Ausentes de Nuestra Tierra. Prosa lírica.

Ya la vela ilumina lo tenue de la existencia.
Son pocos los guisantes desta sopa,
pero alcanza para compartir.
Soy un engendro de la rebeldía,
nadie sabe como voy, solo navego en la ausencia,
como una sombra.

Así voy. Visionando el término de una Era.
La Era de la Antigüedad, donde el hombre, como especie,
estaba ligado a su tiempo, a su tierra, a sus tradiciones.
Hoy todo es distinto.
El humor de lo internacional, todo lo invade.
Así perdemos nuestros propios territorios,
pues no hay sustento cultural que lo aguante.

Así camino...
Son largas las noches que medito ahuyentando el futuro
renegándome al pasado, como un frugal dulce de cine.
Se que el mundo rural, aquello que se creía firme e
inapropiable, ahora se ve desierto, anónimo, presa
de los saqueadores sin nombre.
Aquellas ratas del desierto.



Peces en el agua.
Son los misterios cumplidos,
la obra realizada.

El alzar la mierada al sol,
solo te encandila,
haciéndote perder el rumbo.

Solíamos decir:
Que venga el futuro!
como una aventura,
o simplemente,
como una esperanza.

Ahora, salimos del turno,
solo para repercutir,
con nuestras soledades.



Soledades & Saudades.
Pronto vendré de vuelta a tu regazo,
Tierra Mía.
Espérame tibia y fresca,
como siempre te conocí.

Así solo mirando en la espesura.
Sigo sin derivancia.
Solo en el tiempo me fijo.
En esta vela que no para de titiliar.

Sabemos, los hombres.
Los sueños nos hacen reconfortar.
Son húmedos resplandores de un
mañana mejor -o peor-?

Aquellos humores, no son solo
tentativas del infinito.
Albores eternos?



Ojos de Sal.
Así vivimos.
Perdidos en el sabor.

La sequedad del sol,
nos quiebra.
Porque somos
pera, carne y sol.

Es el devenir de los
caminantes sin rumbo.

Así se solía decir.




(...)claro, después de una invierno veraniego,
no podía hacer otra cosa que esperar, así paciente.
De pronto el sol despuntó, pero nunca llegó a Valpo.
Tuve que ir a buscarle, y con él, la puerta hacia los cueros.
El trovar de los pelos unidos por su endodermis.
Misterioso tema. Así el divagar rural no para.
Un devenir misterioso, -o por lo menos para el urbano-.
No hay límites para el trovador de tiempos.

Se teñirán las montañas de ausencia,
cuando aquellos viejos estandartes,
dejen sus asientos de calma,
en el fuego.
En ese momento,
la oscuridad vendrá,
y todo parecerá
nebuloso & confuso.
Muchos se preguntarán del cómo,
pero la tierra ya no encontrará oídos..

Seremos todos, ausentes de nuestra tierra.

El tiempo devora a sus hijos.
Pero hay quienes se resisten.
no en carne sino en  Espíritu.


Roc

Volunteer life by Samantha Spry

The dream began in Valparaiso at the start of February.  To be one year on the road, living the life of a volunteer. 

It is something that I had been planning for many years. 

A personal challenge, a break from the daily

life I was so used to. Leaving my comfort zone and stepping into the unknown. A journey of faith, a mysterious road ahead in many ways and one I would not be able to overplan.  And also the practicalities. Can I survive for very little money, will I get accepted into the help exchanges than I am interested in. Questions with no answers but after feeling stressed with these variables, I decided this was perhaps part of the self discovery I was looking for, how would I deal with the vast unknown or any problems that may arise.  The answer in my mind became clear. To live day by day, moment by moment.  An ultimate journey of faith and trust. I decided to simply believe. That I would be looked after and I decided also to have faith in myself, with a positive mind and tools such as yoga I should surely be able to deal with whatever may present itself along the way. 

Can I survive for very little money ?, will I get accepted into the help exchanges than I am interested in?

