One week of the WWOOF lifestyle has officially been completed. After arriving at the permaculture farm and seeing the compost toilet, hippie digs, and the chores list, I will admit I wanted to hightail it to the nearest hotel and fly home. However, I told myself to shut up and make do, and now, while going to the bathroom like a gerbil will never appeal to me, I can see the appeal of living a sustainable lifestyle.

I’m lucky to have two other female WWOOFers here, as they’re both keeping me sane. We’ve started sneaking “contraband items” into the house, (read: our own personal vices of cheese, baguette, chocolate and alcohol), and somehow we’re able to joke around while shoveling 100 pounds of composted human waste. Ah, how one week can change your perspective. That’s not to say we don’t use the fancy water-flushing toilets every chance we get, but we can see the humor of the compost situation chez nous.

Today we were pulling weeds and ripping up the garden for two hours under the hot southern sun. It’s definitely not how I’m used to spending my afternoons, but after stabbing the soil with zest for awhile I can understand the therapeutic aspect.

One week down. One day at a time.

I’m so glad I started this journey.

Namaste,
AS