What I've Learned While Waiting for Land
I recently sat down with Djis Pa Hari for a piece on Aruba's agricultural land policy — and it got me thinking about how much of Eco Living Aruba came out of a wait that's still going.
Applying in 2017
In 2017, I applied for agricultural land here in Aruba. As of this year, I'm still waiting on an answer. It's not a complaint so much as a fact of how the process works right now — and it's part of why I think the system could use a clearer, more defined path for people trying to do the same thing.
What the Waiting Taught Me
I didn't put the years on hold. I spent them learning beekeeping — genuinely more than I expected to. Bees need flowering plants and a reliable water source to produce honey well, which means the land question isn't just about having a farm plot — it's tied directly to whether the hives can thrive.
Everything you see in our products today — the honey, the beeswax, the plants we work with — came out of that learning, done without the land I originally applied for.
Why I Said Yes to the Interview
I don't think my situation is unique, and that's exactly the point. A clearer, better-defined land policy would help beekeepers, small farmers, and anyone else trying to build something rooted in this island. I said yes to Djis Pa Hari's questions because it's worth talking about publicly, not just working around quietly.
Read the full interview (in Papiamento).
In the meantime — the hives are still here, the honey's still being harvested, and the Bee Experience is still open for anyone who wants to see what came out of all that waiting.