Emma's Life in Beannachar

Beannachar life is very good and all the house co-ordinators are thinking of me becoming a resident someday. I think it is a very good idea. I have two room mates called Alex and Carla. Silver Birch is my Beannachar house where I live. Carla, my roommate in Silver Birch is very good. We have co-workers in Silver Birch as well. My one is called Elizabeth. She is a very nice co-worker and she looks after me very well. She is also a very nice co-worker to work with. I worked in a lot of different workshops like the Candles. The thing I like about it is that we make lots of different candles, like tree candles, log candles, Christmas tree candles. I have also worked in the herbs. I am on my second work session there. I have worked in all the house kitchen’s and I have also worked in the farm. I work in the herbs in the afternoon. I came as a day student in August 2002, so I have been here for one and a half years. I am on my second work session in the herbs. I like working in the herbs very much. I like working with all the herbs, like Lavender and Mint. I like it so much. I like working in the candles very much. My favourite workshop at the moment is the kitchen. I like working there very much. I have also worked in Sycamore Kitchen; it was very challenging and very hard work. One of the best things about Beannachar is that everyone is so nice and friendly. Everyone made me laugh so much while Richard was filming me. We have three different house co-ordinators; we have one in Silver Birch and Sycamore and Rose. We have three different houses in Beannachar. Silver Birch is where I stay as a day student; everyone in Silver Birch is my friend. The best thing about the house coordinators is that they are all so friendly. I don’t know what the house co-ordinators like about me but I think they are all pretty nice. Silver Birch is a very big house. I learnt a lot of things about my house since I have been here. My feelings are all very clear about becoming a resident. Most of my good feelings haven’t changed. I do very hard work. The best thing about the candles is that we make all different kinds. The best thing about Silver birch is that there are so many people. When I was cooking in Silver Birch I had to cook for nearly twenty people. I also had to set the table for lunch in Silver Birch. I had to cook for twenty or twenty-two people. I was just ok with it. I like a lot of things about Silver Birch. I like all sorts of things about my house. One of the main things I like is the co- workers. I like the fact that they are all very friendly to you. One of the workers in the herbs thinks that somebody is winding me up right now when they weren’t. I am talking about the workshops again just so you know. The best thing about Sycamore was the challenge. It is something that really keeps your mind going and that. Sometimes during my work in Sycamore I thought I needed a challenge. It was just what I needed. It was very good to work there. I work in the rose house kitchen in the morning. It is a very straightforward kitchen. The rose house cooking teacher is called Gillian. The rose house-cooking teacher is very nice. I work with Elisabeth in rose house on Thursday Mornings. She is very nice. Quite a lot of the co-workers are good with their jokes too. One of the workers in the herb workshop is very good with her jokes. So you could say that I am living a very happy life here and I am looking forward to becoming a resident student here.

Article written by Emma Louise Millar

(Emma is a bit of a whiz kid on the computer! She typed all this herself in the herb workshop - in less time than it takes me to have a cuppa. R.P.)

This was the second students’ conference held in Scotland recently. The first one had been in March of last year in Blair Drummond. The theme of the conference this time was ‘Living in Community and Making Personal Choices.’ The conference was arranged and led mostly by the students from Beannachar and villagers from Newton Dee.
The programme was structured so that each of the participants took part both in a tour of Newton Dee and a conversation group on the theme. This was followed by a general plenum session and a social evening.
The day was a great success. It really was a day for the students. It was an opportunity to speak about real issues that affect their daily life, to meet new people from other Camphill communities in Scotland, and just to feel good about taking a day off work to do something new and exciting.

The following is a series of reflective comments from the students in Beannachar who attended the Conference.

