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Michaelshof Around the World
– Volunteer-Stories
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Welcome to August! At Michaelshof, this is traditionally the month when we have the most volunteers staying with us – after all, when is there a better time to travel around Europe than in summer? And because things in our community are particularly colourful and international right now, in this newsletter we’ll first take you into our volunteer world. Our volunteers usually come to us for a period of between two and six weeks – some to make meaningful use of their holidays, others looking for career orientation, and still others in the middle of their trip around the world. Over the past 10 years, we have welcomed several thousand young people from more than 80 countries. Most of them talk about having had a wonderful time – both in terms of the work and on a personal level. Friendships often develop that last for years, even when everyone is active in a different part of the world. Michaelshof Around the World – we love it!
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But as colourful and enriching as living together like this is, it is by no means something that can be taken for granted. People leave behind their familiar homes, their families and circles of friends and suddenly find themselves in a new environment, surrounded by a foreign language and people whose habits and perspectives can sometimes be very different from their own. Different rhythms come together, misunderstandings are just as much a part of it as spontaneous closeness, and many things first have to find their groove in everyday life together. Of course, it doesn’t work equally well every day. But perhaps that is precisely what makes it so special: people who were complete strangers before work, laugh and discuss things together – and for a certain period of time actually become a community.
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From left: Yoav (Israel), Margo (Belgium), Anita (Taiwan), Roberto (Mexico), Oleg (Ukraine), Melissa (Turkey), Laura (Colombia)
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Cultural differences often show themselves in small things – for example in food or everyday habits. But sometimes they also lead to deeper conversations about life, work and what connects us. To get in the mood for the festival of cultures on the 8th and 9th of August, we asked people from seven countries about their experiences in Sammatz. We wanted to know: Which area of Michaelshof do you most enjoy working in? And what have you learned in Sammatz about other cultures – in both small and big ways?
Roberto: I’m doing my BFD here and combining social work with nature. In the garden and vegetable-growing area, I supervise changing groups of interns and volunteers. I find it exciting to work with new people from so many different countries all the time and to see just how different they all are – in the way they work, in what motivates them and even in their body language.
Margo: I come to Sammatz several times every year and I love herding – getting cows, sheep and goats out to pasture and back again, sometimes more relaxed, sometimes less so. One complete surprise for me was when, during a genuine Italian pizza evening, a pizza with mayonnaise and boiled egg suddenly appeared on the table: Pizza Rossini, from the Italian town of Pesaro. It actually tastes pretty good!
Oleg: After a short break to travel, I’m happy to be back in Sammatz and helping out in the bakery again. In my free time, I like organising volleyball tournaments or game nights for the whole village.
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Laura: During my FÖJ, I most enjoy working with animals, especially milking. What I like about Michaelshof is that so many different age groups, backgrounds and ideas come together here – completely different from university, where everyone is, broadly speaking, on the same path. And the fact that things in Sammatz are first planned and then put into practice simply feels more relaxed than the hustle and bustle of the city.
Yoav: I’m also part of the stable team and I love herding! And it’s incredible every time to see how many cultures come together here – currently 48. On my first visit, I asked lots of volunteers for a recipe from their country – I later cooked some of them at home for friends, who loved them!
…we all stop for a moment to think about how we could put together an international Sammatz cookbook…
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(Preparations for last year’s French evening – ratatouille and mousse au chocolat)
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Anita: I only arrived a week ago, so everything is still new to me. I’m surprisingly fond of sorting dishes because it brings me into contact with lots of people from the café. In Taiwan, we would never sit in the sun like we are now – we always use parasols. And the fact that an open packet of biscuits can simply be left sitting around here shocked me: with our humidity, the biscuits would go soft immediately.
Melissa: I love gardening, especially when the birds are singing while I work. I love how much freedom the children have here and how seriously they are taken. And as Roberto and Laura already said: getting to know people from such different backgrounds is also incredibly enriching for me.
At 2 p.m., everyone went back to work – although there would certainly have been plenty more for the seven of them to tell each other, and perhaps they did later that day at the Blue House.
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We have conflicts too –
How do we try to resolve them?
