“Wisselwerking” is one of the words that most captivated my senses. It is now walled in the foundations of “Loods C”, the new communal space and flagship project of the community.

I left my country in search of purpose and meaning, while reconnecting with the Natural element.I was not looking at a place specifically. I prioritized growth over comfort, an experience that could reinvigorate my senses while inspiring me to move forward. First time in an ecovillage.

Nowadays, “Land van Aine” represents the complex environment, where I am somehow feeling at home. Moving from law books, my world was completely overturned. It is hard to convey how profoundly this transformative process simply defrosted what had always been part of me.

When I boarded the flight on the 26th of June 2025 everything felt tight and compressed. Faith and patience, together with the gift of a marvellous summer season, helped me grow into greater confidence as I navigated a major change, one that I am still living through. I welcomed evolution in its many forms. I cherished solitude and absorbed countless reflections. The rigidity within me gradually unravelled into acceptance and renewed motivation towards my innermost emotions. At Land van Aine, my days continue to revolve around two prevailing feelings: gratitude and tranquillity.

I was welcomed into a thriving, like-minded community committed to shaping a living environment that breathes human interconnectedness, mindfulness, and conscious stewardship of Mother Earth’s resources. Despite language barriers, I have had, and continue to have, the opportunity to engage in a deep inner exercise that illuminates every facet of who I am, nothing excluded.

Over these months, I believe I have contributed to community building in every way possible for a volunteer. I have never been overly concerned with the specific content of the task required, what has always mattered to me is giving, contributing and investing my energies in creating something whose quality and essence are recognisable and shared by both its creators and those curious about its story. This is why “wisselwerking” holds such an importance for me. It immediately evokes a powerful constellation of values like reciprocity, sharing, sense of community and togetherness.

At the same time, it sharpens my critical stance toward the neoliberal epistemological foundation (globalisation, unchecked consumerism, ecological exploitation, neo-colonialism, economic over-rationalisation) which I no longer feel willing to follow. I have experienced firsthand the value of striving for shorterer supply chains, where self sufficiency stands as a guiding light. Pure intention and convergence shape daily work. I came to appreciate the significance of reducing the interval between human beings and tangible outcomes of their labour.

The open-ended spirituality I encountered in this ecovillage helped me to engage in a process of de-cluttering, not only materially, but mentally, while consciously de-growing from exhausting practices and assumptions that had weighed my life down. As previously mentioned, I chose to prioritize growth over comfort. I learned how to shift weight from my head to my arms, recalibrating the balance between mental and physical effort. Then, through involvement in concrete and feasible projects, I feel I gradually restored a sense of hope. Thanks to this community I was able to practice one of the most essential human capacities: care. I redefined my understanding of time, especially in work-related contexts, learning the value of celebrating daily achievements and of remaining attuned to natural rhythms, both internal and biological, as well as external. In this “state of continuous tension” (my own terms), rooted in the ongoing reassessment of needs, desires and challenges within the community, I have been able to participate in a vigorous life-long practice of presence and responsibility.

Proud to participate in the “Quiet Activism” (L. Coppes), as embodied by ecovillages such as Land van Aine.