– Community-Immersion Program for the dry season from October 15th 2022 to May 15th 2023 – 

This is our vision for the dry season but it may change at any point depending on the needs of  the community. 

Arrival 

Thank you for expressing an interest in visiting Kolinda. If you are reading this it means that it might  be possible for you to visit. However, because of an unpredictable influx of new people and our need to maintain the total number of inhabitants at a socially and ecologically sustainable level, it is difficult  for us to make promises far in advance. Please proceed in the following way: 

• No earlier than a month before your arrival, please write to komunidadkolinda@gmail.com and  ask if you can still come. 
• Around 3 days before your arrival, please let us know on our email so that we can be prepared  for you. 
• Upon arrival, please go to the communal areas and introduce yourself to everyone present. You  will be shown around and given a place to sleep (most likely a camp site). You are welcome to  spend a few days settling in, resting, enjoying the space, getting to know people and taking care  of yourself. 
• If you wish to stay longer, please address the entire community in a talking circle when the  opportunity arises (normally our Monday circle). State your intentions and ask to become a  temporary member of Kolinda. You should be emotionally prepared for a rejection, although  this has so far never happened in our 4-year history. If accepted, we hope you stay for as long as possible. 
• There is a slight possibility of one day becoming a permanent member but this would be a very  long process of mutual trust-building and spaces are very limited, so it would be better if you  don’t carry this expectation. 

Community-Immersion background 

Welcome to your transformational experience. We offer insights into community-building by allowing  visitors to JOIN our community, to become temporary members and take part in communal processes –  without the rigid expectations of traditional volunteering. This re-triggering of our forgotten  community-DNA through A SENSE OF BELONGING is an essential part of the global shift in  consciousness towards a sustainable future, and creates autonomous, aware, responsible human beings. 

We see each permanent or temporary member as a unique being with unique gifts and challenges that  should be allowed the freedom to naturally find their place and role, discover self-motivation and  awaken their creativity in a healthy environment based on trust instead of rules. We believe that each  one should “give within their capacity” and we acknowledge that our capacities are different. This  regenerative approach to work and social relations fosters growth, self-realisation, harmony and sanity,  and helps to usher away the psychological restraints of the authoritarianism we have become all too  accustomed to.

While we wish to see ourselves as a single, integrated community, we must all be aware that the needs  of permanent and temporary members differ. Permanent members are at different stages of the  overwhelming tasks of constructing private houses, raising children and making money, which means  that they are not always able to be as present with the temporary members as they may wish. We ask  for understanding and acceptance of this reality, and we ask for leaders among the temporary members  to stand up and take responsibility to fill this void. 

Expectations 

• Obligatory – community organization circle every Monday at 10.30am.  
• Obligatory – heart-sharing circle at least once a month. 
• We do not charge money to enter Kolinda but we do not have the funds to feed temporary  members. We all share the cost of the food that has to be brought in. While we would be happy  to accept donations for communal infrastructure projects, this is not expected. 
• Help to organize the main kitchen, do food runs, cook. 
• Help in the garden. 
• If you wish to participate in infrastructure projects, the finishing of our communal house is the  main aim for the coming dry season. We may also build some rooms for accommodation. We  will in general not ask for your help on private houses as it is energetically more coherent if you give energy to communal projects, but you may be welcome if you have a special interest. • Be as independent as possible.  
• Come prepared for night-time temperatures possibly as low as freezing, especially in December  and January. You absolutely need a good-quality sleeping bag, a tent and a mat. It may rain a  little bit at the beginning and end of this time period.  
• Respect private spaces. 
• Take responsibility for a healthy, harmonious, respectful and peaceful co-existence. Solve  conflicts quickly. Ask for help. Take care of your fellow community-members. Make everyone  at home. 
• Do not expect to have access to electricity or internet. However, we are in the process of finding solutions to these issues. You can find these things in the village, 30 minutes away on foot. • Share your gifts and knowledge, create workshops and activities. 
• Help to care for children is highly appreciated. 
• If you want to invite a friend you have to ask the community for permission first. • Do not post anything publicly on the internet about Kolinda. Do not reveal our exact location. • Respect that permanent members make decisions on long-term visions, land-use and funding  for infrastructure.  

How to get here 

Take a colectivo (like Lineas Unidas) from Oaxaca City or Pochutla. Get off at La Venta, which is 5-10  minutes in the direction of Oaxaca City from San Jose del Pacifico. At the turnoff, take any transport to San Sebastian Rio Hondo (transport can be infrequent after about 4pm, don’t arrive late!) In San  Sebastian, take a mototaxi to Kolinda, which is on the way to the village of Extebe. Soon after crossing  a creek, you will see a sign saying “Kolinda” on your left. Walk down the road to the communal house.