When I dream of having a farm, I always think of what kind of animals I want to live there.  Of course I'll have some pigs, a couple dairy cows, and a horse to ride.  I'll have a big dog that will follow me around and be super obedient and a couple cats in the barn to kill the rats.  But after staying at Catrico, I've fallen in love with llamas and sheep.  There's something about a llamas face that cracks me up and they have such interesting personalities.  Sheep are beautiful, especially in a bunch, and the thought of having a little lamb is too much. 

Each day, I was so thankful to see these animals around the farm.  I'd watch them graze the fields and occasionally they'd pop their heads up as I tried to inch closer and closer to them.  The horses were always the friendliest and were used to being ridden, but the llamas were the most interested and would stare right back at me.  

On one of my last days there, we ate one of the lambs.  It had been slaughtered before my arrival so I wasn't attached to it, making it easier to eat.  Its a sad thing when an animal has to be killed for food, but its also a beautiful thing when it has been treated with love and care its whole life.  

We ate the lamb curry with vegetables from the garden and apple pie for desert.  Life around the farm contributed to our meals each day and I'm thankful for the life that was given and the life the continues at Catrico.  

LOCATION: Catrico, Chile

DATE: March 2013

After a ten hour over-night bus ride, I arrived in Villarrica, Chile to work on an organic farm.  Being a lover of the farming lifestyle (I grew up on a small pig farm in Ohio), working on a farm in Chile sounded like a dream.  

Tucked away in the foothills of the Andes, you'll find a quiet farm owned by Illani Atwater and Eduardo Rojas. Three tiny farm houses are scattered around, all heated with a wooden stove.  A fresh spring flows nearby providing water for drinking and showering.  Of course the water has to be heated by the stove, so you're lucky to shower every couple days.  Washing laundry is also something that you must do when absolutely necessary.  You get used to wearing the same dirty clothes and having dirt under those fingernails. 

Occasionally a rooster crows and the momma cow moos for her little baby nearby.  The clouds roll over the hills and the sun peeks out bringing warmth to this little farm.  I can choose to gather vegetables for the day's meal or wander up the hills for blackberries. There's so much freedom and beauty here and its perfect for a girl like me.

LOCATION: Catrico, Chile

DATE: March 2013