Adapting to Farm Life.....How Did I get Here?

Adapting to farm life! It’s a give-and-take situation. To leave the bright, city lights, for a more peaceful life in the countryside, definitely has its pros and cons. Yet, after more than 50 years of living in big towns and cities, it was time to make the change. Realizing that life is slowly getting away, we decided to take the plunge! It was time to challenge ourselves, reconnect with nature, and the elements, and jump right in!

It’s all a bit of a blur right now, a strange, mystical dream. After moving to Cambodia and working in the nation’s capital, Phnom Penh for six years, we then magically woke up in the middle of Kep Province. Surrounded by mango trees, pepper farms, insects, and ducks! How did I get here? What have we done? Is this really what I wanted? Adapting to farm life in Southern Cambodia!

If a chameleon can change its colors, then so can we!

Let’s have a look at the pros and cons, so far, of moving from the big smoke to a small rural, farming community……..

Adaptation – City Life to Farm Life

Water

City – No doubt you are hooked up to the town’s main water supply. Washing your vegetables, brushing your teeth without a care in the world. Most western cities have a very clean water supply. If there is a problem, the local council will come and fix it. Not too much to worry about there!

Farm – I will never take water for granted again. Where we bought our land there was no water supply. Everyone in the area runs off well water. This is the first thing we installed before we started building. A drilling truck came, and 30 meters into the ground later, we had crystal clear groundwater spurting up from the depths. It was pure joy to see this! But, we have to make sure that the tank, the filters, and the motor are properly maintained. If there is a problem, there will be NO WATER 😅! At least until the situation is resolved!

Adapting to farm life. Crystal clear water. — **Crystal Clear Water**

Electricity

City – All residences in the cities are wired up to the streets main electrical wires. They are there already when you purchase your home. Well, I am sure there are occasional blackouts when storms hit, but generally speaking you are very well connected the majority of the time.

Farm – Another thing I do not take for granted 😃! Our farm is roughly 1.2km from the main road. Whilst the main road has power, they had not yet been down our little stretch. This was the second utility we installed before building. 40 galvanized steel poles were cemented along the road. Then 1.2km of cable was installed by the local, electrical authorities. Not free, mind you! We had to pay for the poles and cable, plus a little ‘tea money’, to get the job done.

Side Note: No electricity means no air-conditioning. I could not live on the farm without it. It is soooo hot! At the moment the air temperature every day is around, “feels like 42 degrees”.

Garbage – Adapting to Farm Life

City – Most major cities and towns have a very structured waste disposal system. Three bins are allocated to every household. Plastics, cardboard, bottles, paper, and general waste all find their way to their correct locations. Just throw it in the bin and wheel it out onto the street. All too easy!

Farm – This is a big problem here! Even if we had those wheelie bins, there would be no one to pick them up. One, we are too far off the grid. Two, this is Cambodia! Even if you are on the grid, it’s still not easy to get your garbage reliably picked up. Hence, built-up piles of smelly rubbish, plastic strewn all over the place, and rats running free. Here on the farm, we are starting to compost, our plastic bottles and cardboard get picked up by street collectors, who pay you a small fee for taking them. The general waste and other non-reusable plastics are another story. Maybe I’ll save that for another post. We are still thinking about how best to dispose of this 😕!

Shopping

City – The shops are never far away. You are at home, cooking up the roast shoulder of pork, YES PLEASE, and you see there’s no apple sauce in the fridge. Well, you can just nip out and buy one. Hey, you’ll probably get a bottle of wine and some ice cream while you’re at it. Crazy not to, right 🤪 !

Local market, Kep province, Cambodia. Adapting to farm life. — **The Local Market**

Farm – Well, the local market is about 4km away, and I mean very local! There is no apple sauce and no wine. There is a basic supermarket about 20 km away. But, if you need the normal stuff, it’s a 38km scooter ride into Kampot, the area’s regional center. Coincidently, I won’t be bringing any ice cream back. The blazing Cambodian sun will see to that! Hopefully, over time, we will be able to live more sustainably from our land, and there will not be the need to visit the markets and supermarkets as much.

Okay, so, so far we have looked at the pros of living in the city. Let’s turn the page and take a look at the pros of living on a farm. Adapting to farm life, Southern Cambodia!

