My Life as a Vegan Chef in Community Living During COVID-19

I have always been curious about community living and have been attracted to the idea of an intentional collective working together towards the sustainability, wellbeing and joy of the whole. When I started my travels in January 2020, I had considered living in community for a few weeks as part of my trip it but didn’t find the one that felt right. As I was going about my travels, I came across Momentom Collective, a nomadic collective that host artist residencies around the world. They happened to be organising a residency in Nicaragua around the same time I was planning on visiting that same country. Truth be told, I had already researched this intriguing group before leaving South Africa and thought that they were exactly what I was wanting to explore but I felt intimated. They were a bunch of circus performers, sound producers, aerialists and acrobats! How on earth would I fit in? And so, I closed the tab and continued with my life.

Fast forward a few weeks and I was in Guatemala (check out my favourite vegan food spots in Guatemala here) and I met a few people from the residency. They assured me I would fit right in and didn’t have anything to lose. And so, I applied to volunteer for two weeks and I was granted a position as an assistant chef in the kitchen! High fives all around!

Two weeks passed and it was inspiring, enlivening and life changing, so much so that I asked to stay on for two more weeks. And then COVID-19 happened.

People left the residency to go back to their home countries. Future residents and guest teachers were denied entry. Local staff who were coming in and out from other parts of the area were asked to leave. And slowly but surely our community of almost 40 people whittled down to 20.

Everyone had to start contributing more to the overall upkeep for the residency. People signed up for shifts to assist cleaning the various common areas and yoga deck and help out in the kitchen. Everyone was responsible for their own rooms and bathrooms. We also all had the opportunity to put together a structure and schedule for the week. Since many guest teachers left or couldn’t join us, our small community kept spirits high by offering to lead yoga and dance classes, meditation, breathwork, naked photoshoots, live Zoom talks from people elsewhere in the world, sound healing, ecstatic dance, acting and clowning workshops, sensory food experiences, cacao ceremonies and more.

While the world around us went into isolation, we remained together as a community in self-quarantine, sticking close together. We implemented some protocols such as extra hand washing, no interaction with people outside of the community and commitment to the upkeep of the space. Some of the protocols were ahered to more strongly than others (some people mingled with people outside of the community). Some guidelines made no sense (we couldn’t hold hands during our gratitude circle before dinner but had cuddle puddles, did acro yoga and got sweaty together in ecstatic dance). Some worked really well (people were great at keeping the areas clean). For all of us, community living was considered a big social experiment, but throw COVID-19 into the mix and we were all scratching our heads as how to best navigate through the uncertainty and change that each day brought.

Through it all we managed to all stay healthy and safe. We still infused each meal with the same love and attention to detail that we had been doing before. We attended many community circles to transparently discuss next steps and to check in where everyone was at, emotionally and mentally. We kept the vibes positive through thinking happy thoughts and being there for each other; and this is what I truly loved and was grateful for during this time: the authentic support and presence of the community members who provided support, encouragement, guidance and love during such an uncertain time. Being far away from South Africa and traveling alone, I couldn’t have asked to have been in a better place at the height of when the corona virus (COVID-19) first gripped the world.

Would I try living in another community at another point in time? Yes, I am still curious to see how a community that is settled in one location does things. A community that is rooted means there are opportunities to set up permanent living dwellings, a permaculture garden, and systems in place to work on community building over the long run.

That being said, my experience with Momentom was life altering in the most awe-inspiring way. My inner artist was sparked, my desire to express authentically with wild passion and earth-shattering humility stirred within, and my limiting beliefs around how I wanted to live my life dissolved before my eyes. In those six weeks of community living, I realised why we were here to live this life: to be embodied wholeheartedly, genuinely, gently and fervently that in turn others to do the same. And that’s how we heal. And when we heal, we step into our light and our joy. And that’s where the magic happens.

Professional photos by the ever-gorgeous Misty Moss.