I never wanted to do a Permaculture Design Course. I didn´t think I could benefit from it (way too basic for my experienced self, haha), and was suspicious of it being a snowball-system, luring people into expensive 2 weeks blabla-trainings.
But the Permaculture Design Certificate is the entry ticket into the world of professional Permaculture. Once you have it, you may call yourself Certified Permaculture Designer, and it is the basic requirement for advanced courses and the Permaculture Diploma.
So I finally decided to bite the bullet and do the course. To be on the safe side I looked for a course in a beautiful location, to combine leisure with duty, and signed up for a PDC in Kilifi, Kenya. It took place at Distant Relatives, a backpackers, on a creek with calm waters for a great swim, fairy lights on the beach (bioluminescence) at night and a pirate ship offering sundowners, yoga, life music, and even accommodation. (Should you ever plan a vacation near Mombasa, Distant Relatives is the place to go!)
21 students and 2 trainers. Going on a 2 weeks journey that started discussing global issues, going into details of patterns and lifestyle, ecology and soil building, growing and caring, and ended having changed the life of all of us. Strangers had become friends, many tears were shed and lots of laughter shared.
And I had finally taken my decision: to become an ambassador of this noble and pragmatic approach called Permaculture.
My deepest gratitude goes to our two fantastic and lovely teachers, Casparo Brownbeard and Joseph Lentunyoi, the team of Barefoot Solutions, and the whole Distant Relatives Crew!
permajourney.com 