TRUE. today

Long time no blog. Shame on me, also because the blog helps to keep my dream alive, just like reading my grandfather's autobiography or listening to U2's One (with Mary J Blige).

On 1 November we had the second test shipment from Colombia into Manhattan. It had been 10 weeks since the first and again the quality was insufficient: not harvested open enough, the flowers were small and foliage damaged and dirty. Shit.

Yesterday Excellence's Amanda announced they would have another three boxes for the coming weekend. "Get in touch with Luis Ernesto, he knows about the problems of the last shipment. When he is confident, send them, but also try to send me a box in Holland," I wrote her. Earlier in the week I had called Pablo to arrange a visit. At the time with Qualisa in Ecuador this was the only way to persuade them to go against their routine of harvesting too tight flowers. Physical presence remains the most effective communication.

I had checked the air fares and both in timetable and cost Delta was the best option. A day later, when I booked, the choice remained the best, only the ticket had had an overnight price increase of 25%. Shit again.

When I took on my part-time (80%) teaching job, I kept the Fridays free for blitz trips like this: flying out of Amsterdam on Friday morning (November 18th), via Atlanta, arriving in Bogota late in the evening. Saturday to visit the farm: look at the crop, especially 'punte de corte', the cutting stage, handling (foliage!) in the greenhouse and the postharvest, and packing. Then instruct on the use of the TRUE. seals for each flower, install the program for the dataloggers, all in Spanish. Dinner and talks with Pablo. Sleep, perchance to dream and up early to go the airport, arriving in Amsterdam Monday morning at 8.10 am. Then on a bus to Scala College in Alphen to teach at 9.10 am. Make sure my lessons are prepared beforehand and that my bicycle is in place there, since I will be teaching at different locations that day.
Tight schedule? Idiot? Or rather: to be or not to be TRUE.

And, yes, I will do a series of lessons on Hamlet.