Casa Robino Retires

Casa Robino Retires

- 'Meow, have you heard the news yet?'
- 'Purrrrrrrrr, yeah, isn't it great? And so unexpected!'
- 'Huh? What do you mean "great"? I think it is rather sad, isn't it?'
- 'Ah, you're talking about that! Meow. You are so right, it is kind of sad. But it was bound to happen one day and at the same time it is good I guess.'
- 'Yes, we all need space once in a while. I just hope people will come back again one day. I miss them already. I am just new here!'
- 'Oh, I am sure they will. I mean he is "closing the casa" or as he puts it: "retiring", But he is not moving away, is he? As far as I know, he still hosts, but only one or two people at the same time, and mostly known friends. So I guess they have to come at the right time.'
- 'Meow. Haha, the latter sounds like no change at all! But do you also know why he made the choice to "retire"?'
- 'Yes. It was getting too much. It was definitely worth every single effort but always having to adjust to other people kind of wears you out I guess. Especially after almost four years. I have been here for 2.5 years now and I too felt stress.'
- 'But why can't he just take the winters off? Didn't he do that last year? And I heard that he really enjoyed the casa-summer very much this year, before I was here. So I thought that he would just take another break when he is tired and then continue again.'
- 'Maybe. Meow. But he needs a change, I overheard him saying. It is time for himself to move on, to do other stuff. This is what people do. Casa as it was didn't give him the space for that anymore.'
- 'Ah, that I can understand. I mean, in casa you are mostly busy with casa, and not with other things. It is kind of an imprisonment.'
- 'Meoooow.'
- 'But still, why can't he just go and leave the casa to us? We can host too!'
- 'Purrrrrr. I guess you have not heard about the visit of the housing association then?'
- 'Huh? What visit?'
- 'Well they came for a visit back in September, while he was away himself.'
- 'O crap! You're serious?'
- 'As serious as it can be. Meow. But it wasn't that bad in the end. They obviously were in shock that "Casa Robino" had been going on for such a while, outside of their knowing. And at the same time they really didn't understand what it was about, especially as there was no money involved. And what's illegal about having guests?'
- 'Meow. Yeah, is there a limit to how many cats someone can have? Pur!'.
- 'Exactly. Robin then had a talk with them when he came back from his trip, which was rather a succesful talk. In fact, after he had explained them "Casa", they offered to look together for another space to continue it.'
- 'Oh wow, that would be awesome! Another casa in Amsterdam! Imagine that! And with all the other projects, for which there was no space, involved as well! Purrrrrr.'
- 'Yes indeed, but for the time being Robin said he needs space and time to come to understand if this is really what he wants - the hosting and all that - or if he wants to move into another direction. And in the mean-time he had to make an agreement to bring down the amount of people in the house.'
- 'Ah, now I understand the situation much better.'
- 'Pretty much. But it wasn't the easiest period of Robin's life. After the talk with the housing association, things had to change. But Robin didn't want to kick everyone out overnight; he wanted to give "it" time, also for himself to process things and to enjoy the final casa-moments.
- 'Purrrr. I guess he thought people would leave by themselves, as before?'
- Yeah, but they didn't! And to be honest: it was also because Robin wasn't very clear about things either, about how long everyone could stay. He was still very chilled about it.'
- 'Meow.'
- 'But soon enough he realized that it was getting too much. He needed rest. He felt pretty bad about it, as it is very hard to tell people to leave.'
- 'Oh, but there is no reason to feel bad about that. It is about his own health! Besides, it has always been his role to keep the casa moving, if people don't move. We know that it was the secret of the casa: that people keep on moving and don't take it for granted.'
- 'Meoooow. Well people sometimes take things personal. They think that Robin doesn't like them or that he is angry.'
- 'Well, I hope that he explained his feelings and the situation well to them.'
- 'I think he learned.'
- 'Purrrr.'
- 'Purrrr.'
- 'So what else is new then?'
- 'I heard there is a new Casa in Tel Aviv.'
- 'Oh, that sounds wonderful! Purrrrrr. I also heard there is something brewing in Berlin. And people start using the term nomadbase also more often.'
- 'Yeah, I think it will just continue. Hospitality-projects are simply to awesome to not do them.'
- 'And did you also hear about The Casa Dog that flew out of the window?'
- 'What, we had a dog here?'
- 'No, it was a cat that was called The Dog.'
- 'Purrr.'
- 'It was found on the street like you, but one day it flew out of the window. They brought it to a doctor because the leg was broken but the bill was too high, and so it got adopted by another person.'
- 'That's sad!'
- 'Yeah, but it brought us you. Purrrrr.'
- 'Purrrr. And what about the website? Is that still going to be online?'
- 'I think it will. He doesn't really know yet what to do with it. For him the most important thing is that it is clearly stated that he has retired. But the site can stay online, to see how it evolves and what the community wants with it.'
- 'Sounds cool.'
- 'Yep.'
- 'And what about that other news you mentioned in the beginning?'
- 'Did Robin not tell you yet?'
- 'I know nothing.'
- 'Then I guess he will soon enough.'
- 'Meow.'
- 'Purrrr.'

