Jenny Monfore (Anchorage, AK)

It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for over a month already, time flies when you’re pulling weeds and stuffing straw clay walls! I never thought I’d find myself in Wisconsin, out of all the exciting destinations I had on my adventure travel list, but when I found the folk school online, I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for in my young life.

I then went to Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina for a year and, after racking up over $10,000 in student loans, realized I didn’t want to be in debt for the rest of my life and a conventional four year degree wasn’t for me. I fell in love with old time music down there, picked up the banjo and fiddle and started clogging, and realized I wanted to live how old timey folks lived but didn’t exactly know how to go about doing that. After hearing about the John C. Campbell Folk School, I began researching similar organizations with a focus on basic homesteading skills and wall-ah, here I am!

I’ll admit, the work here is harder than I imagined and I’m still adjusting to the rustic farming lifestyle, but I’m already feeling stronger and gaining confidence helping with projects like building a barn, gardening, taking care of animals, communicating with my host family, and taking part in the development process of the folk school in it’s still early stages.

While I’m here I would LOVE to play music with people and am happy to trade massage for any kind of interesting skills folks have to offer! Please get in touch with me, I’m looking forward to a great summer!