How we want to build in the world

We are building the first spaces of the Portal now. The first hands that came to touch the earth here – and also the cement of the old house – were Diogo's, Wesley's, Cauã's, Talitha's, Fá's, mine, and the two little ones, Maria and Yara.

Diogo is a curious being; his thoughts swirl in his mind, but his eyes remain fixed on a point ahead. He doesn't stop for a second; he has a vitality and drive I've never seen. Behind his tough exterior lies a soft heart that seeks to help everyone around him and change, even if only a little, the social reality in which we live.

Wesley is driven by an inner fire. He reminds me of fireworks. He walks around spinning in lights, in ideas. He has so many stories to tell that he already has a book ready in his head, his hands eager to begin. He makes me laugh from deep inside. He also brings tears to my eyes when I listen to some of his stories, waters, and emotions.

Cauã spends the day eating fruit, cucumber, cabbage, and eggs. The children love him. Just for that, I was already certain of the strength of his aura. He's a mysterious boy. He's 17 years old, and already has gray hair. His purity enchants me. And his mischievous nature too.

Talitha is both the daughter and mother of a Pisces. I think she's the first mermaid's daughter and mermaid's mother I've ever met. Her sweetness inspires me. Even when she's angry, she has a sweet, aquatic gaze. Spending time with her has helped me a lot in learning how to be a serene mother, how to be firm yet gentle, firm yet patient.

Three months into the construction, some neighbors also lent a hand. Jimmy comes almost every day, Marcelo cut some very important pieces of wood. Me, Ninho, Luan, Jimmy, and I harvested a lot of bamboo.

There are so many people, lives, beings, and emotions being mobilized at this moment for the construction of this space.

Many of us have children. Diogo and Talitha conceived and are raising little Yara. Fá and I conceived and are raising little Maria. Wesley and Erica have Davi and Maria Alice.

In the world I dream of, a couple can conceive a child, but we all take care of everyone else. We build our houses with our daughters and sons together. Tiny hands in the earth. We cook together, we support each other.

When I started this project, I encountered a lot of challenges in getting to this world. Challenges that have to do with the different economic, social, and cultural realities that many people experience.

Erica works in São Paulo and couldn't leave her job to come and build. So Wesley went two months without seeing his children, and Erica was practically taking care of them alone. Talitha managed to come, but she needed internet access at various times and couldn't always be with us at the farm. When she bravely decided to come here to Bahia, she knew she wouldn't have her mother's support and that Diogo was working on the construction for much of the day.

Keeping the little ones on the construction site also became a challenge at times, because since part of the construction consisted of "conventional" masonry, there was cement and rubble. Lots of toxic things. Then came the rains in December. Mother Earth decided to cry non-stop and we, still without a roof, had to take shelter in tents and cook in the pouring rain in our makeshift kitchen.

Diogo and Wesley taught me a lot. They told me how the life of construction workers generally works. The absence from family, staying in a remote place, near some dive bar, and the low wages. And, despite doing many things differently from "non-traditional construction," there were still many obstacles along the way.

I keep thinking about how grateful I am to have friends who agreed to come and build in a place where we used to fetch water from the spring, without a roof, without a floor, with lots of heavy wood to lift, lots of rubble to figure out how to dispose of, floors to level, pillars to drive into the ground. It's very hard work, and in the few days I've helped, my body felt the strength and energy needed for it.

But, more than that, these are friends who were willing to drastically change their lives, who worked tirelessly to be here, and the difficulties everyone faces in order to build their dreams.

It was a great learning experience for us. To know the mountain that separates us from the world we dream of so much from the real world.

Furthermore, it's also important to know that We are good climbers..