Greetings from my yurt!
The deal with WWOOFing is working in exchange for meals and a place to stay.
Susan and Jim, the owners of the farm, were kind enough to build a yurt on the back of their property for their WWOOFers to stay in. It is complete with a kitchenette, a sitting area, and an air conditioning unit! I have scored myself a luxury yurt.
When Susan took me on the “grand tour” when I first arrived, she showed me my bathroom (Yes, I do have a bathroom. I do not have to pee in the woods as many people thought … thank goodness!). I was so excited to live in my yurt until Susan showed me the composting toilet and told me that I was responsible for emptying it. I was forewarned about the composting toilet, but I hadn’t been forced to face the harsh realities of it until that moment. Though I think the concept of a composting toilet is amazing (yay water conservation and nutrient cycling), I must admit, I was grossed out. But why? My initial reaction to the situation caused me to realize just how disconnected I am from the world around me.
This realization of disconnect has continued to hit me throughout the past few days living in my yurt. I have little sous-chef spiders who watch me prepare meals. I rise with the sun shining through my skylight, not covered by black-out curtains like at home. I fall asleep to the sound of little critters gnawing on the roof for a late-night snack. All of these things bugged me at the beginning of my stay. But, if I am to be a proponent for the environment, how can I look past my position in it? The way I live and the actions I make, no matter how separate they make me feel from the environment around me, can never truly separate me from it. We tend to view humans as above the earth, using its resources to meet our own needs and desires - we manipulate the environment; we don’t belong to it.
This way of thinking has played a large role in creating the issue of climate change that we currently find ourselves facing. We need to put ourselves back into the environment; take up our role as a supporting actor and contribute rather than control.
Like my yurt shows me, it is possible to be connected with our the environment without giving up our creature comforts. I don’t think I could give up my air conditioning, but I don’t have to. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing. Even small, personal changes can make a difference, and I am looking forward to learning ways to make those changes during my time here and bringing them back home (but the composting toilet may be one of the last changes I decide to make).