We've now arrived in Guayama district in the mountains of southern Puerto Rico. Here we are helping Cesar, whose farm and home were seriously damaged by the 2 hurricanes. Despite happening over a year ago, there is still lots of reconstruction to do. The water tank that you see here was filled with 800 gallons of water and was thrown from the roof of the house in the background. 5 rooms, that were to be a home for adults with Downs syndrome, had their roof blown off. Perhaps worst of all, for a farm, most of the fruit trees were swept away. We have started work planting new seedlings in buckets and clearing debris ready for planting. We've also taken some time to explore the local area, with Cesar and fellow volunteer Cecilia. Celsa, Cesar's wife has just arrived and has been shocked by the changes. Not only the farm but the whole community has changed with entire roads, shops and other community centres no longer existing.
Such bad luck for the areas that got so devasted but you are doing good works to help renew things and hopefully get your friends back on their feet again. I wonder how long your newly planted trees will take to grow, any ideas?
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work and have fun as well x
Hi Ailsa, thanks for your question. Cesar's aim is to plant things which will be ready within a year. So far we've been planting mostly sweet peppers, spinach and lettuce which grow fast; yuccas, papayas and pineapples which grow slower. Our salads at lunchtime are usually made up of leafy vegetables, tomatoes & peppers from the farm.
DeleteI don’t suppose they have problems with slugs do they?
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Not many slugs but a lot of snails where we are at the moment. Hope you and yours are well x
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