Welcome to the “Love School” where you will learn about a devoted father, who taught his beloved daughter how to start in her journey through life, by following his example of honesty and hard work. This is a fairy tale. Now my dear friends, let me tell you the tale of “Indigo Locks”
Once upon a time, there was a little girl with big dark eyes and black hair. People called her “Indigo Locks”, because in the sunlight her hair sparkled in shades of blue. From the moment she was born, her hardworking father surrounded “Indigo Locks” with all his love, so she would always feel safe. This way, she would never be afraid to confront any dangers in her path through life.
When she was a baby, upon her dad’s late return from work in the evenings, she figured out a way to get his undivided love and attention, which she long for during the day. ¿What did she do, to get her dad’s attention? She cried, asking her dad to rock her in his arm, until she fell asleep at the rocking chair. The following day, although her dad was so tired, he knew he had to work hard in order to provide for his family.
“Indigo Locks” grew up surrounded by lots of love and life lessons.
Because her mom loved flowers, every Sunday from the age of six, “Indigo Locks” walked along with her dad and brother to the market to buy flowers. Her favorite ones were: gladiolus, dahlias, roses and carnations. They were brought by Indian women wearing typical dresses, all the way from the San Salvador volcano to San Antonio Abad, where the market was located. The walk took them approximately 2 hours and as they strolled on the dirt trail, they were engulfed in the scent of flowers, and the vivid colors of their surroundings. This is how “Indigo Curls” learned to appreciate the beauty of nature and take good care of it. In addition, the joy the flowers brought to her mother made her very happy.
After their healthy walk, in which they enjoyed the fresh air, the beauty of nature and bringing joy to their mother, their father rewarded “Indigo Locks” and her brother by letting them sit on his lap and reading the Sunday cartoons of the newspaper to them. This is how “Indigo Locks’” love for reading began to grow.
Indigo Locks learned from her father to always honor her word. When she was 11 years old, she voiced an interest in studying in Switzerland. Consequently, when she became a teenager, her dad inquired about her wish again and then embarked on her travel abroad to a distant country. Before she left, her dad gave her a pendant of the Virgin Mary that was given to him by his mom for protection.
Correspondence full of wise advice and encouragement flowed back and forth, to keep “Indigo Locks” from feeling lonely.
Her dad visited her on her first summer vacation, where they traveled around Europe learning about new cultures and languages. She learned about the German’s discipline, the great French cuisine, the cheerfulness of the Italians, her Spanish heritage, and she also learned about different religious beliefs. Above all, she learned the importance of learning different languages, so she could understand the way other cultures think and act. In addition, she learned that punctuality and cleanliness are personal attributes needed to succeed in life.
In Europe, people don’t pollute city parks or lakes with garbage. Small animals roam freely around city parks and nobody harms them. Small children feed and pet them.
In time, “Indigo Locks” grew up, got married and had 3 children. She moved to Africa with her family, where she continued to learn new things through observation and most of all, respect for the new culture that had welcomed her with open arms. She learned how to cook Ethiopian food, their dances and a bit of their language. All along, she missed her father.
After 13 years of living abroad, she returned to El Salvador, where she inherited “Hacienda Los Nacimientos”, from her father. His advice to her was to not only grow sugar cane, but to add value to the agricultural production of goods.
She made the wise decision to transform the hacienda into a pesticide-free garden by avoiding the use of synthetic fertilizers. Instead, she decided to apply only green manure and natural extracts and compost; in other words, she turned the hacienda into an organic farming site, to protect the worker’s health, and to provide her customers with healthier products, that have better taste and aroma.
Indigo Locks began sowing indigo, sugar cane, pitahaya, cashew fruit, ginger, bananas, plantain, drumstick tree, amongst other fruits and plants. She recalls in her childhood, her father always asked her how she came up with her answers, when he checked her math homework – a subject matter she did not particularly like. This led her to turn to research and development of new products that would generate jobs for many people. In doing so, she could provide jobs for fathers, so they could in turn also provide a better life for their families, get houses and send their children to school.
Everyone who works for Curls is trained in the process of extracting dye out of the indigo plant and is knowledgeable of the transformation “from a green plant to a blue color”. The hacienda now produces indigo handicrafts, banana ice cream, dried banana chips, pitahaya juice and cashew by-products like: vinegar, wine and juice; drumstick tree oil, lemon-grass and ginger essential oils.
In addition, the “Hacienda Los Nacimientos” produces fertilizers and pesticides based on organic farming practices.
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