September 22, 2014 - 20:55
As others have expressed, I almost can't believe that Camphill is real. I've only ever dreamt about small, peaceful communities that exist productively by themselves. I love how everyone has a role and an opportunity to develop new skills amidst nature and good food and kind people. I didn't really know what to expect at all beofre visiting which isn't surprising since I've never been to a place like Camphill before in my life. Also, I've honestly never been in a space so open and welcoming to individuals with developmental disabilities - now that I type that I realize how unnerving that is that I would need to travel to a small village in PA to witness that accepting of an environment for the first time... Once we arrived at Camphill I was happy to see how low-key it was. It seems like a slower paced lifestyle, but maybe I'll be proven otherwise when we visit and actually join community members in their daily activities. I wish we had gotten to talk more extensively with the villagers we met since interacting with them is going to be the majority of our visit (and the part I have the hardest time envisioning -- how does one even begin to create a portrait of someone else?? Let alone ethically, especially since we've touched upon how complex the ethics of portraiture can be? Those are some standout questions I still have. We'll figure that out eventually, I suppose.) Visiting Camphill really helped with visualizing how our trip will go, but I have a hard time envisioning the future in general, particularly in an environment as unique as Camphill.