the gift of the place: Two main keywords are the possibility to be with like-minded people and self confidence. I have never worked in anyone else's garden but mine and probably not with that kind of intensity. Now I know that I have what it takes to manage that and that definitely made me feel better about myself. Before this summer I thought I'd have it but now I know. the character of the place: Nature and meaningful work in combination with the right people. Perhaps also the possibility to work alone as well as with others depending on what needs to be done and when. So people who are there for a longer period can choose what feels best on that specific day. ...the connnection with the land and nature..cures from every aspect whether people realize it or not. I've become so much calmer and also healthier physically just by leaving the city. No constant noises, artificial lights, etc, etc. I think our bodies can naturally be healthy when we remove all the aspects that hinder that. Which of course doesn't mean that it's easy in the country. It's not, but it's real. You have to do real work to survive, it has meaning. It also helps to see the madness of the world from another aspect and really understand where we have lost the way. In the city people tend to compete with their neighbours and try to be better (normally richer money wise) but here I look outside and try to be more like the trees I see who just stand there in their calmness and do the thing they're born to do. And that inspires in a totally different and much more powerful way. I also think that people learn to trust themselves more in the country and that gives also a new level of security - physically and mentally. In the city we strive to earn more money to buy us security when we need it (call the handyman who fixes things, etc) but in the country we learn to do most things by ourselves and learn to trust that whatever happens, I'll survive. So when translating that to Mägede and what Mägede can offer, then even learning to use new tools, acquiring some new skills and understanding how everything is connected in the nature helps people in a way they can't realize right away but it sows a seed and one never knows what can grow from it. We grew up partly in the countryside and have always had that seed inside us but most of the people in their 20s and 30s nowadays don't have that and I think it also contributes to the growing numbers of depression and anxiety - the artificial world just does not support us in the way we are created and people feel that something is missing but can't understand what. It's the connection with nature. Of course you know it all but I just thought I'd point that out that this has been my experience as well.