Quiet Roads, Open Skies: My Journey to Village Life
Parham Mohammadi
Back to Writing and Myself
After about nine months away from this blog, I’m writing again — and in many ways, rediscovering myself too. I’ve come to feel that humans are more at home in natural environments, and that the noise and pace of mega-cities aren’t where we truly belong. This space is where I’ll share that journey as it unfolds.
The Dream
As long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of a beautiful, large, old-school farm. The picture in my mind was of a warm, golden farm under cloudy[1] skies — with horses, farm animals, crops, a dry climate, and vast landscapes stretching across my land. And of course, the magnificent tower mill at the center of it all.
Fast forward to about five years ago: my ideal farm had grown into a place that also supported a fully self-sustainable, off-grid life. The idea of producing my own energy and recycling virtually everything sounded deeply compelling. I’ve also always been drawn to the long-lasting, repairable things of the past — but that’s a story for another time.
I met the love of my life a few months before Covid-19, and to my joy, she shared the same dream with me. Her heart was more drawn to the health and well-being side of it, but together our visions began to overlap. Eventually, we decided to take the leap and move to a small village. It’s not a full farm — just a house with generously sized yards — but it feels like an exciting beginning to me.
The Experience
So far, living here has had its ups and downs. We’ve faced challenges and hardships, doing things we never had to handle ourselves before. But it has also been deeply rewarding — picking fresh fruits and vegetables from our yard, raising chickens and ducks[2], drinking clean water, breathing fresh air, enjoying traffic-free days, and embracing the quiet.
Coding is a delight here, and though I’m sure autumn will be even cooler and more inviting, it somehow fits perfectly even now. It feels as if my noisy, busy mind while coding finds a quiet companion in the calmness around me.
It also feels incredibly satisfying and empowering to learn new hands-on life skills while building our own things. Creating has always inspired me — whether in construction or software — and it makes me feel, well, “more”.
The Feeling
Have you ever thought about the excitement and pure joy of childhood feelings? I mean, the way emotions themselves were experienced — intense, fresh, and full of wonder. There’s something in them that seems absent in adulthood, perhaps the curiosity of a child or the novelty of everything around. Here in our house, I sometimes feel a similar — if not quite as intense — sense of wonder, and it’s surprisingly close to those childhood sensations. It feels nostalgic, though not for a way of life I’ve known before; the nostalgia comes from the feelings themselves.
It makes me wonder: what if this is the way life is meant to be? To explore, solve problems, build, and live as both a producer and a consumer. Isn’t it curious that so many people dream of this kind of calm, fulfilling life for retirement, yet spend most of their working years in exactly the opposite situation? Why wait — why not live that life now?
Okay, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. Of course, not everyone thinks this way, and this kind of life isn’t for everyone. Still, it doesn’t hurt to reflect on it — especially since I’ve seen some friends pause and think twice after hearing about our experience.
In the end, perhaps life isn’t about waiting for the perfect circumstances — it’s about creating them where we are. Living here has reminded me that exploration, creation, and wonder can exist in our everyday choices, if we let them.
And so, life unfolds here — quietly, fully, and surprisingly alive.
Until the next post, hopefully soon!