I just finished up two weeks at my first farm and it was quite an experience. It’s a small place about an hour by train southwest of Berlin whose focus is Permaculture. They have no running water, which should be stated first as it was one of the chief reasons I was in a sour mood for the first few days. I was addicted to a morning shower like many people are to their morning coffee. You can do without it, but it takes a little discomfort to get used to it. Add tiring physical labor and the frustration of my inadequate German language abilities and you can imagine how happy I was to be going to Berlin for the weekend after only two days. Knowing what to expect, I came back after the weekend and had a much more pleasant time during my first full week there. I decided to enjoy the little things–like a cup of peppermint tea in the cool of the evening–and things went a lot better. They had a little shower bag that I decided I would have to try. You heat some water and fill up the bag, take it into the woods, find a nice low limb you can hang it on and–voilà!–shower al fresco. For about two minutes. It was actually quite enjoyable. Add to that the extent of my grime and it was heavenly. So the shower bag went from something I scorned to something I cherished. There were many things like this. Also, while far from being perfect or even very good at all, my German began to improve enough to hold a decent conversation and understand more of what people were saying. And finally, I got adjusted to the physical labor somewhat. I’ve had a few blisters and many new callouses and my muscles don’t get as sore as after those first couple days. I don’t mean to say it was plain easy, but it got a lot better and I had a great time all things considered. Anyway, here are some pictures: