Back

Arriving at the Castle-event | Day 105 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Apr 15, 2023· 2 minutes

Another world-schooling family has had the great idea to make pop-up communities all over the world, sharing weeks with other families.

When we planned out our year (a first for us to plan a full year), we decided to participate in one in Normandie, as it was on our horizon to look for more like-minded people and because it was a live-in experience.

vans-hangout

We do not enjoy excursions in big groups very much; we want to visit museums, landmarks, nature sites, and cities just the five of us, and the company will mainly be overstimulation. What we long for is conversations, board games, and shared meals with other travelers. So the live-in option of the castle stay was perfect for us.

For some reason, maybe the same as ours, this event, in particular, was very popular, and many families will attend. So the anticipation and excitement were very high, and we were all happy the day finally came when we would arrive and begin to meet people.

And how was it then? Overwhelming yet peaceful. The place itself is simple and beautiful, very rural. The landscape of marsh, trees, birds singing, and storks. Green beautiful springtime. The castle is cozy and welcoming. And the people were, for some part, people we had already met, some of them new to us.

There was only one thing to do. Get started talking to people, cook the meals, and enjoy the time. It is not complicated. Everyone, in some form, lives the lifestyle we live. We all have so much in common, yet so many different stories to share.

cosy-gaming

I sit back and feel it. The Narnia feeling. The new field of not having to explain, not impressing anyone with what we do, not being the odd one out. It is lovely. As in very lovely. Peaceful.

Love and light

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

# 105 of my 2023 writing challenge - Read them all here


Thank you for reading
I would love to hear from you. Listen to your thoughts and reflections - or praise :) It is often emotional to share our life like this, and we get very happy when we get feedback from you. So feel free to share a comment below 😋 
What is unschooling? What is it not? And why defining it is so difficult? Sand Dodd, Sue Elvis and Cecilie Conrad explore how unschooling is not just…Read more
What is the price of unfreedom? How does managerialism control our work, childhood, and daily lives? Inspired by our conversation with Dennis Nørmark…Read more
We live by the stories, we can imagine, we understand through the lens of eyes of heroes and victims and witches and kings and everyone else from the…Read more
In Finhan, where we live in February 2025, not much is happening. The church in the square strikes its hour, funnily enough, twice, so if you didn't …Read more
In this first episode of season two of The Ladies Fixing the World, we explore the philosophy and practicalities of unschooling and showcase its tran…Read more
How did we end up in Scandinavia mid-winter, and why did we need to see that contrast? How life crashes suddenly, like hitting a tree on the side of …Read more
There is this saying about lemons: if life throws them at you, just make lemonade. But really?! To me, it sounds like bullshit. When life gives you l…Read more
Sometimes, we have to stay very clear and keep the spirit very open when the Universe is talking, and there is a delay in the translation. This is a …Read more
I often say that I love change and that I trust the process. But what about pain? When is it hard? What when I did not choose the change, did not wan…Read more