known by everyone, and governments have no interest in people knowing the social, economic and environmental impact these negotiations mean, as an undeniable damage of their lands and sustainability.

“Of the more than 900 million hungry people in the world, 80% are small farmers. They constitute more than one third of the two billion people depending on very small portions of land to make a living”. It is ironic that the people from whom we get the food supplies, don’t have food security, and the worst is that they are in risk of losing their lands, their incomes and their way of applying traditional knowledge. The issue is not about having enough food for 7 billion human beings, but ensure small “farmers get access to land, training and capital to improve agricultural production, getting access to markets without unfair competition from cheap, subsidized products. This requires that governments of poor countries are assisted in promoting agricultural production instead of the current situation where they are forced into unfair trading positions. It also requires a movement away from corporate farming and the dependency on fertilizer, pesticides and other oil-based products”[3].

COUNTRY	CONFLICT
Palestine vs. Israel	Control over water that comes from Golan Heights, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River
Darfur	Water resources. The conflict is shown as a Muslim vs. Christians issue. The rainfall in this part of Sudan has decreased by one third over the last 80 years.
India vs. Pakistan	Conflict over water from the River Indus
Rwanda	Between one half and one million Tutsis were slaughtered by Hutus over a few months in 1994, is basically also a war over access to the fertile land in this densely populated small country.
Turkey, Syria and Iraq	Conflict over water in the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and oil resources.
Kenya	Issue in the fertile Rift Valley escalated into violent conflict at the start of 2008.
Congo	Food crisis in 2008. Conflicts have resulted in the proportion of undernourished people increasing from 29% to 76%.

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[1] Wikipedia. 2016. Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism#cite_note-1

[2] History Front: Wars over food and water.

[3] History Front: Wars over food and water.

Going up to La Soufrière: the natural king and guardian of St. Vincent

Every country has its own appealing characteristics with historical monuments, unique landscapes and particular roadways. These are touristic assets that are frequently used by travel agencies to show how attractive a destiny can be, and carry an interesting number of people to get astonished by different wonders.

Well, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is not far from that. La Soufrière is the country's volcano, a natural monstrous marvel that can be seen from almost every point of the island. It stands there, with all his imperial magnitude, being the king and guardian of this portion of land that carries all the warm of the lava within their citizen kindness.

La Soufrière is one of the highest peaks in St. Vincent. It’s 1.234 meters (4.049 feet) and the last time it erupted was back in 1979. More than 14 thousand people were evacuated from the fervent-red-thick blood of the volcano. But, no worries, by now it keeps calm and quiet, like a baby sleeping with a lullaby.

At 9:00 in the morning we left the school to start the crossing journey to reach the highest point of the mountain, willing to see the crater and tests how far we were from the typical imaginary taught at preschool of a triangular form with the lava coming out of it. It was supposed to be a nine hours walk and the best ally to confront this challenge was to enjoy each step, knowing that with every walked-meter we were closer from the arrival goal.

We started walking along the beach, enjoying the view of the fishermen pulling their nets. Then we came into huge and intimidating rock-walls that covered the mountainside. Finally, we were hiking within a delightful mix of scenarios: dry hills, humid and dark rain forest and palm trees. Suddenly, we reached the half way point. I felt relieved, satisfied and excited, making me want more of that that was coming. We got there so fast and, to be honest, I thought it was going to be tougher than that. I recharged myself with the energy of the trees and continued the path towards the peak.

The other half of the road gave me some trouble though. It didn’t seem that easy anymore, and the refreshing rainforest was left behind. Now we didn’t have any shelter from the immense trees. The path was not green anymore, it turned yellow and dry. Actually, I felt walking through the path of Maximus in The Gladiator movie, when he’s going to meet his family and walks along a wheat field in the old Rome.

The water was almost over by now, the thirst and fatigue dominated the body. We had been walking for four hours, but nothing could stop that craving of reaching the peak. It was almost like a marathon. Your body gets tired, but the mind can only focus on the crossing line. That feeling is the fuel to continue and give one more step, and one more, and one more…

After 36 thousand steps, 23 kilometers and 9 hours, we had gone up in the hill and came back. The landscape was completely worth it. How far was the preschool imaginary from the greatness of that rare beauty of La Soufrière. Not even the best camera could capture the splendid nature of the volcano and its crater. Like a friend of mine says, “the eyes have more pixels”. So if you are reading this and you are planning to come to St. Vincent, just make sure to get the best shoot of the volcano with your own eyes. 

