Reflections by Margrethe Tougaard Møller
Being a part of the bio construction course on Ibiza with Crossing Borders was such a beautiful and nourishing experience in so many ways. It was an experience filled with growth, diversity, and love surrounded by nature. We were about 15 young people living one week outside in tents with mud on our skin and stars in our eyes. The bio construction course took place on a permaculture farm in between tree-covered mountains with a glimpse of the sea. The farm owners made us feel at the home right of the batch. Likewise, everyone so quickly connected almost as we had been friends for a long time. By the end of the week, it felt like we were a well-established community, almost like a little tribe. The instructors also made a great environment for learning with their inclusive teaching approach.
Overall, the course taught us how to build a house from natural materials with traditional Mediterranean methods. Every morning started out with the theoretical basis to understand the building tasks of the day. This included knowledge about various wall constructions, measurements of the different quantities of soil, sand, mud, and straw – and the different assets of the materials. The rest of the day we would mix the materials and build walls. The embodied knowledge approach made it both easy to understand and super fun to have our bodies covered in mud while the sun was burning. In the evening we went to the beautiful beaches nearby and lighted a bonfire in the camp under the stars at night.
The course was after all about cultural exchange and connections between humans and nature. I learned a lot about the basic and beautiful human experiences we all share while being in a group with people from France, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Italy, and Denmark. I’m grateful for all the energy that went into arranging this training in a time of the corona pandemic where everyone needed community and adventure more than ever!
