Settling into a new place; town, city, country, whatever the case may be, always involves the same thing – getting to know the community.
Having now settled permanently in Galapagos I’m fortunate to live in a great area with wonderful people. But I am still slowly getting to know the Galapagos community; the locals and the products they produce, the expats and their stories of how they came to be here.
So a couple of months ago we, along with our friends and neighbours, decided to create a local fair – La Chakra del Artesano. An opportunity for the people in our area to show, share and sell their locally produced goods, with the additional benefit of encouraging others to visit from downtown and also getting know members of the community.
The first Fair was held in our front yard – seriously. We live on a large property that is perfectly suited for tents and stalls to be set up in the open area at the front of the house.
We had a variety of locals selling home made and local goods such as jewellery, locally grown coffee, beer, plants and vegetables, and I made my delicious vegan brownies.
We were thrilled with the turn out for the first event. With the sun shining, visitors enjoyed a relaxed Sunday afternoon catching up with each other, buying products, and I’m thrilled to say I sold out of my two plates of brownies.
The success of the first fair was so good, we had double the amount of sellers and visitors for the next fair. With the opportunity to move to a location just down the road that is even better suited to seller’s stalls and the growing fair’s needs, the following month everyone set up their products and enjoyed another great Sunday afternoon of relaxed selling, buying and fun atmosphere.
Now the once a month fair is continuing to grow to the point where sellers need to be turned away as space is becoming limited. These types of events, locally run, organised by those participating and enjoyed by everyone, have allowed me to meet others and get to know more about the people and community I’m now a part of. Whilst selling my popular vegan brownies is definitely a lot of fun, the opportunity to make new friends and integrate myself into the small Galapagos community is the most valuable for me. These types of events are so much fun and there is a real sense of enjoyment and happiness with everyone committed to making the day, and future events, the best they can be.
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