The ideal living is supposedly easy, isn’t it? Back to the roots, they say, back to the easy living. Well, life here in the Bosque Village, the permacultural farm which I am currently staying at outside of a small town, Erongaricuaro, is at the present quite calm and carefree. But that’s cause most of the tough job’s already been done. The forest is huge, about 80 hectare, and includes a bunch of cabañas, camp site, a lodge and terrace, lots of fireplaces, a painting studio, forest gardens, and loads of creative as well as useful installations. Getting here resulted in two hours of searching, and luckily a sudden finding. It’s fairly remote, all though a tiny tiny village called Yotatiro is within walking distance. Here the lead words are intentional living, self-reliance, food forest farming and permaculture. All these pretty words is not just for show, every part of the forest, even us humans included, are here for a reason, with an intention. Trying to use the resources of the forest, but also give back what is being used, of course in a purely ecological and organic way. The compost toilets, catching rain water, planting seeds of eaten vegetables, solar power, feeding leftovers to chickens or rabbits; the goal is to even out the consumption and contribution, to minimize what we today call our ecological footprint. The significance of permaculture is to actually embrace the technological inventions which helps this life style, not to reject them in an Amish kinda way. And there is plenty of solutions being implemented all around the forest, some simple but brilliant, other more complex. I am very happy to be here, and just walking around observing is teaching me things each day, which I would like to implement in my own future, wherever I’ll be.
The other two who is currently here is the owner, El Jefe, Brian and the super lady Meesh, Michelle, both from the States. These two have proven that nothing is set, no rules unbreakable and no direction is permanent; life is your choices, and even choices change! Brian has spent ten years out here in the forest, constantly building, improving, developing and growing. He employs a team of locals which does a lot of the hard work around here, we volunteers try to chip in as much as we can, myself is not a pro on building or forest farming, but my enthusiasm for learning is a bit over the top! Every time you get a thumbs up of approval is a victory. Whatever we have experimented with so far, Brian always suggest we do it again, changing something small in the process, to really find out what would be the difference and what would be best. Hence, we overloaded on chocolate cakes this week, but I am not the one to complain. Any suggestion, even like building a pirate ship, is noted and welcomed by him, put down in the note book with projects. To be able to throw suggestions and mind wrenching at each other is much more fun when your “boss” is super positive about almost anything, it doesn’t really matter what is a good idea and what is bollocks, in the end it may lead to a great solution, a eureka moment of bliss! If that is a stroke of genius or childhood is hard to tell. The way he burps and talks to the puppies could suggest the last… Michelle is also one of these thoroughly open minded people you rarely run into. To really be open minded, instantly, is more advertised than implemented in many people. I figured she was a few years older than I am, but her way of life must have had that anti-aging effect on her, since she looks, thinks and acts way younger than many her actual age. Meesh has been travelling the last year, back and forth Central America, the States, Europe etc, and before that her life has taken plenty of turns from Hollywood to Costa Rica. Listening to her views on life which is so similar to mine, and the way she actually implements them is for me a huge inspiration. I know everyone is not looking to be free, self-reliable or to live life without basic securities – I know people are not better or worse off, we all go our different ways. But for me, looking for something else than Sweden might be able to offer me, I need to know that there’s people out there who is driven in a similar way as I am. Being open for change and accepting that life doesn’t necessarily leads in one direction is often a struggle to people, even myself. Though it helps meeting people and hearing them talk about how your life is growing and that you yourself must grow into it. I will keep on hoping that there will never be a set path for me, and rummaging around different jobs, interests, people and places will keep me happy. The last few years I have always felt that the best place is the one I’m in exactly now, and though the places changes from day to day, that idea keeps me smiling, energetic and enthusiastic about life. I don’t have my dream job or situation in Gothenburg, and I am feeling restless a lot of the time, but I have grown to like life in general, and to stay happy in the bigger picture – developing towards something I still don’t know what. I’m kinda, like a garden in the forest, growing slowly without extra supplements to make me go faster. With role models like Brian and Meesh, I get inspired, thankful and hopeful that events will sort themselves out as long as I am open to it.
Wow, that was a whole mish mash of cliches and preaching – I guess that’s what fresh mountain air does to you!