“A week in Paradise”

Below you can read the reflection of Zita, a member of the Hungarian team.

A week in Paradise

When I applied I felt like doing a kind of experiment: I have never been to such an exchange and it would be something new. As the date of my departure approached, I started to realize that maybe I wasn’t fit for this kind of thing so I felt more and more scared about the whole week before me. Fortunately, I was wrong.

Those seven days of the exchange felt like we were all in a kind of bubble taken out of time and space in a totally new world, away from everything that is happening to us in “real life”, away from all the worries and obligations we have to face every day. I felt absolutely free and relaxed among all the smiling faces and the nature surrounding us and I am absolutely grateful for every day, hour and minute I could spend there. It was a whole new type of energy in the group I have never experienced before.

The workshops and presentations were great, in that one week I learned more new things than I otherwise wouldn’t in probably half a year. I liked that there was a balance between theoretical knowledge (for example permaculture), practical knowledge (for example forest walks), and also a lot of personal and interpersonal links between all of these (yoga, dances, talks). The knowledge and skills I acquired at the exchange gave me a whole new point of view.

I just hope I will be able to share all this knowledge with others so that everyone can experience that great feeling of being connected with people, nature, and everything around us.

Our first awakening in Gyűrűfű was on the 13th of August. The sunny day warmed up everyone and as all the following morning we started our morning council. At the beginning the practice of being sitting all around in circle (worth to note that the circle had the cardinal points marked by red carpets, indirectly underlining that reconnection with nature starts also from the points we use to define our position in the space)

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Memory

Memory is very flexible, it fits to our beliefs, our needs, to somebody else point of view or it simply makes us agree with the mainstream opinion.
We may be sure of having done things that in reality we never did.
Sometimes trying to find memory by ourselves, without any influence, helps us discover things about us and the world.
That’s why I invite you to share anything you may have wrote, thought, painted, discussed, felt or imagined during and after the exchange.
Don’t be shy and don’t be afraid to disagree.

Giorgio

Our last day – August 19th

The last day the atmosphere was quiet, everyone in peace with him/herself. In the morning we had workshops about natural cosmetics. The Italian team cooked pasta and the Czechs cooked some potato pancakes. In the afternoon we had our final circle, everyone had time to share his feelings and thoughts about the exchange. The farewell party was quiet as well, many were really sleepy, others sat around the fire till late night.
On the next morning we woke up at 6 and walked the 7km back to Helesfa.
Our adventure finished there.

Ether, the spiritual day – August 18th

In the morning we did a workshop with Agi about yogic wisdom, where she explained the basics of yoga, not only as a physical exercise but as a whole way of life. Later we did a mandala, sharing with one another experiences related to each of the four elements. We spent the rest of the day organizing the intercultural night. At dinner the italian team cooked pasta with tomato sauce and the hungarian team did vegetable balls.
The intercultural evening was a real fun, every team had his original presentation. The Italian team started with a little energizer dance, than presented the food it took and where it came from. The Czech team presented some local beverages and taught us to sing and dance Mazurka. The Hungarians taught us a dance and taught us a group dance. The Lithuanians cooked some sweets, oak coffee and also taught us a dance. Latvian did a fun presentation of their country and also shared with us some food and drink.
The space was cleared and the community house turned into a free space, to dance, speak and laugh until late in the night.

Air, Freedom, Reflection – August 17th

This exchange challenged many of the basic assumptions of our daily life. We are expect water magically flow from the tap, we think shower as a relaxing moment, we think shoes are necessary every time we go out and many other things. Most of all we are used to have our environment built up by others, we devolve our power and decision to someone else.
On the 17th we moved from the house and the yurts to the tents in a field. There we directly experienced what does it mean to build up our own environment.

Fire, Activity, Motion – August 16th

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The 16th was dedicated to fire element, where we were actively involved in the program. In the morning there were some workshops: archery with Peti, Horse Riding with Freddi, Herbal Bag craft, Raw Vegan Sweets production with Nelli, Thai Massage with Tereza and Juggling with Kuba. In the afternoon some workshops finished and we met at the circle for different speaches and games about enviromental problems and differences:

Water, Art, Emotions – August 15th

The exchange is over, yesterday we all started our travel back (or somewhere else, for some Lithuanian). As you can see I’m late in my reports, but the exchange was an experience that filled most of my time. In a couple of days I think I will share everything we did. I apologize.

In our usual life we are used to have phones, computers, watches and many other technical instruments that not only remind us in witch part of the day we are, but also put us in the mood to take the times of our activities, thinking how long does it take to have breakfast before going to school or university, or how long does it take to end the working day. This kind of tears us our life, cutting it in small pieces and pushing us to have control over every tiny part. As we lose control, we feel lost or confused.
One of the aims of the contact dance we did on our second day was the reconciliation with the flow of life.

The Muddy Body Exchange

Earth, Forest and Soil – August 14th

Our second day in the village started as usual. Yoga and morning council. Some were wildlife watching with Peter at 5.30, others just woke up and enjoined morning running on the hills around.
Every day here has its particular value and focus. The 14th of August was dedicated to earth element, our material and bodily part. This practical connection to this part of each of us was done trough an introduction to the forest.