Dear Graduates of the 2012 Kroka Vermont Semester,
It is June 12. A beautiful Graduation has come and gone. Our Kroka village is quiet now, while here in the office we are looking forward to the start of the summer season. This morning I ran through the woods before chores. The forest was filled with bird song, the slap of the beaver’s tail on the pond, the breeze through the tall ferns, the opalescent sunrise, and an overwhelming feeling of connectedness.
This is my home. I live and work here. This is where I find meaning in my days. And for five months, I have shared this home, this life and work and meaning, with you. So I want to thank you. Thank you for your hard work, your time, your commitment, your joy and humor and loving kindness. I feel so lucky to be here, to wake every day to work that I can do with love and joy and gratitude, to be blessed with the opportunity to teach and guide and learn from young people like the nine of you.
Yours truly,
Lu Neuse
Vermont Semester Teacher
Ps. Here is Willie’s final update, and excerpts from some of your writing. You have all accomplished amazing things. I hope you are as proud of yourselves as I am of all of you.
Our
final week has been SUPER intense. On Wednesday, May 30, we continued to work
on lodge reconstruction with Laurel and Ken. We filled in the gaps in the
wooden frame with more and more poles. After we were done working on the lodge
for the day, Nate came to begin preparing us for our final presentation.
Presentation prep began with a game of miniature tanks, which involved everyone
in the group on their hands and knees in a circle saying “miniature tanks”
repeatedly while trying to move straight across the room without stopping,
turning, or altering their course in any way. Also, 6th graders from
Edwards Middle School in Boston arrived for a three-day program. Once again, we
got to eat dinner with a visiting school group.
On Thursday morning, we did our
chores with the help of the 6th graders, and then got back to
working on the lodge. By the end of the day we had finished laying the poles
and we began doing the unthinkable, roofing. First we laid wide strips of
reused billboard material from the lodge’s old roof as a skirt. We also laid it
in the vertical crevasses between the main body of the lodge and the doorway
and dormer as extra protection against leakage. Ken gave us a brief lesson in
roofing, telling us to lay the roofing materials like shingles with the higher
pieces overlapping over the top of the lower pieces to keep water out, and we
began putting on the main waterproofing layer, Delta-MS, a material normally
used in waterproofing foundations.
On Friday, we worked with the 6th graders during chores again. They left later that day. As far as the lodge went, we finished putting on the Delta-MS, leaving only the final living layer of sod to be laid. Saturday, unfortunately, was a rainy day. We devoted the entire day to working on finishing our academic work. Sunday, June 3 was also begun with academic work, but in the afternoon, Nate came for our second presentation prep.
For dinner, we went to Gilsum to the home of Bill and Katie, the owners of Badger, who are big supporters of Kroka. Monday was a similar day to Sunday. We worked on academic and other miscellaneous work for half of the day and were joined by Nate in the afternoon for yet another presentation prep session. In the evening, after eating with the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders of Cambridge Montessori School who had just arrived, Lu, Adam, Josia, Malcolm, Dean, and I got gussied up and picked up Nate to head to Nelson to go to the contra dance.
We had a great time and some of us (me) danced for the first time at a contra dance (with the exception of the contra dance at NorthWoods). We got back late, though, so we added to our self-inflicted sleep deprivation. On Tuesday morning, we did chores with the help of the Cambridge Montessori students, who were very enthusiastic and helpful. Nate came for a morning presentation prep session. After lunch, we worked on our semester book covers. I also had the privilege of making enchiladas for the group for dinner. After dinner, we went back to Bill and Katie’s house for a transition workshop. We focused on worries and goals pertaining to the end of the semester and made collages to represent aspects of our current lives. Wednesday morning also began with chores assisted by the Cambridge Montessori students. We went back to Gilsum after chores for breakfast with Lisl and the transition workshop with Katie. We returned to Kroka for lunch, our big job presentations, and presentation prep with Nate.
Afterwards, we all headed over to Misha and Lynne’s house for dinner. They served a delicious meal of burritos and lemonade, with smoothies for dessert. We stayed for a slide show from the 2011 Paddlers Up North program and Misha’s expeditionary past. We went off to bed feeling good.
Thursday and Friday were
filled with finishing our Big Job work, binding our semester books, and getting
ready to say goodbye. Grandfather
came to run a sweat lodge on Thursday night, and on Friday we had appreciation
circles, where we took time to honor the special things each of us had brought
to our community. On Saturday
morning, we awoke together in the Big Yurt (where we also slept the last night
before expedition began), ready to embark on our next big journey.
I hope you enjoyed hearing from the 2012 Kroka Expeditions Vermont Semester. Thank you to all who supported us and made this possible.