***

I want to dedicate this article to Stephanie English, a nice friend with whom I hiked part of the path to the volcano and gave me a very useful gift to continue writing in my blog!

Population growth as a social and environmental issue

The population growth has become an important concern for the academic and scientific field during the last years. Currently, we are more than 7.4 billion in the world and according to forecasters, the world will reach 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 11.2 billion in 2100. This seems to be an unstoppable number, but there are several aspects that have to be considered to understand the tendencies that are now days happening regards of this matter.

In the documentary “How many people can live on earth”, the naturalist Sir David Attenborough investigates whether the world is heading for a population crisis and how we, as human beings, are the cause, but at the same time the solution to this tendency. It is important to highlight that water, food and energy will not be renewable resources, if they are not able to restore at a rate exceeding the consumption by humans. So either we slow down the speed of reproduction, or we change the feasting habit to make possible the supplying of the people living in all the world.  

In the last years, the rate of consumption per person has become more inequitable and at the same time the nature is not able to satisfy and cover those high levels. One argument that supports this statement is the fact that right now there is more than one billion people who don’t have access to water, thus, it’s not alarmist to claim that “in the future, water will be the reason for wars”, as Sir David Attenborough states.

But before this collision happens, still several issues can trigger, such as high rates of mortality, especially in children. If people is not able to access to a proper health system and the State can’t hold a politic in which every citizen can receive a proper service, the demand will be higher than the offer, making impossible the chance to ensure in a 100% the quality of a fair system.  This can also lead to a higher feasibility of spreading diseases along communities, becoming a public health problem.

So the issue is not having enough food, water or resources such as energy, but the way we are consuming, making them inequitable and disproportionate in the different countries, according to their condition of being industrialized or producers of raw materials. Taking this into account, there are three possible solutions to mitigate the impact: first, change the consumption habits, second, change the current technology, and third, reduce the high rates of human reproduction.

This last point leads to a key fact in demographic growth which is related to women and their condition of beings who give birth to life. The journalist Robert Engelman, Senior Fellow at the Worldwatch Institute, delves into this topic in his article The world at 7 billion: can we stop growing now? Empowering women is to me, one of the most important challenges for the XXI century, and relationships, sex, birth, education and capacity of taking decisions are some of the most important aspects that must be considered. Throughout history women have been relegated from politics, social scenarios, job and education opportunities. Now days this tendency continues, regardless the evolution and development on so many others conditions. Sexual reproduction is an example of the lack of empowerment: more than two in every five pregnancies are unwanted.

It has been studied that the if women have more chances to get educated, not only as a basic or elementary aspect, but in a professional level, the birthrates fall. This appreciation has two important facts: one is mitigating the population growth and the other one refers to having more people supporting the labor force, the economy within a family, a community, a country and worldwide.

All though culture and religion doesn’t enable women of many countries choose their sexual behavior and care, this battle should continue in order to support their empowerment. The Indian philosopher, economist and Nobel prize Amartya Sen explains that elementary liberties show the real development of human beings and in this line the conception should be the most basic liberty any woman should have.

Meeting the local people: a chance to understand their realities

The 6^th of July we had one of the most valuable experiences since we arrived: meeting the vincentians from the villages of Chateaubelair, Rose Bank, Petit Bordel and Rose Hall. For me, communities and the people must be the most respected assets of any place. They know the story, the roots and the social bonds that have been created along time, sharing their culture through generations. We could see a small part of all these concepts when we were able to talk to them. All though we didn’t have that much time, it was such an enriching experience. We were able to talk to them about what they had lived during the night of the 23^rd of December of 2013, date in which a strong rainstorm left terrible environmental consequences like earth erosion, landslides and contamination. Unfortunately, this episode also caused the death of five members of a family.

The first local man we met was in Chateaubelair. All though it’s easy to judge by a first impression, this guy confirmed how wrong that attitude is. Without a doubt he knew what he was talking about, and how wouldn’t he, if he is a journalist from the city. In honor of his job, he told us about the human and environmental consequences after the five-hours storm that happen one night before Christmas, back in 2013. The most interesting fact was seeing one of the four bridges donated by the Ecuadorian Government, as a partnership in which engineers of the army came to St. Vincent to work during six months to reconstruct this pedestrian and vehicular passages. At that moment, Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said: “we were victims of climate change with this rainstorm that has no precedents in our land. All though the countries of the south are not responsible of this catastrophes, we support each other and take the needed actions”.

