A Nudist's Diary
This is a group where members enjoy to write and read experiences in nudity.
Visiting intern
Return to DiscussionsWe participate in a farm-volunteer program which intermittently brings us visitors who stay with us for a couple of weeks to try their hand at farming. It's been a couple of months, but tomorrow I'll pick up our next volunteer. We let visitors know, on the information sheet we send out:
"Living spaces are screened against insects, but
rather open. The shower is outside. We are casual about nudity inside and out."
But what they make of that varies quite a bit. We try to BE casual about it, to avoid embarrassing or pressuring anyone. Generally, we say nothing about nudity beyond what's included in our info sheet. Our house consists mostly of screen-walled spaces facing a central courtyard; there are no bedroom closets - not even any bedroom walls, really - and clothes are stored where they are handled - either in the laundry area, or for work clothes on pegs outside - so staying dressed in the house takes a bit of doing. We put up temporary curtains to allow a visitor to block the view between the sleeping spaces.
There won't be any naked work outside this winter - we are in the midst of a mosquito-borne dengue fever outbreak - but I like to stay as close to our usual routines as seems appropriate when a visitor is here, and to open enough psychic space that they can do whatever pleases them and makes them comfortable.
We'll see how it goes.
We've recently had a working visitor who really seemed to enjoy the opportunity to be naked. The actual project we were on was heavy, sweaty, rock-moving-through-brush stuff, which required being heavily dressed. I keep lots of extra clothes to lend to visitors, since it's hard to fly with enough clothes for this sort of thing, and since visitors generally don't prepare for our cool evenings. Coming in for our morning break, I headed as usual straight for the shower, undressed, and washed. Some visitors drift off at that point, to take their turn later; this one simply undressed and showered while the water was still warm, then put on the bathrobe we provide along with linens and towels, and came in for a cold drink. When they noticed that I had not dressed to come in, they opened the robe and dropped it behind them, using it the way a nudist uses a towel, just to sit on. Nothing was ever said, but I though to myself, "You know nudist protocol!" When we went back out for more work, I set aside my sweaty clothes to launder, and put on fresh, offering clean clothes to the visitor as well. It surprises me how often people are willing to stay in sweaty work clothes; this visitor happily accepted two or even three clean outfits a day. I wonder if a particular reluctance to wear dirty clothes comes with nudism - when you have to wear clothes, at least they have to be clean?
And when the next visitor (who was of opposite sex) arrived, our guest cued them, at the first head-for-the-showers break, "Clothing here is on an as-needed basis." A bolder statement than I would make, but it worked to set a tone for the next person's visit, too.