By Courtney Calkins
1. Taking adventures is essential to self-growth
I am many things, but adventurous is not one of the boxes I would check. In most cases, you would not see me go out of my way to do the adventurous thing, even as simple as going on a hike up a huge mountain. In Pennsylvania, there were many times I had to step outside of this comfort zone. A hike was one of our activities. All was well until we went on what the staff member from Gita Nagari called the adventure trail — basically him making a wrong turn and getting us onto a path that wasn’t the trail. Then we hit the hill. It was one of those hills that you avoid walking down or near in fear of falling. Most people had no issue going down it except for a few of us towards the back. With the encouragement from other group members, we were able to face our fear and get down the hill.From this experience, I learned that adventure is good for growing and learning about yourself. I was able to explore the anxiety that I had about going down that hill, but also got to acknowledge that since I did it, this was a huge step for me. It helped me learn that I can take the big adventures I am scared of. It just may be hard at first.
2. Although it appears hard, eating vegan can be easy
One of the key things I picked up on during my week at Gita Nagari was that despite connotations, vegan eating can be incredibly easy and important. And it can be done in fun and creative ways. Each meal we had at Gita Nagari was homemade by different staff and volunteers from around the farm, who come from around the globe. This was amazing, especially as we got to experience the different styles of those who cooked for us.Such simple things, like pizza and pasta, can be made in vegan meals. Since returning from Pennsylvania, I have looked into different vegan recipes that look easy and fun to cook. I can’t wait to try them!
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3. It is important that farms use non-cruelty practices
Gita Nagari is a slaughter-free farm, meaning that they let the cows live a full life cycle and don’t kill them for meat or when they stop producing enough milk. For these practices, Gita Nagari is the first USDA-certified slaughter-free dairy farm. This is something that they take pride in and was very interesting to learn about. They ensure the health and safety of their cows by not forcing the cows to produce more milk than they are able to. Seeing this process of milking the cows was very cool. A number of us, including myself, were even able to try our hand at milking them! |
While discovering the importance of their non-violent practices, it made me realize that such practices are important and ethical. I had never truly put much thought into such things, but now, I am trying to be a lot more conscious about these factors of my food. I have realized that I want to know about where my food is coming from, whether it be plants or animals. It is important to know this stuff so that I can ensure I am getting food that is safe for myself, but also the plants and animals at the farms.
Getting to spend the week at Gita Nagari was a fantastic experience. As I described it to the group I went with, it was one of the most special weeks of my life. I was incredibly happy with my choice to go on an Alternative Break. I highly recommend that everyone does. It will truly change your life.
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