The second person we met was Doris, who lives in the village of Rose Bank. Unfortunately, she was very close to this natural disaster: five members of her family died drowned by 10 meters of water and mud. Even though it was a felt lost, she highlighted the advantage of this happening during the night, because if it had been during the day, many more people would have died.  

The last person we talked to was in Petit Bordel. Acibam was the name of this kind man who hinted a very special piece of Vincentian culture: the celebrations of funerals. Regardless he could save his kids from the river flow, seeing how homes and land were destroyed was a tough experience that he will never forget. And either Aciabm or the community will forget the people who died. The best way to say the last good bye was with music and a big party in which the celebration of life takes place.

Doris from Rose Bank

Acibam from Petit Bordel

Having the chance to know them was wonderful because it let us see the human side of what natural disasters imply, but we have to keep enhancing these meeting spaces. If we really want to create a bond with the vincentians, and mostly, with the locals from the closest villages, we have to be involved in their daily life. We can’t pretend that they open their doors without knowing us; if they perceive us as scientists that want to study them like mice from a laboratory, they will never feel comfortable among us, leading to an evident failure for any project we want to implement. 

In sociology there is a concept called Social Capital, which refers to social relations that have productive benefits. When a community is able to create a Social Capital, eight consequences comes out: sense of belonging, networks, feelings of trust and safety, reciprocity, participation, citizen power and proactivity, values or norms, and diversity. All these concepts are totally in line with what we want to do in our Climate Compliance program, but it will only be possible if we engage ourselves not only as a part of Richmond Vale Academy, but as an added value and a strategic ally for the vincentians, or at least, of the local people from the closest villages. Once we can create and strength this bonds, we will be able to make sustainable processes within communities, reaching a real development for the region.

The importance of second chances (Part I)

The first time I rode a horse was almost 10 years ago. It was in a very nice landscape in La Calera, a village in Colombia where people usually make horse rides within groups. Chapagne was the name of the horse that was taking me. She was white and had a beautiful blondish hair. After few minutes, Champagne started to run really fast, having me on top of her back. She had bolted, so I could control her, making me lose the stability.

After this experience, I hadn’t had the chance to be close enough to any horse, and to be honest, I didn’t feel like searching for a second time either. That was until the past two weeks when I arrived to Richmond Vale Academy where nature is the mail character of the scenario. Among others animals I found horses. Not one, but five, and the first thing that made me curious about them was that they were out in the garden, like pets. They didn’t’ have strings attached and they were totally used to people, dogs and cats, all going around. That called my attention and decided to have a one on one class with them and Stina, from whom I had heard the special relationship and language she shares with them.

When the day finally came I felt anxious and nervous. We went to see the girls: Magic, Moonlight and Elena. At first it was quite intimidating because the three of them started to walk upon us and I didn’t expect that. But after making them know who had the control of the situation, without making any harm or aggressive manner, I realized the importance of using a proper body language.

Elena was my favorite. She behaved like a princess: polite and discreet. She made eye contact with us and approached in a very nice way, ready to smell my hand and recognize who was standing in front of her. Then I understood the importance of having a mutual empathy with animals. Just like it works with humans, we both have a specific energy and feeling with the ones whom which we interact, and they also need to take time to feel you and accept you, no matter if the interlocutor turns to be an animal or a human. It works like a rebound effect: if you introduce yourself diplomatically, the horses will do so. But if you present yourself aggressively and challenging, the payback will not be quite good.

After this first approach, we went even more bold: pamper her. At first it was quite intimidating because her head was huge. I’m a petite person whose height is 1.50 meters, so I felt really small compared to her size. But when I started to tickle her, she showed the joy with her mouth just like when a child gets to see a candy. Even it was unbelievable to see how she reacted if I stopped rubbing her hair: she asked for more twisting her head towards Stina’s chest.

And like if this was not enough surprising, the class finished giving Elena a ride from one garden to another. She was put a collar and a rope, just like an owner who takes his dog to the park, and stared walking. At first she wanted to make a stop every two steps to eat some grass, and it was fine. But after a while that I was staying behind from Moonlight and Magic, I understood by Stina that we have to show them who’s in charge of the situation and whom should follow who. Elena understood that easily and then she continued the path without any problem.