           I had volunteered in a foreign country once before and had fallen in love with the experience.  A small village 2000m above sea level in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the incredible country of Nepal where 'Guest is God'. There I saw that I could live for very little, and more importantly, feel purpose and connection somewhere so far from home.  I could also experience creative inspiration from the environment and a rich and real education about the local culture and life.

         So here I am, I arrived to find Roc, the dreamer, the cultural ambassador, the one who has created a very special place which he has birthed from a vision and the man who is always working through each question and adjusting accordingly as time and events provide clues for improvement and the evolution of the Patio Baron. This is somewhere quite unlike anywhere I had been before, where creativity and ideas are the backbone of a life in the workshops. To work towards the fulfilment of a personal vision, to have discipline (always a challenge!) to listen to the inner voice and believe in yourself and also to offer something of this to strangers from around the globe.  Perhaps I recognised this type of courage, when the voices within are heard, fostered and a commitment is made to manifest the dream, to take that leap of faith and open the doors to the world and see what may come!

 As an artist, Valparaiso 
is incredibly rich in visual 
stimulus, street art is everywhere...

        I feel I am very fortunate to have found this place. As an artist, Valparaiso is incredibly rich in visual stimulus, street art is everywhere, interesting architecture, hills and beaches and it has its Port which is a feast for the eyes and the senses.  The hills are alive and the history of the place showed itself as I walked through the streets exploring this new place.  The Patio is in a prime location for a volunteer who is on a tight budget. Walking distance to all that you may need is very important, as here I have needed to feed and sustain myself.  For almost a month I have lived in this place, visiting many of the local shops, and an occasional trip to the supermarket, I have even bought fresh fish at Caleta Portales which was a great experience due to the fact that my Spanish needs a lot of work! It was delicious.  It has been my first challenge to make do with an outdoor kitchen (Australians do love the outdoors!) and a sink with no hot water, leaves and lizards and the occasional cat sneaking in to see what treats they may find.  

           The volunteer house is set up well as a lovely and homely space. There is a safe and warm bedroom/loungeroom with a computer installed, great wifi and a mezzanine level which I claimed as my 'room'. Troy was here already (and had been for 6 weeks) and was sleeping on the bunk bed in the main space.  He is a young man from Belgium and my first thought was how I would live with someone when I had lived alone in Australia for 5 years!  Luckily for me Troy was very easy going and nothing was a problem for him. He was also a wealth of information about this place which helped a lot as Roc was in and out a lot, and I wasn´t exactly sure what was happening or the eact plan or expectations when I first arrived.

I saw the project Troy was working on (the gallinero) and just jumped in to offer to help with that.  Roc did make sure to welcome me and tell me some stories of this place in the first few days, and I enjoyed the time he gave which helped me to settle in and know more of who, what and where.  It wasn´t long before I had been given some tasks of my own, so this was great as I could work at my own pace and in my own time. I was painting a deck, a door and a straircase and under the sunny blue skies, with music in the background, the occasional smooch from one of the cats and the dogs and regular

visits to interact with the chickens I found my groove quite quickly.  

Then, after only a few days here, Roc told me that he and Troy would go to the mountains for up to a week to get more sheep and goat skins for a current project of Roc's.  I was a little shocked that I would be in charge of everything so soon, without knowing many people. 

Nevertheless I was comfortable with the idea as it represented trust and that made me feel a value already.  I hoped nothing would go wrong and luckily the week alone was smoooth and all of the animals survived in my care!  It was easy to be alone as this is what I am used to, and the security here is very good also, so I was not concerned for my safety at any time. As a side note, I have found the local community around here to be happy for a Hola as I walk past and ready with a smile or assistance if I have needed to know anything.  An open mind, open heart... yes people are people everywhere and a smile is the best thing to give. 

I could write all day about my time so far at Patio Baron but need to conclude with some important considerations for people who are interested in volunteering, here or in fact anywhere.

