This morning in the Enchanted Farm I woke up at 5.30 am.

I wanted to do my yoga ritual before joining Tita Jo in the Farm where she plants lemongrass. She works with a social entrepreneur who is creating a business in essential oils. Tita Jo is responsible for growing the lemongrass and citronella.

It is Laetitia, a French volunteer who has been living at the Farm for several months, who offered me to join. Laetitia works in the management team of the Enchanted Farm, in finance.

And Violette also joined. Violette is a friend of another volunteer, Claire-Aline. Claire-Aline works with Fabien, the social entrepreneur who created Plush and Play, a cuddly toys business.

Within a few days, Violette and Claire-Aline will travel to Vietnam. But first, Violette wanted to come here to discover the Enchanted Farm.

7 am. We meet Laetitia in front of our bamboo dorm.

I had the time to do yoga and have breakfast : oat flakes with honey, and a new fruit I bought at the market of Angat, the nearest little town. It is a kind of giant grapefruit. Less bitter, less juicy. Very big ! Very good.

On the way to the essential oils fields, we stop in the community : Laetitia buys pandesal – delicious little breads that are very typical and common here, and Kopico small sachets (coffee preparation with milk and sugar). Here, it is usual to buy products in very small quantities : single dose of shampoo, laundry washing powder, coffee, sweets, cigarettes… Because people do not have a lot of money and buy day by day. (And maybe there is another reason ? – I don’t know).

Walking along the main farm road with Laetitia is wonderful because she knows almost everyone. She speaks a little Tagalog – the local language. Everyone says hello here and smiles. That’s really nice. So we stop all along the way and chat with people.

It is early morning and it is the perfect moment to be outside. The air is still fresh – it is winter here. The sun is soft and the light is beautiful on the vivid nature around.

Later in the day, the temperature rises and it is much less nice to be outside… until the sun sets, around 6pm.

Tita Jo has not arrived yet.

As Violette has not visited the Animal Farm yet, we go there for a walk with her. We walk among the plantations, see the sheep, the goats, the chickens, the pigs…

I love hearing the noises of the farm. The noise of the animals.

We go back and Tita Jo has started planting the lemongrass with a farmer who helps her – Andrew.

She warmly welcomes us. She is a very joyful lady.

She gives us blue plastic gloves. And we start dividing the tasks.

She makes holes in the soil, then Laetitia pours water with a watering can, then Andrew adds natural fertilizer (kind of compost). And lastly, Violette and I plant the lemongrass sprouts.

We change tasks and actually do a bit of everything.

There are a few frogs jumping around.

We speak and laugh together while doing the farming. Sometimes we concentrate and just say nothing.

Tita Jo tells us more about her life. Here many Filipinos speak English and it makes it very easy to share with them and create links with them.

Arriving here at the Enchanted Farm, I was amazed at the warm relationship and the strong links that exist between the Western interns and volunteers and the Filipino community. They are so welcoming, kind and generous.

At the very moment you arrive, you are invited to have dinner in a family of the community. Everybody wants to know you. Everybody knows you have arrived. They are curious and open.

But let’s go back to our lemongrass !

It is 8 am and it is already quite hot in the sunshine. I am filling the watering can, putting some compost in the holes, planting the lemongrass.

It is really physical work and it is hard.

It is so different from sitting behind a computer or having interviews in an office in Paris.

The surroundings are beautiful. Calm and luxurious nature. Thanks to the patient and assiduous work of the farmers.

I feel that it is so important to connect to Nature. It is another rhythm. I am used to quickness, immediacy. In our society, it seems that we want everything, now, easily.

In the fields, it is all the contrary. Nature decides. It takes a lot of time and it is not easy.

I am glad to live this experience and remember this.

Almost 9 am. It is very hot now – around 30 degrees I guess. Time to go.

I look at the field and it feels really special to see the lemongrass that we have planted together. There is a very physical print of our activity. We have contributed to creating something.

It feels like I have brought my little contribution. And it is tangible. It is a plant that will grow and become essential oil.

We say goodbye to Tita Jo and walk back to the bamboo dorm.

Only one hour planting lemongrass and I feel too hot and tired.

And it is winter here ! Most of the year the temperature is much higher and it is more humid… This is hard work, really.

I thought that Tita Jo and the farmers are everyday life heros.