After much thinking and a restless night of sleeping I awoke on Thursday and thought to myself "Life is too short Jessica!" With that I went downstairs to tell Sonny that I was uncomfortable and would like to leave. He took it fairly well, it was difficult to tell him why as I did not want to make him feel bad and I knew I was leaving him in a bit of a lurch. He replied to my uncomfortable comment stating there was nothing he could do, and I countered that it would have been nice to know that Mary wasn't going to be there. He said it was a last minute thing I replied with an "I'm sorry" face.
Note to self, next time I plan on leaving early pack my bag first! It was the most rushed bag packing ever! I pretty much decided as I was in the shower, thus why I didn't pack the night before. He gave me a ride to the bus station, I had no idea where I was going, only that I was going to Dublin and that ride will be on my list of most uncomfortable rides ever. He asked if I was offended, I said I was just overall uncomfortable and he replied that he had a lot of stuff to do for the market and it would have been nice to have help. I think this is why they didn't tell me in advance as he needed help, but it still wasn't fair. I definitely know I was doing the right thing though, but I still feel bad and I am sure he is a bit lonely without his wife.
En route to Dublin I looked up a hostel in my guidebook and decided to show up there and inquire as to whether they had space. Hooray they did! BTW the walk from the bus to the hostel (approx. 1 mile) was backbreaking due to my out of control bag! I have too much stuff! The hostel had a bed available in an all female dorm of 6, 14, or 16 beds. I choose the 6 bed dorm. 54 euros well spent!.
It was then off to explore the city. I didn't want to walk down the street with my guidebook in hand so I just figured I would walk and see where my feet would take me. I ended up at the Dublin Castle and took a tour, it was quite interesting.
Interesting thing learned on the tour: Back in the day they had makeup screens for women to put in front of them when they sat by the fire as the makeup was made of wax and was in danger of melting off. This is where the term "Saving Face" originated!
Post tour I went to the Chester Beatty library where there is an exhibition on books from the Mughal Empire, it was fascinating. Then it was back to the hostel for a shower and off to the literary pub crawl! This was led by two actors that sang, acted out parts from "Waiting For Godot" and read poetry. It was thoroughly entertaining. I made friends with a Canadian woman and a few Americans and we all went out for drinks afterwords.
Today (Friday) began with the 1916 Uprising Tour which was quite the history lesson and all of my new friends showed up for it as well. It has been very eye opening to see things from the Irish perspective, it is not often that one gets the chance to see both sides of a story. I have learned so much in my little time here.
Post tour I went to the oldest pub in Dublin for lunch. It was built in 1158. Then it was back to the hostel for a nap, but I had roommates show up so a nap was not to be had. So far in the room there is a German girl and 3 American girls from Maryland. We had the Baltimore discussion! They hate Baltimore. (:
The hostel is great, I cooked dinner tonight and I must say my pasta with butter is quite excellent. I was really nervous about staying at a hostel as I thought I was too old, but there are a lot of people in the 50's and 60's here, which goes to show you are never too old for an adventure.
After I post this I am off to a musical pub crawl where we will be entertained with live Irish music at several pubs, should be quite interesting. Lesson learned from last night : They sell beer in half pints for a reason. (:
I am really glad I am here, and while I still do think of Sonny and have some guilty feelings over it, I know I did the right thing. Thank you everyone for your comments and emails, they really helped to pull me out of a dark spot. Hopefully mostly happy days ahead!
Side note: There is an Iron Maiden concert in town tonight .... some interesting folk are definitely about!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Day 3.... not feeling so sunny.
How is it that one week can last so long? Is this really making me stronger? Is my character growing?
Upon waking this morning I was reminded of a childhood memory. In the 7th grade I was pantsed during recess (of course I was wearing elastic shorts, HEY it was the late 80's!) in front of all of my peers. I ran crying to the bathroom and was promptly taken to the principles office where I was extremely upset. The boy who pantsed me was suspended for two days and I vividly remember the principal who was a strong intimidating woman telling me "It may not feel like it now, but you will laugh about this one day." I thought that was so messed up at the time, but truth be told I do have a bit of a chuckle at the memory.
Is that how I will feel about this farm experience? For example last night Sonny boiled potatoes for him & I. Upon straining them he poured them right onto the table. Thank goodness I had wiped it down 5 minutes before. After that Sonny got a bit thirsty and helped himself to my water. He then proceeded to tell me about his neighbors who are so filthy. Apparently Mary and he were at their house one time walking through their garden. Mary complemented them on their lettuce and they offered her a head of it. She accepted and the woman of the house began looking around for something to put it in. She promptly took off her wellington boot and was wearing a plastic bag on it to keep it dry. She took it off her foot and promptly put the lettuce in it. GROSS! Mary & Sonny threw it away upon arriving home. See it really could be worse!
Today was spent taking the recycling to the center in the morning. On the way home from the recycling center Sonny asked me to go into the market and buy white bread. I went in, picked out a loaf (that looked really good btw) and bought it. Upon exit from the store Sonny said it wasn't white bread and to take it back. I then went back in & the cashier who was the cutest little old Irish woman named Mary said she would help me find a white loaf. With white loaf in hand I exited the store. Nope wrong again. This time Sonny went in and got it himself. Apparently his best friends wife has a bakery and sells to that store but there is a bit of a rivalry between them so he refuses to buy her bread on principle. Both of the loaves that I exited the store with were hers, thus he went with the processed loaf from a large manufacturer. I think the whole thing is a bit silly but I guess that is how things go here.
Post bread/recycling adventure it was off to hoeing. Sonny really likes to hoe dirt with minimal weeds. It has not rained in a couple of days thus the ground is really dry. Basically I spent 5 hours hacking at dirt today. Sonny corrected my technique throughout as well as redoing large portions of my sections. I think this is just what he does, i.e. not personal.
At lunch he began his diatribe with "Now I am not going to go into a big lecture but..." and then proceeded to ask me if I thought brothers and sisters, sons & mothers, and fathers and daughters should get married. He was obviously trying to provide fuel for his gay marriage beliefs. I replied that as long as people were consenting adults it doesn't affect me who marries whom. He was not satisfied with that and repeatedly asked me if I was president would I say that was okay? Once again I said as long as people were consenting adults their marriage does not affect me.
He followed up with the fact that the Catholic church does everything for a reason, and those are god's reasons. He stated that god gave women a certain amount of eggs and it is an offense to god to take contraception to prevent one of those eggs from being made into a baby. He then explained that overpopulation is a myth as Holland has the most people per capita and they are able to produce extraordinary amounts of food. He stated that if you took all of the people that populate the world and placed them in the United States you would have the same amount of people per capita that England does and the English are not running out of food are they?
I was exhausted after lunch. I think he just likes to play the devils advocate to try to get a rise out of me and I am not taking the bait. I am just keeping my mouth shut because I do not enjoy arguing or debating. After lunch it was time for more hoeing and we worked until about 6. He then went out and I am here blogging.
I finally broke down tonight and made the $20 phone call to Grammy. I am just not sure what to do. Saturday is market day and his wife returns that evening so I know saturday will be mildly entertaining. It is more that I need to get through the next two days. I am just not a quitter, and I feel like I would be letting him down by leaving now. I know I do not owe him anything, but I made a commitment and I feel like he is not a bad person; he just likes to say contrary things to get a rise out of people.
My next WWoofing assignment is in the same town and I emailed them this evening to double check that it was still on. I know I will be staying with a family there so it has to be better than this. Also it is at a castle.
I don't know what to do but I know I am feeling very alone in the middle of one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Am I crazy?
