You gotta live and learn
You gotta crash and burn
You gotta take some stances and take some chances
You gotta laugh and love and take all life has to give
You gotta live and learn so you can learn to live
-Darius Rucker
My experience in Utah has been informative in many ways. First, it proves useful to know that agricultural landscapes can be created by people who have not grown up in the industry. Danny, as I have written, grew up in California and went to college to study film. He realized after moving to Los Angeles that he was disenchanted with the city life and craved the country; this is when he began considering opening his own vineyard. He started the vineyard on a vacation house his parents purchased which the previous owner had not watered in over five years. He learned about starting vineyards through reading an endless supply of how-to start-up books. This is truly remarkable and inspiring, and as it is a perfect illustration of how possible urban sustainability actually is. An upbringing in the field, as we learn, is not as important as drive, initiative, and environmental literacy.
Post-Utah served to be a disaster, epic illustration of poor planning, and unfortunate misplacement of trust. I left the choosing, planning and contacting of the New Mexico farm to another individual. Long story short, the contact which the planner was in correspondence with turned out to have given us wrong information. She had told the others at the farm that we were arriving a week earlier and by the time we arrived no one knew we were coming and had completed most of the harvest. On top of this, there was nowhere for us to sleep and basically no room for us without us being invasive and a nuisance. On top of this, the "farm" was actually a poorly organized three acre field. There were MANY other issues with the living arrangements which I will not include here for respect for the individuals inhabiting the residence at the current moment. Bottom line, the farm was inhabitable and I immediately left.
To say I am disappointed with the outcome of this trip would be an understatement. In the past, I have learned to take the leadership position in group projects. My attention to detail, persistence, and integrity have proven my work is reliable and consistant. Unfortunately, post-bachelor degree, I thought that I could rely on others to be as meticulous and well researched as myself. I was wrong. I have relearned that the only work I can count on to be of quality is my own.
I sincerely apologize to anyone who donated to this cause and trusted me to perform the research and work that you are all accustomed to receiving from me. I am embarrassed. In fact, I am mortified and desperately seek forgiveness. I do, however, assure everyone associated with this project that I WILL be doing another week long work exchange at another organic farm. I am already looking into a particular one in Suffolk County, Long Island and am in correspondence with the owner. This time I assure you I will not be working in conjunction with any other individual and the work will be performed solely by myself. I assure you I will put my best effort into the research. I thank you all again, everyone who follows my work as well as everyone who donated, and I hope that you trust that I have learned my lesson. I will continue to put out the quality of work I have in the past. I hope you continue to place your faith in my education and work.
Sincerely,
Natalie Colao