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Wherever people live together, there are always conflicts too. So our community at Michaelshof is no “island of bliss” either. Apart from the fact that, like most other people, we currently think the global situation in Germany and the world is pretty shitty, we are of course also concerned with how we live together socially right on our doorstep. We don’t mean the conflicts in the Neu Darchau municipal council here (which are hopefully a thing of the past), but those we have to deal with directly within our community. They are no different from those in any normal family, where the mother-in-law can quickly become a problem, the uncle from Buxtehude is usually in a bad mood, and perhaps the harmony in a marriage or partnership has already been disturbed for quite some time. So what now? Learn to live with it or solve the problems? If you can’t find a way to do that, or don’t want to, then separation or divorce is all that remains – often leaving behind a pile of broken pieces.
We repeatedly encounter these kind of difficulties or conflicts in Sammatz as well. They are called mistrust, egocentrism, jealousy, irritability with little room for tolerance, thoughtlessness – the list could go on for a long time. They are universal human problems: between partners, between generations, or simply between very different people, as we all are. Everyone knows that ultimately, the only thing that really helps is an honest conversation, either with one another or with people you trust. That’s how it is for us too. But experience shows that it is a great advantage to have several people you trust – in other words, friends.
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That was the first thing we learned about this subject: the basis of every conversation is respect for the other person and respect for myself. Because this is precisely what tends to get lost very quickly in conflicts. How often are conflicts fuelled by careless words or actions! And how often, perhaps even despite our efforts, does our respect for the other person break down in the process. We have to learn that every person carries within them a small cosmos as the richness of their soul. No two people are alike in the many facets of their being: in their strengths and weaknesses, in their sensitivity and vulnerability, in where they are beautiful in soul and where much still remains unresolved. We see in every person an eternal core that lives uniquely within them. Surrounded by our “soul garments”, which have grown dusty over the years and carry dirt and grime with them, we work on ourselves. Because these need to be transformed, thoroughly cleaned! Conflicts are actually helpful for this, even though we would prefer to leave them alone, talk them away or simply smash them aside. For as long as possible. That’s human – after all, they only bring trouble, cost time and make life difficult for us. Often for a long time. Sometimes we even carry them with us to the grave as bitterness.
But here we are talking about conflicts that have already broken out, where resolving them has become unavoidable. Yet precisely because of this, they offer an opportunity for transformation and new insights. If conflicts are genuinely resolved at their roots, everyone involved can grow from them. Resignation, anger, the feeling of injustice and of not being seen, pride and despair have to be overcome again and again at this point. We are then capable of more love than before. But for that to happen, I have to reflect on my own behaviour and learn to speak openly about it. So that I don’t immediately hit the roof when something unpleasant – whether fair or unfair towards me – is brought up. Perhaps only then do you realise that enormous thunderstorms can also rumble deep inside a person who otherwise appears calm and composed when talking about everything. Here too, roles can break open, opening up new ways of relating to one another.
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But for all of this, you need friends. Whether related by blood or by choice: friends you trust, with whom you can speak openly. If you don’t have them, nowadays you look for a mediator, someone who will listen. In the past, this role was filled by the “pastoral counsellor”, the priest. We rely on friendships, which exist in many different forms within our community. This creates individual possibilities for resolving conflicts. Certainly, some people are more gifted at this than others and are therefore often preferred as conversation partners, but within a small group of friends, the chances are much higher that someone – perhaps quite unexpectedly – will strike exactly the right note and untie the knot. And that person isn’t always the most gifted “conflict resolver”.
This often requires a great deal of patience. Some conflicts cannot be fully resolved for years; they can only be improved. But what each individual always has to learn is to remain capable of dialogue and willing to work together. A community like ours could never have developed into what Michaelshof is today without this foundation – which many of us also had to learn over time – based on reflecting on our own behaviour. In a place like this, you can’t simply draw a line under a relationship or friendship according to the motto: one of us will just have to leave. There is no alternative but to keep seeking dialogue. Fortunately, the outcome often confirms that the effort was worthwhile. We believe that wanting to help one another and looking beyond our own interests, without giving them up in the process, is a fundamental condition for social peace, on both a large and small scale.