Comments

petter's picture

Mmmm purrr...

Time to get gezelig, snuggle up, make some tea, sit back and enjoy the silence for the last couple of months before the other one arrives.

Take care,
petter
xxoo

Lemjok's picture

casa robino retires

It's really hard to describe how this feels. A bit, I suppose, like watching a friend die and at the same time being told that there is a glorious afterlife. I'm going to miss Casa, I haven't spent nearly as much time there as I had hoped to, but on the other hand, this just gives me incentive to visit the other Casas, or possibly open one up (a man can dream, can't he?)

Thank you, everyone. You people are the spice in my life's kitchen.

Charlie's picture

On one side of the coin, it's a good thing.

On the other side, it's a bad thing.

But if you balance the coin on its infinite edge - suddenly it's both, it's neither.

Suddenly there is a new dimension.

Ah, Casa Robino. Here in the sunshine I tuck you in with all the rest. Goodbye!

I learned the secret to life at the Casa: "Grow towards the light." I met the love of my life at the Casa. At the Casa, I changed.

If we place at the Casa-years in a perspective of our lives, in the context of our stories, reviewing our memories and re-visioning our hopes, there is nothing sad in its end. I won't shed any tears, for the place the Casa holds in my own story is crucial, foundational; transparent yet prominent. If my life is a home, then the Casa is that huge bay window in the solar that takes people's breath away when they come to visit. The view of the world is glorious through it, and it's hard to find a place where it can't be seen. It's my favorite place to sit and write, or just stare out in wonder, with a cup of tea in my hand and a kitty cat on my lap.

Whatever the Casa was, however you want to describe it, it was a success. A brilliant, shining, enduring success. Congratulations! And thank you.

Adancito's picture

wow

Being at casa made the world seem like a better place. I guess it's our own responsibility to keep that feeling alive, or build it wherever we are and with whoever we are.

Sma's picture

this seems to me worthwhile

this seems to me worthwhile to do as well - "And perhaps there is a lessons learned document you need to author, for heroes in the making who would like to step up."

The time seems right, no matter how much i will miss casa, the place in Tel Aviv and the flat in Berlin just started up so that brings me a lot of joy, making it easier to accept this change. From one there were two more. If these two end and four other start up it will be the best news :) Hope this life sharing concept never stops spreading. I'm so glad I got to experience the magic in casa, some of my favorite moments in life were spent there, it gave me hope in everything good and that has been fuelling my life constantly ever since :)

hugs Robin, hope you figure out the next phase in your life :)

shaun-treehuggingfool's picture

I love you casa, and i love

I love you casa, and i love you Robin, much thanks for all you've done!

rada's picture

what's the good news??! over

what's the good news??!

over the weekend in london, me zoe and garf went down memory lane and our great summer together at the casa.. we called.. to say we miss you

lots of love and see you soon amigo :)

Zuphit's picture

Time to start playing bingo

Time to start playing bingo more seriously, or perhaps get a couple more cats.