Upon waking this morning I was reminded of a childhood memory. In the 7th grade I was pantsed during recess (of course I was wearing elastic shorts, HEY it was the late 80's!) in front of all of my peers. I ran crying to the bathroom and was promptly taken to the principles office where I was extremely upset. The boy who pantsed me was suspended for two days and I vividly remember the principal who was a strong intimidating woman telling me "It may not feel like it now, but you will laugh about this one day." I thought that was so messed up at the time, but truth be told I do have a bit of a chuckle at the memory.
Is that how I will feel about this farm experience? For example last night Sonny boiled potatoes for him & I. Upon straining them he poured them right onto the table. Thank goodness I had wiped it down 5 minutes before. After that Sonny got a bit thirsty and helped himself to my water. He then proceeded to tell me about his neighbors who are so filthy. Apparently Mary and he were at their house one time walking through their garden. Mary complemented them on their lettuce and they offered her a head of it. She accepted and the woman of the house began looking around for something to put it in. She promptly took off her wellington boot and was wearing a plastic bag on it to keep it dry. She took it off her foot and promptly put the lettuce in it. GROSS! Mary & Sonny threw it away upon arriving home. See it really could be worse!
Today was spent taking the recycling to the center in the morning. On the way home from the recycling center Sonny asked me to go into the market and buy white bread. I went in, picked out a loaf (that looked really good btw) and bought it. Upon exit from the store Sonny said it wasn't white bread and to take it back. I then went back in & the cashier who was the cutest little old Irish woman named Mary said she would help me find a white loaf. With white loaf in hand I exited the store. Nope wrong again. This time Sonny went in and got it himself. Apparently his best friends wife has a bakery and sells to that store but there is a bit of a rivalry between them so he refuses to buy her bread on principle. Both of the loaves that I exited the store with were hers, thus he went with the processed loaf from a large manufacturer. I think the whole thing is a bit silly but I guess that is how things go here.
Post bread/recycling adventure it was off to hoeing. Sonny really likes to hoe dirt with minimal weeds. It has not rained in a couple of days thus the ground is really dry. Basically I spent 5 hours hacking at dirt today. Sonny corrected my technique throughout as well as redoing large portions of my sections. I think this is just what he does, i.e. not personal.
At lunch he began his diatribe with "Now I am not going to go into a big lecture but..." and then proceeded to ask me if I thought brothers and sisters, sons & mothers, and fathers and daughters should get married. He was obviously trying to provide fuel for his gay marriage beliefs. I replied that as long as people were consenting adults it doesn't affect me who marries whom. He was not satisfied with that and repeatedly asked me if I was president would I say that was okay? Once again I said as long as people were consenting adults their marriage does not affect me.
He followed up with the fact that the Catholic church does everything for a reason, and those are god's reasons. He stated that god gave women a certain amount of eggs and it is an offense to god to take contraception to prevent one of those eggs from being made into a baby. He then explained that overpopulation is a myth as Holland has the most people per capita and they are able to produce extraordinary amounts of food. He stated that if you took all of the people that populate the world and placed them in the United States you would have the same amount of people per capita that England does and the English are not running out of food are they?
I was exhausted after lunch. I think he just likes to play the devils advocate to try to get a rise out of me and I am not taking the bait. I am just keeping my mouth shut because I do not enjoy arguing or debating. After lunch it was time for more hoeing and we worked until about 6. He then went out and I am here blogging.
I finally broke down tonight and made the $20 phone call to Grammy. I am just not sure what to do. Saturday is market day and his wife returns that evening so I know saturday will be mildly entertaining. It is more that I need to get through the next two days. I am just not a quitter, and I feel like I would be letting him down by leaving now. I know I do not owe him anything, but I made a commitment and I feel like he is not a bad person; he just likes to say contrary things to get a rise out of people.
My next WWoofing assignment is in the same town and I emailed them this evening to double check that it was still on. I know I will be staying with a family there so it has to be better than this. Also it is at a castle.
I don't know what to do but I know I am feeling very alone in the middle of one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Am I crazy?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
When life gives you lemons.....
On Sunday the 25th I took the bus from Belfast to Dublin Airport (2.5 hours) followed by the bus to Navan (1 hour).
I was really looking forward to this experience at "Pat & Mary's Place" as they had a small farm with a bakery. I knew in advance that I would be staying in a room in their house and that I would be the only WWoofer there. The previous farm takes three WWoofers during the summer and one during the winter, this farm only takes one at a time year round. As for how I choose how long to stay at places, it was really all in what they decided. I would have preferred to stay one week at each place but the first farm required at least 2 weeks because of the amount of time to train people. My other placements were okay with one week though.
As I arrived at the bus stop in Navan I phoned Pat to ask him to pick me up. He promptly arrived and introduced himself. Before we pulled away from the curb he instructed me to open the glove box and read a piece of paper which was the "WWoofer Rules." The rules are pretty straightforward ( I took a picture of them when he wasn't in the car today, they are on flickr). I said I did agree with them and then he stated that if at any time either one of us was not happy with how things were working out I was free to leave or they would ask me to leave. It was such a brusque arrival, I was really caught off guard.
Me: Umm okay.
Pat (who goes by Sonny): Oh and by the way you might have a problem with this but Mary is going on holiday this week so it will just be you and me but don't worry I am harmless. Do you have a problem with this?
So now is the point when I rant a bit on this blog. Here is the deal, when I was looking for WWoofing placements I specifically looked for couples as I did not want to be alone with any strange men. I could tell he was harmless but I was still uncomfortable. I would have preferred that they contact me in advance to inform me of this as I would have declined coming and stayed at the other farm for an additional week. Mary is the baker, so not only was it going to be Sonny and I alone in the house for the week, there was no baking going on. I was so caught off guard I mumbled okay and was trying to collect my thoughts.
He then asked if I drank whiskey and when I said no he asked if I needed psychiatric help.
We arrived at the house which is a standard 70's era house on a small amount of land and I met Mary. Mary was very welcoming, and it made me wish she was going to be there all the more. She gave me a tour of the house and showed me to my room. I have the top floor with a private bathroom so that is nice. We then ate dinner and Mary left. Enter uncomfortable time. Sonny shared that he found internet searching to be offensive and he hoped that wouldn't be a problem with me as I could leave. I replied no, that was fine, while secretly being so thankful for my blackberry. Now for all of those out there who are thinking "She can't go a week without the internet??" It was more about being in a foreign country in a house with a rather eccentric man for a week that made me really uncomfortable. He then railed on and on about the evils of technology and how he is a simple man. Mind you he does have a cell phone and sends text messages!
I felt like leaving wasn't an option, I didn't want to wuss out. I like to think that I am tough and can handle most things, but this was certainly unplanned. I went to sleep that night feeling very alone and wishing my fellow WWoofers were with me.
The next morning I awoke and was ready for WWoofing at 9. Unlike the previous farm, this farm has no schedule. It is whenever Sonny decided it is time to work. He feels that WWoofers are not only workers but also companions so that means I am with him pretty much all day, every day. He loves to talk, sometimes it is really interesting stories, sometimes it is mildly offensive and I just keep my mouth shut. More on that later.
Yesterday began with picking Worcestershire berries for jam. While picking Sonny asked me about my religious and political beliefs, thoughts on capital punishment, and thoughts on abortion. Light subjects for when you first meet someone! He informed me about the Catholic church and how much power they have over the region. We discussed Orange Day and he likened the parade to the KKK parading through an African American neighborhood. It was so interesting to get the other sides point of view. I can definitely see where they are coming from.
