"It all boils down to what you are comfortable with."

This entry is the final reflection on life at Durga's Den from Melissa Peterson.

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As I’m certain many of the others will address, life at Durga’s Den is not the same as life in the states. As a matter of fact, life at Durga’s Den isn’t like life in the city of Ocho Rios which lies at the foot of the mountain. There are some things I relish about this place. I love the view from my cottage. The vista of the city below is breathtaking at all hours of the day. I enjoy watching types of clouds I’ve never even seen before pass overhead on a journey to the other side of the island. Storms that deliver rain and lightning, I watch from the top of the hill, too high up to be affected. The biota that thrives here is lush and green even though we haven’t see more than a few drops of rain up here on the mountain. The young campers and the staff have become our friends. The stars shine like millions of pin pricks in a black velvet sky. The open air construction allows a breeze to penetrate every building. There’s nothing like an outdoor shower overlooking a valley.

Granted, there are also things I don’t like. I don’t like using a well-used composting toilet. I don’t like some of the smells that come with using manure for just about everything. I don’t like losing electricity at 9 pm every night because the solar battery keeps running out. I don’t like the aggressive dogs that nip at my ankles unless I baby talk them. I don’t like ants finding every bit of food. I’m not a fan of being up by 5:40 AM to get to yoga by 6. I’m not a fan of the showers being all the way across the compound from my cottage.

A greywater system at Durga's Den.
Picture by Gabrielle Reese.

Through all of this though, one sees the dual aspects. I love the open-air gazebo: it’s probably my favorite building on site. I love the breeze cooling it off all throughout the day. On the other hand, flies know where to find food, and you’ll find yourself being dive-bombed by five at once. On another note, I love our quaint cottage. At the same time, it’s hard to move around the small space and I find myself more comfortable on the outer decks.

It all boils down to what you’re comfortable with. I’ve been in plenty of situations where I’ve been uncomfortable with the a) type of toilet b) quantity of insects c) the shower situation d) the lack of light after a certain time. [See greywater system pictured at right.] I find myself able to adapt now though. Where in other situations, I feel this relief entering a comfort-zone space again, this experience is holding me in the growth zone even after leaving. My brain is constantly processing the differences between Durga’s Den and my hotel room, Durga’s Den and my house, Durga’s Den and my dorm.

I’m starting to see where I waste energy after 9:00 PM. I’m starting to see that I don’t need hot showers. I’m starting to see that I don’t need an inefficient big house or an inefficient old dorm. Where can I make changes to existing structures in my life? Where can I make changes to myself? These are all going to be prominent questions in my mind the next few days as I process the living phase. 

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Where can you and I change? What can we be comfortable with?