Today Nick and I worked with Martin at length to start planning the Ulaa service sector. It is exciting and beautiful to see this plan come together, and we all hope so much that some of our readers will be interested in the program we are constructing. Below I have written the four main points of our plan.
Las Paisajes–The Landscape
The farm is the heart of Ulaa. It is most important to realize that we are here for the farm. Ulaa’s fields grow walnuts, apples, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, pumpkins, potatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce, basil, tomatoes, and more. Chickens roost in their hen house and trout and salmon swim in the lakes. The landscape is very, very alive, and we are here to keep it vibrant.
La Gente–The People
The people who come to Ulaa to serve on the farm must come with a proactive attitude and a hard-work ethic.
Ulaa is beautiful and it is impossible not to feel at peace here. BUT, it is important to realize that volunteers can not come simply for relaxation. Their stay here will be free or at a minimum cost, but they must come prepared to be a core part of the hard work that keeps Ulaa healthy.
The people, the volunteers of Ulaa, together will make a whole unit, with each person an integral part of the unit. The sucess of the whole depends upon each person fulfilling his or her tasks. For example, Ulaa is far from any major road or market; basic supplies that can not be made on the farm–like toilet paper–are delivered regularly; but other basic items–like bread and jam–that can be made on the farm must be made on the farm. Getting bread and jam at Ulaa is not a simple short-trip-to-the-store endeavor. Instead, for the jam, someone must pick the berries, take out their thorns, and boil them with sugar until they resemble jelly. For the bread, someone must mix the flour and yeast and let it rise, and then bake it. These are simple examples, but I mean to paint the picture of how everyone’s well-being, in addition to the well-being of Ulaa itself, depends on each person helping out where they can.
The collective contributions of everyone make Ulaa a beautiful experience. In our normal lives, things like bread and jam are items we buy at the nearest grocery store. At Ulaa, they are things you make from scratch with your own hands. It is all hard work, but the reward is priceless: you learn where your meals come from; you feel close to and a part of what you eat; and you gain a deeper respect and understanding of our relationship with nature and our place within nature.
Las Cabanas–The Cabins
All of the volunteers will stay in log cabins on the Ulaa property. The cabins are gorgeous–rustic, wooden, and overlooking the two lakes Ulaa sits between. Each bedroom has an incredibly comfortable wooden bed with a fluffy warm comforter. Each cabin has a bathroom that can be shared between the 2 or 3 inhabitants of the cabin.
Eating, like the farm work, is also a collective endeavor. The kitchen in the main lodge is where all the group meals are cooked. A gigantic oven and a whole lot of counterspace make it hard to have too many cooks in the kitchen. Like always, everyone will be a part of the meal process, and all the volunteers will eat 3 meals together everyday–and all of the meals will be made from food grown right from Ulaa’s soil.
Los Alerces–The Alerces
The Alerces are giant, ancient trees growing in the forests surrounding Ulaa. It takes one year for an alerces tree to grow a single milimeter. These trees loom high into the sky, giving you an idea of how old they really must be. Their majestic beauty helps to connect you to nature and remind you of the wonders of our natural world. Seeing them will make you excited to be cultivating the land in this beautiful place…
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We are so excited to put the Ulaa service project together. It is something so close to our hearts, and something we know will be enriching to anyone who takes part in it. In the coming days, look for my posts that will detail exact volunteer duties, the costs of this experience, and more details on the fabric of Ulaa…
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