In between the heavy conversations Sonny stated that he likes to make a lot of jokes that are sexually suggestive but he won't this week as he didn't want to make me feel uncomfortable. Well that lasted a day!
Yesterday afternoon Sonny had to go look at a friends garden so he offered to drop me off at Sliabh na Caillighe which is a large group of cairns dating to 3500 BC. The whole way there he informed me of how Homer Simpson was his hero and he quoted him throughout. This was interrupted with "See this hill here? It is called The hill of Ward or Tlachta in gaelic and on Samhain back in the pagan days they would do human sacrifices RIGHT HERE." Followed by more stories of Homer Simpson.
I had a 45 minute hike up to it which was full of me thinking thoughts like: How am I going to make it this week? Is this really my vacation? Why am I so upset? How long can a week really be? Am I going to wuss out and call my parents crying? (Almost did, whew I resisted!) Did I really work 6 days a week for a year to be in this position?
As I ascended the hill I had a moment of looking around me admiring the breathtaking view. Then was my buck up moment. I gave myself a pep talk and decided that it was time to make some serious lemonade. or at least I can share these stories with my friends and family and they will get some entertainment out of them!
The cairns were really interesting, only one had been excavated, but it had beautiful carvings inside. It is such a wonderful feeling to be standing on the footsteps of people who built this so many years ago, before the worries of "Is my cell phone charged" or "How much traffic am I going to sit in today?"
On the way home Sonny told me he went to the pub with a friend and had one cider and would I like to go for another? I replied sure so we went to the local pub in the village of Dunderry which is right down the street from his house. Three ciders later he tells me he really had two ciders with his friend and am I cooking him dinner as I am his wife stand in this week! I was like um you have ham in the fridge you can cook it yourself and he said he was only kidding... right. The people in the pub were super friendly, we met a local woman who was fascinated with me being from the states. Her name is Trish and she said she will bring me a GAA jersey before I leave. She likes to give all of the WWoofers gifts, like I said, super friendly!
Trish: My you are such a beauty and look at what great teeth you have!
Sonny: I know so white, I bet she flosses.
Me: Of course I floss! Umm don't Irish people floss?
Sonny: Nope, they don't know what floss is.
And he was serious. The most interesting thing happened in the pub, at 6:00pm the church bell tolled and everyone prayed. Trish made the sign of the cross on my forehead. Dorothy you are not in Kansas anymore! Apparently everyday at 12 and 6 the church bells toll (they also play it on the radio) and it is a call to prayer.
After the pub Sonny lectured me on the perils of drunk driving as he drove drunk the 3 blocks home. He then proceeded to pass out in front of the tv. As I said, harmless.
Things I have learned so far:
The local cheers here it is "Up the Royals!" as the County Meath is known as the royals county as it was always the site of the high kings.
Apparently cider here is called "lunatic soup" a it gets you a different drunk than beer.
When you do something stupid it is called "pissing against the wind."
There is a weed here called "Red Shank" that is everywhere. The legend around it is that it grew beneath Jesus's cross and this is why there are red spots on the leaves from Jesus's blood.
When Jesus rode a donkey into Bethlehem he made a sign of the cross on the donkeys back and this is why all donkeys have a cross on their back. (Will research this ASAP)
All of the locals listen to the news at 9:20 am to find out who in the area has died. They will then go to the funerals.
I am sure the above list will be growing in the future week!
Today was spent running errands in the am and checking out the bees to make sure that all of the hives have queens. Now bees can smell adrenaline so I was trying to keep mine down but it is hard when they fly at your face! Even if you have a mesh net on. Sonny likes to put male bees (they don't sting) in his mouth to impress WWoofers. He told me it wouldn't sting him after I was impressed.
At lunch today there was a news report on gay marriage on the radio. Sonny told me about how he is totally gay friendly, his brother who passed away of AIDS was gay and one of his best friends is a lesbian. He stated that the bible says it is wrong but it is only for god to judge and all churches are welcoming of gays. He then likened being gay to being a pedophile or an adulterer and that all people can do is try not to sin, but if they still sin it will be god they answer to in the end. Today may have been the hardest day at keeping my mouth shut. My inner mantra was "Jessica you are in the middle of Ireland with a country farmer, and you only have a couple of days." It was tough. No lemonade was made out of that conversation.
After lunch today we went to hoe strawberries. Sonny's farm is kind of haphazard and scattered all about. His method of hoeing was to have me hoe a row, then go behind me and re-hoe it. I know it doesn't make much sense... On his property a house is being built by his nephews for his daughter and Sonny regaled me of how the previous WWoofer who is French used to wear provacative outfits for the boys. I told him I was too old for that. He replied that was too bad. He then told me that if he was 30 years younger I would be in trouble. 10 minutes later he told me that I was "Off the shelf" as in past my expiration date for marriage. Today when he gave me a hard time he pinched my cheeks and pulled my ears. Deep breaths.
Tonight he made a stir fry for dinner that was quite good. Over dinner he opened up about one of his daughters having a traumatic brain injury and how hard it has been on him & his wife. It was really open of him to share that with me and it just goes to show that everyone has a story and while their approach to life may be completely different than yours, their story is still worth just as much as yours.
I know this week is not what I planned but I am trying to make the best of it and just to remember that I signed up for new experiences and this most certainly is it. Lao Tzu states that without having tough times you would not be able to appreciate the easy times (really rough translation) and I guess this is my tough time. If this is the hardest it will be then I guess I am lucky because I know it definitely could be worse.
I was really looking forward to this experience at "Pat & Mary's Place" as they had a small farm with a bakery. I knew in advance that I would be staying in a room in their house and that I would be the only WWoofer there. The previous farm takes three WWoofers during the summer and one during the winter, this farm only takes one at a time year round. As for how I choose how long to stay at places, it was really all in what they decided. I would have preferred to stay one week at each place but the first farm required at least 2 weeks because of the amount of time to train people. My other placements were okay with one week though.
As I arrived at the bus stop in Navan I phoned Pat to ask him to pick me up. He promptly arrived and introduced himself. Before we pulled away from the curb he instructed me to open the glove box and read a piece of paper which was the "WWoofer Rules." The rules are pretty straightforward ( I took a picture of them when he wasn't in the car today, they are on flickr). I said I did agree with them and then he stated that if at any time either one of us was not happy with how things were working out I was free to leave or they would ask me to leave. It was such a brusque arrival, I was really caught off guard.
Me: Umm okay.
Pat (who goes by Sonny): Oh and by the way you might have a problem with this but Mary is going on holiday this week so it will just be you and me but don't worry I am harmless. Do you have a problem with this?
So now is the point when I rant a bit on this blog. Here is the deal, when I was looking for WWoofing placements I specifically looked for couples as I did not want to be alone with any strange men. I could tell he was harmless but I was still uncomfortable. I would have preferred that they contact me in advance to inform me of this as I would have declined coming and stayed at the other farm for an additional week. Mary is the baker, so not only was it going to be Sonny and I alone in the house for the week, there was no baking going on. I was so caught off guard I mumbled okay and was trying to collect my thoughts.
He then asked if I drank whiskey and when I said no he asked if I needed psychiatric help.
We arrived at the house which is a standard 70's era house on a small amount of land and I met Mary. Mary was very welcoming, and it made me wish she was going to be there all the more. She gave me a tour of the house and showed me to my room. I have the top floor with a private bathroom so that is nice. We then ate dinner and Mary left. Enter uncomfortable time. Sonny shared that he found internet searching to be offensive and he hoped that wouldn't be a problem with me as I could leave. I replied no, that was fine, while secretly being so thankful for my blackberry. Now for all of those out there who are thinking "She can't go a week without the internet??" It was more about being in a foreign country in a house with a rather eccentric man for a week that made me really uncomfortable. He then railed on and on about the evils of technology and how he is a simple man. Mind you he does have a cell phone and sends text messages!