Traffic – Adapting to Farm Life

City – Everybody hates traffic. Getting to work in the morning is a job in itself. Bumper to bumper, horns honking, and tempers flaring! Then, there are cameras everywhere, in which the slightest mistake will get you a hefty fine. Not a great start to the day, but, done the world over!

Farm – Not a problem here 😁! Not many cars to speak of. Your main worries are the wandering cows, dogs sleeping on the street, and chickens darting back and forth. Most of the motor activity is from scooters and tractors, albeit, they are far and few between. The stress of that morning city drive is just a distant memory!

People

City – No doubt, your city has millions of people. They are in your face in the supermarkets, commuter trains, banks, shops, cinemas and restaurants. There is no escaping them, there are people everywhere! If someone catches the flu, pretty much everyone gets the flu. As they say, ‘be careful, there’s a flu going around”! Three days later, you are tucked up in bed and eating chicken soup. People 🤷‍♂️!

Farm – Our nearest neighbors are 500 meters away. Even when we are traveling to the local market you probably won’t see them. It’s only when we get onto the larger road that you will start noticing the human race. Animals, on the other hand, are ever-present. Cows, chickens, ducks, dogs, goats, birds, frogs, and buffalo grace the surrounding farmland. Not so in your face, and easier to get along with! Confrontation does not exist, unless, someone steals one of our ducks of course 🦆!

Nature, Stars and Moon

City – Cities are not totally debunked of nature. Parks, rivers, and beaches are usually never far away. But, to really get amongst it, you will have to travel a certain distance. The stars and moon will usually be less illuminated though, due to the waves of electricity running through the cities buildings, shops, and streets.

Farm – We are right in it! No need to go anywhere! Most nights, the sky is lit up like your grandmother’s jewelry box. Full disclosure of the night sky! Bugs, insects, frogs, bats, and birds all creep out from their daytime retreats, and bring life, through to the early hours of the morning. It’s the universe at work, bio-dynamics at play, and a treat to hear and watch. As long as the snakes, bats, and creepie crawlies keep their distance…..all will be good!

Time – Adapting to Farm Life

What is time? Defined by physics as, “the progression of events from the past to the present into the future”. Time is all we have, and it seems to be slipping away! We are constantly reminded of it. Birthdays, anniversaries, deadlines, meetings, appointments, and it goes on and on!

Sand falling through an hourglass. — **Time through the hourglass!**

City – In the city, time is of the essence. Got to get to work on time, got to pick the kids up at three, dentist appointment at 5, and a yoga class at 7, (maybe not yoga straight after the dentist). Can I quickly get a haircut…..do I have enough time? You can’t escape it! At the end of the day, time falls into your daily routine. There’s not enough time to do everything we want. City life, the hustle, and bustle, just takes your time away!

Farm – On the other hand, farm life, time losses its essence! You lose track of time. You don’t even know what day of the week it is sometimes. Don’t get us wrong, we are still very busy. Planting, tending to the animals, going to the market, maintenance around the house, cooking, cleaning, and writing this blog 😄! As opposed to city life, it feels like we have a lot more time though. We are not watching the clock. When the sun comes up we will start the day, when it goes down we will relax. We are not dictated by time, but more by the elements. We are more awake. This is one thing I love about farm life!

Well-Being

City – There is a lot of temptation in the city. It’s very easy just to roll into the drive-through and grab a sneaky ‘Big Mac’. It’s also very easy, to spend the afternoon at the local pub having maybe too many beers. It’s also very easy to flick the TV on and binge-watch a whole season of Seinfeld. I think stress is the biggest negative. It affects so many people. Work, schedules, deadlines, relationships, and money worries, all seem to play a part in the well-being factor. You constantly hear people talking, “I need to get away”, “I need a holiday”, or “I can’t do this anymore”. Maybe that’s why yoga and meditation classes are booked solid in the early evenings.

Farm – Farm life is void of temptation and excesses. Being away from the city lights guarantees this. Nature, animals, and the elements become your natural TV lifestyle program. It’s all here right in front of you. Every day is also very physical. I have already lost three and a half kilos since the month we have been here. Every evening we are exhausted, yet, I feel much better for it. Yoga and meditation classes are not needed here. It’s like we are in a constant, natural mindset, whereby nature and the elements are the ruling bodies.