It’s been interesting to observe my behaviors and emotions while living in close quarters with other people for the past month. Surrounded by more than one hundred volunteers and guests who are also out of their comfort zone is both fascinating and exhausting. But there are some beautiful and simple life lessons I am learning along the way that I wanted to share with you.

We are provided with three meals a day here at Tamera, made from an abundance of fresh organic food sourced either from the property or from close neighbours. With the exception of coffee and a few other ingredients, we are eating mainly seasonal vegetables, grains, a ton of legumes, and homemade bread.

I have never eaten such an incredible variety of fresh, delicious food, with the opportunity to eat as much or as little as we want. We pay 20 euros a day for food and board, and our community service component allows us to attend various workshops others pay for while giving back and building community. Having been here for four weeks now, I can say the food alone is well worth the investment.

What I notice in myself, and in those around me, is that sharing a buffet of food with large amounts of people creates a scarcity mindset. Certain foods run out faster than others, and I often see people (including myself) piling their plates full, or guzzling down what they have so they can race back for seconds before the most desired foods run out.

What I’ve been trying to do more recently is take a reasonable amount from the beginning that I would be satisfied with. This includes taking a second piece of bread (which always runs out) if I truly desire it to avoid resenting the people who take five or more. When I take what I want and don’t overload my plate, I end up eating much slower and appreciating what I have rather than making myself feel sick. And when I don’t deny myself the second piece of bread in the first place, I don’t guzzle down my food in the hope that I can rush back for a second piece later on.

This week at Sunday brunch, which is the biggest and best meal of the week, I took exactly what I wanted before sitting down between two people with at least double the amount of food on their plates. Firstly, I noticed an immediate sense of envy and judgement in how much the others had, before focussing back on my plate to see the smaller portion of equally delicious food. Having vowed not to go back for seconds, I could feel my body relax, and was able to close my eyes and notice the texture and flavours of the food, while slowly chewing and appreciating each bite. Eating in this mindful way, I could actually taste the food I was eating.

This simple moment of enjoyment made me reflect on the bigger picture of my life. I have been living with an underlying sense of dissatisfaction for the past year or more, with a sense that what I have and what I’m doing isn’t enough. I’ve been on a constant search to discover the most ideal way of living, to find the perfect place in the world to settle down, and the most satisfying work that will keep me both financially secure and fulfilled. I believe searching for answers and continuing to learn about the world and myself is valuable and necessary for growth. But I realise I often do this while forgetting about the incredible life I already have.

The past few weeks have made me appreciate that I have a supportive family, incredible friendships scattered across the globe, and a career that has allowed me to take time off to hike trails and explore different parts of the world. My plate is so full of life experience, it’s often hard to remember exactly what’s on there.

If I only take one thing from this experience in Tamera, I hope it is gratitude for everything I already have. If I could reflect on what’s on my plate everyday, perhaps I won’t need to worry about the food on other people’s plates, the ingredients that feel unattainable, or the fact that the tray might be empty by the time I arrive. And before I fill my next plate, I’d like to think carefully about what I really desire, so that instead of overindulging on new experiences, I savour the ones most important to me.

I’m happy to report a positive shift in energy this week. Last week was rough, and I reached the point of being ready to pull the plug unless something dramatically shifted. Fortunately, in our group meeting last week, one of the facilitators admitted there is a lot of change taking place in Tamera from a leadership perspective, which is affecting the way our group has been facilitated.

This moment of transparency created a major shift in the mood of our group, as many feel like we’ve been left to navigate this challenging and confusing world of community building on our own. Having the facilitator validate our feelings of abandonment reestablished trust. Understanding that the community members of Tamera are experiencing similar feelings of uncertainty and turmoil seemed to reunite us.

Most people doing the community service arc have come here to learn and observe the way Tamera operates, and in the process, live their own experiment of community living. I came here because I believe there is something important I need to learn about life, love and relationships, and I wanted to see if community living is for me. So far I would say it is not, as the amount of energy that goes into managing multiple needs, desires, opinions, etc, feels utterly exhausting. But much could change over the next five weeks. I’m also an introvert, which is why I’m feeling so tired. I just don’t have enough time to recharge on my own.