I felt like leaving wasn't an option, I didn't want to wuss out. I like to think that I am tough and can handle most things, but this was certainly unplanned. I went to sleep that night feeling very alone and wishing my fellow WWoofers were with me.
The next morning I awoke and was ready for WWoofing at 9. Unlike the previous farm, this farm has no schedule. It is whenever Sonny decided it is time to work. He feels that WWoofers are not only workers but also companions so that means I am with him pretty much all day, every day. He loves to talk, sometimes it is really interesting stories, sometimes it is mildly offensive and I just keep my mouth shut. More on that later.
Yesterday began with picking Worcestershire berries for jam. While picking Sonny asked me about my religious and political beliefs, thoughts on capital punishment, and thoughts on abortion. Light subjects for when you first meet someone! He informed me about the Catholic church and how much power they have over the region. We discussed Orange Day and he likened the parade to the KKK parading through an African American neighborhood. It was so interesting to get the other sides point of view. I can definitely see where they are coming from.
In between the heavy conversations Sonny stated that he likes to make a lot of jokes that are sexually suggestive but he won't this week as he didn't want to make me feel uncomfortable. Well that lasted a day!
Yesterday afternoon Sonny had to go look at a friends garden so he offered to drop me off at Sliabh na Caillighe which is a large group of cairns dating to 3500 BC. The whole way there he informed me of how Homer Simpson was his hero and he quoted him throughout. This was interrupted with "See this hill here? It is called The hill of Ward or Tlachta in gaelic and on Samhain back in the pagan days they would do human sacrifices RIGHT HERE." Followed by more stories of Homer Simpson.
I had a 45 minute hike up to it which was full of me thinking thoughts like: How am I going to make it this week? Is this really my vacation? Why am I so upset? How long can a week really be? Am I going to wuss out and call my parents crying? (Almost did, whew I resisted!) Did I really work 6 days a week for a year to be in this position?
As I ascended the hill I had a moment of looking around me admiring the breathtaking view. Then was my buck up moment. I gave myself a pep talk and decided that it was time to make some serious lemonade. or at least I can share these stories with my friends and family and they will get some entertainment out of them!
The cairns were really interesting, only one had been excavated, but it had beautiful carvings inside. It is such a wonderful feeling to be standing on the footsteps of people who built this so many years ago, before the worries of "Is my cell phone charged" or "How much traffic am I going to sit in today?"
On the way home Sonny told me he went to the pub with a friend and had one cider and would I like to go for another? I replied sure so we went to the local pub in the village of Dunderry which is right down the street from his house. Three ciders later he tells me he really had two ciders with his friend and am I cooking him dinner as I am his wife stand in this week! I was like um you have ham in the fridge you can cook it yourself and he said he was only kidding... right. The people in the pub were super friendly, we met a local woman who was fascinated with me being from the states. Her name is Trish and she said she will bring me a GAA jersey before I leave. She likes to give all of the WWoofers gifts, like I said, super friendly!
Trish: My you are such a beauty and look at what great teeth you have!
Sonny: I know so white, I bet she flosses.
Me: Of course I floss! Umm don't Irish people floss?
Sonny: Nope, they don't know what floss is.
And he was serious. The most interesting thing happened in the pub, at 6:00pm the church bell tolled and everyone prayed. Trish made the sign of the cross on my forehead. Dorothy you are not in Kansas anymore! Apparently everyday at 12 and 6 the church bells toll (they also play it on the radio) and it is a call to prayer.
After the pub Sonny lectured me on the perils of drunk driving as he drove drunk the 3 blocks home. He then proceeded to pass out in front of the tv. As I said, harmless.
Things I have learned so far:
The local cheers here it is "Up the Royals!" as the County Meath is known as the royals county as it was always the site of the high kings.
Apparently cider here is called "lunatic soup" a it gets you a different drunk than beer.
When you do something stupid it is called "pissing against the wind."
There is a weed here called "Red Shank" that is everywhere. The legend around it is that it grew beneath Jesus's cross and this is why there are red spots on the leaves from Jesus's blood.
When Jesus rode a donkey into Bethlehem he made a sign of the cross on the donkeys back and this is why all donkeys have a cross on their back. (Will research this ASAP)
All of the locals listen to the news at 9:20 am to find out who in the area has died. They will then go to the funerals.
I am sure the above list will be growing in the future week!
Today was spent running errands in the am and checking out the bees to make sure that all of the hives have queens. Now bees can smell adrenaline so I was trying to keep mine down but it is hard when they fly at your face! Even if you have a mesh net on. Sonny likes to put male bees (they don't sting) in his mouth to impress WWoofers. He told me it wouldn't sting him after I was impressed.
At lunch today there was a news report on gay marriage on the radio. Sonny told me about how he is totally gay friendly, his brother who passed away of AIDS was gay and one of his best friends is a lesbian. He stated that the bible says it is wrong but it is only for god to judge and all churches are welcoming of gays. He then likened being gay to being a pedophile or an adulterer and that all people can do is try not to sin, but if they still sin it will be god they answer to in the end. Today may have been the hardest day at keeping my mouth shut. My inner mantra was "Jessica you are in the middle of Ireland with a country farmer, and you only have a couple of days." It was tough. No lemonade was made out of that conversation.
After lunch today we went to hoe strawberries. Sonny's farm is kind of haphazard and scattered all about. His method of hoeing was to have me hoe a row, then go behind me and re-hoe it. I know it doesn't make much sense... On his property a house is being built by his nephews for his daughter and Sonny regaled me of how the previous WWoofer who is French used to wear provacative outfits for the boys. I told him I was too old for that. He replied that was too bad. He then told me that if he was 30 years younger I would be in trouble. 10 minutes later he told me that I was "Off the shelf" as in past my expiration date for marriage. Today when he gave me a hard time he pinched my cheeks and pulled my ears. Deep breaths.
Tonight he made a stir fry for dinner that was quite good. Over dinner he opened up about one of his daughters having a traumatic brain injury and how hard it has been on him & his wife. It was really open of him to share that with me and it just goes to show that everyone has a story and while their approach to life may be completely different than yours, their story is still worth just as much as yours.
I know this week is not what I planned but I am trying to make the best of it and just to remember that I signed up for new experiences and this most certainly is it. Lao Tzu states that without having tough times you would not be able to appreciate the easy times (really rough translation) and I guess this is my tough time. If this is the hardest it will be then I guess I am lucky because I know it definitely could be worse.
Last Days in Northern Ireland
My last day at this farm was spent with the morning being filled with feeding the animals (my favorite part of the day!) and the afternoon was quite the experience.
On the farm there was a pile of manure (cow & horse) that measured 30 feet long x 12 feet wide x 9 feet high. Our task was to cover it with black plastic as it was to be covered for one year to decompose and then be spread on the fields. Erin and I were climbing all over the manure, up to our knees in it. It was amazing how much heat was generated beneath it, you could feel it gusting out as you rearranged the plastic. John said it gets so hot in there that you could boil an egg. Once we got it covered it had to be sealed which consisted of shoveling manure around the plastic edges to seal it and then throwing tires on it to keep it weighed down during the winter. Manure was everywhere, on our faces, all over our clothes, and it even smelled like it was up our noses! John said we did a top notch job. I will never use the phrase "Knee deep in s**t" again without thinking of that experience!
