Cascada Verde- One Volunteer's Experience in a Jungle of Raw Foodists

Tirian and I stopped in Dominical, a surfers paradise, for two nights to relax by the ocean after volunteering at Rancho Mastatal in the mountains. While eating breakfast, I found a flyer for a yoga-meditation-fasting retreat which had just taken place at a nearby farm 15 km south in Playa Uvita. When I looked closer at the name, Cascada Verde, I realized it was one of the many farms on my list to visit. We were heading south anyway, to the Peninsula de Osa, so why not check it out? I immediately phoned Patrick, the German owner for directions. We jumped on our motorcycle by 10 the next morning, ate our last substantial Costa Rican meal along the way, and were exchanging smiles and hugs with the farm residents by 12. I had told Patrick that we were just passing through for the night, but that I would be back to work for at least one month after January.

Cascada Verde ''lies quiet and hidden in tropical permaculture gardens above the small town of Uvita. It is located between untouched mountain forests and lonely beaches'', with a dream-like view of the ocean, surrounded by jungle, complete with entertaining monkeys, toucans and scarlet macaws frequently flying overhead. This place appears to be paradise, fire ants and all.

''The vision of Cascada Verde is identifying and incarnating our native way of being and creating a unified aboriginal-tribal family in an environment that supplies our needs in a sufficient and sustainable way''. Their continuous aim is to ?stimulate environmental consciousness and to promote a simple and healthy lifestyle in harmony with nature?.

We relaxed in the hammocks on the patio overlooking the ocean for about an hour. However, as soon as I heard there was a waterfall 5-minute hike away, I hung our molding, forever-damp clothing and boots out to dry, and headed straight there.

Tirian immediately found his niche in the community by working with Victor on the new meditation-yoga floor upstairs, just outside our little bedroom. It faced the ocean, as did we upon opening our eyes every morning.

We visited several secluded beaches the following two days, and the decision to stay was simple. Why leave paradise right? Even amidst confusion of house and food rules and the slight absence of community, the power of this land lured us in for 9 amazing days. We were the first new volunteers in a while, thus were able to snag the best room in the house, yet were neglected due to a lack of routine welcoming.

Finding work was easy of course. Tirian has much experience and skills in construction and was able to stay for free by working 8 hours a day. I was ever so restless to get dirty. The soil here is a rusty, red color; a thick, heavy clay which is a slight obstacle in the relationship these people have with their plant friends. Nevertheless, they grow a good amount of food in the gardens and in the food forest.

As we have probably all come to realize at some point in our lives, it matters not where you are but who you are with that really matters. What a wonderful lesson to continue learning throughout life, especially when you consider the animal and plant beings to have as strong of an impact as fellow humans. I feel blessed to have been with such an amazing, loving group for 9 days.

The group I speak of shared the space together at Cascada Verde for approximately one week, however there was always a flux of short term visitors (1-2 nighters) such as the die-hard surfers with an understanding of the ocean?s energy most of us will never know; or the travelers from Israel, Germany, Holland, Costa Rica, and of course, the United States. They were farmers, architects interested in natural building and students. All came for insight and rest in a place away from time. The group we spent most of our time at the farm getting to know were the resident workers (and the owner) and long-term as well as newly arriving volunteers. Just to mention a few: Ann, whose spirit is as colorful as the huge mural she and Andrea were painting when we entered the house for the first time. Her verbal expression and search to free her spirit to higher levels kept us feeling as alive as we truly can be by tapping into the energy dancing all around us. She and Andrea though they continue to travel to new places around the world, again found themselves back at Cascada Verde for round two. Trevor, the quiet, tall raw foodist and coconut expert from the States was often seen scraping coconut meat from their shells and strolling down the dirt road with his machete, not to be seen for days. Andrew, a fun loving, humble and compassionate spirit was the head mushroom hunter of the group. Rob led the morning yoga sessions. His gentle, unconditional loving nature kept many feeling at peace just by sharing a smile. Starting the day in community proved to be one of the most important aspects in bringing this group together. An English family arrived by a boat they were sailing around the world for several years. Catching a glimpse of them meditating together brought a new sense of peace and inspiration to me.

I found a kindred spirit and friend in Rahel, the Swiss traveling nurse. After spending much of our time together, we turned our similar love of being creative in the kitchen into regular, although somewhat spontaneous meals for all. Before we knew it, all 25 of us were habitually gathered around an array of raw food dishes, accompanied by one cooked dish, holding hands and giving thanks to our Mother Earth for such wonderful food and energy. Rob would close the circle with a group 'OM'.

