One of my main dilemmas in life at the moment seems to be finding where I want to live. I don’t really want to be nomadic all the time for the rest of my life and that means I’m going to have to put some roots down somewhere at some point. I’ve always been torn between extreme city life and extreme country life. I love mega cities like New York and London but I also love quiet, natural places where people are able to live off the land and off the radar. It’s a bit of a contrast, to say the least and it’s made choosing a place to live a tricky decision.
Due to a lack of funds for that sweet New York apartment, it looks like a place in the country is more realistic. I mentioned in a previous post that I really feel an attachment to Uganda and living there is appealing for a lot of reasons. Land is affordable and super fertile, I have some well-connected and knowledgeable local friends, it’s a beautiful area in a part of the world I really like, people speak English, there’s a lively expat community, there are lots of opportunities for community involvement and, most importantly, it just feels right.
One of my many dreams is to create a beautiful place to live from nothing. Buy a piece of land, design everything from the ground up and get to work building it either with the help of friends, family, local workers, volunteers or all of the above. I’d like to design with permaculture techniques in mind and I’m currently on a course in Ethiopia, learning all I can.
I’m 8 days in and I’m inspired. The place I’m staying at, Strawberry Fields, has been built up into a fertile garden and lodge from lands that were thought to be unsalvageable. My teacher, Tichafa a Zimbabwean, has been involved nearly from the start and he’s an amazing guy. Not only is he a fountain of knowledge for permaculture stuff, he’s also super passionate about the topic and also about using permaculture to better lives of people in Ethiopia and around Africa.
He’s introduced permaculture to six primary schools in the area with the hope that they’ll be able to generate an income from the food they’re able to grow. We went on a tour around some of the schools and the two that have been going for two years were amazing. So many things growing in places you wouldn’t think would be able to sustain any life. He’s respected all over town and slowly but surely winning over the community as they see what he’s able to accomplish.
His passion for the subject is magnetic and the fertile areas he’s created speak for themselves. I love being around passionate people who get things done and being here has been a great experience both for the things I’ve learned on the course and by seeing what can be accomplished with hard work and a plan.
I’m inspired! I’m not sure how I’ll do it yet, but I can really see myself making this land-buying-and-building-a-place-in-Uganda thing work. I’m working on a plan of attack that I’ll post in the New Year. It might be just crazy enough to work!
Sounds like an interesting plan. I’m anxious to see what you have up your sleeve.
I looked up the Strawberry Fields ECO-LODGE.
http://www.permalodge.org/
This is an impressive effort and I can see why you would want to learn more about it and maybe try your hand in it. Good luck!
I was wondering how long you would be able to continue without having thoughts of diving in some where ” exxcuse the pun” with webby lasting about two years and mike a lot less, I was begining to think you were wonder woman. I think this would be an awesome place along with the idea, gives us all somewhere to come and see you.
I’m finaly into gear and ditched anything that remotely resembles normality off on my Honda wave all over south east Asia for a year or so with a secondary goal of spending no more than I earn whilst working solely on my own sites. Probably will be doing some woofing along the way.
“Digging in” not diving
Kirsty, I think u are feeling attachment to Uganda because people are still living natural life over there and it’s not much materialistic. I think the real human inside us always asks us to live in villages.
I had similar thoughts some time ago but traveling was good for me when I was single now it is way too late:( LOL
Wow! So interested to see what comes of this, Kirsty!
I think the most important consideration about where to stay is that you acknowledge that where you are now “just feels right”.
That’s my two cents–that you didn’t ask for!
I hope you keep the feeling, wherever you end up.
-Kent
You know one thing that is even better about the country Life? The clear air!!! I love the city life personally… but I can’t stand the air, that’s something I wish we could fix to be like the country life.
-Jean
Your plan sounds good to me, envious that you would be able to get much more land that what we currently can afford in London, so enjoy every last minute of it.
Keep us posted on the latest plan developments, quite curious about it all now
Happy New Year – yup, a bit early but who knows when you’ll log on again!
This is an awesome plan. If anyone can make it work, it’s you! I love that you’re soaking up all the information in this course and are going to actually use it. I can see you creating your own place and then expanding into some sort of school or consulting for eco-lodges or more. Can’t wait to hear more…and perhaps visit you in Uganda next year!
Being able to grow your own food would be awesome. It sounds like they need to teach that permaculture stuff in more parts of the world. I’d love to be able to live that lifestyle too, but I haven’t really found that place where I want to settle down.
nice to know u were in ethiopia
Hello Kirsty,
I really appreciate your permaculture hobby, this is incredible step to save nature. Even i suggest to everyone for plantation.
You have really inspired me to look into the Ugandan expat community. I also dream of building a ground-up life somewhere free of the daily assault on my consiousness that living in Western society so often amounts to. Thanks so much for posting.