After that the ladies got freshened up and headed out to the pub because it was karaoke night and we deserved a pint after that! Karaoke was totally awesome, and I am becoming quite the fan of Guinness!
The next day Erin and I headed to Rathlin Island for the night. Rathlin is on the Northernmost tip of Northern Ireland and is simply breathtaking. There are 90 inhabitants on the island along with a bird reserve where there are a lot of different species of birds from puffins to guillemots.
I booked us two singles at the hotel on the island, and in the email it stated they strongly recommend making a reservation for the ferry. When we asked John & Laura whether we should make a reservation they stated "Well you can but you should be fine." Famous last words.
After the 2 hour bus trip we arrived in the quaint little town of Ballycastle which is a seaside resort town. Lots of cute houses, tons of character, and it was a beautiful day. Sun was shining, birds were chirping and we headed to the ferry terminal to get tickets. Alas the lady behind the window stated that the tickets were all sold out that day. Erin and I went for some chips to figure out a plan B. There was NO other way to get to the island so we called the hotel to cancel. We were so sad and feeling super down. I was totally kicking myself for not making ferry reservations. We then decided to spend the night in Ballycastle. After a brief disheartening walk to the hostel, we were presented with a hostel with no one at home. As I was pulling out my phone to call the number on the door the hotel from Rathlin called. They suggested we walk back to the ferry terminal and ask to be put on a wait list. Erin and I said "why not?" and walked back to the terminal. Apparently the magic words are "We are spending the night" and we got on the ferry! HOORAY!
We had a couple of hours to spare before the ferry which was spent exploring the town of Ballycastle. We walked along the beach and did some shopping while we passed the time. As per my previous experiences, everyone was so friendly and inquisitive as to where we were from and how our holidays were going. I really cannot say enough about how friendly everyone is here.
The ferry ride was beautiful, behind us were the soaring cliffs of Northern Ireland and in front of us was the picturesque island of Rathlin. After we landed we had a short walk to the hotel and found our rooms to be just perfect. (See flickr photos)
Early evening we took a short 4 mile hike to the East lighthouse all the while exclaiming about how beautiful it was. As we came around a curve we saw Scotland, 13 miles to the north. It was such an amazing moment, to be standing on this island with Northern Ireland behind us and Scotland in front of us surrounded by breathtaking hills filled with purple flowers, sheep and cows, the only sounds being a mild breeze blowing past our faces. It was one of those moments when you know you simply cannot replicate it nor grasp it in your hand, all you can do it savor it and store it for replay in your mind and let the feelings of it fill your soul.
Following our hike we had a pint of Guinness in the pub at the hotel while we waited for our dinner reservations. We enjoyed some good craic with the bartender who lo and behold was from the area we were WWoofing. It is a small world after all as he used to be a bartender at our pub the Ballad Inn! We shared stories of the locals and agreed to come back for a post dinner pint.
Dinner was amazing at our hotel restaurant. They grow organic ingredients and you can tell. Our appetizer was figs with buffalo mozzarella... YUM. My dinner was a portabella mushroom with goat cheese on top with assorted vegetables. On the side was my new favorite food CHAMP. Champ=heaven in your mouth. It is mashed potatoes with leeks and scallions. It is amazing. It was like eating our view today. (:
Post dinner we went back to the pub for more craic. We met a bunch of locals who convinced us to go to the other pub on the island, 4 houses down from it. As we arrived they scared the beejesus out of us with stories about how haunted our hotel was! Apparently Ghost Hunters International was there last year to film the ghost known as the "Gruder." Apparently the Gruder was a red headed child who was crippled who was locked in room 6. Good thing I was in room 10!
As I was walking back to the hotel I was a wee bit scared... so I ran past room 6! (: No sign of the Gruder! Whew!
The next morning we rented bikes and went on a grueling 10 mile bike ride to the bird sanctuary. It was so beautiful, with the ocean on one side and fields with sheep, cattle, and white, purple, and yellow flowers all over them on the other side. There was a ton of hills and Erin and I ended up pushing our bikes up most of them. As we arrived at the bird sanctuary we were met with the cacophany of bird sounds.
We descended down 90 steps to use complementary binoculars to view rugged cliffs filled with thousands of birds. It was a sight to behold! And there were PUFFINS! I thought I had to go to Iceland to view Puffins! It was fantastic. There were volunteers there ready to fill us in on information about the birds, it was so worth it.
On the way back we coasted down the hills and took in the breathtaking views. We then returned the bikes and took the ferry back to the mainland followed by a bus trip back to the farm.
For my last night on the farm of course we had to go back to the Ballad Inn! It was a great night filled with much laughter, a wee bit o Gunness, craic, and smiles on all of our faces.
I was really sad to say goodbye to this farm , it was an amazing way to start my trip. I was so happy to make two really good friends who kept me smiling while shoveling manure, weeding, or enjoying our beautiful surroundings.
On the farm there was a pile of manure (cow & horse) that measured 30 feet long x 12 feet wide x 9 feet high. Our task was to cover it with black plastic as it was to be covered for one year to decompose and then be spread on the fields. Erin and I were climbing all over the manure, up to our knees in it. It was amazing how much heat was generated beneath it, you could feel it gusting out as you rearranged the plastic. John said it gets so hot in there that you could boil an egg. Once we got it covered it had to be sealed which consisted of shoveling manure around the plastic edges to seal it and then throwing tires on it to keep it weighed down during the winter. Manure was everywhere, on our faces, all over our clothes, and it even smelled like it was up our noses! John said we did a top notch job. I will never use the phrase "Knee deep in s**t" again without thinking of that experience!
After that the ladies got freshened up and headed out to the pub because it was karaoke night and we deserved a pint after that! Karaoke was totally awesome, and I am becoming quite the fan of Guinness!
The next day Erin and I headed to Rathlin Island for the night. Rathlin is on the Northernmost tip of Northern Ireland and is simply breathtaking. There are 90 inhabitants on the island along with a bird reserve where there are a lot of different species of birds from puffins to guillemots.
I booked us two singles at the hotel on the island, and in the email it stated they strongly recommend making a reservation for the ferry. When we asked John & Laura whether we should make a reservation they stated "Well you can but you should be fine." Famous last words.
After the 2 hour bus trip we arrived in the quaint little town of Ballycastle which is a seaside resort town. Lots of cute houses, tons of character, and it was a beautiful day. Sun was shining, birds were chirping and we headed to the ferry terminal to get tickets. Alas the lady behind the window stated that the tickets were all sold out that day. Erin and I went for some chips to figure out a plan B. There was NO other way to get to the island so we called the hotel to cancel. We were so sad and feeling super down. I was totally kicking myself for not making ferry reservations. We then decided to spend the night in Ballycastle. After a brief disheartening walk to the hostel, we were presented with a hostel with no one at home. As I was pulling out my phone to call the number on the door the hotel from Rathlin called. They suggested we walk back to the ferry terminal and ask to be put on a wait list. Erin and I said "why not?" and walked back to the terminal. Apparently the magic words are "We are spending the night" and we got on the ferry! HOORAY!
We had a couple of hours to spare before the ferry which was spent exploring the town of Ballycastle. We walked along the beach and did some shopping while we passed the time. As per my previous experiences, everyone was so friendly and inquisitive as to where we were from and how our holidays were going. I really cannot say enough about how friendly everyone is here.