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Anyone can learn this, regardless of their situation in life, the conflict they are facing or where they are. But it takes friends: to dismantle our fortresses, to take the risk of making ourselves vulnerable. Every person carries deep within themselves a sense of what it means to be human. That is worth fighting for: every time we do, a little more love is born into the world. It may sound cheesy, but that’s how it is.
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Every person is different, and so is every conflict. But respect for the other person, even when it seems difficult to maintain, is always a prerequisite for a solution. The most helpful thing is to give up the idea that my reaction is justified as an answer to the other person’s behaviour (their action). Being driven by aggression, retreating in offence, fleeing into emotional coldness – all of this because I feel completely justified by what has been done to me: “But you started it!” – only seemingly excuses my own behaviour. Why should a negative quality that has no fruitful effect in the world become justified simply because I explain it as a response to someone else’s wrongdoing? All of the qualities mentioned above only lead to more destructiveness in the world. I have to decide whether I want to contribute to that or not. Every conflict confronts me with this decision. That is why conflict may initially be obstructive and annoying, but at the same time it challenges me to embrace new possibilities on my path towards becoming fully human. If I justify my behaviour through the behaviour of the other person, then ultimately I am nothing more than an automaton. There can be no question of freedom in that.
But deep down, every human being longs for freedom. This longing can make us fight; it can become a motive for life. It is a freedom whose gradual realisation can prevent us from pursuing. Wherever you may be, the world will become a little brighter and a little more peaceful because of it.
Does that make conflict my friend? For God’s sake, that would hardly be normal. But unfortunately (or fortunately), we no longer live in paradise. Already in the Bible, shortly after the expulsion from paradise, came the first killing, when Cain slew his brother Abel out of envy. Today we are called upon to leave this spiral of destructive behaviour behind. By our own free choice. Isn’t that a wonderful task to work on? With a little help from my friends …
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Greetings from the Medicinal Herb Field
– with Nadja & Lili
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Many of you know our vegetable field, where Gabi and Daniel tend and harvest Michaelshof’s vegetables every day. Directly behind it, towards the forest in the direction of the Elbe, you’ll find our medicinal herb field – essentially one hectare full of healthy plants for body and mind. Nadja is responsible for looking after the colourful, flowering field. Claudia keeps a close eye on her work, because later she processes the harvested flowers, leaves and roots in the laboratory at Eichenhof.
Last week, for Nadja and Lilianne it was all about one thing: full concentration on the medicinal herb beds! Using our little Fendt tractor, they cultivated the empty beds and then worked the green manure of Persian clover and buckwheat into the soil with the rotary tiller. This keeps couch grass under control while supplying the soil with fresh nutrients.
When the medicinal plants are ready for harvesting, we head out to the field every morning from 8 to 9 a.m. with our beautiful harvesting baskets. Afterwards, always feeling a little proud, we take the harvest to Eichenhof, where it is transformed into our colourful teas and soothing creams & oils. You can find all our medicinal plant products (as always) in our organic market, at Pavone or in our onlineshop.
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Construction Team on Tour
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After building our tiny-house settlement last year, our construction team turned its attention to building and renovating the new organic market, which opened its doors in March. Things didn’t stay quiet for long after that. Because what does a construction team do when one big project is finished? Exactly: they immediately find the next construction sites. Since then, we’ve been busy all over the place!
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Alongside a small project for our printing area and renovation work in various houses around the village, we are currently preparing for our tenth Peronnik house, “P10”. And this summer, our colourful tiny houses are finally getting their canopies.
And besides that, we recently started building two more of the large Flachsenberg houses, directly opposite the tiny houses.
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Our construction team is totally on fire for this building project, whether it’s bricklaying or roofing! Piece by piece, nail by screw, our familiar apartment/community patchwork houses are taking shape, with their very own special charm. We wonder what colour they’ll be this time?
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Barbecue evening with a sudden downpour and very delicious meat straight from the farm
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As a Demeter farm with rare heritage breeds, producing meat is just as natural a part of farming for us as producing milk and making cheese. We don’t slaughter the animals ourselves, but we work with a butcher we know and trust, who carefully processes our meat.
