It has been two weeks since my arrival to Tvind, DNS Teacher Training College in Denmark. I experienced warmth, wind, silence and kindness. This is my reflection on what has been going on till now.
On the first week, I tried to engage in the on-going activities such as removing bark from the timber as it is necessary for the Estonian swings building project, gardening action, painting evolution themed graffities, etc. Within the start of my second week I already started working in the promotional office which in short could be called spamming but spreading the information about DNS sounds much nicer. There I faced some challenges because I get the idea that in Europe there are so many people who are school graduates, unemployed, unsatisfied with their lives, wanting to change their carreer path but to actually reach them and make a connection has been quite difficult. Myself, being interested in all the weird stuff which combines with alternative way of living, of course, 3 year DNS program sounds amazing but where else can I find my soul mates besides here?
The atmosphere in Tvind feels shy but welcoming. There are some activities like Tuesday Cafe traditionally happening each week. There is a gym, massive fields, forests, various gardens, two donkeys sharing an area with a horse and a communal space outside for some reason called Paradise. My own personal revolution started when I understood that everybody is really busy with their studies, exams, finishing projects or saving-up by working in Villas. I started jogging, reading books, learning Danish, watching Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (it´s just so addictive), documentaries or TED talks. But even though it might sound lonely, you are never distinguished from the community: you meet everybody during meal times, you do chores together or spontaneously organize to bake a cake, re-open a cinema club or participate in sports. I guess this is how Summerhill looks like. And I do value time on my own very much even though I still feel like a little mouse lost in a huge house because yet I don´t know soooo many things, regarding life in DNS. For example, just recently I discovered that there is about a decade on-going campaign against DNS and the whole Tvind. And it broke my heart. I couldn´t understand why somebody would dedicate their energy, time, money instead of finding better stuff to do. Somebody really hates us.
And it´s not that unusual as you might think. Providing a BA and applying to the curriculum things like: traveling, HH, exploring countries and continents, studying about independence movements, war in Iraq, climate change, reading books like Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, doing researches about conditions in Africa, which corporations are controlling what, going protesting against Shell for example, etc. is of course valuable but I know I will sound like a conspiracy theorist, for the governments this is not a seeking point. Because what if I will learn how plastic is polluting the oceans and lands? I would stop buying goods wrapped in plastic, instead I would carry my own glass jars and rather get supplies in local farmers markets. What if thousands of people would start doing that? It would be revolutionary. It would become a trend and the sales would decrease in general. A new demand would be established. And of course, big corporations like Carrefour or Tesco don´t want that. But it would happen because of e-du-ca-tion. The most important factor which makes you an aware human being and not an obbeying, lost individual. Depending on the amounts and topics you learn about, it might make you quite depressed for some time but nevertheless it shouldn´t stop you from wandering. Questioning the world. Experiencing hunger, thirstyness, lonelyness, unhapyness, alienation, harsh working conditions, being stuck, being fragile. That, in my personal opinion is what makes you stronger and aware about the unfairness and inequalities in the world. Things which needs to change. People who need to adapt to the changing world. Fully focused on, fully experienced education. And this is what journey I have just (hopefully) started by enrolling to DNS.
On the first week, I tried to engage in the on-going activities such as removing bark from the timber as it is necessary for the Estonian swings building project, gardening action, painting evolution themed graffities, etc. Within the start of my second week I already started working in the promotional office which in short could be called spamming but spreading the information about DNS sounds much nicer. There I faced some challenges because I get the idea that in Europe there are so many people who are school graduates, unemployed, unsatisfied with their lives, wanting to change their carreer path but to actually reach them and make a connection has been quite difficult. Myself, being interested in all the weird stuff which combines with alternative way of living, of course, 3 year DNS program sounds amazing but where else can I find my soul mates besides here?
The atmosphere in Tvind feels shy but welcoming. There are some activities like Tuesday Cafe traditionally happening each week. There is a gym, massive fields, forests, various gardens, two donkeys sharing an area with a horse and a communal space outside for some reason called Paradise. My own personal revolution started when I understood that everybody is really busy with their studies, exams, finishing projects or saving-up by working in Villas. I started jogging, reading books, learning Danish, watching Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (it´s just so addictive), documentaries or TED talks. But even though it might sound lonely, you are never distinguished from the community: you meet everybody during meal times, you do chores together or spontaneously organize to bake a cake, re-open a cinema club or participate in sports. I guess this is how Summerhill looks like. And I do value time on my own very much even though I still feel like a little mouse lost in a huge house because yet I don´t know soooo many things, regarding life in DNS. For example, just recently I discovered that there is about a decade on-going campaign against DNS and the whole Tvind. And it broke my heart. I couldn´t understand why somebody would dedicate their energy, time, money instead of finding better stuff to do. Somebody really hates us.
And it´s not that unusual as you might think. Providing a BA and applying to the curriculum things like: traveling, HH, exploring countries and continents, studying about independence movements, war in Iraq, climate change, reading books like Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein, Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, doing researches about conditions in Africa, which corporations are controlling what, going protesting against Shell for example, etc. is of course valuable but I know I will sound like a conspiracy theorist, for the governments this is not a seeking point. Because what if I will learn how plastic is polluting the oceans and lands? I would stop buying goods wrapped in plastic, instead I would carry my own glass jars and rather get supplies in local farmers markets. What if thousands of people would start doing that? It would be revolutionary. It would become a trend and the sales would decrease in general. A new demand would be established. And of course, big corporations like Carrefour or Tesco don´t want that. But it would happen because of e-du-ca-tion. The most important factor which makes you an aware human being and not an obbeying, lost individual. Depending on the amounts and topics you learn about, it might make you quite depressed for some time but nevertheless it shouldn´t stop you from wandering. Questioning the world. Experiencing hunger, thirstyness, lonelyness, unhapyness, alienation, harsh working conditions, being stuck, being fragile. That, in my personal opinion is what makes you stronger and aware about the unfairness and inequalities in the world. Things which needs to change. People who need to adapt to the changing world. Fully focused on, fully experienced education. And this is what journey I have just (hopefully) started by enrolling to DNS.