The ferry ride was beautiful, behind us were the soaring cliffs of Northern Ireland and in front of us was the picturesque island of Rathlin. After we landed we had a short walk to the hotel and found our rooms to be just perfect. (See flickr photos)
Early evening we took a short 4 mile hike to the East lighthouse all the while exclaiming about how beautiful it was. As we came around a curve we saw Scotland, 13 miles to the north. It was such an amazing moment, to be standing on this island with Northern Ireland behind us and Scotland in front of us surrounded by breathtaking hills filled with purple flowers, sheep and cows, the only sounds being a mild breeze blowing past our faces. It was one of those moments when you know you simply cannot replicate it nor grasp it in your hand, all you can do it savor it and store it for replay in your mind and let the feelings of it fill your soul.
Following our hike we had a pint of Guinness in the pub at the hotel while we waited for our dinner reservations. We enjoyed some good craic with the bartender who lo and behold was from the area we were WWoofing. It is a small world after all as he used to be a bartender at our pub the Ballad Inn! We shared stories of the locals and agreed to come back for a post dinner pint.
Dinner was amazing at our hotel restaurant. They grow organic ingredients and you can tell. Our appetizer was figs with buffalo mozzarella... YUM. My dinner was a portabella mushroom with goat cheese on top with assorted vegetables. On the side was my new favorite food CHAMP. Champ=heaven in your mouth. It is mashed potatoes with leeks and scallions. It is amazing. It was like eating our view today. (:
Post dinner we went back to the pub for more craic. We met a bunch of locals who convinced us to go to the other pub on the island, 4 houses down from it. As we arrived they scared the beejesus out of us with stories about how haunted our hotel was! Apparently Ghost Hunters International was there last year to film the ghost known as the "Gruder." Apparently the Gruder was a red headed child who was crippled who was locked in room 6. Good thing I was in room 10!
As I was walking back to the hotel I was a wee bit scared... so I ran past room 6! (: No sign of the Gruder! Whew!
The next morning we rented bikes and went on a grueling 10 mile bike ride to the bird sanctuary. It was so beautiful, with the ocean on one side and fields with sheep, cattle, and white, purple, and yellow flowers all over them on the other side. There was a ton of hills and Erin and I ended up pushing our bikes up most of them. As we arrived at the bird sanctuary we were met with the cacophany of bird sounds.
We descended down 90 steps to use complementary binoculars to view rugged cliffs filled with thousands of birds. It was a sight to behold! And there were PUFFINS! I thought I had to go to Iceland to view Puffins! It was fantastic. There were volunteers there ready to fill us in on information about the birds, it was so worth it.
On the way back we coasted down the hills and took in the breathtaking views. We then returned the bikes and took the ferry back to the mainland followed by a bus trip back to the farm.
For my last night on the farm of course we had to go back to the Ballad Inn! It was a great night filled with much laughter, a wee bit o Gunness, craic, and smiles on all of our faces.
I was really sad to say goodbye to this farm , it was an amazing way to start my trip. I was so happy to make two really good friends who kept me smiling while shoveling manure, weeding, or enjoying our beautiful surroundings.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Like Sand Through The Hourglass....
As of today I have been in Northern Ireland for 1 week and 2 days. This evening was spent figuring out what buses I have to take to make it to my next farm which also has a bakery. I will be going there on Sunday. It is near the town of Navan which is just west of Dublin.
I have become so comfortable here and am really enjoying it. While I do not look forward to a day filled with weeding and hoeing, there is comfort to be found in the stability knowing what is expected of you. A day spent hearing sheep in the fields next to me and filled with great conversation with Alix and Erin is what I will really miss when I leave here. I love it here, and find it is so peaceful and will surely look upon this time fondly and look forward to lasting friendships with Alix and Erin. As I sit on the most comfortable bed (I am convinced it is so comfortable because of the amount of manual labor I have been doing!) or when I am in the fields weeding and hoeing I continuously find my thoughts turning inward. I keep coming back to many questions that I do not have the answers for. What am I supposed to be doing with my life? Am I doing what I love? What is really important to me? What do I want out of life? I know bits and pieces of the answers and am hoping to figure out more of the answers over the course of this trip. But does anyone ever really find out all of the answers? Am I meant to have this restless feeling inside forever? I guess it is time to open up the Alan Watts book that I brought " The Wisdom of Insecurity." Will keep you posted on how that goes.
As for farm life, it is going swimmingly. Yesterday morning Alix and I weeded carrots first thing in the morning and followed it up with picking and shelling peas. The carrots were large carrots so it was a bit easier to see them and the weeds with most of my time spent bent over at the waist or crouching down into a squat. Today my knees are doing a bit of protesting.
The peas grow to about waist height but the ripest peas were at the bottom of the vines so more bending down! You move quite fast when you pick them so I noticed that it definitely made my lower back achy. The other WWoofers stated the same feeling so I know it is not just me being a wus!
After we picked the peas we went into the house to shell them.
Me: John we are here to shuck the peas.
John: We shell them in this country.
Alix and I had some tired fingers post shelling and a new appreciation for peas! It takes a lot of work to produce those little buggers! They are quite good out of the shell and Molly was enjoying eating the ones we dropped on the floor. (:
After lunch we were dreading more weeding but then we heard these magic words:
John: It is time to herd some cattle!
Us: Hooray!
John: Because we are taking two to the slaughterhouse in the morning.
Us: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Herding cattle is not for the faint at heart. If you look on my facebook there are two videos but that is after we got the difficult stuff out of the way. When the cow charges towards you the proper thing to do is hold out your arms to make you appear as big as possible and then say "Shoo Shoo." Sounds easier than it is!
John made Jorg the "lead cow."
John: Now I want you to stand at this gate and call to the cows and hopefully they will follow you up the path to the corral.
Jorg: Okay. (Looking very unsure)
John: When you call to the cows say "Here cows, Here cows, come on, come on, here sukie sukie sukie." (All with a Northern Irish accent)
Erin and I were wondering what makes the cows respond to sukie sukie sukie, but hey, whatever works! Jorg did not work as the lead cow. We then chased 13 cows around a field for an hour until John decided to be the lead cow and they all followed him.
John: Now you might be wondering why I didn't try that first.
Me: No, I am wondering why you are choosing just 2 to slaughter? (They raise all of their cattle for meat so I know keeping it in the fields to live a happy cow life forever isn't an option.)
John: Because that is all our freezer will hold.
After we separated the two and John told Jorg that they will look really good on a plate. I disagreed and told the cows that if I had it my way they would be frolicking in the fields. Then it was time to return the others to a field about 4 fields or one mile away. This was done by John being the lead cow once again and us running after the cows to close all of the gates. After we got them in the field John provided us with some very interesting information about the region. Nearby is Slemish mountain which is where St Patrick was a slave for 6 years in the 5th century.
We asked about the spray painting of sheep and he informed us it was a way for owners to identify which sheep had been given medication or "tupped." Tupping time is mating season and the owner of the sheep will put a certain color of paint on the "tupper" or ram so that when he "tups" a female he will leave a bit of the paint on her back. Thus the owner which of the females are floozies. (: Really it is so he can scan them with an ultrasound machine to tell which are having twins to adjust their feed accordingly.
I also found out the the term "creek" is an American term and here it is called a "stream." Duly noted.
Last night we went back to the Ballad Inn, our local pub for a few pints of Guinness and some craic. Craic=conversation. It was poker night so we met a bunch of locals that were able to chat with us while simultaneously playing poker. Also we enjoyed a lovely dinner of Guinness and curry chips. AMAZING!
