Lessons From Whitney Xu ’20 on Farm Life Off the Grid in Rural North Carolina

Whitney Xu ’20 first visitedWoodland Harvest Mountain Farm在另一个春假旅行中Career Education2018年。他们立即与农场的主人丽莎和伊丽莎白联系起来，喜欢在北卡罗来纳州阿巴拉契亚蓝岭附近树林的一角里的日常生活。今年秋天，徐和他们的合作伙伴组织了一次机会奥林工程学院学生小组to spend the semester on the farm, building cabins for future visitors and living off the grid—using compost toilets, solar and hydro electricity, and woodstove heating, and growing much of their own food. Xu took us through the ups and downs of farm life.

你在Woodland Harvest的一天是什么样的？
农场里的一天充满了不停的奔跑。

Many of us gather around 10 or 11 a.m. to begin work at the build site, which lasts most of the day. We usually have dinner as a group and hold a short meeting to make announcements. By 7 p.m., we split off to play board games, play music, or hang out until bed. We spend weekends off in nature.

What have you learned from your day-to-day activities, living off the grid in a community like this?
Living off-grid definitely takes adjusting to! There are a number of modern conveniences that we don’t have here, including flushing toilets, so we use compost buckets in the indoor bathroom and an outhouse outside.

Our energy comes from solar panels and a micro-hydro system that depends on the running water of the nearby creek. On days with little sun, we have to be frugal with our energy consumption lest we lose power. This means charging devices during daylight hours and not using lights unless completely necessary. We also use coolers instead of a refrigerator, so we have to be very aware of what food we have and what may be going bad soon. This has taught me a lot about how much energy we consume when living in a normal house, and how much food waste is produced without us even realizing it.

Seeing how difficult it is to get heat from raw materials makes me more aware of consumption in many ways. The entire process, from going into the forest with a chain saw to cut down trees, to eventually starting and maintaining a nice fire, takes a long time!

Another big challenge here, especially for students in classes, is the satellite Wi-Fi, which is not the fastest or most reliable.

What has it meant to you to have this experience during the pandemic?
I have never been so immersed in a lifestyle that emphasizes living off the land without depending on modern civilization and capitalist societies.

我非常幸运地生活在这个美丽的避难所般的空间里。有时候，生活在如此幸福的无知中，只做眼前的事情，这可能是一种解脱，但我也需要记住泡沫之外发生的事情。

How has this experience built on what you learned at Wellesley?
I worked under Andrew Kemp in the Pendleton wood shop for three years and gained a set of invaluable building and woodworking skills that I apply here every day. At Wellesley, the shop environment made me feel safe and confident in my abilities to operate power tools, create building plans, and fabricate exactly what I envisioned. Andrew played a huge role in my woodworking experience, and I feel so grateful for his mentorship.

My friendships at Wellesley also taught me so much about community and reciprocation. I think of my friends every day and try to emulate their loving personalities in the community I’m living in.

是什么让你想回到Woodland Harvest？
自从2018年我第一次和韦尔斯利一起参加另一次休息时，我就一直想回到伍德兰收获。农场的主人伊丽莎白和丽莎是我认识的两个最有魔力的人，我以前从未遇到过任何人，他们毫无疑问地爱着我，接受了我。作为有色人种，我对南方人的偏见有一些先入为主的看法。但丽莎和伊丽莎白很快向我展示了他们对所有人的友善和接纳，从那以后，我和他们两人的关系都非常好。

农场的生活更像学校还是游戏？
生活更像是工作而不是玩耍，因为有太多的基石需要建立。我们正在建造一些复杂的、工作密集型的生活结构：一个八角形的公共生活结构，一个“老太婆的小屋”，这是一座适合老年人的无障碍建筑，以及一座供我和我的伴侣居住的小房子。除此之外，杂草需要除草，饭菜需要烹饪，菜肴需要清洗，学习空间需要整理，动物需要喂养，等等。

At the same time, I also have a lot of fun with the members of the community, who are all vivacious, funny, good-natured cuties. When we do a big load of dinner dishes together while blasting music, it is most definitely play rather than work.

How is the community staying safe during the pandemic?
We followed strict guidelines when everyone was arriving. Anyone who drove to the farm was expected to sanitize and wear masks at rest stops throughout the drive, and people who flew here were required to wear masks for the first two weeks and spend most of their time outside. The occasional visitor must test negative before being unmasked around the group. We limit grocery runs as much as possible and don’t usually go into town. So far, we have had no positive cases at the farm, and I feel pretty optimistic about the remainder of our time here.

How will you spend Thanksgiving?
农场里有三只自由放养的火鸡，很可能会收获至少一只作为感恩节大餐。我们有很多有天赋的厨师，所以我们会有很多美味的面包、土豆泥、汤和南瓜派等等。我们可能还会举行一个小型仪式或仪式，向在我们之前居住在这片土地上的土著人民致敬，并感谢他们的精神和在这片土地上的存在。

你和奥林的学生会在林地收获学校待多久？

我将在这里一直呆到12月中旬，奥林学期结束，并将回到新泽西州的家中待上几周。其他仍在这里的奥林学生也是如此。1月中旬，我将和我的搭档以及本学期在这里的其他三名学生一起回到Woodland Harvest，我们将在春季学期欢迎四五名新成员。

What lessons will you take with you from this experience?
我已经在外面的帐篷里露营两个半月了，我从来没有想过我能做到。我喜欢我的奢侈品——长时间的热水澡、舒适的床、微波mac和奶酪、Netflix，我想什么时候都行。现在我知道，没有这些东西，我可以非常快乐和健康。话虽如此，我真的很期待以后再拥有它们！