We got up to the rays of the rising sun and made our way to the farmhouse. After breakfast we were taken on a tour of the community. We were introduced to the two cows that provide milk for the community. They produce about 25 to 40 litres of milk everyday for the 60 residents, 30 adults and 30 children. We went to see the sheep but they had gone grazing. It seemed they had slaughtered 17 sheep the day before. However, we were told that the residents do not eat meat normally. There were twelve sheep remaining. At the back of the farmhouse, we saw the chicken house and further down the road they had the pig sty with four Hungarian Mangalica (pigs that have fur on them).
The eco-village is 6 years old. Many residents are building their houses. They live in caravans and makeshift cabins while the houses are being built. The house of Pia, our focal point in the ecovillage was under construction. She took us to see her house, which her husband, Johann, was building almost single-handedly. The house was being built using straw, cement and clay. The bricks and wood as well as the windows were bought second-hand. Mussel shells were used for the foundation.
Pia had told us that the biggest challenge the communities faced was impatience... people wanted to see their own dreams come true and the community's vision come true but they still had a long way to go. Pia and her husband had been building their own house for the past three years. While the house was being built, they were living in a caravan with their two children, the youngest is just 6 months old. In spite of not having a house, the wait is worth for Pia and Johann because they want to have their own house and not rent houses and give money to a construction or housing company.
All the residents had the common vision of building and owning thier own house. We also visited the house of Mai, an extraordinary woman who had built her house all by herself with limited assistance from outside.
After lunch we divided ourselves into groups to work on the farm. We harvested potatoes, dug up the waste of sheep from the fields to be used for heating the compost, collected apples for making apple juice, and cooked dinner for the community and ourselves. It was really back-breaking and hard work but many of us ended up doing things that we had never done before. So, all in all, it was fun and a learning experience for all of us.
