Live Organic

Voices faded into the dark night as I sat, mesmerized, at the blue flames licking the sides of a makeshift flat pan. Siztah was cooking enough paella to feed the twenty hungry souls camped in the yard. She threw in handfuls of tomatoes to the soupy rice boiling away, as her deceivingly slim arms yielded a large wooden spoon and thoroughly mixed her wonderful creation. Spoonfuls of spices and a pinch of salt later, one can almost hear our stomachs grumble in delight.

Siztah and her community were my hosts in an organization called WWOOF, where travelers work on organic farms in exchange for food and lodging. That day, I spent the morning filling crates of white beans under the sweltering heat of summer. Working on another row of vegetables was a blonde French guy in dreads who has been on the farm for 3 months, and has his own share of quirky travel stories up his sleeve. After a hearty lunch of grains and stew, I settled in my corner of the bustling kitchen, chopping all kinds of fresh harvest like garlic, lettuce, capsicums, and the tomatoes that went in the paella. Above the scraping of knives on worn wooden boards, the friendly chatter amongst hosts and guests filled one's heart with warmth and belonging, despite knowing each other in less than a day. Perhaps this was how a world without strangers felt like.

The community showed an organic lifestyle in the midst of a modern society. With a large farm and a few volunteers, they were able to live sustainably and comfortably. But what was daily routine for them was an adventure for me in all aspects. It was fascinating to experience an alternative to a restless world.