One of the gentleman who was in his 70's shared that he used to work on an oil rig with Americans and that they are they nicest guys but that they are wasted all of the time. He said he didn't object to them being wasted or the large amounts of hashish that they used to smoke or the air freshener that they would spray to cover it up. He did object to them using ant spray as an air freshener replacement when they ran out. He ended the story with reiterating how nice they were though. (:
Today was spent weeding more carrots and hoeing. Hoeing is some serious business! I think I may have He-Man arms when I return. Or would that be She-Ra?
At lunch today we had a nice light conversation about capitalism and Ronald Reagan. In the states I would assume that an organic farmer would be a liberal, but this is not the case here! John asked me if I thought capitalism was a bad idea and I relayed that I think one of anything is a bad idea but I don't think it is right that he who has the most money decides what happens. I then had to bring up my schpeel that included key points about Jamaica & their debt, and Naomi Klein & destructive capitalism. Wish I had my Dad on an earphone mic so my arguments would sound a bit more researched! Ah well we ended with amusing stories about Iris Robinson. (:
It was unseasonably warm this afternoon after work so Erin and I sat in Laura & John's "cottage garden" and I wrote postcards while she read. It was so peaceful and calm. A lovely way to finish the day.
Tonight Erin made curried vegetables with basmati rice and it was amazing! Right now she has a banana bread loaf in the oven. Not sure where the bananas are from but know they are organic. (:
I have become so comfortable here and am really enjoying it. While I do not look forward to a day filled with weeding and hoeing, there is comfort to be found in the stability knowing what is expected of you. A day spent hearing sheep in the fields next to me and filled with great conversation with Alix and Erin is what I will really miss when I leave here. I love it here, and find it is so peaceful and will surely look upon this time fondly and look forward to lasting friendships with Alix and Erin. As I sit on the most comfortable bed (I am convinced it is so comfortable because of the amount of manual labor I have been doing!) or when I am in the fields weeding and hoeing I continuously find my thoughts turning inward. I keep coming back to many questions that I do not have the answers for. What am I supposed to be doing with my life? Am I doing what I love? What is really important to me? What do I want out of life? I know bits and pieces of the answers and am hoping to figure out more of the answers over the course of this trip. But does anyone ever really find out all of the answers? Am I meant to have this restless feeling inside forever? I guess it is time to open up the Alan Watts book that I brought " The Wisdom of Insecurity." Will keep you posted on how that goes.
As for farm life, it is going swimmingly. Yesterday morning Alix and I weeded carrots first thing in the morning and followed it up with picking and shelling peas. The carrots were large carrots so it was a bit easier to see them and the weeds with most of my time spent bent over at the waist or crouching down into a squat. Today my knees are doing a bit of protesting.
The peas grow to about waist height but the ripest peas were at the bottom of the vines so more bending down! You move quite fast when you pick them so I noticed that it definitely made my lower back achy. The other WWoofers stated the same feeling so I know it is not just me being a wus!
After we picked the peas we went into the house to shell them.
Me: John we are here to shuck the peas.
John: We shell them in this country.
Alix and I had some tired fingers post shelling and a new appreciation for peas! It takes a lot of work to produce those little buggers! They are quite good out of the shell and Molly was enjoying eating the ones we dropped on the floor. (:
After lunch we were dreading more weeding but then we heard these magic words:
John: It is time to herd some cattle!
Us: Hooray!
John: Because we are taking two to the slaughterhouse in the morning.
Us: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Herding cattle is not for the faint at heart. If you look on my facebook there are two videos but that is after we got the difficult stuff out of the way. When the cow charges towards you the proper thing to do is hold out your arms to make you appear as big as possible and then say "Shoo Shoo." Sounds easier than it is!
John made Jorg the "lead cow."
John: Now I want you to stand at this gate and call to the cows and hopefully they will follow you up the path to the corral.
Jorg: Okay. (Looking very unsure)
John: When you call to the cows say "Here cows, Here cows, come on, come on, here sukie sukie sukie." (All with a Northern Irish accent)
Erin and I were wondering what makes the cows respond to sukie sukie sukie, but hey, whatever works! Jorg did not work as the lead cow. We then chased 13 cows around a field for an hour until John decided to be the lead cow and they all followed him.
John: Now you might be wondering why I didn't try that first.
Me: No, I am wondering why you are choosing just 2 to slaughter? (They raise all of their cattle for meat so I know keeping it in the fields to live a happy cow life forever isn't an option.)
John: Because that is all our freezer will hold.
After we separated the two and John told Jorg that they will look really good on a plate. I disagreed and told the cows that if I had it my way they would be frolicking in the fields. Then it was time to return the others to a field about 4 fields or one mile away. This was done by John being the lead cow once again and us running after the cows to close all of the gates. After we got them in the field John provided us with some very interesting information about the region. Nearby is Slemish mountain which is where St Patrick was a slave for 6 years in the 5th century.
We asked about the spray painting of sheep and he informed us it was a way for owners to identify which sheep had been given medication or "tupped." Tupping time is mating season and the owner of the sheep will put a certain color of paint on the "tupper" or ram so that when he "tups" a female he will leave a bit of the paint on her back. Thus the owner which of the females are floozies. (: Really it is so he can scan them with an ultrasound machine to tell which are having twins to adjust their feed accordingly.
I also found out the the term "creek" is an American term and here it is called a "stream." Duly noted.
Last night we went back to the Ballad Inn, our local pub for a few pints of Guinness and some craic. Craic=conversation. It was poker night so we met a bunch of locals that were able to chat with us while simultaneously playing poker. Also we enjoyed a lovely dinner of Guinness and curry chips. AMAZING!
One of the gentleman who was in his 70's shared that he used to work on an oil rig with Americans and that they are they nicest guys but that they are wasted all of the time. He said he didn't object to them being wasted or the large amounts of hashish that they used to smoke or the air freshener that they would spray to cover it up. He did object to them using ant spray as an air freshener replacement when they ran out. He ended the story with reiterating how nice they were though. (:
Today was spent weeding more carrots and hoeing. Hoeing is some serious business! I think I may have He-Man arms when I return. Or would that be She-Ra?
At lunch today we had a nice light conversation about capitalism and Ronald Reagan. In the states I would assume that an organic farmer would be a liberal, but this is not the case here! John asked me if I thought capitalism was a bad idea and I relayed that I think one of anything is a bad idea but I don't think it is right that he who has the most money decides what happens. I then had to bring up my schpeel that included key points about Jamaica & their debt, and Naomi Klein & destructive capitalism. Wish I had my Dad on an earphone mic so my arguments would sound a bit more researched! Ah well we ended with amusing stories about Iris Robinson. (:
It was unseasonably warm this afternoon after work so Erin and I sat in Laura & John's "cottage garden" and I wrote postcards while she read. It was so peaceful and calm. A lovely way to finish the day.
Tonight Erin made curried vegetables with basmati rice and it was amazing! Right now she has a banana bread loaf in the oven. Not sure where the bananas are from but know they are organic. (:
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Babies abound!
Yesterday began with Erin, Alix, and I looking forward to the day ahead. Erin and Alix got to feed the animals and I was given the task of gathering potatoes.
John instructed me on the proper way to gather the potatoes. Until this point I knew you pop a potato in the ground but had no idea what happened after that. Magic and it appears at the store!
Apparently the baby potatoes are called "new potatoes" and they are white. It is when they are left in the ground longer that they become brown. There is a large bush type thing on top. I found this lovely image on the internet as the pictures I was trying to take with muddy fingers were not demonstrating the concept.
