In need of hippie wisdom!

Hello Old Hippies,
I am a 17yo flower girl, I love earth and every person living on it, I feel most comfortable and satisfied when I am at my best friends cottage, or camping with my boyfriend, because living near water soothes my soul. I live in Ottawa, in the suburbs but we are quite a big city. Behind my house runs the Ottawa river, which was once beautiful and life giving, but is now so polluted that people don't even let their dogs go near it. I always feel a little bit uneasy living in the city, too many cars, big buildings and too much media influence. I must find a way to live a sustainable life nowhere near the city.
I have a job at a Grocery store, I enjoy seeing all my regular customers and I love the people i work with, but the job itself drives me crazy. I am very interested in Human Rights, animals and marine life, eastern religions and ideals, and sexuality. I am going to university in September and taking Human Rights, Women's Studies and Sociology.
I would like to be a teacher for older high school students, because a teacher at my school, Ms. Kidd has inspired me. She is an old soul, a beautiful gentle person who has traveled the world and understands life and people. I wish one day I could provide others with the wisdom and compassion that she has provided for me.
So my questions to you Old Hippies, are how should I go about dropping out and finding somewhere to live independently, that is not in a city, and do you have any wisdom for me that will help me follow my dreams, or perhaps some words that will give me a reality check, should I need one.
Thankyou for your time and sincerity, I have love and respect for you all.

 

First don't drop out. Pursue your dreams from with in. Stay the course and Pass on to others what you feel and have learned. If you want to teach first you must learn as much as you can. Find a small community where you can teach. Small steps start a long journey. Good luck with it.

Peace

 

i know exactly how you feel. im having the same problems with the world. thats why i want to start a commune for people who need time to figure stuff out. however, the commune things is harder than it sounds. if by some twist of fate i manage to get the commune going, youre welcome tostay as long as you like, if you still need to figure stuff out.

 

know exactly how you feel .....drive through ottawa twice a year on my way to work and on my way back.....i'm not one for cities.......but to follow your dream you sometimes have to make sacrifices .......in the winter i leave family and home for close to 5 months and work in northern alberta but once i'm home i spend my life at home on the east coast and just do the things that i want to do...be it walking in the woods with the dog,gardening ,driving along the shore taking pictures ...chatting with friends at the coffee shop or just goofing off .......the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices

 

Drop out is such an abrupt phrase, I hate it. It should be ease out. The thing you want to drop out of is the urban rat-race. Do your studies and find a teaching post in the back of far beyond. You will probably be required to teach all ages but its better than urban drudgery. You will not get what you want if you drop out and arrive in the countryside with nothing but expectation. Its a fantastic ideal and something to work towards. Go get it!

 

Thankyou so much for your input. a lot of good points were made and I think i have a bit of a clearer vision of where to begin now. I really appreciate the time you've all given me.

 

Always remember, your real home is in your head and heart.
By doing good stuff for people and your community you might find
the physical home where you end up to be way different than you
envision right now. You have so much life left and a great journey
ahead of you and you are obviously on the right path. Dont be in
a hurry to change too much too soon. Like a canoe rde down
Otter Creek.....relax and see where the current takes you !
PEace and happy trails !

 

Wow, hey there little sister! I know exactly how you feel! Cities are... uhh.. YUCK!!

But, hey, if you really want to get independent from all of the mass-media-brainwashing-garbage pumping-junk-spewing-melt-your-brain-with-TV way of life here's some ideas, if you want em..

Getting energy independent:

First, you'll have to get yourself a piece of land to live on and build a place on, preferably with a few or more people you get along well with. Many hands make short work.

First things first: Food!

Wheat grass! Sprouts and is ready to use in about twelve days. Press the wheat grass for the juice. Two ounces of wheat grass has the vitamin equivalent of three pounds of vegetables and is easy to digest. You can satisfy your protein needs from beans and other legumes. You can live relatively healthy on that until your first year's crops come in.

Next: Energy!!

Methane digesters are insanely easy to make and you can generate enough usable gas from them every day to cook on a gas stove. No, the methane doesn't "stink" like people believe. In fact it has no real smell at all. It burns clean and doesn't polute anywhere near as much as anything petroleum.

Get enough digesters going and you can produce enough gas to cook and drive converted electric generators to make your electricity. Automotive conversions are easy and work well.

