This last september 2011, we had the chance to go teach a certified permaculture design course in Romania. A freshly formed teaching team, a beautiful quartet of three people, Pascal depienne (france), Sam Trousdale (UK) and myself were hosted at the beautiful ermitaj Malin,north-eastern Transylvania owned by Philippe COUPE & Adriana SIGARTAU.

This second PDC ever organised in Romania ended up being full with 25 students, romanian's pioneer permies, a beautiful eclectic croud coming mainly from urban areas with various background: computer, students, architects,... the course was tought in english and simultaneously translated in romanian by one of the students to two of them who couldn't understand a lot of english. 

During this course, beyond the official program of it, we focused our attention on forest garden implementation with materials and plants localy available aswell as natural building with the implementation of a chicken house built with a wattle and cob technique along with an accacia roundwood frame (?tenon and mortise keyed).

Wanting to create awareness in self-regulation, we also encouraged skill share activities, they allowed us all to learn from each other and have people get creative and more confident about their skills and knowledge and their ability to share them. but self-regulation also applied in our resources management, not having electricity and very limited amount water was challenging in that case. 

A great course with great people in an apple paradise, the ermitaj is an old hermitage (well,...makes sence doesn't it?) about 800 meters away from a little village where most of the people still go to their fields with horses and carts, not by choice but by need, after having milked their cow and send it with the community sheperd who walks through the village to form the hurd.

The ermitaj is a countryside paradise of about 8 hectares of fields, forest, springs,vegie garden, donkey hurd and apple orchard, a great potential for various projects where a lot should/could/needs to happen.

Philippe, a former zen bouddhist practitioner, welcomes any passionate permaculturist who's looking to implementing on a real land for its diploma