First week at the Yerba Buena Farm in St. Mary.

I have been in Jamaica for five days and I learned so much about what it takes to live in balance with nature. Every part of the day is a collaborative effort whether you're working with someone or not, your actions are meant to benefit everyone. Work with a purpose, act with confidence and determination to complete a goal. When exhaustion consumes me at the end of the day, I know I worked hard and well.
I live here on a vegan bee farm with Agape, Kwao and their six boys (in order of age) Emanuel, Melchizedek, Joshua, Enoch, Kofi, and little Kudjoe. Everyone is working all day long. The mangy dog, screaming children, mud, scrapes and bee stings are all woven into an incredibly hard working family with a simple goal of a happy and healthy life. An important factor of their lives is extracting oils and making hydrosol (plant infused water) using the healing plants around them. These plants have unbelievable healing qualities that can replace over the counter medicine with countless chemicals that have varying effects. One of the first teas I drank was ginger tea because like usual, I get sick when I travel. The tea instantly gives your stomach ache and body relief. It can also sooth a sore throat and a cold. It is a very warming root. The second tea I drank was made with a vine called cerassee. Agape wanted me to drink this incredibly bitter tea to make myself less attractive to mosquitos. Cerassee is also good for rashes and belly pain. Aside from drinking tea, we use the oils to either directly rub on the skin if it is something like tea tree oil that can help a mosquito bite, or use it to make scented and medicinal lotions and soaps!
Luckily I get to learn a huge amount about bee keeping as well while I'm here! In Jamaica, the outsourcing of honey products is forbidden, which provides an incentive to make their own! The boys don't eat sugar so the occasional treat of honey or sugar cane is wonderful for them. Here they have top bar hives which they have found gives the bees a more natural structure and overall makes them less aggressive. At the moment, the flowers are not in bloom so most of the work consists of inspecting the hives and the combs to assure healthy behavior and feed the bees by placing clear bags of sugar water at the bottom of the hive. Working and observing the rhythm of the bees is fascinating. They are incredibly independent and intelligent creatures.
One of my favorite parts of the day is walking. I love walking around this town because there is a infectious communal understanding that we are all here to support each other and live well. It is so important to connect with people and show your efforts to making their day even brighter. I feel uplifted when I engage in a cheerful greeting with people I hardly know and can hopefully get to know more. Another important part of my day is my intricate inspection and absorption of the scenes around me. I feel so happy and lucky to have a camera and a way to show people Jamaica and the world through my eyes.