Just Get Out

“Copilot? Get me out of here!” AI is great. You can ask it anything, engage in a dialogue, explore knowledge, exchange ideas. And it does so on an equal footing. Just recently, the cover of “Psychology Today” featured the title “AI – Coach, Therapist, Friend?”.

I don’t go that far, but AI is a useful tool to expand one’s own horizons in suitable steps. In one of my frequent crises of meaning, I asked this construct of algorithms and large language models what I could do to get out of this situation.

Who doesn’t know it? Get up, go to work, do things, refine presentations, survive meetings that could have been an email, sell successes, label failures as successes, and always pretend to be successful. It’s also called a hamster wheel, which from the inside looks like a career ladder.

I definitely need a break from that. From everyday life, from life as it is. And I can tell all this to an AI without judgment. It responds with understanding, asks where my interests lie, and throws something out: WWOOOF.

What the hell is WWOOF?

Never heard of it, I click the link. WWOOF sounds like an abbreviation. It is. But behind it lies a pretty brilliant idea.

World Wide Opportunities for Organic Farming. Working on organic farms, in exchange for accommodation, food, and plenty of new experiences. Worldwide. I sign up for Bella Italia. Why? Because God may live in France, but when it comes to food, he always goes to Italy.

So I register for Italy. The 40 EUR is well invested; I’ve thrown away larger amounts for less purpose. Like parking tickets, which nobody needs, or the broadcasting fee. The fee promises much more excitement.

I browse Italian farms and scroll through the listings. There are communities rebuilding the old farms. Projects to learn self-sufficiency. Also “Family Live” as an Au Pair and on farms.

WWOOFing on the farm

Farm, that sounds like manure, dirty hands. Goats. Cheese. A combination that appeals to me. I write to three farms; one replies promptly, and “I’m in”.

That was in November; it all felt so far away. And now? In 14 days, I’ll be getting into my van and will be out for four weeks. South Tyrol. Out of my daily routine, into a completely different reality. I’m excited about what awaits me. Agriculture feels so distant today, as everything is readily available in the supermarket. Yet, it is the foundation of our food. I want to understand how it works. And make cheese. I have always been interested in that because what’s better than cheese? More cheese. Milking goats and cows, caring for animals, and understanding how all this works. Especially the work that goes into it. Not thinking in the usual cycles from Monday to Friday, from nine to five, because the animals also need care on the weekends. I am full of anticipation and for the first time in a long while, truly excited.