Wind power generation on your land is a good option but carefully consider the technical and mechanical requirements of such a device. Parts wear out. Will you have replacement windmill blades and generator electrical parts? Can you manufacture your own? If not will you have a source for replacement parts? Yes, the same applies to the gas powered electric generators I mentioned, earlier, but those parts are a lot easier to replace than wind generator parts, which are still relatively uncommon.

If this is all making sense to you then I hope it resonates with you and sparks new ideas in you.

Consider that the world as we've known it for over a hundred years is coming to an end and survivable alternatives are a necessity now, not when it all comes crashing down which is going to happen sooner than you think.

If we're all going to change the world then we must be the flame that lights the way for those who will abruptly find themselves walking terrified in the dark.

Good luck with your plans. Use your imagination.

 

Wow, thank you every one. Whats The Fuss especially, that's exactly what I needed. I'm planning on staying in University, I have just started my 2d semester of first year, and I'm doing really well so far. My man Brandon and I are planning on both graduating, getting married, working towards buying a home on a bit of land (not renting! renting i death!) and starting out with a small vegetable garden, then we're planning on increasing the garden, maybe selling our television, possibly having children as soon as we have the finances to support them, and then hopefully after we have the hang of it, just living off our land. I know it sounds naive that I haven't really mentioned a job, but I feel like having a marriage and a family is my priority in life .. it is the goal that we both are working towards, and a job comes second. I hope that this won't end up biting me in the ass.

 

You will have so many more options with a degree.
Stay focused- -Maybe do some volunteer work- Its always seems to make ya feel better if you do something because you love it, and you want to help- - rather than doing it for cash- However, we all know that eventually to achieve your dreams, your going to need an income _ Get that education.
You sound like your on the right track.

 

I think I should be asking you for advice. Don't lose your dreams and don't let anybody take them.

 

Yeah ,That may be the condensed version ,but that,s pretty much it !

 

Hey, I am in a bit of a similar situation. I am in college but was majored in a very structured and government based area that I felt took away from the actual purpose of the "career". I still have great respect for that field but am unsure as to what direction to go towards now. The only thing I can offer is give yourself time to figure things out. Give it another semester and see how things go. If you are like me you can get caught up in the whole self definition aspect of a "career" - if that makes sense. But everything finds its way in time (as flakey as that may sound it is true) so whatever you do, do it with honesty.

 

Not saying I'm offering much wisdom but just wanted to share. lol!

 

You're hot. Be a model. That is all.

 

Haha, Thanks guys. Ghetto Ninja, I eat models for breakfast So here's the update, I'm finishing up my freshman year of University, and am working towards a double honours degree in Sociology and Human rights. I am trying to start small. Changing my attitudes and habits, being more respectful and accepting of others. I have started trying to curb my shopping habit, and when I do want to buy things, I try and find something second-hand before I buy it new. I am recycling more, trying to be more energy conscious and enjoying the pleasure of life, not looking for entertainment.

This summer I am planning on volunteering at a small "grass roots" community project. I figure if I want to go about changing the world, I need to start with myself, and my community.

I am also dreaming of living off-the grid in British Columbia once I have the money to start out. I figure using things like alternative energy will be expensive to start, but will be more efficient and saving in the future.

Thanks again for every one's support! Love&&barefeet. xoxoo...

 

can still be done by couchsurfing. http://www.couchsurfing.com/

Find another person your age who's up for some cheap backpacking and couchsurfing. You don't have to drop out forever. But summer's coming and expanding your horizons often means leaving home for a while. When you travel on a shoestring, you reduce your material needs and learn to survive on very little. Now that couchsurfing has become huge, you can go practically anywhere in the world without paying for a hostel or hotel.

As always, relying on the kindness of strangers is the way to go. Tennessee Williams in StreetCar Named Desire tried to make that a psychotic approach to life, but who the hell would take his advice?

peace out

 

Get your teaching degree and then move wherever you need to go to get away. Get your "life off the grid" degree at the same time as your teaching degree by studying everything you can think of you might need to know survival-wise. Then perhaps a job as a teacher of a private school or run a homeschool. Perhaps part of your pay could be in the form of barter. You would then be officially "dropped out" while still teaching and doing what you love...

 

By the way, living off the grid is always way more difficult in a cold climate. Place to live off the grid is in the Carribbean, barefoot.

 

My advice is you move in with me, and I'll help you discover the universe.