Fortunately, the kitchen chief spoke with my facilitators to organise a refuge after my nervous system collapsed last week. I didn’t realise how much energy I was putting into protecting my boundaries until I finally snapped and broke down in front of my entire group. The positives that came out of that breakdown is that everyone checks in before touching or hugging me now, and I’ve been given a hut to relax in for a week so my nervous system can recover.

I’m not the only person struggling, but I’m grateful for this gift of privacy and a place to retreat to for a week. It’s amazing how comforting it is to be in a space where I’m not constantly wondering who will be entering the room at any moment, whether it be my dorm, the communal bathroom, or any other indoor space I’ve been in. My only escape has been short walks off the property, so this hut feels like a palace.

Despite the challenges, I still feel very fortunate to be here. I’m incredibly privileged to have the resources and time to experiment with this way of living. And even if I decide that communal living isn’t for me, the lessons I will take from this experience will serve me on whatever path I choose next.

I’m sitting in my bed by the window of my 18-person dorm room, listening to the rain coming down outside, and reflecting on the past twelve years since I stepped foot on the Pacific Crest Trail. Being here is Tamera, surrounded by new people and experiences constantly, I realise how well the trail has set me up for life.

Pushing myself out of my comfort zone has become somewhat of a norm in recent years. But I realise that if I came to a place like this more than ten years ago, I would have felt completely out of my depth.

The trail taught me to manage discomfort, to stay open to the constant flow of emotion and experience, and that I am capable of so much more than I could have ever imagined. The trail was the first place I learned and understood the importance of community. So twelve years on, experimenting with an intentional community with more than one hundred residents, volunteers, and students, feels quite fitting.

People were the life-blood of my trail experience. Beyond the beauty of the natural environment, the endorphins from the physical exercise, and the rewards of solitude, the community is what keeps the PCT alive in my heart almost every day.

Twelve years on, I feel comfortable in my own skin, able to be flexible with the ever changing environment, and remain unattached to the way things should be. It rains when I want to walk, the sun rises before I’d like to be awake, and I have to work in the kitchen when I’d prefer to be resting or enjoying a certain workshop or experience. But this is all part of the flow of life, and when I don’t grip too tightly, I move a lot more fluidly with that flow.

It is such an interesting experience living in an intentional community. I don’t think I fully understood what that term meant until I arrived in Tamera and learned that it is a group of people living and working together towards a common goal.

Tamera has various programs you can attend, but I chose the community service option for two months in the kitchen because I wanted the chance to immerse myself in community living and understand what it entails.

My volunteer group is around 25 people from all different parts of the world, coming together for various reasons. The age range is from around 20 to 60 with a relatively equal ratio of men and women. Many people are on a healing journey, some are simply curious, and quite a few have lived in some kind of intentional community or Eco village before in different parts of the world.

The experience reminds me of volunteering at the Alberge in Guemes along the Camino. I’m grateful for that experience in 2014 too, because it taught me how to adapt in a foreign environment, how to find joy in contributing while working long hours, and how to get along with my fellow volunteers while sleeping in shared dorm rooms without many creature comforts. It’s amazing how resourceful you become when you don’t have much with you. It’s a bit like life on the trail. Less is more, and you can generally find what you need or realise it’s okay to go without.

I can see some people struggling with these types of adjustments. Some people are challenged by only eating vegan food. Some people are grappling with the constant stimulation of people and activity. Some people are getting in touch with themselves for the first time and sinking into dark places, while others feel more comfortable and confident in their skin. I think I am somewhere in between. I feel comfortable with who I am, what I bring to the group, and my ability to adapt.

At the same time I feel many different emotions, beliefs, stories and feelings coming into my consciousness. I have a tendency to think about what will happen after these two months are over. I question the sustainability of living in a community. I hold simultaneous experiences of belonging and feeling separate, and I’m in constant comparison with the people around me.

