Yesterday was our final day of the PDC, which culminated in presentations
of our group projects. For our projects, we were required to spend 12 hours
designing a layout for a permaculture garden using the principles and
techniques we learned in class. Inspired by Rachel’s trip, my group chose to
design for a piece of property in the Himalayas that we proceeded to name
Shiva’s Sanctuary after the Himalayan god. Among other things, our design
included terrace farming, a 70 meter-long bridge, round-wood shelters built
into the mountain for our goats, sheep and cow, an aquaculture system, passive
solar techniques, a food forest (with over 20 different varieties of edible
trees and shrubs), and a playhouse for the kiddies (also built into the
mountain like the mystical cave I was always hoping to discover as a young
person). Plus, the house was incredible. A one-story stone building built directly
into the side of the mountain with an attached greenhouse for extra warmth, a
wood-fired oven with heat transfer directly to our wood pile, and a hot tub for
a little R&R after those 2-day hikes from the nearest village (my only
major contribution).
But
the best part of the day was our party/talent show after the presentations.
Alex and Artur brewed some mean pina coladas that we drank in merriment while
everyone performed for one another. Troy told jokes (Why was the tomato
blushing? Because he saw the salad dressing. Har Har), Taka did a magic trick
(that actually wasn’t very tricky), Melanie, Maurice and Judith covered
themselves in mud and rode around – all 3 of them – on the world’s smallest
bicycle, Rachel shared a poem, Kyohei twisted himself into a human pretzel (that
boy is crazy flexible) and Kelly and I taught the group some dance moves to the
song, “I Like to Move It.” Appropriate, no? They were as follows:
Ping-Pong: Jolt your right arm high up into the air with
your palm facing left. Then quickly bring your arm down and smack your hand
back and forth like you are hitting a ping-pong ball with a paddle.
Walk the Dog: Pretty self-explanatory, but pretend that you
are walking a dog, adding in a couple of body thrashes every 4 beats or so.
Q-tip: In sets of 3, swab every other ear and then throw
your Q-tip away.
Pick the Apples/Pick the Shrooms: Reach up in a grab-like
motion, alternating both arms as they move up and down toward the invisible
trees up high. Slowly bring your arms toward the ground and perform the same
motion as though you are plucking mushrooms from the pasture down below.
Wash the Laundry: Straighten both of your arms and place
them in front of your pelvis. Bend over slightly and alternate pulling your
arms up towards your chest and pushing them down towards your knees. Assume you
have a metal grate in front of you that you are forcefully scrubbing your loincloth
on.
Beat the Tympanum: Raise your left arm and left leg
simultaneously, then throw them down while projecting your body forwards with a
jump. You can also add in a head-bang if you so desire. Do this in sets of 4.
Milk the Cow: A real crowd pleaser. Stand with your legs
shoulder width apart and sway from side to side. Then, simultaneously, put your
arms in front of you like you are getting ready to drive a vehicle. Pull
downwards with your left hand. Then your right. Repeat several times. Do not
forget the body sway.
I
think its pretty safe to say that we won, although I believe Neil came in a
close second with his pig-conversation exercise (we were all obligated to
communicate with one another via snorts.) I must say that Kelly failed in this
arena, as her snort is much too meek. She sounds more like a sad gerbil
attempting to grasp for air than a hog. But she is determined to get better, and I
have faith in her. As for tomorrow, we begin Farm-Lab, where we get to put into
practice some of what we learned in the PDC. Sounds like earth and straw bale
building are on agenda, which means I get to play in the mud ( :
Until next time.......
- Sparx
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