Perma-what?

So, I’m in the middle of the desert living in a mud dome, composting just about everything, and studying permaculture. What is permaculture, you ask? Here are some lovely quotes I’ve encountered that explain the beauty of this philosophy:

“Permaculture philosophy is one of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation, rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions rather than asking only one yield of them; of allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolution.”

“Choose to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

“Creating abundant and sustainable human habitats by following nature’s patterns.”

“Permaculture is a life philosophy in which there is no waste, only resources. Reduce, reuse, recycle.”

“Get creative with change.”

“Permaculture is a system for people who have gone to school, gone to university, believe in ingesting information from the television, the computer, the book, pieces of paper, conversation…it is a system of learning to take people down the road enough that they can shut out all that stuff and start to hear.”

Plainly put, permaculture completes the circle. It’s a very positive mindset and way of living that facilitates creativity, change, and fun. People even sing about it! Enjoy :)

Mud + Gardens = Friends :)

Building a mud bench!

Our progress after 2 days building from scratch

The wonderful GA's!

Building a sheet mulch garden in the desert

Yummy rainbow chard 

Whirlwind

Wow, what a whirlwind my life has been these past few  weeks. In a nutshell, returning to Lotan is amazing. When I was here in May, I was an observer of the place, program, and community, whereas this time, I’m living what I observed 7 months ago. The Green Apprenticeship program is way more than just a permaculture certification course – it’s an all-encompassing community building, intentional living, “eco-freako” experience where you live everything you’re learning, from the practical techniques to the social dynamics. The first couple of days were quite relaxing and a good amount of time was allotted to us to get to know each other, settle in, figure stuff out, etc. Our group is amazing – very diverse, positive, fun, and interesting. We all want to be here and come from very different backgrounds, which ironically brings us closer together. As I’ve learned in one of my ecology classes, diversity is what sustains ecosystems – many species lead to cooperation and partnership.

Our days are full from sunrise to bedtime. We start lessons at 8 and go till 1, where we get an hour break for lunch. We then continue with a lesson starting at 2, which goes till either 4 or 5 depending on the material. Some nights are different from others, but there’s usually an activity planned for us after dinner and into the evening. Amongst all the lessons and activities, socializing (or otherwise known as 'community building') and experimenting with food, bicycle powered washing machines, and solar ovens seem to make the days pass with no sense of time whatsoever. The days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days.

So by the time the day comes to an end, I’m exhausted. It’s taken me forever to write this one entry because I’ve only been able to write a few sentences every couple of days. I love every minute of it though – I end each and every day with an overwhelming feeling of fulfillment, enrichment, and happiness rooting from my inner core. It just feels so good to work every part of your body, from your brain to your hands to your feet. The power of change seems to be a reoccurring theme in my life – when it starts, it picks up like wildfire. Living here is a 24/7 educational experience in which a new realization is made just about every day, and these realizations feed into the next ones, exponentially building on one another.

So I’ll leave you all with some pictures of my past couple of weeks. I know it’s taken way too long to post an entry, but don’t lose faith! Another one will be coming soon! 

Parabolic Solar Oven

Beautiful Flowers!

Fresh Broccoli

Visiting the Date fields 

Fresh Dates :)