Issue #3: Year in Review: 2023

a look back at Machuca Valley milestones for 2023

As we end the year, lets look back at all the great things that happened in 2023!

Machuca Valley

• Costa Rica extends visas from 90 days to 180 days, everyone celebrates, especially the Nicaraguan border patrol

• Starlink is finally here! If you live in LEV/Allegria or in towns, you take high-speed internet for granted, however for majority of rural areas you cannot get high-speed internet, until now! Love or Hate Elon, its the only company that was able to bring high-speed internet here and many other places. Tacotal celebrates with first dish going up at Human’s!

• Shanti opens an Ayurvedic shop and restaurant at ESM Village Center (try The Cuban Sandwich!)

• A first clothing store - Diwo opens its doors in ESM Village Center(I’m wearing her T-shirt as I type this)

• Mercada de la Tierra, a weekly organic farmer’s market started, supporting local farmers with sustainable agricultural practices, quickly becomes the standard gathering place for entire valley on Sunday mornings.

• The market grows into EcoFeria once a month, with additional vendors, talks, music and more!

• Community Language Exchange at San Mateo library is organized and takes place weekly

• A Community Gathers to Design a Community - cross-communities workshop with many promising outcomes(this newsletter being one of them)

Tacotal

• Monkey Medicine 2022 was an epic hit at Finca Vida Verde!

• Tacotal finally struck a deal with the Muni and Alegria on the repair of road/access (first 2x2 vehicle makes it’s way to the Tacotal gate, even the monkeys are amazed)

• First community-wide non-violent communication workshop.

• ⁠Humano started a crazy podcast!

• ⁠Humano hosted some wild potlucks including a Virgo Party at Finca Vida Verde.

• Tacotal Dug a well!

• ⁠Maria Cardona finished her house and moved onto the land!

• Elana and Spock broke ground!

• Tio Aaron built a house!

La EcoVilla(aka LEV)

• 10 year anniversary of the community

• ⁠New water well is dug after some water challenges earlier in the year

• ⁠Mario Cardona goes to India

• ⁠Lily graduated from school and went to University

• ⁠Leilani and Leon were born in LEV being the being kids number 9 and 10th being born in this community

• ⁠Lester and eldest member move with her daughter to Oregon

• ⁠Anton and Elvi and girls leave LEV after 2 years(they’re very close though!)

• ⁠The Norman’s left and Larry join the community

• Annual LEV Halloween party is a hit once again

• Cat people and non-cat people come to an agreement that cats should not roam free, with fines for owners whose cat found roaming free, resulting in a flurry of cat pictures in the chat asking “Whose cat is this?”, I couldn’t resist:

  

EcoVilla San Mateo(aka ESM)

• More than 15.000 trees between native and fruit trees.

• Big variety of wildlife captured on camera traps

• Around 72% of the lots are already reserved from people from around the world, great variety of ages and backgrounds

• Fundraising events for the orphanage.

• ESM employs around 70 people directly

• First ESM in person event

• Around 85% of the earth movements are done

• EcoVilla goes Global! Signed a purchase and sale agreement for the first Ecovilla project in Sicily, Italy.

• Project expected to complete in 2024 with many owners eager to get started building their dream homes

Alegria

• First year with neighbors living full time in Alegria

• 20 completed homes with most neighbors living full time at Alegria

• Alegria hosted a meeting about local security with the Mayor of San Mateo, the chief of police, and neighbors from Maderal, LEV and Tacotal

• Alegria neighbors helped the Maderal School renovate their fence

• Patricio organized the Maderal ASADA year end meeting at Alegria, providing them a place to meet.

• Celebrations: Halloween, Christmas celebrations and movie nights!

• Alegrians are moving the garden into a fully productive farm - collectively the neighbors built 18 new beds, organized mulching parties, and foraged for Indigenous Microorganism that are regenerating our soil and a core element of our bio fertilizer facility.

• Summer solstice walk and ceremony at the Alegria labyrinth.

• Hosted Karate, aerial silks and Yoga classes at the Alegria Yoga Shala.

• Participated actively in the Comisión Integral San Mateo encouraging local business growth

Maderal

• ⁠Florian published his photo book “Wild & Scenic: Costa Rica through my lens” - it’s awesome!

• ICE Fiber optic internet is up and running! Thanks to Elizabeth’s effort, community was able to come together and convince ICE to provide service.

• Lucia helps organize a Christmas party for all local kids in Maderal

• Fundraisers for people in need and for Maderal and Dulce Nombre schools

Onion-Style News Headlines (ie, these are meant to be funny!)

• Event Promoter, posts it’s advertisement in just one WhatsApp group - everyone still shows up…

• Person found with zero unread WhatsApp messages

• Gringos in an attempt to “learn Spanish”, inadvertently teach the local population English

• No-one asks for a local mechanic recommendation in the chats, instead everyone just uses https://www.sanmateo.love/

• Local carpenter found that uses a level!

• Therapists, Astrologers, Body Workers & Coaches take it to the streets: “No more Healers! We need Patients!”

• Ex-Pats complain that local population doesn’t speak “proper” Spanish, hires accent coaches to fix their pronunciation

• Alternative lifestyle family comes to the Valley, meets all alternative families, starts looking for alternative

If we missed an exciting milestone, please reach out and we’ll update this article. Happy New Year Everyone! We look forward to an even more exciting 2024.

Want to do your own personal Year-In-Review? Here is a helpful YearCompass to help.

Have a story you’d like to share? Reach out! We’ll be happy to write it for you.

---