Amish Country Memory

Amish Country

As we drove towards the woodworking shop, the excitement inside of me grew larger and larger by the second.  I had been looking forward to this part of our trip since we were first told about it, and couldn’t wait to see what we would do.  As we pulled into the Amish workshop, I was surprised by the modern look of the building.  The entire building was white and covered with large windows.  The sleek two-floor Amish workshop surrounded by cows and farmland gave in interesting contrast between modernity and antiquity.  As we entered the building, we were greeted by an open room with cement floors and light wood walls and the very strong smell of paint.  The simplicity of the workshop was both plain and beautiful at the same time.  Though the few machines scattered throughout the room gave the appearance of emptiness, the abundant light through the windows and the warm wood on the walls filled the space.  The co-owner of the shop introduced himself and told us about the type of woodworking that he did and what we would be doing.  He explained that he and his father make wooden puzzles together using jigsaws and other power tools.  They then spray paint them and sell them.  Initially my classmates and I were confused about how they were able to use all of the power tools while still staying true to the Amish traditions of simplicity and lack of electricity.  The co-owner explained to us that by using a gas engine to compress air, they were able to make all of their power tools run off of large amounts of compressed air and still functioning the same way as normal power tools.  The innovation behind this idea astounded me and left me impressed throughout the rest of the day.  After showing us the maple leaf puzzle design that we would be making out of plywood, the more adventurous members of the class took seats in front of the intimidating machines and began to carve away at the wood.  As our pieces of art took form, we began to develop our own interpretations of the designs.  Some people added initials to the leaves, others carved out names.  By the end of the experience, with our masterpieces completed and our maple leaves in hand, most of us left the woodshop with a sincere feeling of accomplishment.  We, just like the Amish, had been able to create something from scratch while still following the rules and regulations that had been put before us.