Paulina, Paulina where does your garden grow?

It took awhile, but Paulina can now say she has her own garden. And this is without the assistance from organizations in town. When Paulina first told me she wanted help with a personal garden we went straight to town in search of a small grant to get started, needing help with materials such as fencing and tools, even a scale so she could possibly sell the vegetables. This girl's a thinker, let me tell you. Neither organization was able to help which was a bummer, but the hardest part was having to tell Paulina the bad news. The men we talked to spoke too much and too fast for her to get the message so I was the one who had to say, "No," when she asked, "Are they going to help us?" There was a training offered which we decided to wait for but neither of us ended up going so I instead got a Peace Corps gardening manual to look through and we already had some seeds, just needed time to start. So one Saturday morning we decided to go for it. We planted some seeds in plastic bottles at first thinking that would give us time to dig up a spot since her father's fenced in garden was now full of cabbage. But while collecting soil for our seedlings we decided the spot we got it from was a perfect place for a garden. It's back in the bush a ways but Paulina walks past there everyday when going to bathe. Maybe it's too shady as well but she was willing to try it out and I'm no gardening expert. I'm learning right along with her and I feel like she asked me to help, not because she needed it, but because she wanted me there. Notice all the we's and us's which make me so very happy. Helping with a personal garden can be seen as a Peace Corps secondary project and I feel like all I'm doing is spending time with a friend. I couldn't think of a better "job" to have. How I love my life! Another example of this is baking with Sarah Ack, which I'll write about next time... Loves and Hugs!