‘It was fantastic. I enjoyed seeing everybody and listening to the conversation groups. I enjoyed the lunch. It was a big thing in the end.’ (Trevor)

‘I liked talking to people and having a tour around Newton Dee. I saw some friends who had lived in Beannachar and now they are in Newton Dee.’ (Andrew)

‘I met more different people and it was a chance to see another community and how it works. It was a good chance to share your thoughts if you wanted to speak in the conversation groups. I’m really glad that I went in the end, because I was not too sure about going at first, I was a bit nervous.’ (Paul)

‘It was a very interesting co-operation. I helped to chair one of the conversation groups. We had some music and dancing at the end which was fun. I will be moving to Newton Dee soon and now I know more about what it will be like to live there and make new friends.’ (Alan)

‘It was very interesting. I liked leading the discussion group on personal choices. Then Iain helped me to give a report of our group in the big meeting when we all got together at the end.
I also went to the New Year’s Gathering in Ireland and I like to go and see different places and meet so many new people.’ (Rachel)

‘We had a really interesting day. I met some of my old friends and met some new people and I enjoyed all of the day. I think it’s good to do different things sometimes.’ (Samantha)

Sunday
I am going to the Sunday outing. When I come back for supper I do the dishwash. After that I listen to my music and play my computer in my room. After that I see my friends Rachel and Samantha.

Carla with boyfriend Lee

During the Week
I work hard in the Weavery in the afternoons and I am going to train in the Doric Dolphins swimming club on Friday evening.

I have a nice time in my good life. I look forward in my future and I know this will be very hard for me.
I like to learn new skills and get a new job in Newton Dee and then get a flat when I leave. I like to do this on my own. I am older now and I will leave in another 4 years. I am independent now and I am sensible in Beannachar and I am serious about it in Beannachar.
This is a wonderful training centre for adults to grow up.

Q. Why did you come to Beannachar?
A. I had just finished school and I wanted to do something else before I start my training. I want to be a translator. I did not have much money to go travelling so I decided to do something useful; so I came here.

Q. What is your favourite workshop?
A. I work in the laundry, the candle workshop, the kitchen and the farm. I like the farm but I would not like to work there all week. The candle workshop is quite nice as we do different things.

Q. What do you do in your free time and your day off?
A. In my free time, I write lots of letters, phone home, read, listen to music, spend time with the other co-workers and I go jogging on Saturday mornings.
On my day off, I sleep for a long time. Then I meet the other co-workers and we go off to the beach, or watch a video or sit around talking and drinking tea.

Q. What are your hobbies?
A. I like reading, writing poems or stories, or letters. I like to go out to the cinema. At home I played handball, went swimming a lot. I worked for Amnesty International and, through the Church, I went on camping holidays for children from deprived backgrounds.

Q. What do you not like about Beannachar?
A. There is so little private space – there are always people around. But you do get used to it after a while.

Q. What will you do when you leave?
A. I will start studying languages. I must apply for a place soon.

Katrin

Katrin and Nicki on the lawn

Interview with Matthias Q. Why did you come to Beannachar? A. I am doing my alternative military service here. I did not want to go into the army so I decided to come here instead. Some of my friends chose to stay in Germany, living with their parents and doing their army service by driving ambulances, but I wanted to see new things. Before that I was at school. Q. How do you like Beannachar? A. I like it a lot. I think it is a great place and I like it that everybody has a part in the community. Q. What is you favourite workshop? A. I only work in the garden but I really like it a lot. There is always different work and it’s good to be out in the fresh air. I love driving the garden tractor.

Q. Is there anything you do not like?
A. At the beginning I had problems with the student I am looking after, but now, we get along well together. We are really a good team.

Q. Which house do you like best?
A. My own house, of course, Rose. Rose is the best house. There is really a good atmosphere.

Q. What do you like to do when you are free? Do you have any hobbies or interests?
A. I read a lot, watch movies. I like sports: table tennis, swimming. I like going out with my friends. I like dancing a lot. On my free day I sleep for a long time. Then I go to town by bike, have a meal and watch a film. I also like reading the newspapers, especially to see how the economy is doing.

Q. What will you do when you leave?
A. I want to study at university but I do not know what to study yet.

Student Favourites

Farm Work By Andrew Sheppard

I work on the Farm in the afternoon. I do mucking out the pigs and mucking out the beef. I have to feed the animals. The pigs get pig food and the beef get silage. I cleaned the farmyard. I also do washing up when tea break is finished. We are digging a hole for a post to build a fence. I learned how to drive the Kubota tractor. I drive by myself now. I have to learn to change the gears.

