Tembel Tepe– its purchase, naming, and philosophy– was borne out of its opposite. After years of the stress, ridiculous ongoing expense, haphazard and frenetic activity, and downright dangerous road conditions of our Söğütgediği property, Ajda and I desperately needed the respite of no demands, no deadlines, no expectations.
In 2017, Ajda and I and eight partners from our NGO got together and purchased 22 hectares of land in Bayramiç in the village of Söğütgediği. Gorgeous triangle of land backing up to a stream and a forest. We started a women’s agricultural cooperative and began growing medicinal herbs. But the land had a dastardly access road, with a steep switchback of slippery gravel, treacherous ruts, sections which were perennially wet, deep mud, which meant that practically every time we made the SIX HOUR car journey from Istanbul, we would inevitably require tractor assistance to pull us out of the mud or other trap on the 2 kilometer access road.
Once there, the hyperactive, megalomaniacal self-proclaimed leader of the group would insist on constant activity, implementing things that he deemed as critically and immediately necessary (as well as the most expensive option of any other thing we could be doing). Often what he insisted we do turned out to be an ill-conceived or downright incorrect action that set back our progress while it drained our wallets.
We endured that as long as we could. Six years for me, eight years for her. Then we got out.
The great thing about that experience was that it gave us the idea that we could be LAND OWNERS.
Another great thing it taught us was that we DID NOT WANT more stress or anyone’s trumped up TO DO list. We just wanted some peace.
So we purchased 7 hectares of peace.
We had a long list of criteria for the land based on our lessons learned. We searched for a few months then found it. Easy access road, accessible from two directions if we didn’t want the villagers knowing we were coming, far enough away from the village that no other buildings are visible, but close enough for us to get to if we needed help. And PLENTY of trees.
The name and philosophy of this place is TEMBEL TEPE. Lazy Hill. Our coat of arms is a snail and a sloth. The motto is Latin and translates as: The farmer is slow, but the earth is patient.
We will do what we can, as we can, as our time and inclination allows.
This perspective gives us the freedom to go there and do nothing. We put a tiny house on the property- 8 meters by 4 meters- and it has all the modern conveniences we currently need, aside from running water or non-battery electricity.
Some visits all I do is watch Seraphina, the large tree that commands our view looking out to the plains below. Or adorn Maribel, the guardian tree in our driveway, with more Nepali prayer flags to commemorate my lost friends. Sometimes I might rake leaves, cut firewood, or walk around the property. I have gone there many times by myself.
It is only two and a half hours away from Istanbul. Far enough away to feel like someplace special. Near enough to feel like home away from home. She and I both need to carve out more time to visit Tembel Tepe, but every time we go, we are infused with the serenity and majesty of our little slice of nature.
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