Real Raw community in the tropics

[Guest guest]

If this is what you are looking for, I seriously recommend checking out the

Ann Wigmore Institute down here in Puerto Rico.

 

As long as ten years ago, people would ask me what my ideal life and I would

tell them: I want to live on an organic farm on an island in the tropics

that provided all of the best tropical fruit all year round, but it would

have to be near an alternative health vegan community. I wanted my farm to

be up in the hills but overlooking the beach and ocean (I use to have a lot

of tsunami nightmares before what happened in Asia.) I needed a community of

like minded people to exchange goods and ideas.

 

Three years ago, my girlfriend and I (living in NYC at the time) went on a

two week winter vacation to AWI. (I was surprised that she willing was to go

to a raw food institute as she use to make fun of me for my veganistic

leanings and vegetarian principles.)

 

We spent two weeks in raw paradise. The institute is located on a beautiful

sandy beach between feeling great from the all-inclusive raw meals and

learning so much about a living foods lifestyle together. We decided to stay

for an extra month helping out at the institute which was even better than

our stay as students.

 

We then decided to move down here permanently. Jodi has spent the last

couple of years teaching beach side yoga at the institute plus other classes

in the outlying community. I have been teaching a course of evening classes

in communication, meditation, non-violent interaction, raw food equipment

and travel, breathing and relaxation, self-evaluation of mental states, and

positive thinking (i.e. mental hygiene.) We have also been making and

packaging dehydrated snacks, wild tropical fruit, cacao, cookies, and raw

chocolate truffles.

 

In the past, I had been a high-powered executive specializing in electronics

start-ups. For close to a decade 60-70 work weeks were my standard. I

realized that I would work so hard so that I wouldn't have to work on myself

and my own internal issues. I took a dramatic reduction in income to move

someplace that I could simplify my life and find my balanced center.

 

I now spend a couple of hours per day doing hard physical activity on my

farm, tending fruit trees, picking bananas avocadoes mangoes grapefruit

papaya limes starfruit and cherimoyas (all of which we eat or dry and sell

the rest.) I spend the hot afternoons at the beach and lead workshops on

personal development in the evenings.

 

There is a wonderful community of raw vegans, surfers, and drop-outs; with

full moon beach parties, local arts festivals, organic farmer's markets,

tropic waterfalls, and rain forests. The weather is so temperate in the

Caribbean that you never have to wear anything more than shorts, sandals,

and tshirts all year round.

 

I use to think that I could only find these things in a place like India, or

Costa Rica, or Thailand, but the wonderful thing about Puerto Rico is that

it is a US territory under the laws of the Constitution, but it is a

socialized government with cheap government health insurance and coverage

(but meets US standards of health care) strong social safety net, and a flat

7% income tax (which means no IRS filings for local income) with no sales

tax. And best of all, Air fare back to friends and family in New York is

only $79 each way from the local airport (BQN) closest to the institute.

 

If you are looking for that ideal raw alternative community in the tropics,

I highly recommend checking out the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico

because your dream is already here. What are you waiting for?

 

www.annwigmore.org

 

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Tom Spontelli

Instructor

Ann Wigmore Natural Health Institute

 

Aguada PR 00602 USA

 

www.AnnWigmore.org

 

Two week Living Foods Lifestyle Certification Program on tropical beach at

one of the world's most respected Lifing Foods Institutes.

 

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