- Overview
-
A book about the self-sufficient life of five families living in Vistabella, a high mountain village in Spain with an altitude of 1200 meters
- Book Intro
-
Three children run, shouting, toward an endless plain. They chat ceaselessly, about what flowers are in bloom, what insects are up and about, and what the breeze feels like. They stop now and then to watch flocks of sheep. The dense forest, packed full of red pine trees, is the children's playground. The three children, who set out with their father, each with a basket in hand, go on a treasure hunt of delicious-looking mushroom in the forest, and learn the names of the wildflowers they encounter on the way. Collecting pine cones to use as kindling in winter is another fun game for the children. This beautiful scene is not one from a movie. It's a day in the life of the Kim Sandeul family, the only Korean family living in Vistabella, a high mountain village in Spain with an altitude of 1,200 meters. The daily life and nature-friendly lifestyle of this family, who became known in Korea through television programs such as KBS 1's "Docu Gonggam," "Screening Humanity," and EBS's "Atlas,"are described in detail in this book. Those who are weary of a busy life in the city, and long for a wide open horizon and the quiet of nature, and those who want to take their time reflecting on their life, away from the speed of the world, should meet this family. The Kim Sandeul family asks people who already have much but want more, what makes them happy today. Kim Sandeul, the author, met her husband, a Spanish man, when she was in her twenties and traveling in Nepal, and began a new journey of life. The trip changed her life completely, when she had been working as an ordinary office worker in Korea. Reflecting on their fateful encounter, the author says, "The moment I met a curly-haired stranger pulling a bicycle, I may have imagined that today--my future then--would be a breath of fresh wind." It has been sixteen years since she built a house on a high mountain in Spain, and learned about the ecosystem and the greatness of nature, as well as Spanish culture, different from Korean, while raising three children. My Family Has Decided to Live in a Forest is an honest, straightforward record of a woman about a life journey with her husband, from Nepal to a high mountain village in Spain with an altitude of 1,200 meters.
- About the Author
-
Kim Sandeul
After working as an ordinary office worker for many years in Korea, Kim Sandeul went on a trip to India and Nepal in her twenties, which opened her eyes to the world. Then while on a four-year journey by herself, she met Santor, a Spanish man who was traveling the world on a bicycle, and began a new journey of life. In 2004, the couple settled in Vistabella, a high mountain village with an altitude of 1,200 meters, in the northwestern part of Valencia, Spain. The two fixed up a two-hundred year old stone house and set up a vegetable patch, building their lives in the mountain. Even today, they use rainwater for living, use solar batteries for electricity, and humus soil for the bathroom, in an effort to live in an organic ecological environment. They gave birth to three children, living on the high mountain plains. They're at their happiest now, watching their oldest, Sandra, and the twins, Nuri and Sara, grow day by day in the embracing arms of nature, as trees and flowers do. Kim has written for various media about life in a high mountain village and Spanish culture. She has also appeared, with her family, on KBS 1's "Docu Gonggam," "Screening Humanity," and EBS's "Atlas."