We've all known it was due at some point. But it certainly had a good run.
You know what they say - a kitten flaps her paws trying to fly out of a balcony in Amsterdam and a hurricane takes place in... just pick a place.

Casa's offshoots and fingerprints are already starting to pop around.
Luck in whatever comes next.

aniaba's picture

Ha!

What a lovely dialogue Robin! I imagine those cats hanging in the space around your head, one near to your left ear and the other near the right one, whispering and purrrring by turns. Cool you speak anyway!
Great to hear you want to evolve, that's such a powerful drive. It is a good thing to do in life I strongly believe. To welcome newness and dance with it passionately.

I feel very grateful for all the inspirations, ideas, bikes, all the warmth, books, pillows, foods and, what's most precious: friends! Thanks to you Robin and Casa people, Casa passers-by, Casa hosts... I'm sure that our paths will be crossing anyway here and there in the future.

Robin: best best wishes for whatever's coming!

Many hugs and love and respect,

Ania

lilylove's picture

The beginning of a beautiful friendship...

Ah Dearest Casa,

I am surprised and saddened, but also not - things do change, thank goodness, and there is much to grow from, into, out of.

The casa really is a revolution. Casarobino may retire, but the revolution lives on. The scores of people with memories and inspiration and ideas, who's seed was first planted at casarobino, are great testament to the change it drew in all of us.

Robin, we love you, I love you, and the contributions you've made to nomadbases will forever have their ripple affects. How exciting that you now get to start on the next adventure, whatever it is! Enjoy the dreaming process!

Casarobino is a place i go to in my dreams, a bar i use to set my goals, and a story of love, anarchy, initiative, responsibility and unity. It's where i fell in love and where i saw true evidence that this utopian vision we have, can succeed. It will change and morph and look very silly, but it exists!

I love you casarobino, and I love you Robin for allowing/nurturing it all these years. thank you!

And to all the casa-ites - i'll see you roun'!

Lily.

Katherine's picture

Well nothing can last forever

Well nothing can last forever but it was certainly great while it did. It is hard for one person to be at the center of all of it for so long though, so this I understand. What a wonderful experience it was for me and everyone else I am sure to have stayed in Casa!. So many fond memories, crazy times and amazing people. Sending lots of love and hugs! <3

planetcruiser's picture

never understood

..what the big riot was anyway. :-P well done, i mean everything! :) curtain closes before the third act.

and did you know that "The selected file /var/www/casarobino.org/sites/casarobino.org/files/tmp/fileDqamba could not be copied"?

dcarpano's picture

<3 Thanks for everything,

<3
Thanks for everything, casa. You allowed me to grow in a safe and amazing and incredible and loving space. I'll miss casa, and will be sad to never see it again.. but l know that lwhatever happens is the only thing that could happen.. thanks for all the connections and friendships...

ellen's picture

Even though I was only there

Even though I was only there for a few days, my time at Casa had a massive impact on the way I thought about the direction my life was taking and how I was prioritizing my time. I think back on it fondly quite often. Thank you, Robin (and Kitten and everyone else) for everything. You definitely instilled the spirit of radical hospitality in me... and maybe, depending on the road my life takes, a casa-like experiment might be in my future.

atopia's picture

Love

It's all good, as long as YOU don't retrire completely. Moving straight to being a grandpa would be a waste of all that amazing energy you'll hopefully have back soon :)

alisonshine's picture

Thank you.

