Continuing in the Community

My welcome not yet wizening with one week gone,
I would willingly work on, waking wearily at dawn 

Garden Life

The food on the commuity farm was great as the vast majority had come straight form the garden. We did eat a lot of vegetarian dishes as having meat meant they would have to slaughter one of their own animals, but I got used to a lack of meat quickly. The women in the community cooked for 30+ people three times a day, cleaned and did laundry. I don't think they did much else so I was pleased to be doing other things.

I did aid them by collecting the vegetables they needed for the day, going around the vegetable gardens and greenhouse. I got used to picking fresh red peppers, perfectly juicy tomatoes and delicious apples and snacking as I went.

"Tears streaming, ears steaming"

One day when harvesting a large amount of chillies for sale at the market, I chanced to try one. They were bound to be hot, but I thought I'd be able to handle it, so I carefully chomped down. I found that whilst it was very spicy, it was perfectly bearable. I grabbed a second one for myself and with this one I happily put it all in my mouth at once. Then something bad happened.

It made a sad-time in my face

This one was SO much hotter than its brother. My eyes filled with tears. Every part of my mouth, lips and tongue stung aggressively. I ran out of the greenhouse in search of water, but water did not help. I burned for ten minutes, tears streaming, ears steaming. It hurt for so long that I had time to take a selfie.

Well! I had learnt my lesson! These were to be respected. So when I cut some in to my lunch the following week, I only used a small amount and I found that was much preferred. 

Take that chillies- I shall have the last laugh.

Or so I thought. I went to the loo after lunch and proceeded to have a stinging dick all day. Sometimes you have to wash your hands before going to the bathroom as well as after. 

Another lesson learnt the hard way.

Other jobs I did:

Milking the goats and sheep. This really is not as easy as it looks. I definitely felt like I was abusing the animals as you have to grip their teats so vigorously.

Get yer teats out for the lads!

Tending the bees! This was something I was keen to do. I used a smoker to deter them from attack and then checked to see if they had enough sugar water. It means they don't have to go and find nectar and increased their productivity. I was dressed up but my buddy who was supervising was not, as he's not a pussy.

      Yo bees, I'm Ssssmokin!                "Buzz off Dion!"

There was some building work, a fair bit actually, but its a bit boring to talk about. They are constructing a new 'celebration hall' for their gatherings and guess who got roped in..

Manly tool shed of dreams...            And working in the rain :/

Bit of ploughing. The horse actually lives semi wild and we went to go and collect him from his pasture in the woods, then we rode him over. That was an experience which was so much more fun than I had expected. I had never seen the appeal with horses before but I think I've changed my mind.

              Go horse go!                  But first we had to coax him
                                                     out of the forest

The first job I did for them was mucking a wooden outdoor toilet. 

Yeah- the first day I was there.

It was like a prison hazing for a fresh inmate: "Do not fuck with us, fish! WE are in charge here. YAAAH" Like I'd not done anything wrong but I was still being beat on. The mental images were enough so I did not take a picture.

Claustrocommunophobia

As it was so intense with people around you constantly, I occasionally liked to get some air and look at the scenery on my own. 

As I was doing this on my last day, I realised that while I had been there for two weeks, I hadn't left the tiny village that entire time. A few people go to sell at the market in Prague on Thursdays and Fridays, but I am sure that some of the others have not left the farm in months. It was like being in the Alps and not leaving all winter season- but at least that is finite at four or five months. Some of these guys might not leave... ever.

One reason people might depart is if they are called to another community. As I have mentioned previously, there are other communities of the same group in different countries of the world. 

Most often, 'singles' (those without families in the community) can be told they are moving at a moments notice. One guy said that previously he had been installing solar panels for a company that the community had in Germany. However, there was a dip in business and he was informed that he would be moving to Czech in a few hours. It was undisclosed to him how long he would be living there.

Other stuff to get used to:

-With the exception of soup, they eat everything with chopsticks, including salad, rice and a thick porridge of millet that they sometimes eat.

-The men all have full beards and long hair, in ponytails. The internet says that tribesmen believe that shaven men are emasculated.
          The guys I know told me "Its so we can be more like our master". Both reasons are a bit odd.

- Six day week! This is also standard at summer schools and winter season so I am used to it. The bonus here is that everyone is off together on Saturday, the Shabbat (Sabbath init). Often they play volleyball- young and old- which was really fun

-They pray in a circle with their arms high in the air. Occasionally someone goes on a bit long and this gives you arm ache. Praying silently is discouraged as you could be saying bad things apparently.

-They like to have Hebrew names like Shelumiel, Chasidah and Heiut, and they call good Lord Jesus "Yashua" as that's a more Hebrew way about it.

Escape?

As I talked to and got to know more people in the community, I realised that the members fell in to two categories. 

I spoke to people who had found the community through different means and joined as adults. Most had a common theme- that they were disillusioned with the so called 'regular' way of life. They did not see that finishing school, getting a job, working to pay for a car and a house and as such running in,  'the rat race' was what they sought from life.

This is a notion which I can agree with at this point in my life. I know people in England who do their jobs and stay in one place, certainly having a high quality of life, but that kind of existence would not fulfil me right now.

Yet I additionally discerned that many of them had been depressed in their pre-community experiences, without friends or lacking a bundle of prospects. So this would be a perfect place for them: anybody is accepted and everybody wants to be nice to you when you come there.

Resident cutie Sha'an was born in
the community, after his mum
moved from Prague a few years back

You are given a purpose as each brother or sister in the community is required to become part of the machine and help out, plus you never have to worry about money again. Any money that is earnt from markets or otherwise goes back in to the community. Individuals do not gain any capital, the group as a whole does. 

The sceptic in me queries whether someone at the top of the pile is getting mega rich from this free labour, but lets not get in to that issue.

Then there were those who had been born in the community. Indeed there were several generations as this movement began in '72. They all seemed happy to be there and the alternative lifestyle was nothing of the sort for them; its all they had ever known. 

I questioned whether anyone born in to the community was obliged to stay there, and I was told warmly that nobody should be there unless they want to be. Everyone was free to leave if they wanted, whether they had just arrived, been there for years or in fact had been born there.

Whilst I was relieved to hear this (a slight dread had resided in me as to if I was going to be kept there forever) I realised it was flawed. Not for people who had come willingly, but for those born to it. If they did want to leave, surely they would have no money. Equally, they would not know anyone outside of the communities. No, I did not see anyone who appeared to want to depart, but that's besides the point. If they did, I do not imagine it would be easy.

I could leave though and after two weeks that's what I did. It had been a real experience and, despite all the difficult things to get used to I certainly enjoyed it. 

Whereas I know that this life is not for me as it is centred on beliefs that do not marry with me (don't get me started on natural selection again!) I do enjoy many aspects of their way of life. Yes, not having to spend any money is one of them.

There are communities in Devon, UK, a castle in the south of France and along the St. James way in northern Spain that I'd like to (and hopefully will) visit. If you'd like a really strange experience, I'd recommend volunteering for a week or two. It costs nothing once you get there and all you've got to lose is the risk of being brainwashed.

Next post: Living in Lapland

Read the first post about life in the Community here!

Small World - Garden Guests

"I had a set of guests in my chalet, when they arrived I asked them where they has flown from, where they lived etc. and it turns out they were from Sheffield (where I live). Then we discover that they live in the same suburb as me. They then said "is your house the one with the tree house with pirate flag on it?!" I said yes and it turns out their garden backs onto mine!"

                                                                    Rachel White

Thank you for the tale Rach, you win an entertaining evening with myself and the Hon. Lady Catherine to be claimed in November '14.