24 Sep ALDEIA – 23 SEPTEMBER 2019 – COMMUNITY

Life is a joke, if you don’t laugh it means you haven’t understood it. If you did understand it, make sure you surround yourself with people who are glad to co-laugh with you. 

On the 16th of September we woke up early, we prepared the car for the road and left Itacare at the end of the 17 kilometers that separate it from Pedra do Sabia. 

There we were waited by Fabrizio who helped us put our luggage in the boat and we continued our voyage for 5 more minutes on the Da Conta river. 

This river that makes you think you have some accounts to settle here, is surrounded by the luxurious jungle full of lianas and palm trees and has from place to place small green islands full of native trees. 

Here, some with more “generous accounts” have built vacation houses, others have found it a great place to breed animals. 

When we arrived at Aldeia we were greeted with open arms and a “Bun Venit” painted by the children. 

Oscar was greeted by the community’s dogs, two huge German Shepherds, with a series of tumbles, more noisy than aggressive, just to be clear who is the alpha and who is the invitee. Becka ran away the moment she set foot on this land and we even started worrying because here the snakes swallow cattle, cats are a gourmet. Piccolina had her adjustment and didn’t come out from under the blankets for 4 days. 

Aldeia is more than a community of nice people united by the love for nature, a healthy, sustainable life, it is a breath of fresh air away from the urban jungle. 

And, as we don’t like to be just bystanders, we enrolled in the work and for four hours a day we work and help where needed. 

This is how we found out how peanut butter was made, a cocoa cream much better than Nutella, the ghee, coconut butter, and hydrating Aldeia creams. 

We took part in the production process, then we weighed, we boxed it, we sealed. It took us some time to adjust to the natural rhythm of Aldeia. 

Here, life takes part in the present, children have sharper eyes than the jungle animals and a mind more beautiful than Russell Crowe’s. 

Carla, Aris, and Ana feel here like ducks in the water. They run around barefoot, swim every day in the river and the waterfall, play chess, sing, dance, play theatre and speak at least three foreign languages. 

There are children born here and also children come here with their parents in the “Terra Preta” program. 

Not everything is like in the movies. The dirty things we do are disposing of the poo buckets from the dry, dirty toilets and the internet that comes in portions. 

Other than that, nothing, life is better than in the movies!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

***

COMUNITATE

Viata este o gluma, daca nu razi inseamna ca nu ai inteles-o. Daca ai inteles-o insa, asigura-te ca esti inconjurat de oameni care sunt bucurosi sa rada impreuna cu tine.

Pe 16 septembrie ne-am trezit foarte de dimineata, am pregatit masina de drum si am lasat Itacaré in urma celor 17 km ce duc la Pedra do Sabia. 

Acolo ne-a asteptat Fabrizio, ne-a ajutat sa urcam bagajele in barca si am continuat drumul inca vreo 5 minute, de data asta pe apele raului Da Conta. Raul asta care te duce cu gandul ca aici ai de incheiat niste conturi este inconjurat de jungla luxurianta ce abunda in liane si palmieri si pastreaza din loc in loc mici insule pline de verdeata si copaci nativi. Aici, unii mai cu “conturi generoase” si-au construit casute de vacanta iar altii un loc numai bun de crescut animale. 

Ajunsi la Aldeia am fost primiti cu bratele deschise si cu un BUN VENIT in romana, colorat si pictat de copii. Oscar a fost si el primit de patrupezii comunitatii, doi vlajgani ciobanesti germani cu cateva reprize de batai, mai mult zgomotoase decat sangeroase, doar asa ca sa se stie cine-i alpha si cine-i invitat! Becka a fugit de cum a pus piciorul in iarba si dusa a fost pentru cateva zile de intrasem in stres si banuieli, caci serpii aici sunt la ei acasa si daca inghit vitei atunci pisicile sunt deserturi gourmet. Picolina si-a luat si ea portia de bun venit si a ramas ascunsa sub paturi in camera pentru cateva zile.

“Aldeia” este mai mult decat o comunitate de oameni misto uniti prin dragostea pentru natura, pentru o viata sustentabila si sanatoasa, este o gura de aer proaspat departe de jungla urbana. Si cum nu ne place doar sa privim de pe margine, cu mic cu mare am pus osul la treaba, si patru ore pe zi lucram cu spor si ajutam acolo unde este nevoie.

Asa am invatat cum se face untul de arahide, crema de cacao ce bate la fund Nutella, ghee-ul, uleiul de cocos sau cremele hidratante “Da Aldeia”. 

Am participat la procesul de productie, apoi am cantarit, am ambalat am sigilat.

Ne-a luat ceva timp sa ne adaptam la noul fus orar specific vietii in comunitatea “Aldeia”. Aici viata curge in prezent, copiii au privirea mai agera decat o au animalele junglei si o minte mai sclipitoare decat a lui Russel Crowe. Carla, Aris si Ana se simt aici precum pestele in apa. Se alearga mult in picioarele goale, se inoata zilnic in rau si la cascada, se joaca sah, se canta, se danseaza, se interpreteaza piese de teatru si se vorbeste in cel putin 3 limbi straine. 

Sunt copii care s-au nascut si au crescut in sanul comunitatii dar si copii veniti impreuna cu parintii prin programul de voluntariat “Terra Preta”.

Nu toate sunt ca-n filme. Lucrurile murdare pe care le facem sunt schimbatul galetilor cu caca fara o de la baile seci si murdare sunt si orele de internet care vin cu ratia.

In rest, nimic, viata bate filmul!