About seven Months ago I took a step that I had only been dreaming of for years. I moved out of the big city and became a country girl.
Realizing my true home
I grew up in the capital of Finland, Helsinki and I always considered myself as an urban city survivor. Nevertheless I have always felt a deep connection to the Nature and forests. Maybe the early years in girl scouts, maybe the summers spent in the countryside cottage, however, my heart has always been green.
The country house, mökki as we say in Finnish, has been in the family since the house was built in 1937. I realised the importance and meaning of this place during all my travels abroad; What an amazing place we have, a green paradise by a lake, hidden in the forests. While traveling I never missed any of the homes where I had lived, neither my parents’ home where I grew up, but I always missed the country house. That longing was so strong that I decided to tattoo the coordinates of the place into my forearm. I would always have the address back home.
Permaculture connecting people
2019 while living and studying in Guatemala I understood the benefits and effects on human mind in living in the middle of nature. Doron Yoga & Zen Centre was located in a small village, surrounded by trees, coffee plantations and a lively river going through the property. I felt like staying outside 24/7 as my room had gaps in the wall so I could feel the wind in my face. Everything was built based on permacultural and eco-friendly principles. That is to observe the nature and copy its patterns in gardening and food producing. It is to find more ecological, environmental and sustainable solutions in everyday life.
As I was fully enjoying the fresh air, the birds, the wind and meditating with the sound of the river – all of them made me realize that I don’t miss the walls around me, neither traffic, business of the city or high houses.
As a gift from the Universe I met more like-minded people in Mexico. I stayed with a local family in Chiapas, who had changed their modern city life into simple, self-sufficient permacultural lifestyle in the countryside. With these most amazing parents, their three lovely kids, twenty chickens, a pig, cats and dogs, I experienced being part of their family, helping in everyday tasks and learning about eco-building. I was sleeping in an old bus from the 60’s. This experience supported my plans and I feel a lot of gratitude to get to know this family. In the end it is very simple things what one needs to survive: a shelter, water to drink and wash, food, happiness, hope and love.
In the late August 2019 as I was back in Finland I took the step to move to the country house 2,5 hours away from Helsinki. I was full of ideas for how to start building more self-sufficient life, grow my own food and be more connected to the nature. I dreamed to utilize permacultural principles in my life. More was to come; I got accepted into a 70 hours Permaculture Design Course arranged in Greece at Southern Lights Project. In October I spent two weeks with bunch of amazing, revolutionary, green hearted, eco-activist from five European countries. Getting more tools to my toolbox I felt being ready and well prepared for the upcoming winter in the countryside.
How to survive the Finnish winter?
First of all: the Finnish winter is a dark period of death: nothing grows, the pale sun stays up for 4-5 hours per day and the temperature is something between -20 – 5 Celsius degrees.
How did I survive? Well, I must say I had an easy beginning. This year the winter was mild and there was a lot of rain. I used the collected rain water to wash myself and my dishes with it. I had separate drinking water taken from a nearby community spring. On the property we have an ecological compost toilet in the back of the yard. FYI: that will be amazing compost for the vegetable garden!
The house is heated with wood. There are fire places in each room, also a wood stove for making food. For my luck and support, there is electricity and also radiators in each room if it gets too chilly indoors.
I learned how to make my own oat milk, oat cream, detergents and tooth paste from ecological and decomposable materials. I started making my own kombucha and peanut butter. In the big wood-burning baking oven I prepared bread and pizza and roasted granola and peanuts.
Time for resurrection – Time for life
As the winter months felt pretty stagnant and ineffective, finally in April the spring arrived. Hints of life started to appear. Birds singing and playing around, little green sprouts coming out of the ground, sun light that lasted longer and felt warm. A resurrection of the Nature and human mind.
The first year of more sustainable lifestyle has started. There is so much more to come as the vegetable garden and seedlings starts growing and producing. So far it all seems to fulfill my expectations. I am so excited to see what is to come in the next upcoming months. Thanks to my amazing family; mom, dad and my sister. They have been supportive and for a great help in all this. As part of this place, their visits is invaluable and important.
This is a life long journey. An adventure I won’t regret.