An unforgettable Experience – My name is Wayan.  I am one of the students of the Environmental Ambassador Training Program at Role Foundation which teaches the skills and knowledge of the principles and practicals of permaculture, waste management and how to take care our mother earth. My experience in the course was unforgettable.  I did the Permaculture Design Course at Jiwa Damai Foundation, Mambal Ubud from February 24 to March 11, 2013. The teachers were Rico Zook and Jeremiah Kids. It was an amazing group of people. I really appreciated the effort to create comfort and safety. It was a great blessing to eat the meals together, sing together, and we also learnt how to survey sites, analyse their needs, develop plans for spaces, implement change, and  evaluate efficiency and efficacy. Permaculture is a sustainable design science rooted in observation of natural patterns. For example, the same branching pattern of a tree is present in every river as well as in our own bodies- the patterns maximises edge, increases diversity, and serves at least a dozen other functions. The concepts of diversity increasing stability of natural living systems and edge increasing diversity are core permaculture teachings. Permaculture is what our ancestors knew when they lived in villages, made their own things, and grew their own food. It is the art of respecting nature and work with it, rather than against it.
We also did field trips, by visiting places and people who are really doing it, we could see, hear and feel how the ideas and philosophies of sustainability, permaculture came into real life. We visited Made Cakra (Tri Hitakarana Foundation), IDEP (local NGO), and the Green School.
I enjoyed the certification programme very much. This course was wonderful. All materials and teachers were fantastic, knowledgeable and intelligent. I love the site where we did the course and I thanked to the founder of Jiwa Damai Foundation, and hope she will invite more local people (Balinese) to come and attend this kind of course. I thank to Margret, the caretaker.
I also thank to ROLE Foundation, I really appreciate that ROLE gave me an opportunity to attend the PDC, I was very lucky that time. Once again, thank you for the kindness of ROLE Foundation. I really need your supports and guidance, in the hope I can spread and use the knowledge and skills for the people in my village.

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