July 7th- July 10th

The Seventh was a long and tiresome day. Kyra, Miles and I woke up at 5am to walk to the point to watch the sunset. It was magical, giant clouds lit up with pink and orange over the ocean and the Jamaican countryside. After breakfast we went back up to the apiary in the bush to finish what we started- the bees were more welcoming to us this time, and we were able to do three hive transfers, about 7 hive checks, and finish weed whacking the area. Hive scans take longer then one would expect, you have to be diligent and focused, and you never know what actions you might have to take in the midst of a scan. Agape and Kwao only use top bar hives, which I have learned the countless benefits of. It fascinates me more and more, every day, their sustainability in their beekeeping in all realms, and their ability to have wonderful hives with no pest controls- it is so inspiring, and I am excited to bring this knowledge back to the United States where pest control in hives is bringing bees to the brink of extinction. After a long morning in the bush we all went to swim in the ocean (of course), and then went up to the distillery and prepared for a cedarwood distillation. We brought down the wood from the bush and Kwao and Emanuel made it into saw dust. We decided to save the distillation for the morning because we went to go burn the bonfire that night. It was powerful and entrancing.

On the Eighth we learned our faults in leaving the cedarwood sawdust in the still over night, because the moisture in the dust made for a smaller yield then usual- but you live and you learn. In the midst of the distillation Agape showed us how to bundle beeswax so we could melt it down to get the good wax, not the wax filled with larva, feces, ants, and wax moths. The gnarly things about working with the bees could never outweigh the beauty of it, no matter how hard it may be. After lunch we started the next ceaderwood distillation, and while the still was chugging away, Erin, Shantel and I did some yoga, but Shantel fell asleep instead. Yoga was followed by the ocean, and the ocean was followed by Agape making us wonderful drinks with rum, sorrel (hibiscus flower), and ginger to lubricate our dance party. We had women and men from town come to the distillery where the family has made an incredible speaker system, and they showed us how to do the dance hall dances for any partys we might go to in the future. The dance hall music blasted form the speakers and I tried my hardest to move my body in the ways the women do- they must have some muscles that I don’t even have… or maybe it is just because I’m white, nevertheless it was a fun and exhilarating night.

The Ninth was low-key after out late night, we took our time during the day doing two sweetwood distillations, and Agape gave some of the interns a bee presentation in midst of the distillations. Later that evening we made vetiver, fevergrass, and kulendula lotion to help with scarring and burns, and we fell asleep with the earthy and deep smells on our bodies.

The Tenth was another long day in the bush apiary, finishing our hive scans. My favorite part about being in the bush is being surrounded by countless fruit trees, we always get coconut to stay hydrated, and we eat apples, pine, melon. and sugar cane. Afternoons after being in the bush are always lazy, and we hung around, swimming and doing yoga for the rest of the evening. This night was Erin’s last night, but I am excited to see her again back at Pitzer.

Until next time