I drove a combine harvester this summer.

A pretty big one.

And I was very excited to be sitting up there.

How did I end up behind the wheel?

Rewind three years.

I first went to Ferme Arc-en-Ciel when I was 12, as part of the summer work experiences I do in Switzerland. I didn’t really know what to expect.

Pretty quickly, I was learning how to milk sheep and goats. That was already an experience, especially when I discovered that some goats kick backward while you’re milking them.

That first summer, I spent three weeks at the farm, working alongside the family every day.

Ferme Arc-en-Ciel is a three-generation family farm, and I got attached to much more than the animals.

I loved the people, the rhythm of the days, making cheese, the bread, and the physical work.

I went back the following year. It ended up being my favorite part of the summer.

So this summer, I went back again.

I love discovering new places and trying things I’ve never done before. But going back teaches you something different.

The first time, almost everything is new.

The second time, you recognize things.

By the third time, some of them start to feel natural.

This year, I didn’t feel like a visitor anymore.

I knew my way around the farm. I could milk the animals, do the job from start to finish, and clean everything afterward with very little help.

And because I already knew how to do some things, I had more room to learn new ones. There’s definitely no shortage of those on a farm.

Which brings me back to the combine harvester.

A combine harvester cuts the crop, separates the grain from the rest of the plant, and collects it as it moves through the field.

And I got to climb into one of those huge machines and drive it.

The owner sat beside me while I drove. I got to use the levers to raise the cutting part at the front too.

Then I had to reverse the combine to hook up another piece of equipment.

This time, I was alone in the cab, with the owner standing outside, watching.

Three summers ago, I was learning how to milk a goat.

This summer, I was driving a combine harvester.

That’s what I like about going back.

You get better at things instead of only trying them once. People trust you with more responsibility. And little by little, you realize how much you’ve learned.

Zélia, for SoliaVenture

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