Sincerely,
Willie
At certain points on our Semester Expedition I was very afraid. Sometimes this fear was justified, sometimes irrational, but all of it was genuine. I am most afraid of things I don’t understand. The day we crossed Woodward Reservoir I did not understand ice. Miles of frozen water lay ahead and behind as we skated across on our skis. Ice, no matter how thick, shifts slightly under weight, and sporadic groaning and popping marked our passage as the ice rubbed and cracked beneath us. This “ice artillery” put me on edge. But when a series of hairline cracks opened several feet away with a dull thump, my instincts went into a frenzy. I was group Navigator that day and needed to concentrate on my orientation and the route ahead or risk getting lost. I had to focus, not be hysterical. The only option was to forge ahead, holding my composure as best I could and lead the group to our next landmark. The rest of the group sang and laughed the whole time, but I was trapped in my own phobia. The ice was far thicker than was needed to safely cross, but convincing my panicked brain was another thing entirely. Semester showed me how to meet my personal challenges directly instead of sidestepping them. The first time I canoed solo I firmly never wanted to do it again. The harder I had pushed and strained to move the boat forward or change direction, the more off-course I had gone. I was reduced to swearing at the wind and water and myself, to no effect. After a few days on the River I still hadn’t paddled in the stern, let alone tried to paddle solo. I realized I would be ashamed of finishing a river trip unable to paddle a canoe on my own. So I owned up. I paddled in the stern for the next few days, and then soloed once I could steer, continuing until I felt totally confident. I can now say I have paddled a canoe by myself, in beautiful sunshine, driving rainstorms, and even into a beautiful sunset.
I am my morals more now. The blood of the oak is running hot in my veins and the words coming out of my mouth sound like truth sound like power sound like who I want to become. -Josia
I always say there's no time other than today.
I praise laughing singing summer days
I denounce those who take more than their allowance.
I believe in the stones in the sky in the trees.
I support living life cause life is short.
I uphold sky of blue sun of gold.
I commend having no regrets when it comes to the end.
I appreciate all my gifts small and great.
I commend having no regrets when it comes to the end.
I appreciate all my gifts small and great.
I revere anyone who knows their hopes loud and clear.
I adore giving your heart for all its for.
I believe everyone has a tapestry to weave.
I imagine everyone sharing their gift within.
I believe in the birds, butterflies, and bees.
I have learned so much, my life's path has turned.
I understand that all we have came from the land.
I believe in being proud of the legacies we leave.
I am proud to take my new voice and sing loud.
-Malcolm
At certain points on our Semester Expedition I was very afraid. Sometimes this fear was justified, sometimes irrational, but all of it was genuine. I am most afraid of things I don’t understand. The day we crossed Woodward Reservoir I did not understand ice. Miles of frozen water lay ahead and behind as we skated across on our skis. Ice, no matter how thick, shifts slightly under weight, and sporadic groaning and popping marked our passage as the ice rubbed and cracked beneath us. This “ice artillery” put me on edge. But when a series of hairline cracks opened several feet away with a dull thump, my instincts went into a frenzy. I was group Navigator that day and needed to concentrate on my orientation and the route ahead or risk getting lost. I had to focus, not be hysterical. The only option was to forge ahead, holding my composure as best I could and lead the group to our next landmark. The rest of the group sang and laughed the whole time, but I was trapped in my own phobia. The ice was far thicker than was needed to safely cross, but convincing my panicked brain was another thing entirely. Semester showed me how to meet my personal challenges directly instead of sidestepping them. The first time I canoed solo I firmly never wanted to do it again. The harder I had pushed and strained to move the boat forward or change direction, the more off-course I had gone. I was reduced to swearing at the wind and water and myself, to no effect. After a few days on the River I still hadn’t paddled in the stern, let alone tried to paddle solo. I realized I would be ashamed of finishing a river trip unable to paddle a canoe on my own. So I owned up. I paddled in the stern for the next few days, and then soloed once I could steer, continuing until I felt totally confident. I can now say I have paddled a canoe by myself, in beautiful sunshine, driving rainstorms, and even into a beautiful sunset.
With this learning I can now
turn to the future. The week ahead is a confluence of two currents, a time when
the Semester’s flow runs back into the rushing torrent of the outside world. I
cannot turn back to the beginning, to the joys or the low points, nor would I
if I could. Now is the real beginning. Now is the time to balance the lessons
of the journey, the sorrow of its passing, and the satisfaction of its finish. -Adam
I am my morals more now. The blood of the oak is running hot in my veins and the words coming out of my mouth sound like truth sound like power sound like who I want to become. -Josia
On April 23, our spring
truly began. On a cool rainy day,
we set out in our canoes, trudging up the Clyde River into the wind. It is undeniable that the winter was equally
amazing, but there was a uniquely special feeling that accompanied the river
expedition. Life sprang into existence and we were blessed with wild edibles.