(...)you cannot have any expectations.

Feel your way once you arrive and remember that every place is different and should be taken as you find it.

Firstly, you cannot have any expectations. Feel your way once you arrive and remember that every place is different and should be taken as you find it. What experience do you want? To learn a new skill, to meet people, to explore the surroundings or be immersed fully in one place. Most hosts seem to be fairly clear on the outlines in their profile but perhaps things are different when you arrive which needs to be accepted as part of the experience.  Give it time if you can!! Push through to discomfort to see what lies beyond it.  Personally I have found that 4 weeks has enabled connections to deepen and new and even richer experiences to be

presented.  I would prefer and recommend longer stays if you have the time. 

Finally, the only problem I have found so far, is in trying to manouver your next move, to find the next place to go and avoid ending up homeless and sleeping under a bridge! Hosts on volunteer plataforms have minimal responses to the emails I have sent. This has bothered me for 2 reasons, firstly I would like to know if I have any future possibilites (to avoid some stress if possible). and secondly it's simply bad manners. Surely it's not too hard to respond rather than ignore someone who has taken the time to write to you and been inspired about what you were

offering.

So, all in all, good times are being had and I am excited about the future. Good luck to all who have the courage for a leap into the unknown. Untold riches await you!  

Australian kangurú...

Sam

Chicken Pen

         After almost two months of summer work, we finally concluded the chicken pen "gallinero".  This project may seem not so important and fundamental to the overall view of Patio Barón -apparently-, but the truth is that this little project is an old dream come true...

         Many years I´ve been asking folks in the country side, if having chickens was really a hard thing to do, you know: all the worries, the attention, the food, the diseases, the number of wild animals that can kill your gallinas: the dogs, the cats, the rats, the black haired foxes...  The opinions were divided and for more than 4 years I was expecting that drop that could force & inspire the beginning.

        The first attempt was made some weeks before. I bought an adult rooster and 3 little chickens (of 2 weeks of age), just to have a "free trial".  The result was a disaster.  The rooster was attacked by my dog, but survived by pretending sudden death.  When we tried to catch it -to cure it-, he decided to jump off the cliff... minutes later the wild dogs of the neighbour took it and killed it immediately.

 "..so, no wake up call from our first rooster"

       The other three littlies, well. After one week of fine existence with the rest of the animals. My dog attacked again, this time it was the turn of a little one.... the other two survived -traumatized- until now, only after a severe punishment to my dog.
The decision was clear, if more chickens were meant to arrive and live safely, we would need a new house for them.

After the disaster, we were 100% focused on making the pen unbreakable.


       The task seemed easy, but there were a number of questions: How big? For how many chickens do we project the space? Should we have a special place for laying eggs?

Anyway we started doing the first pillars, me -Roc-, Troy -the Belgian prince-, and Ludwig -a French cooker-. The design should provide a principal space divided in two -at first-: the place for nests "ponedoras", and the place for the rest.

The first "room", was inagurated by an unexpected recall: there was a friend of a friend that had his little family of chickens but he found a new job and had no time to take care of them. So he decided to sell the whole pack, at a very convenient price...woooooooaaaa!!!
The good news was an extra motivation to everyone. That day we worked until 10 pm to finish the first "room", and so we did it!.

Happy, happy, happy. The first stage was finished, with 5 gallinas, one rooster, ten little ones, and a prospective of 10 eggs to be born.

But if you want egg production, 5 gallinas won't help you so much. After a short research on youtube, we found out, that  50 gallinas, was a good number to start with a family that can grow, and produce the basics; meat & eggs.

The second stage was to upgrade the pen with a larger area where everybody could "feel free". In the meanwhile, I travelled to the countryside, and bought 25 more gallinas. With this amount plus, the little ones, now we have almost 50 gallinas, which is the basics to start off.

Thanks to all people that helped to do this nice project. We will sure put your names folks, in each egg we eat at breakfast....

Thanks to: Troy, Sam, Ludwig, Mariella.