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Just how good it tastes was clear at our barbecue evening on the last Friday of July: meat from Michaelshof, halloumi and feta from our dairy, as well as summer salads from our own vegetable field. Despite the sudden downpour, the atmosphere was fantastic – and the pork chops, pork neck steaks, bratwurst, rump steaks and fillets of pork, beef and lamb went down extremely well with our guests.
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Because we only slaughter a few times a year, our meat is available only in limited quantities. In future, we’d like to use our new meat newsletter to let you know when fresh meat from Michaelshof is available again and how you can order it. Simply sign up for the mailing-list – we’ll be in touch!!
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KalliEco –
Social. Global. Sustainable. Simply Beautiful.
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We’re right in the middle of preparations for the 2026 local elections. For this year’s campaign by our voters’ association KalliEco, we’re busy doing photo shoots, coming up with slogans, collecting merch ideas and dreaming up one or two exciting articles – and very soon our KalliEco buses will be out and about around the region too. You can already find our latest answers to questions from our local newspaper, the EJZ, online.
One question we keep coming back to is: How can we shape Lüchow-Dannenberg into a place where people enjoy living, want to stay, or want to move to? That includes good childcare, good gastronomy, lively associations, and places where people can meet. But “attractive” can also be meant quite literally. A beautiful village square, flowering roadsides, green trees, comfortable seating or a lovingly designed playground often cost less than you might think – yet immediately change how a place feels. Beauty reaches people directly. It turns a square into a meeting place and a village into somewhere that feels like home.
Of course, a flower bed won’t solve a shortage of skilled workers. But a place where people enjoy living has a better chance of attracting families, skilled workers and perhaps even new businesses. And beautiful, lively villages encourage visitors to stop, come back and spend their money in local cafés, shops or accommodation. In this way, a few village beautification projects can also, almost as a side effect, contribute to economic development.
What draws people to Lüchow-Dannenberg? Perhaps places where life is imagined differently.
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Michaelshof at a glance – all current opening hours!
Ark Farm
Mon-Sun 09.00 – 19.00
Café:
Mon-Fri 08.00 – 18.00
Sat 08.00 – 18.00
Sun & holidays 09.30 – 18.00
Organic market:
Weekdays, Sundays & public holidays
daily 09.00 – 19.00
Pavone – Plants & More:
Mon. Closed
Tue-Fri 14.00 – 18.00
Sat, Sun & holidays 11.00 – 18.00
Der WAGEN in Lüneburg:
Wed & Sat 07.00 – 13.00
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Our next events at Michaelshof
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Guided Tour of the Sammatz Gardens
Every Saturday at 3:30 p.m. – meeting point at the café
On our garden tours, you’ll learn everything you’ve always wanted to know about our gardens. How did we create the eight different garden areas, and what is looking particularly beautiful in bloom right now? We’ll take you to the most beautiful spots in our gardens and parkland and give you tips & tricks to use at home.
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Perennial Weeks at Michaelshof – 22 August–13 September, 12–6 p.m.
Delphiniums, phlox, globe thistles, columbines and flame flowers: late summer is perennial season! Whether you simply want to admire our colourful flower beds or gather new ideas for your own garden – during our Perennial Weeks, we celebrate gardeners’ most faithful friends. Because once they’re happy with their surroundings, they come back every year! Look forward to:
- Guided perennial tour with our experts: special features, location tips, care
- Advice on buying perennials for your own garden
- A little treat in between at the Michaelshof café – perennial love goes through the stomach too!
Free admission! Donations welcome!
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Spanish Evening at the Michaelshof Café – Friday, 28 August, 7–9:30 p.m.
Dinner like in the south: we invite you to a Spanish evening at Michaelshof – outdoors beneath lanterns, accompanied by music and the aroma of freshly prepared paella. Coming together and enjoying good food!
• Starter: Tapas platter with small Spanish delicacies and a non-alcoholic cocktail
• Main course: Paella – traditional or vegetarian
• Dessert: Delicate crema catalana
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Fermentation Course with Jerónimo & Christian –
Sunday, 30 August, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Together, we’ll learn how to take summer with us into winter! Our Colombian fermentation expert Jerónimo will show you how to keep vegetables fresh for months while also filling them with plenty of flavour and life.
