1. Richard on Maui

    Richard on Maui Junior Member

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    Hey Christopher, I am sure you are as busy as all heck, but how is your course going? Did you get as many participants as you had hoped? Any potential managers amongst them? I bet you will have a load of stories to tell as a result of the course and I hope you share them with us...
     
  2. christopher

    christopher Junior Member

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    Hi Richard

    Thanks for asking. We are busy as all get out. We have around 20 particpants, with about 8 Belizeans, and a good mix of Belizeans, two from Min of Ag, four from NGOs and one farmer who was put forth by Min of Ag for a scholarship, which makes a good mix.

    We got funding from the Protected Areas Conservation Trust for 6 of the belizeans, which helped cover the cost of the two on scholarship, and all of th international contingent have been wondrful and cooperative.

    Kitchen staff is a mix of volunteers and our neighbor, Miss Cenovia, and Dawn and myself. Toby suggested food would be the deciding factor, and we have to agree, the food has been the key, and everyone seems to be happy, so all is good.

    Toby and Penny are doing really great jobs, and the few parts I have listened to have been very exciting....

    They built our brand new (finished the morning of the course w/water and lights installed) kitchen a cool grey water system...

    Off to Sauls garcias farm today, which is going to be the highlight for me, tho watching Joels brilliant movie, Backyard Aquaponics (available now, at https://www.backyardaquaponics.com, operators standing by to take YOUR order!) was inspiring and provoked a long and passionate discussion. Toby and Penny say Joel is brilliant! (and don't we all agree?)

    Anyway, I should run, keep the coffee press pots full!

    See ya,

    C
     
  3. christopher

    christopher Junior Member

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    They are all gone.... whooooo (hug sigh of relief that noone got sick, hurt or developed any antisocial attitudes... always a worry....)

    What a really warm and interesting (and interested) bunch of people....

    This was a first for us, first PDC, first group of mixed Belizeans and Americans, Canadians and Brits. The group dynamic was good all the way through, and (apart from the excellent food), the quality of people is what made the group function so well....

    Anyway, if anyone is interested, I posted some photos over at the Living Simply site:

    https://www.aussieslivingsimply.com.au/p ... hp?album=6

    Looks like we might do it again next year. Interest locally is high, and the person who helped us at Protected Areas Conservation Trust, who paid the tuitions for most of the Belizeans, is excited, too.

    (Sign up NOW!)
     
  4. barely run

    barely run Junior Member

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    Congratulations...sounds like a great time was had by all.
    Is there anything we can help with for the next course....magazine articles...photocopy books (excerpts)..or anything similar to help with the cost for your local people.
    Cathy
     
  5. Richard on Maui

    Richard on Maui Junior Member

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    Christopher, I have tried a couple of times to check out your photo's but I always get the "Cannot find server" page.
     
  6. christopher

    christopher Junior Member

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    Richard,

    Try it again. The server seems to have been down for a few hours... but I just checked it, and it's up and running...

    Cathy, thanks for that. We will be looking for more take home info! We are looking forward to doing it again next year. Our infrastructure is mostly done, but we wioll have better toilets and showering facilities, as well as a finished kitchen (tho the kitchen functioned beautifully, IMO).

    I am so grateful for such a wondrful set of people... you couldn't ask for better, and we got excellent feedback on how to improve for next year...

    Lt me know if you still can't see the photos....

    C
     

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