You've got to eat your veggies

Today I find myself in Vassouras, a small town 100 km north of Rio de Janeiro. We are participating in a conference with various Points of Living Culture groups for the week, and it has been an interesting and diverse dance. I am finding that the Caravan can´t help but infuse music, and song, and alternative ideas in each place that we visit. Yesterday, our kitchen team did a day of alternative nutrition for 100 people attending the conference. The day before, we went to each classroom to propose the idea of a day of alternative alimentaçao, and we received unanimous support, so I didn´t feel like we were imposing these ideas in a forceful way--this was an opportunity to share information and resources. That´s all.

So for breakfast, we prepared homemade yoghurt, granola, and suco verde, a green juice made with lime and leafy greens (collards and kale, for instance), and sweetened with cane sugar. For lunch there were huge cauldrons of brown rice, vegetable stir-fry, black beans, tabouli, and organic mixed salad greens that we procured from a local farm outside the town. And for dinner, chapatis, squash soup with coconut milk, and farofa, a Brasilian dish made with mandioca flour, onions, garlic, and collards. And fruit, lots of fruit: watermelon, grapes, papaya, apples, mandarins.

We also transformed the dining hall into a lean, green, resource-efficient machine, with compost bins for the leftover food and a self-service dish washing station to save on water--and we beautified the space with fresh flowers and rainbow-colored flags. The day was filled with lots of energy, and I think the people were pleased and appreciative of our efforts.

Aside from the day-to-day happenings of Caravan life, I am in the process of figuring out What I Want To Do Next. My visa expires in 6 weeks and I feel resistant to leaving. Still! So I have opened up a conversation with some of the Caravan leaders about obtaining a cultural visa, which means that I can stay for rest of the duration of the project, until March. I don´t know what will happen, but I want to try.

Because I still don´t know how to samba, though I am a diligent student.

Lots of love for now. Will be in touch again soon...