- Learn the basics of fermentation & prepare your own
- Tasting of various fermented foods
- To take home: 1 jar of fermented vegetables & the corresponding recipes for home
Participation: €60, lunch: €10, registration requested!
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Natali came to us two years ago through AIESEC, a worldwide student organisation. She had wanted to travel since she was very young, and AIESEC finally gave Natali the opportunity to travel safely to faraway Europe as a young woman. Ever since she was 17, she had known that she absolutely wanted to go to Germany! And so, through AIESEC, she found Michaelshof far up in the north. And although farm work was completely unfamiliar to her, and gardening at least as much so, she didn’t hesitate for a second, because Germany was definitely part of the plan.
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The Mexican actually studied linguistics, with the aim of later working either as an English translator or an English teacher. But in Sammatz she suddenly found herself in the garden, weeding, raking and planting, and there she had a formative experience: “It felt as though something was waiting for me there – in this work with the earth. Something I was meant to learn from and grow through. When I pulled an old root out of the ground, I felt that I was making space for something new. For a while there may be chaos and uncertainty, but then something fresh begins to unfold. I had left my country in a personally difficult and chaotic situation and didn’t know what would be waiting for me on the other side of the world. To be honest, that had been unsettling for me too. But in that moment I realised that – just as the soil needs to be cleared of weeds, roots and old undergrowth – I too had to let go of old things in my ‘soul garden’ so that something new could emerge and grow.”
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Since that experience, embracing new things and stepping outside her comfort zone have simply become a natural part of life for her. “Just do it! Give it a try, even if you’re scared!” is her motto. These days, you can even find her on our construction sites from time to time – an area of work that was completely unfamiliar to her at first and that she had a great deal of respect for.
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Today, she says that it has helped her grow enormously as a person. Not only has she learned a great deal of practical craftsmanship, she has also gained immense self-confidence and optimism, as well as the feeling that she will be able to handle future challenges in life too.
By the way – Natali now absolutely loves gardening! She’s outside in all kinds of weather; no amount of rain can stop her. Together with other newcomers, she is a garden instructor for our interns, school students and volunteers. Naturally rather shy and reserved, she radiates a pleasant calmness – and navigates her way through the many young people who help out at Michaelshof for a few weeks or months every year with patience, warmth and a huge dose of love for nature.
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And since last autumn, she has also been helping with English lessons at our Selma Lagerlöf School. Her warm, caring nature and creativity are equally popular with the children and her colleagues.
What is an absolute must-see in the Sammatz gardens right now? She recommends the perennial plateau, where our colourful perennials grow. Why? Because it is so hidden away and therefore unjustly receives too little attention. A little insider tip, Natali thinks. And of course the dahlia garden! Dahlias are her favourite, and together with Johanna she is responsible for our dahlias. What else, as they are Mexico’s national flower. 😊
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For our team, we are looking for committed and dynamic people who enjoy taking responsibility and are keen on country life. Is meaningful work more important to you than a “9-to-5 job”? Then you’ve come to the right place!
We are looking for qualified professionals or talented people in the following areas:
Hands-On:
- Educator/social care worker for our Peronnik child & youth welfare facility
- Teacher for our Selma Lagerlöf School in Wietzetze
- Garden instructor
- Landscape gardener
- Ornamental plant gardener
- Gardener specialising in trees, shrubs & lawn care
- Construction worker
- Pharmacist
- Printer & laminator
Your qualification isn’t listed, but you’re still interested? Just give it a try!
Please send your application with a photo to claudia.brady@sammatz.de – we’ll get back to you!
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+++ NEWSTICKER +++
Impressions from everyday community life…
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…some pretty pink corners of the garden…
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…the harvest from the field that was turned into a delicious menu during the cooking course…
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…a glimpse into the evenings spent preserving food together in Christian’s kitchen…
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…Donna keeping watch over the medicinal herb seminar…
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…and some incredibly cute moments with animals and nature!
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A little community moment today: while burgers and hot dogs were sizzling in the kitchen for the two Peronnik girls, they made quick use of the waiting time to lend a hand in the café.
Speaking of hot dogs: they’re brand-new on our café menu – definitely give them a try!
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Warm greetings and see you next time – Anna & the Newsletter Team ❤️
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