The casa was the first place that I ever felt home, the time I have spent there over the last few years has empowered and changed me for the better. Without your friendship and guidance, Robin, I would have been forever scared to live differently. I have met the most interesting characters at the casa who have inspired me in more ways than I can count. Thank you so much for everything. I hope whatever you chose to do that it keeps you challenged, fulfilled, and happy. And keep looking after kitten as well as you have done for so long :)

Huge amounts of love and massive hugs and LASHINGS of good energy, I cannot thank you enough xxxxxx

Paxus's picture

What is new under the sun

i realized when Caroline texted me that both Casa closing was inevitable and that i had never even considered this possibility before.

It is something like someone calling you up and telling you that your god has died. It is clear to me that i did not consider this in part because it is so clear that these types of radical hospitality experiments are critical, it is clear that i love it and need it. What is also clear is that they take heroic efforts to keep aloft, even when all the hosts are being brilliant and generous - and inevitably, sometimes they wont be and will be high impact.

Of course you need to take care of yourself. And certainly things should cool down for a while with the housing association. And perhaps there is a lessons learned document you need to author, for heroes in the making who would like to step up.

And Casa was an extraordinary place, where everything seemed possible. You have done amazing work Robin, thank you for this.

Paxus at Twin Oaks
Willow is 10!

Jass's picture

Thank you so much, everyone,

Thank you so much, everyone, for making this what it was.

Regenerate, Robin. It will be a great pleasure to see what your next project will be, however long you need for it. HUGS!

valentina's picture

RIP- in loving memory :)

thanks you for moving on and to have the courage to do it.
Aiccia: everything moves on... unpredictably life transforms all the time...

casa also changed my life.. I would probably have a different job by now... :).
and meeting you changed my life too... it has been a wonderful journey of mutual inspiration, fights, an dramas...

i would probably be in a very different place without Casa and without you, as one of my very terrestrial gurus... ;)

I wish we can continue walking that path in different ways and different directions

i hope you will allow people sending you love and support... and that taking care of yourself also will allow still space for others (even if not in your house)...

something else is coming into your life... and it is amazing and magical as only love can be--- let it flow!

Nimmy's picture

Aren't you just a sneaky

Aren't you just a sneaky bastard :)
we are just now in france (club med, yes, really, dont ask)
We wanted to call you on our first friday night dinner, but as you would know
casa life has been a little overwhelming in all of it's wonderful ways..

we love you and are happy to hear you are moving somewhere onwards
we want to come and visit, sometime soon.

but in the meantime, yes, casabhavani is officialy
the house of the dogs
WOOF!

http://www.casabhavani.org

and yes we need to edit some stuff, so let it get to your head :P

we love you, you've really changed our lives, weather you want the credit or not

all the best

Emily & Mini

kardan's picture

Hey Robin, great to read you

Hey Robin, great to read you being responsible about your own sanity. amazing that you made it that long. HUGE THANKS!

Since I visit Lena in Bcn currently, I read here daily. Already after [[G(F)oodSamaritans]] I wanted to leave a message to express my admiration for your enduring hospitality, but my browser retired. From time to time we all have to. Last year I retired from [[http://traumschule.org|dreamschool]]) to move forward. Now I am working on [[https://we.riseup.net/kardan/biogas|biogas]]. That's life.
However people like you do not retire but evolve. I remember you as one of the good examples for social leadership. Great to know you among us. Let's keep in touch!

Or how Dante lately said:
> Europe is a small place, we will meet, as long as we stay alive. So lets
> take care of ourselves.

One questions remains and please allow me to be pathetic: Who and where can replace this service for the nomadic movement? Actually there is need for casas in every city to spread this futuristic lifestyle!
I think of crowdsourced space funding, but, Robin, please share your secrets, how did you managed it?

[[http://nomadbase.org/|keep it going]]

Curious George J.'s picture

<3 <3 <3

<3 <3 <3, Robin and kitten-turned-cat and kitten-turned-cat's friend.

Casa helped me grow in ways I never could have known that I needed, and has instilled a Casa-spirit, as well as a mutual sense of community, into so many of us while we hosted there, which have remained parts of us to this day, and onward.

May you find clarity and direction in the coming months. Happy retirement! :-P

So much love and gratefulness,
~George