When Tirian and I first arrived, there was no explanation as to what the food situation was, if there were community meals or even food for us to eat. We found ourselves at the restaurants down the road daily. My famous hummus was a necessity, but I quickly learned how to make it raw substituting most of the ingredients I normally use at home, such as coconut water and meat and Cascada Verde basil. Although we all love fresh coconuts, bananas, oranges and tasty wild green leaves such as katuk, they just do not cut it for those working long and hard.

Cascada Verde aims to be a totally raw community and retreat center. They claim they tolerate and provide the means by which to cook, or in their words ''kill and burn'' your food. Had we come to the farm at a more fruitful season, our food experience would have been much better. The community money available to buy food off the fruit truck twice per week was enough to provide the continually growing group with 4 crates of bananas, 2-3 of oranges, some tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and garlic, maybe a couple avocados shipped down from Mexico and a large papaya or two. None of this food was organic nor was it all local either. For those of us going to the little market a 5 minute walk down the road, buying garbanzos, granola and anything else producing waste, we were given lectures and made to feel even more judged if we decided to cook that food. How could we live, fully knowing that by cooking our food, even heating water, herbs and ginger for tea, we were poisoning our bodies and the Earth? Thoughts to ponder and debate- which we did plenty of in the house meetings. The hysterical sobbing of one volunteer, who felt as if she was starving herself, brought the seriousness of the food issue to a head. We worked through the tension and came to compromises as a group, and devised a rotating raw-meal preparation schedule. Hopefully it will work and cradle the beginnings of community for all new volunteers.

As creative as I like to get in the kitchen, had someone given me any direction at all, leading me by example, inspiration and providing the necessary tools to prepare a balanced, substantial raw food meal, I would have run with it there and perhaps carried it with me into my life after Cascada Verde. The truth of the matter is that eating raw and healthy is not easy or cheap. The other truth was that although some visitors and volunteers were in transition to becoming raw, most everyone else was not a raw food eater.

At Cascada Verde, they claim that '' there is no doctrine, philosophy, dogmas, or belief systems practiced''. The belief system practiced and the philosophies provoking the intolerant words of the 2 raw food eaters of the community were as thick as the humidity here in the rainy season. As the days passed, it became clear that it was the anger and pain felt by Patrick, the owner, for the destruction of the Earth which in turn led him to redirect these emotions to all people unaware or not of the same beliefs that eating raw would save the planet. Those who do not practice this or have a strong desire to convert are not welcome. Patrick, the owner, is a vibrant, warm being when not overwhelmed with the pain of the Earth, and thus anger towards humanity. I know his pain and anger well, and have spent years searching for ways to accept such painful truths while still embracing the beauty of humanity in love.

Many lessons were learned in this one intensely beautiful week. Tolerance for other's beliefs and lifestyle choices, while disagreeing with them was a huge discussion subject. The essence of Gandhi?s being was a continual presence within the group as well. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the world, to the true seekers of peace and justice was his living example that ''we must be the change we wish to see in the world''. The crucial role of the individual through a movement of change could not have been anymore obvious to us at Cascada Verde. Not a single volunteer in the group felt fully inspired to change their eating habits to help change the world, despite the fact that they DID agree with just about everything the owner said and believed.

When distressed, people become fanatical about things, believing there is one solution to the worlds' problems. Food is the focus here. We talked about food more than anything else, and all learned an enormous amount about themselves and each other. But things are not as simple as 'just eat raw', claiming it is truly the only way to respect yourself and Mother Earth. There are inherent controversies and obvious hypocrisies lending them to the bubbling tension at Cascada Verde. Does the yucca I dug up at the farm use more gas to cook than it took the truck to drive the avocado or mango down from Mexico? Is it more important to loose some of the vitamins and live food qualities or buy pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables ready to eat raw? Eat local or organic? Both if possible- yet we are not always this lucky. The same old question and choices remain; however, I believe no choice is wrong. Being conscious of such choices is in and of itself a step in the right direction. Spreading this thought process through example is what will make the most difference in the future. But for now, whatever you are consciously acting upon for the good of all is a positive influence.

Of course compromises will have to be made and acceptance of others embraced. Only by accepting and loving others can we create communities that can inspire and change the world. People will do as they have always done, and it has been proven again and again that you cannot change others or the world through anger, fear or force. Inspiration, cooperative education and love are the wings of change for a highly conscious community of beings.