8-Month Internship: What I Have Learned
By Mauricio Montalvo, 2022 8-Month EA Intern

Mauricio (along with his wife Claudia) is participating in Ecology Action's online 2022 8-Month Internship from Guatemala. Two months into the program, each intern is asked to write a summary of what they have learned in the course so far. We thought Mauricio's description was thoughtful and inspiring, so we're sharing with all of you.

What have I learned from the last two months and a half of my 8-Month Internship:

My mindset about farming has changed. It has been a paradigm-breaking experience.

• Since I was in high-school I was taught that to farm we needed to use fertilizers and to till the land as a way of taking care of it.
• It seems that technology has taken over and has abandoned the good ancient ways of farming.
• I was told that chemicals are a must for farming.

The allegory of double-digging the soil as "double-digging my mind" has impacted me profoundly because it is a good description of what I am learning. Going through the Biointensive course has ignited my relationship between the soil and myself. There is a correlation with the lack of knowledge of my mind and the hardness of the soil. When I am digging the soil I am digging inside of myself too.

Little by little I have been discovering the wonderful process of life by tending the soil.

I am learning an easier way of understanding, accessing a solution within the reach of my own garden.

I have learned the delicate balance of nature, and how I benefit from it.
I have learned the responsibility I have to give back to the soil.
It has been kind of shameful for me to find out how I have been consuming from the soil without returning that life back to it.
It has been fun to learn how to compost and grow food in the garden for the soil.
I wish I had had this opportunity when I was younger, but I feel honored to start now and to undo what I have not done for the soil.

I hope I have the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to work the land an to enjoy it to the fullest.

I am honored to be part of this effort with you all…

♥

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