Daily Photo Journal:

A glimpse into our daily lives during the the Evergreen State College study abroad program “Bittersweet: Cocoa and Permaculture in Trinidad Jamaica”

Travel Day: Monday, February 17, 2025

Students ready to depart from Seattle Tacoma Airport
Speedy lost in transit
First views of Jamaica

Day 1: Tuesday, February 18, 2025

First stop from the airport: Jerk Chicken at Scotchies
Welcome meal at Durga’s Den after a long day of travel: Jamaican Patties

Day 2: Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Fresh fruit!
Communal meal time
Passionfruit right from the tree
Day one of the Permaculture Design Course (PDC) – tour of Durga’s Den through a permaculture lens

Day 2: Thursday, February 20, 2025

Morning view
Morning PDC theory session
Vermicompost introduction
Taking in the view
Afternoon PDC theory session

Day 3: Friday, February 21, 2025

Visit from Afia Walking Tree of Solidarity Yaad
Oyza: fashion meets the jungle
Compost workshop!
Talks with Dr. Dexter Gordon, TESC Executive Vice President
Afternoon class on soil with Lise
Afternoon class on soil with Lise
Fireside chat with Dr. Dexter Gordon
Late night views

Day 4: Saturday, February 22, 2025

Morning PDC session
Learning how to open coconuts
Afternoons in paradise
(Durga’s Den)
Vermicompost demonstration
Vermicompost demonstration
Vermicompost demonstration
Vermicompost demonstration
Reggae band night
Wood fired pizza made by students
Dancing to Reggae
Dancing to Reggae

Day 5: Sunday, February 23, 2025

Base Map Workshop at Durga’s Den

Packing up to move locations
The walk from Durga’s Den to Very Dear, a mile down the road
Very Dear (AKA ArtVark)
The view from the patio at Very Dear
After we moved from Durga’s Den to Very Dear, we went on an afternoon excursion to Dunn’s River Falls
Dunn’s River Falls
Dunn’s River Falls
The beach at Dunn’s River Falls
Dunn’s River Falls

Day 6: Monday, February 24, 2025

Morning session: water reclamation tour of Very Dear lead by Rodje

Afternoon session: patterns workshop
Durward cutting fresh sugar cane
Arrya serving some fresh fruit juice

Day 7: Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Day trip to Mount Pleasant Farms where we learned about their history and practices, hiked the farm, planted our own cocoa trees, and even got to ferment a batch of cocoa beans.

Trip to Mount Pleasant Cocoa Farm – see Mount Pleasant page for more

Day 8: Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Morning theory at Very Dear and afternoon application at Durga’s Den

Morning PDC session at Very Dear: Trees & Energy Transactions
Afternoon PDC session at Durga’s Den
Swale workshop @ Durga’s
Blue

Day 9: Thursday, February 27, 2025

Work day at Durga’s Den double digging raised garden beds, pick axing limestone, chopping down trees, and planting in the swales. 

Double digging beds @ Durga’s
Emma & Lise (Mama Durga)
Blossom getting her hands dirty
Finn taking a much needed break from hard work
Avail & Tiana prepping Jackfruit
Dinner @ Very Dear

Day 10: Friday, February 28, 2025

Day 1 of the Earth Building Workshop at Durga’s Den

Morning PDC session at Very Dear: Earth Building from Celine
Learning to mix cob
Celine demonstrating how to plaster a wall
Emma after plastering the
Student Kitchenette
Curtis coming to Oyza’s aide
Celine making cob bricks
Jena displaying their beautifully crafted soap dish
Pizza dinner at Durga’s

Side Trip to University of West Indies Mona Campus, Kingston

Ru’Ya and Moss explore graduate school possibilities at UWI’s Mona Campus with Dexter and Sarah.

UWI prep visit

Day 11: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Day 2 of the Earth Building Workshop at Durga’s Den

Aaron, Curtis, Ru’ya, and Tiana
Sam carrying a bunch of cob
Mixing cob!
Mixing clay!
Break time in the “Chill Zone”

Day 12: Sunday, March 2, 2025

Day trip to Moore Town where we learned about the Moore Town Maroons history, took at hike to Mammy Falls, and had lunch with music and dancing. Afterwards we went to Winnifred Beach in Portland and enjoyed dinner at Cynthia’s. 

We left Very Dear at sunrise
Moore Town
Colonel Sterling giving a brief lection on Maroon history
Moore Town tour
Cynthia’s kitchen
Moss and her lobster dinner
Dinner
Winnifred Beach

Day 13: Monday, March 3, 2025

Our first day at our third location, Bath Fountain Hotel on the Eastern side of the island. We visited The Source Farm, a permaculture ecovillage. 

Welcomed to The Source Farm with hot cocoa and fresh bread
Blossom exploring the flora
Morning PDC session @
The Source Farm
Andrea immersed in permaculture
Finn enjoying the hammock
An incredible lunch display
Thanking our hosts
One of many view sectors
Many examples of the beautiful natural building structures at The Source Farm

Day 14: Tuesday, March 4, 2025

After a short morning session at the Bath Fountain Hotel, we traveled to the GWG, a breadfruit farm and processing site owned by The Source Farm. They have had to stop all production because of a hurricane that disconnected their weir, halting their water supply. We were there to help redesign and connect the weir, a process that took three days. See the blog post on The Source Farm & GWG for more.

Morning PDC class at the Bath Fountain Hotel
Observing a Cocoa tree on the side of the road
“The Tree” at the GWG site
Touring the GWG
Initial assessments of the broken weir

Day 15: Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Filling earth bags for the weir
Avail, Emma, and Arrya
Placing barbed wire to keep earth bags in place
A view of the construction of the weir
“The Source of Life”
Water successfully running through the pipe!

Day 16: Thursday, March 6, 2025

Roadside lesson from Rodje
Rodje (Nine)
Pit stop at Irie Lyfe to learn about their local honey buisness
Nzinga from Irie Lyfe
Morning PDC session at The Source Farm
Final work on the weir
We left the GWG under the light of the moon

Day 17: Friday, March 7, 2025

The day started with an early morning departure from the Bath Fountain Hotel, to ultimately return to Durga’s Den. We spent the day touring the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona campus in Kingston.

Students with Dr. Shani Roper (right) at The Museum of The University of the West Indies Mona
Students pose on the UWI Usain Bolt Regupol Track 
Students with Dr. David Picking, Senior Research Fellow at UWI after a talk
Returning to Durga’s Den felt like coming “home”

Day 18: Saturday, March 8, 2025

PDC class on plant guilds
Sarah, Avail, and Andrea in Duluth overalls
Celine adding the final touches to our
earth building projects
Arrya, Finn, and Celine

Day 19: Sunday, March 9, 2025

 

Jenna’s display of citrus, peppers, and herbs following a farmers market field trip

Making chocolate and adding inclusions at PURE in Ocho Rios
Enjoying the evening … and peppers.

 

Day 20: Monday, March 10, 2025

Group photo after adding our fingerprints to the mural Celine created
Presentations of our Final Applied Design projects
Nzinga teaching us to make Cocoa Balls
Sarah working with the
mortar and pestle
Students peel cocoa beans
Permaculture Design Certified!

Day 21: Monday, March 11, 2025

Re-connecting with Nick Davis at his new OneOne Cocoa factory and store in Port Falmouth

Gillian Goddard and Nick Davis of the Cross Atlantic Chocolate Rebellion/Collective presenting at the Northwest Chocolate Festival, a field trip component of the Bittersweet: Preparing to Study Cocoa and Permaculture in Trinidad course, October 2024