What inspired this trip? A trip that will take me once again into the unknown. Upon returning from Hong Kong after my exchange trip was cut short, I must confess I was at quite a loss. I suddenly had around six empty months until my fourth year would begin at university. At first I felt quite negative about the sudden change. I had really relaxed into my life there, a certain rhythm had been found, friends made and connections forged. But the study abroad office had the final say and deemed it unsafe for me to continue my studies during the anti-government protests that were taking place across the city. It was after returning to Edinburgh and I was reading Lloyd Khan's "Builders of the Pacific Coast" that an idea was planted in my mind. My interest in woodwork started from an early age, though I had not focused on it completely until my second year of university (where I'm studying prop making for film) that I began to explore the subject more thoroughly and build my projects entirely from wood. I had just ordered a batch of woodworking books that were suggested through various youtube videos and articles, they covered a broad range of subjects from "Complete Japanese Joinery" to “Collins Complete Woodworker’s Manual”, but the one I happened to pick up first was the one that put me here right now, sitting at Heathrow awaiting my flight to Chennai, then onwards to Auroville to attend a Treehouse Construction course. The book got me thinking about the construction projects I had done as a kid with my father - cabin building, zip wire bases, crows nest construction, sand house construction.. the list goes on. Completing these projects, being outside, problem solving, making mistakes, working together, learning through practical experience, it was honestly one of the best parts of my childhood. It was inspiring also, from such an early age, to see that (as well as other experiences I had throughout my childhood) this stuff can be done, you can do it, I can do it, it is possible. I am so grateful that this cando, self-sufficient attitude was fostered within me at such an early age. Whatever you love, whatever you want to achieve, it is possible. (As long as you are prepared to put in the work.)
I had just returned from Hong Kong and we were in the car, headed through the highlands to fetch some furniture for my dad's house when conversation fell back to this time. I began talking about Llyod's book, which contains so many inspiring stories from people (mostly from the west coast of North America) who had constructed their own homes, cabins - their own shelter (Shelter happens to be the name of another book from Lloyd which is equally inspiring.) Up until this point, I read about these people with deep fascination and admiration, but from a removed perspective, it was only through this conversation that I began to think maybe this was something I could do too. Many days of excited research later I found "The Tree House Community" in Auroville, India. They are a group of people who build tree houses across India in an environmentally conscious way. They also happen to offer Tree House Construction courses, one of which I will be starting tomorrow! It's a weeks long workshop whereafter I plan to volunteer with them for another three weeks. Today is day one, I'm still at Heathrow, due to depart in a few hours where I'll land in Chennai to meet a friend who has kindly offered to drive me to Auroville. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the workshop, a story reserved for the next post!
