Finding Eldorado

Last year the former principle of Mizpah school planted behind the school around one hundred kape plants for the school. Kape is a root crop that Tongans eat which takes about a year to grow before it can be harvested, similar to Taro. When the principle planted the kape his plan was to have the school harvest it and ship it to New Zealand where it can be sold for a higher price than here. Selling the kape would give the school around $3000 to $4000 Pa’anga. This money could be used to by a vehicle or new equipment for Mizpah School. However when the new principle recently asked the school board about the kape garden the school board said they had never been told about it nor approved it. Because the school board had never been told of the garden or the plans to sell it to help Mizpah, they decided they did not want to deal with it and that it would be given to the teachers. This surprised me since that all that needs to be done is to keep the grass cut around the kape and then harvest it when the time comes. But since the plans weren’t given to the school board in the beginning, they did not want the garden to be part of the school. So now the teachers are left with a bunch of kape. We had two choices keep the kape for ourselves or sell it and give the money to the school from the teachers. If you have never had root crops before they are similar to potatoes but with less flavor and you eat them plain, maybe with a little salt. I am not a fan of root crops at all and having ten, three foot long, flavorless potatoes doesn’t make me like them anymore. So in a staff meeting we decided that the teacher would take care of the kape garden and sell it when the time came and give the money to the school from the teachers. We created a kape committee who are supposed to watch the kape and when the grass needs to be cut they would let the other teacher know. Then we will go out together and tend to the garden. Well three weeks went by after that meeting and I never heard anything from the kape committee. It seemed only logical that something would need to be cut after three weeks, since we are living in the tropics. One day after school I decided to check for myself what the kape situation was. My logic proved correct because the jungle where the kape garden used to be. The grass was four feet tall and there were little bushes growing everywhere. I got my machete and started cutting the grass, which is not easy since the grass is more like small bushes and takes a couple whacks to cut a cluster down. After school I go to cut grass for a couple hours then come back and sharpen my machete for the next day. I kind of enjoy the work since it gives me something to do and I can pretend that I am in search of Eldorado…. Day 125. Its hard work looking the lost city of gold, I haven’t found it yet, all of the crew has died and only I am left pressing forward in search of unimaginable riches. I move slowly but at a steady pace, swinging with my left arm till it gets tired then switching to the right. My body is sore and sweat drips down my arms. The mosquitoes are heavy but as long as I am moving they stay away. My water supply has run out and I only survive by chewing on the butt of the grass, sucking out what little moisture I can. I have no map, just instinct. There have been no encounters of wild beasts, but I have heard noises. So I cut with one eye one on the grass in front of me and one eye just beyond. Yesterday I found what I believe to be a drinking bottle with the design of crowns around the top and bottom, which leads me to believe that I am close. The motion of cutting becomes second nature. Raise the machete in the air, swing the machete down using gravity as a tool to swing faster. Raise the machete, swing, raise, swing, raise, swing, raise, swing, THUD. I hit something; it’s big and solid, harder then grass yet softer then wood. Could be the gate to Eldorado, could my months of solitude finally have paid off, could it be! I quickly clear the out the brush, unconsciously holding my breath in anticipation, only to find a kape plant near to full maturity…. Then I remember that I am gardening three foot long, flavorless potatoes, so I decide to call it a day.