Roc


PD: You can see the TIme Laps here!

Reactivacion del blog!

A todos los lectores:

Después de un largo silencio de algunos años sin publicar, doy noticia cierta desde la trinchera de la historia. El Patio barón sigue vivo!!... solo que por problemas técnicos había perdido la clave de acceso, ahora, recuperada....

.... después de largos años sin escribir parecen ser muchas las cosas que anunciar:

- Los talleres integrados principales: Piedra /Madera & Metal, siguen activos, agregándose uno de Peletería (trabajo en cueros).

-El programa de voluntariados sigue vigente y activo ya por más de 5 años consecutivos. Ya son más de 150 voluntarios de todos los rincones del mundo que han pasado por los talleres del PB. Los países con mayor presencia son: Francia, Bélgica, EEUU, Alemania, Holanda, Canadá, Australia, Japón y Chile, solo por mencionar algunos. 

- El club de GO, tuvo que re ubicarse por razones técnicas de espacio & gestión.  Actualmente se juega Go en la biblioteca del cerro barón ubicada en el ex-mercado barón, los dias viernes desde las 16:00 hasta las 20:00.

- Se han agregado nuevos espacios como lo son: La Residencia Japonesa (departamento inspirado en el minimalismo & uso eficiente del espacio), La Gran Cabaña, El Gallinero y muchas terrazas al aire libre para disfrutar de las vistas seleccionadas.

- El equipo de PAtio Barón ha rotado varias veces, pero su fundador sigue al pie del cañon, día a día.

Roc

Woodstock of GO

 With great success we conclude the first national championship "Torneo Patio Barón".  

"We had long and tough struggle in the board"

Says Arturo Gomez one of the local players of Valparaiso GO Club.  So it was... after three days of playing three games three hours each, not to count the long analysis till midnight.. even until next day.  This seems a little crazy if you read this and did not come. The high dose of adrenaline, involving important decisions on the board, lead to a unseen capacity to play more than 16 hrs a day, just for.."distraction". Other more sceptic, says this game is worse than heroine.... and so it does!

 "The space gave us the possibility to stay concentrated -and unconcentrated- in the game"

  ...jokes one of the many participants that prove that the wine, the meat, the fire, is part of the frienship of our camaraderie. This is GO, a way to leave behind all our differences and start working on our strongness, on our passion that is balance.

         We were honored by having two teams from Punta Arenas, regardless of the three thousand kilometers that separates these two lovely cities. Showing that the will of playing, is among the priorities in a Go player. This compromise is clearly shown on the final result, as the first team was the N°1 of this historical encounter. 



Thanks to all Chilean GO players that participated on the first version of this championship. We all have been part of a long tradition that was slept, now awaken.

ROc

Sarah & Lucie

Sarah and Lucie: Two young ladies that help
us in the garden, digging weeds, cleaning, and
cooking some good pleasures for the stomach!.

They where lucky girls!... they had the chance
to learn "crochet", from a skillfull weaver.
Both of them came from Waldorf schools from
the south of France, so it wasn´t hard for them to
pick up the rhythm. they finish their french berets,
after some days of doing and un-doing!

Well the best luck for this ladies that continues their trip through the deepness of the desert, up
in the north.

bon voyage!

ROc

Request for GO Masters.

 Go-Ban, made in our workshop (rauli wood).

Inquiry:

We are searching for Go Masters over 6 DAN (KGS server), in order to create an

boarding school for locals, national, and internationals Go players, in Valparaiso...

We are willing to give accomodation, daily food, and a basic wage for the one who

will like to take the challenge to start a new proyect involving arts, science, and social

work with community. 

The basic idea is: first to spread the Go in poor neighborhoods, specialy with young

fellows, second, improve the level of actual players to a higher level. Third, link the

Go discipline, with other knowledge.
Anyone who is intrested in coming to Valparaiso this Spring and stay at least one month, please feel free to contact us.

Roc