Scott and Kerry interview Jonathan about the canoe-building project for his B.A. in Curative Education

Q: How long have you had the idea of building the canoe?
A: The initial thought I had about such a project was already five years ago. Since then I had the wish of building a canoe. I never had the opportunity, the time or the money to do so. And this time I thought it is my fourth year, I am going back to Germany and it would be the last chance to take it further down the road.

Q: Do you like working on the canoe? A: I really do, yes! It is certainly a dream come true. It is a bit stressful at times I have to admit but as such it is really a pleasure see the project growing and developing. It is great. It is even a bigger pleasure working with a person like Steve, who runs the wood workshop. Q: When will the canoe be finished? A: Hopefully by the end of April. Well, it’ll be finished before I leave Beannachar that is for sure. Q: Do you want to stay in Beannachar? A: I am going back home in summer, back to Germany. I think that Beannachar is one of the most wonderful places I have visited yet, but right now I have to take further steps in my life and be independent and so I decided not to stay.

Q: Do you think you will have your own woodwork shop? A: Hopefully. That is one of my dreams; that I have my own place/workshop to run. My big dream is that I will be involved with a group of people that run many workshops, e.g. weavery, pottery, metalwork (cold metalwork and blacksmithing), joinery and let’s say basket making. The idea would be that they are all joined together and would be able to work on one project, or that the people would be able to get an insight into all the trades by going around during the course of the year. A bit like the idea in Beannachar but even more focused on practical work, maybe even paid, to get a proper idea of money. Q: Will you come back and visit a lot of people in Beannachar? A: Yes, I’d like to. I think it is nice to come back to Scotland and to see people from Camphill. It is for sure that those people I have had the time to become friends with will stay in my mind and I will be curious to find out what they will have done. I will certainly come back and visit you all.

During the course of the evening, Hazel showed us some of the baskets she has made, some of the trophies she has won for her bee-keeping and also gave the students some samples of the different types of honey her bees produce, and described some of her bee-keeping activities. Q. What do you do in the Management Council? I come along to the meetings and many sorts of things are discussed: your various situations; your needs; finances; building projects and so on. We have to make decisions based on the reports we get. Q. What do you like about the Council? I feel really privileged to be part of your Community. The Council members really support each other and they obviously love you all very much. I would like to get to know you better and will be visiting some of the houses after the Council Meeting in May.

Q. What kind of music do you like?
I listen to Christian Worship music. I’m very Christian. I also like classical music and jazz.

Interview with Vincent

Q. Why did you come to Beannachar? A. My father wanted to come to Camphill 29 years ago but never did. My brother said Scotland is the most beautiful place in the world. So, instead of joining the Marine Corps in the States, I came here. Q. What would you have done if you had not come to Beannachar? A. I would have started studying at Business School. Q. How is it to be a co-worker? A. At first it was difficult to understand what people were saying – as you all spoke Scottish. The first couple of months were quite hard but now it is much easier and really quite nice. Q. What are your favourite workshops? A. The wood workshop. But the laundry is really cool, working with Juri. The farm is good fun, driving the tractor, mucking out, driving the tractor through the mud with Robert in the trailer, Awesome.

Q. Why are you leaving early?
A. Well, I’m taking my holiday; going back to America for my best friend’s wedding and it’s very expensive to fly back here just for the last 3 months. Also my girlfriend has gone back to Germany and has got a job for me doing social work. If it wasn’t for the fact that my girlfriend is in Germany, I would stay longer. I will feel sad to leave Beannachar.

Q. Will you come back for a visit?
A. There is a possibility, if I get time off from social work.

Scott at Aberdeen College

This Wood Sculpture is the result of one of the Easter Artistic Activities

Mark bags some herb tea in the Herb Workshop

Candlelit Supper in Rose House

Juggling was another Easter Artisitic Activity