After this three main corporal expression: hand’s smell, tickles or rubbing and walking, I understood the importance of making a presentation and a calm first approach with animals, specially horses. Now I understand that I probably did something incorrect the day I met Champagne and that’s why she reacted aggressively. Now I understand the importance of giving second chances, especially when it comes to animals like horses, which have a heart as big as their corporal body.

Una parada técnica en Barbados

San Vicente y las Granadinas son islas pertenecientes a las Antillas Menores, ubicadas en el mar Caribe, rodeadas por un paisaje paradisiaco que podría considerarse el común denominador de la región. Al norte colinda con Antigua y Barbuda, Dominica y Santa Lucía; al sur, Granada y Trinidad y Tobago y al oriente, Barbados. Éste fue el lugar elegido para realizar una parada técnica antes de llegar a Kingstown, capital de San Vicente y las Granadinas. Desde Bogotá es un vuelo directo. En tan sólo 3 horas y 10 minutos se llega a este destino turístico que cada vez toma más fuerza y que es reconocido por ser la cuna de Rihanna, factor que parece trivial, pero da un gran peso a la isla en términos de visibilidad hacia los viajeros.

Aeropuerto Internacional Grantley Adams

El aeropuerto internacional Grantley Adams - su nombre en honor al primer líder de gobierno de Barbados – es pequeño, pero su gente lo llena de calor humano. No imagino otro lugar, diferente al Caribe, en donde el personal sea tan amable que incluso cante el nombre de sus visitantes con alguna anécdota mientras realiza sus trámites aeroportuarios. Para ir hacia el hotel nadie se abalanza sobre los recién llegados turistas y la calma del atardecer se ve reflejada en la actitud de sus nativos.

Si por algún motivo no llega el transporte del hotel, no dude en tomar un taxi de los lugareños. Tienen un rústico sistema de asignación de vehículos y la amabilidad es una característica innata de los barbadenses. Además, es la perfecta oportunidad para preguntar acerca de los mejores lugares turísticos, los platos típicos, las mejores playas o incluso otras islas aledañas recomendables para extender por unos cuantos días el viaje. Sin embargo, hay que afinar el oído pues su acento es complejo de entender. Al igual que un costeño de Cartagena hablándole a un extranjero que a duras penas se defiende en español, es posible quedar totalmente perdido al cruzar las primeras palabras y verse en la necesidad de pedir la repetición del mensaje. La afabilidad de los locales les permitirá repetir, explicar o incluso casi gritar lo dicho, hasta que la cara del turista demuestre (así sea por cortesía) que ha entendido el mensaje.

Si bien Barbados es conocido por ser una isla paradisiaca, una parada técnica de menos de 24 horas no permite adentrarse lo suficiente. Sin embargo, sus paisajes con un mar helado, las costas llenas de arrecifes y las palmeras que no dejan de bambolear sus ramas por el fuerte viento que ruge son encantadoras. Es el cuadro perfecto para tomar un desayuno típico que hace explotar los sabores al degustarlo: jugo de naranja natural, una bandeja de papaya, patilla y piña como si fuese una ración familiar, omelette de tomates secos y albahaca con un toque único, bananitos asados inigualables, papas sofreídas en cubos y tostadas de pan crujientes con mantequilla y mermelada de fresa recién hecha. Este banquete cumple con el refrán de “barriga llena, corazón contento” pero además, con la satisfacción de la autora de tal manjar que con sus amplias caderas, piel canela y sonrisa resplandeciente goza al ver la felicidad de sus comensales.

Una caminata por los alrededores es la cereza en el pastel y un panorama de contrastes se apodera de la cámara. Casas de todo tipo y distintos colores, pero con un patrón: parecer completamente abandonadas. Realmente es difícil identificar qué construcción está habitada y cuál ha sido consumida por la historia. Sin embargo, la mayoría tienen aparcados carros que casi en su totalidad son lujosos. Es una divergencia que revela tímidamente el estilo de vida y cultura de la isla, sin pretender generalizar lo que hacia el norte de la región se encuentra.

Nuevamente llega puntual un conductor a recoger las maletas y el recorrido de unos cuantos kilómetros hacia el Grantley Adams. Su gente, su amabilidad y las abundantes porciones de comida dan la despedida a un destino que sin duda merece la pena ser recorrido con calma. Por ahora esta parada técnica se convierte en un abrebocas más que interesante hacia una experiencia de seis meses en un paraíso llamado San Vicente y las Granadinas.