What I’ve come to learn is that these are very natural human traits, and ones I don’t have to get rid of completely. I’ve done so much work over the past few years in therapy, non-violent communication, various workshops, and reading tons of self-help books. I’m tired of trying to improve myself. I just want to be me for the time being, because I actually love who I am and the joy that resides inside of me – even though I’m not perfect and I’m a people pleaser and I both put myself first and also don’t stand up for myself at other times. But I think this is all very normal.

What I’ve come here to learn or to improve on the most is to be comfortable with intimacy and close relationships again. I didn’t know exactly what I will learn here and I don’t have any major expectations. But I know I will be exposed to many unexpected things as well, and that those will be some of the most precious lessons I will take from here. At least what I have learned so far is that everything is transient and temporary. I can’t hold on to all of the precious moments and experiences in my life because there are always more waiting for me.

That’s all I want to share for now. I did manage to send out one query letter to a literary agent before I arrived here while I was in Lisbon. I’m happy the energy of the book is out there and am not too fussed about what happens next. It’s in the hands of the universe now. I also apologise for the lack of pictures. Because my site is so large now, WordPress charges a sizeable fee to upload new videos or images, and I don’t feel like forking out the money to them right now. Hopefully my words will be enough.

Thank you for listening and for sharing in my journey! 💕

Although I’ve been overseas over the past few years for work, it has been a very long time since I got on an aeroplane for the sake of travel and adventure. In fact, the sensation of arriving in a new country felt so foreign, it was like being transported back in time around ten years or more.

I landed in Lisbon, Portugal two days ago to begin what I believe will be a 6-month adventure in Europe – provided my finances last and the world doesn’t completely fall apart. My first two months will be volunteering at a peace research and education centre called Tamera, where I’ll be working in a vegan kitchen and learning how to live in peace with people and the land.

This was not a spur of the moment decision. Going to Tamera has been a dream of mine for the past two years. I was desperate to go last year when I was struggling mentally in Vancouver and wanted to escape. But now that I’ve got my feet planted firmly on the ground, finished my book, and have nothing holding me back – the time is now.

I spent the last couple of days wandering Lisbon with no agenda, direction, or stress. I had nothing in particular I wanted to see, no map, and no one asking what time I’d be home for dinner – blissful! (although the last point is my norm). I had honestly forgotten what it felt like to explore a brand new place, to get lost without it mattering, and to stumble upon castles, cathedrals and squares with fountains and statues I never knew existed.

It was liberating to not have data on my phone. With no direction, I instinctively ended up in the heart of the city’s bustling streets anyway with music, hundreds of restaurants, and tuk tuks whizzing by. I watched people eating icecream, sleeping in parks, catching trams and enjoying the hustle and bustle like I was. It was pure magic and an opportunity I feel blessed to have. Trust me, I don’t take this good fortune for granted, especially with what’s going on in the world. I am extremely privileged to take a break from the doom scrolling and immerse myself in a new culture.

Even though I stayed in a super cheap hostel with only one toilet, bunk beds, and people coming and going at all hours of the night, I slept better than I have over the past few weeks. I no longer have to stress about packing up my apartment, finishing my book proposal, or getting on a plane. Now that my life is in storage and my only concern is getting to Tamera, life feels simple. Cooking each day will provide me with a purpose, my fellow volunteers will form my community, and the nourishment of fresh food and nature will feed my soul. I don’t think there’s much more I could need.

Like anything, I anticipate living in a small community and in close quarters with people will have its challenges. But at this moment, I’m excited to embrace them. I have a sense of aliveness I haven’t felt since my four days of hiking in Wilson’s Prom. Life feels full of promise. Without watching the news or my investments tanking, I’m going to enjoy this moment of solace with every cell of my being.

I look forward to sharing some of these beautiful (and challenging) moments with you over the next few weeks and months. 💕