THE CALL TO BE A NOMADIC FAMILY
At one time in history all of humankind was nomadic.
We moved around, gathered our food from forests, the mountains, the sea.
We were more connected with the land, we moved with the seasons, each environment provided food for us.
We took only what we needed and moved on.
Nothing was wasted, everything was returned back to the earth, to feed the soil, that fed us.
Being nomadic is in our blood, moving keeps us healthy, just going out and walking has so many benefits for us both physically and mentally. We are meant to keep moving, move forward with our thinking and with our lifestyles.
I started travelling in my early twenties, it brought me great healing and allowed me to feel even more alive and free. It also opened my eyes even more to all the wonder that surrounds us in the world. It shown me that beneath all the labels we may put on one another, we are all the same, our needs are all the same.
Every country I travelled in I saw this, but I also sensed a divide. A divide that was created by man through fear and lack of understanding.
I travelled on and off, up until I got pregnant with my first child. I knew I wanted my children to grow up in an environment where they saw that all people, every living thing is equal and deserves our respect. To me and my partner that meant being nomadic. So upon returning to the land where I was born and grew up, Ireland we began to look for our new home and when I was 6 months pregnant, we found her, a Mercedes 811D.
Me and my partner build the inside from scratch, neither one of us having any idea what we were doing. We just knew that we had to, so with sheer determination, we built our first home. We equipped her with 2x 100 watt solar panels, one massive battery and an inverter, we were ready for the road. We moved around, mostly in Co. Cork and up the West coast and into the Midlands. Ireland is a beautiful country and we wanted to explore more of it. We loved the fact that one day our garden was the forest and the next it was the sea.
My daughter really got to explore nature, and even though I was born and brought up in Ireland I never felt more connected with the land. We really were so much more aware of the seasons, being outdoor everyday, gathering wood for our fire, leaves to use as liter in our compost toilet and foraging for wild greens.
We lived our lives to the fullest and then I got pregnant again. Another amazing being was coming into our lives. She was born next to our bus in a bell tent. We were parked up very close to the sea and during the earlier stages of her birth I got to walk along the beach, listening to the waves. The sea really helped sing my second daughter into the world.
6 weeks later we took the ferry to France to visit my partners family. Being nomadic was alot easier over there. In Ireland, we found that people were sometimes quiet suspicious about us and how we lived. It had been getting harder to find places to park up. There was also alot of barriers in place, especially at beaches and national parks, trying to put a stop to the Irish travellers lifestyle .Andthen there was the damp, try drying cloth nappies in Ireland over a small pot belly stove, 9 months out of 12.
We spend a total of 2 and a half years living in our bus in Ireland. But after that 7 week trip to France we decided it would be better to be over there. So after returning to Ireland for a few months we left, a family now of 4, with our dog and our Home.
To be continued...........
All the photos are mine.
Here are some links to some of my other articles:
REACHING OUT TO PARENTS
WHAT IS MY VALUE NOW THAT I AM A MOTHER?
I think it's amazing you're living life on the road with your children! I just started doing it on my own and love it so much that I've had thoughts about how awesome it'd be to do this with a family. Looking forward to learning more about how it's going for you!
Thank you @cahlen, the bus was our first now we've moved onto a truck but all will be revealed. My kids love being on the road, we're on a pause at the moment due to mechanical and financial reasons but they keep asking, when are we going back on the road.
I hope you're able to get back out there very soon!
I am enjoying your story of the nomadic life. I think all of us have that hidden deep in our roots. Whether we chose to find, that is another story. Looking forward to your next post.
thanks @cecicastor I agree.
Sometimes I get the desire to get an RV and become a nomad. I love reading stories from people who are indeed doing that! I will be following!
oh go do it, we have but one life x
Thank you for sharing. I can really relate. Our story is different in that we bought a 33ft travel trailer so that we could explore a new area and eventually buy a property, but along the way discovered that I was pregnant with baby #4. We ended up living in the trailer for 18 months and are still working on building up our sustainable homestead, but I wouldn't change the experience for anything. Here's my story if you're interested.
https://steemit.com/parenting/@crowbarmama/precognition-no-thank-you
Thanks so much @crowbarmama for stopping by, will definitely check out your post. I had my 3rd child last year. Happy parenting x
ah lovely post and couldn't agree more... i did a lot of traveling in my 20s too and recommend it to every human... so that we know we are so much more similar than we are different and that diversity enriches and enlivens us!
really good job on the interior of the mercedes! looks cozy and beautiful and like you tucked everything up in there quite well.
my nomadic elements are calling out to me lately, may need to cook up a trip for next winter :) ... balancing that homestead and nomad aspect to make a flowing life...
resteemed <3 !
Thank you @mountainjewel , I was so proud of our bus, I should really try and get more photos up of her, she was a great home. We've moved onto the truck now, but that will follow in the next post.
Yeah you should organise a trip, got to keep flowing x
What a lovely post. My husband and I traveled for many years and loved it, but living in camps and a truck I longed to have a solid structure and space to call home, I wanted a kitchen, a large oven to BAKE, but most of all I missed having a garden... Now we have been steeled for many years but I still long to travel again! Ahhh, to be able to do both....
thank you @schoonercreek, we're kind of lucky to be doing both. The bus was a few years ago and we now have our truck, we're having a pause at the moment as truck engine needs work so I am growing food here which is great. Got a big oven in our truck, but went for 4 years with none, so know what thats like.
Beautiful pictures and lovely to read about your children and how this life has been for them. x
Thanks Sam, really enjoyed looking back at those photos x
hello your newest follower here.. my husband and I are thinking of traveling and living in an RV a small one to start.
I like the way you made it work for you
Thank you @rebeccabe, you should definitely do it. There is nothing like that feeling of being on the open road and not knowing what is going to come your way, such great people to meet and adventures to have.
Great post, not good on how Ireland is clamping down on travelers, getting that way in NZ too. Most of the anti is coming from ratepayers, that is, those from whom the 'local bodies' or councils get their tax money. It's mostly motivated by envy, but has to be said that some travellers add fuel to the fire.
Thanks @stmoloud I've always wanted to get over to New Zealand, ye have some awesome housetrucks,not to mention the beautiful landscape. Not good to hear that they are now clamping down too. I think it's slowly happening everywhere unfortunately.
There are a million questions and comments I want to make. Being from Romani gypsy blood-line I can connect with every word you have just written(It actually brought a tear at one point).
The only difference is that I have felt this urge and didn't interpret it in time for the birth of my daughter. I would give both my legs to travel back in time and give my daughter the up-bringing you have(The van would have to be automatic. lol ). I imagine her mother and I would still be together had that been so. I will make it my mission to instill your values into my and my daughters life. Thank you for sharing this wonderful example of how life should be lived. xx.
P.S. Being a HGV mechanic, I applaud you on you choice of vehicle. You can't go wrong with a Merc :) Love how you have kitted it out too! Can't wait for part 2!
Ah thanks @article61, we loved our bus, Mercedes are very reliable, she was with us for 4 and half years till we moved onto our current home our Mercedes 1419 horsebox, but will be telling all this in the following post. Thank you for your lovely words x