Koviashuvik Local Living School

Monday's field trip to Koviashuvik a local living school in Temple, Maine proved to be an enlightening adventure. I found many aspects of the local living school extremely interesting, the sustainable plot is organized to work the resources offered by the land from the timber to the acorns Koviashuvik uses all many elements of nature to build a sustainable food supply, as well as use the natural resources to create helpful items such as baskets, (made from roots). During the field trip I kept thinking how peaceful and rewarding it must feel to know that your food is not only fresh but sustainable. Koviashuvik provides the opportunity to reunite human hands to the land as well as offers tips and knowledge that helps to make use of the land, while preserving its natural principles.

During the trip I wrote down a few quotes that struck my fancy,

“Come up with things that make you happy and do it.”

“There’s more to food than just food, it’s a process”   -- I was especially drawn to this quote because it is a reminder that things that are worthwhile, such as healthy food, take effort and time, I believe an understanding of patience nad gratitude are rapidly diminishing within younger generations.

There was too a concept that intrigued me, the concept was that when you create an idea, or decide that aspects of nature or ways of life that are deviant from the way society tells us we should be living, we should not give up on the idea because social norms tell us we can not be successful, but rather we should remain loyal to our ideas of success. In this loyalty we should carry the idea or action and promote awareness about why it is important. “Even if you don’t go a mile, you did go a step”.

Koviashuvik provides a hands on experience to gain knowledge that has helped humans survive for centuries. The community bond created by the local living school helps to empower a down to earth, sustainable and organic way of life that relys upon a devote loyalty to harvesting the land.

The picture I chose was of the swing set that was connected to the house. I like this picture because it shows the open fire and frying pans, the basket made of roots, and the unique and extremely organic lifestyle of the family from Koviashuvik.

-- Alexandria Valente