Since the spring of 2016, we’ve had a stream of amazing interns here at Anahata. Most of them have come through the worldwide organizations of WWOOFUSA.ORG and WORKAWAY.INFO. These young adults have brought exuberance, charm, dedication and fun into our lives! Typically, interns stay a week to up to a month or longer, and a few of them travel in pairs or as a couple. Our arrangement involves their contribution of 30 hours a week, or 5 hours a day for a shorter stay, and our in-kind contribution of a nice place to stay, plenty of great food – mostly organic, tailored to their dietary preferences (ie vegan, vegetarian or omni), and as much of it home-grown as possible! We embrace the concept of this being a ‘cultural exchange’, and so spend time getting to know our interns, playing music with them, taking them into town for a fun excursion, and celebrating their visit at the end with a ‘going away part’ of sorts — perhaps a fire circle, a cake, and some dancing. What they bring to us is often inspiration – their vision of how the world could be – which is exactly what we’ve been trying to create! Sustainable, green, cooperative, kind and just. For instance, some of our interns have just completed a degree in environmental sustainability and are going on for degrees in human rights, environmental policy, etc. Wow!
Here is a photo of our most recent intern, Sarah — her first internship! It was an honor and a joy to host her, and we can’t help feeling more hopeful for our world as a result. : )