Fiddleheads, dandelions, basswood leaves, and violets landed in our
salads. Just as the green around
us was reborn, so were we.
We returned to Kroka as the
air was warming, summer was coming, and thunderstorms beautifully distorted the
atmosphere. We reentered the
morning chore routines we had once known, and greeted the animals once
again. We transitioned from living
under a tarp, our spring sleeping arrangement, to living in wood and earth lodges,
as we had in January. Our days
were spent rebuilding another wood and earth lodge, which had been prone to
flooding, and working with visiting school children, who were getting a small
dose of the life we are now at home in.
Now we have completed our
journey, but a new one is beginning. We will once again be thrown into the
current of the mainstream, but this time armed with new skills, knowledge,
wisdom, and rejuvenated souls.
There is so much to take home from this experience, this adventure. New friendships are an obvious
result. Despite being spread out
over hundreds, and in some cases thousands of miles, I am certain that we can
remain as tight as siblings.
Another souvenir is a new notion of what is right, what is good, and
what is beautiful. I will never
think of food the same way again.
A handmade dwelling seems preferable to a conventionally constructed
home. Transportation powered by
the body allows for more appreciation time, never mind a positive physical
impact as well as prevention of a negative one. I will never ignore the consequences of displacing or
removing a part of the natural world.
I will never forget that beneath everything should lay love. I have
found a new home. -Willie
Scrape away the dead
matter. Take handfuls of the
decomposing life and throw it out of your mind, cast it as far from you as
possible. Forget it and look. See what is underneath. There is dirt. The leaves have been blown by a curious
wind into a forgotten pile of useless scraps. A hole has been dug. A window into the earth and into the
substance from which everything grows.
There is life in here. A
hard, shelled seed falls, blown by an unintending wind, into the earth. It
nestles its way into the soft, wet ground. Time and water flow through
and in the seed something stirs. A
thought to grow. A crack from the tip of the seed splits it in two and a pale
green shoot presses its way out.
With no regard for gravity it moves. Up and out, through the ground and the rotting layer of
ideas covering it. White light and
then flickering, swaying shadows of leaves play across our young plant and it
grows. Grows into a vast
earth-changing concept. Many-
branched, with roots cracking and breaking the rock beneath. Well-founded and sunk into the society
of the wood. Only after many years
does it in turn drop its new ideas of children into the ground and give back to
the earth.
Here in the heart of life is
the cycle. It takes from the dirt
and then in its time it gives more back.
A debt of responsibility is paid, for dirt is a responsibility. It is
the lifeblood of our planet. It grows the trees and plants that feed our
world. Catches the water that
falls from the sky. Forms the great flowing architecture of the landscape.
Guides rivers and trickling clear streams through valleys and over slippery,
mossy rocks. It grows turnips. -Everett
The whole world is one. But I am a part of this world too, I am also one. Maybe the greater part of me was calling back to Dean the body and mind, the smallest part. If I believe this, I should be able to be the world, not a tourist. The butterfly and the ant, the tree and the tomato plant, they are my other halves. -Dean
All plants depend on soil. All of life is cradled in the brown decaying muck. Moss needs dirt as much as any other plant. It pulls nutrients and water from it, but as it takes it gives. Giving and taking, not the same things, not a closed cycle, but an irreplaceable part of a larger one. I always want to be part of that cycle too. -Michal
Looking forward to the next
few years of my life gives me the same feeling I experience when picking up my
packbasket at the beginning of a long portage. In a few days, after graduating semester, I return to Kroka
for the summer and shoulder more responsibility than I have ever found myself
entrusted with. It will be hard, and I will certainly have to push myself, but I believe I can handle it.
I have so far been able to
achieve happiness in my life. I
hope to follow it up with success.
It seems that the portage doesn’t end with the semester. I intend to carry this canoe for many
years. -Conor
Home is defined by the people around, and here is the home I have found. -Malcolm
Dear Lu,
Your determination, hard work and mostly your love towards everyone and all things have contributed greatly to make this semester such a success! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
With gratitude in our hearts we wish you a wonderful summer.
The semester students, their families and all Kroka staff
Home is defined by the people around, and here is the home I have found. -Malcolm
Dear Lu,
Your determination, hard work and mostly your love towards everyone and all things have contributed greatly to make this semester such a success! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
With gratitude in our hearts we wish you a wonderful summer.
The semester students, their families and all Kroka staff