First you pull away all of the weeds followed by grasping the plant as close to the ground as possible and pulling it out of the ground. These plants are heavy! If you are lucky most of the potatoes will come out and you pull them off the roots. Not lucky=digging in the ground with your fingers to get them out. The ground at this level is quite compact and my fingers fatigued quite quickly.
John left a large fork for me to use with the instructions "Do not stab my potatoes." That put the fear into me and the fork remained unused. I have decided that gathering potatoes is great for upper extremity exercise. After gathering two wheelbarrows worth of potatoes, rinsing them and putting them in plastic crates it was time for lunch.
Whilst I was burning some serious calories with my potato dance (I am thinking of making a farmwork exercise video) Erin and Alix were weeding onions. I glanced across the field and saw them standing in one place gesticulating. While we all have our individual weeding dances this was a dance unbeknown to me. I wandered over and discovered that they had found a baby hare! It was so cute! There is a video of it and pictures on facebook. Erin thought she stepped on it and it was cowering under the weeds by the onions. We pondered what to do with it for about ten minutes ( I vacillated between circle of life and lets raise it to be a pet arguments). We didn't know if we should tell John about it because we thought that he would shoot it. (:
Erin fetched a bucket and put it in it with her jacket over it and we decided we would confer over what to do with it at lunch. Once lunchtime arrived Stanley the Bunny (my name, Alix wanted to call him fluffy but with her french accent it sounds like floofy) apparently was not injured as he had hopped out of the bucket. Problem solved!
During the weekends we are responsible for preparing our own lunch. Yesterday the menu consisted of leftover vegetable hodgepodge from the night before (chard, zucchini, onions, garlic, carrots, & broccoli), a vegetable pot pie from the store downstairs and brownies for dessert. Over our meal we conferred about how happy we were that he had made his escape and was off living a happy bunny life.
When we returned to the field there was Stanley! We decided to see if he was still in the same spot when we were done working at 4 and then we would decided what to do. The general consensus was not to tell John, aka shoot the bunny.
As I was weeding I pulled up a clump of grass, and lo and behold it was Stanley's sister, Gertrude! (just made that name up as I typed) Now we had no idea what to do. Alix decided that they missed each other and needed to be reunited so she requested that I reunite them as I was the only one with gloves. Thus I carried Gertrude over to Stanley (mind you large amounts of time have been spent on these bunnies!) and reunited them. Bunny reaction was nil. Yet we sang "Reunited cause it feels so good" and went back to work.
Last night for dinner Alix made crepes that were AMAZING. We put butter, sugar, and cinnamon on them. I was in heaven. We invited John & Laura up for crepes and they enjoyed them as well.
Me: "John what would happen if you saw a baby hare in the vegetable fields?"
John: "I would shoot it."
Not to worry he was kidding! Apparently hares are protected by law as their populations have been dwindling so they would not have done anything. Laura informed us that hares typically sit in the bushes, they do not burrow. They were quite amused by our master plan of saving the hares.
I am sure I am going to get some comments on this about how I have used
"hare" and "bunny" interchangeably and I am sure there is a difference, but when it is so cute and small and cuddly how can you not call it a bunny?
Last night after dinner we headed out to the local pub for karaoke. After a 45 minute walk we were surprised to see that the pub was not lively. There were 5 other people in it. 2 bartenders, and three elderly local gentlemen drinking whiskey.
We stayed at the pub for a bit and then decided to go to another pub about 7 miles away that was supposed to be hoppin. Upon entry it was packed! They had a great cover band playing everything from Van Morrison to Snow Patrol (both locals) to Oasis. After enjoying a pint there we headed back to the original pub to see if the crowd had increased.
There was a large group of local farmers there trying to convince us to go to a "Young Farmers Party" next weekend in a town north of us. We shall see about that! These young farmers were amazed that we were volunteering on the farm here and told us that they would put us to work on their farms and actually pay us. (:
I told them I only work on organic farms and was met with organic is rubbish and they can't taste the antibiotics in meat! I let that argument die. After that they found out that I am a vegetarian and the looks on their faces was almost as if I cut off my ears in front of them. I was then peppered with questions such as "How do you survive, and Do you at least eat pork?"
This morning I relayed the conversation to Laura.
Me: "They acted like I was so exotic, have they never met a vegetarian?"
Laura: "No we usually shoot them around here." - said with a smile
Me: "I heard that they were protected by law." (:
Today we met our newest WWoofer, Jorg from Germany. Jorg is a giant. Literally the man is 6"5. He is staying in the building next door and comes to our apartment to use the kitchen and eat with us. If you have seen my pictures on flickr you will have seen that the kitchen is tiny! He has to bend to enter the doorways!
He is coming here for 3 months to practice his english. Not sure if he knows what he has gotten himself into. He showed up for his first day of farmwork in a button down shirt. We talked him out of wearing tennis shoes in the fields and into a pair of rubber boots.
The morning was spent finishing weeding the onions, I am so in love with the smell of them when you weed them. It is beckoning of dishes to be made, meals to be savored.
For lunch today I had another vegetable pot pie and a pita sandwich made of goat Camembert, balsamic vinaigrette, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. It was sooooo good!
After lunch Alix and Erin got to gather and shuck peas while Jorg and I weeded carrots. These carrots were a lot larger than the ones we weeded the other day so the task was a bit more enjoyable. As enjoyable as it can be weeding in the Ireland rain!
John gave us a demo at the beginning.
John: You grab it from here and pull.
Me: What happens if I grab a carrot? Can I replant it?
John: No, you wipe it off and eat it. These are the sweetest carrots you will ever have.
Thus when I pulled out the carrots I wiped them off on my pants and WOW they are so good! it is really interesting the difference between outside grown and polytunnel grown as well. These carrots pretty much put all other carrots to shame. I ate a lot of dirt today. And I loved it! Laura said I was eating a lot of bacteria. I said my stomach will kill it! Can you believe it, Jessica the germ-phobe is eating dirt and loving every minute of it!
Tonight Erin made us a lovely meal of organic pasta with a puttanesca sauce of eggplant, zucchinic, peppers, garlic, onions, cherry tomatoes, oregano, thyme, basil, olives, and olive oil. It was so good. She also made roasted potatoes with rosemary & olive oil. Homemade banana bread with fresh raspberries was our dessert. During the meal we had 3 pound chuck . While it doesn't roll off your tongue like 3 buck chuck, it tasted HORRIBLE. Like fruit juice! We have decided tomorrow after work we will go for a bike ride and pick up better wine.
From baby hares to baby potatoes it has been an interesting couple of days!
Friday, July 16, 2010
From herding cattle to walking in the footsteps of FinnMcCool
What a fantastic 2 days it has been.
Yesterday began with feeding the animals. Alix graciously agreed to videotape me doing this so you could see the pigs screaming. Of course the one day I approach them with a video camera they were so far off in the field there was no screaming! Oh well. I took a couple of videos yesterday and am in the process of uploading them on Flickr.
After feeding the animals it was time to weed carrots. Carrots that are newly planted, thus the carrot stems are less than an inch tall so one has to be on their hands & knees basically with your face in the dirt to distinguish carrot tops from grass. According to John grass is one of the only things that grows plentifully here and boy does it grow! The weeds are easy to pull out of the ground because it is so moist, but it is really tedious and tests your sanity. I was SO looking forward to lunch break because my back, knees, and legs were screaming.
For lunch yesterday we had toast with eggs and everyone but me had smoked salmon on that. The eggs were a bit runny for my taste but I know this is a European thing. For dessert we had yogurt. The eggs here are really good, and if you go to my flickr you will see a video of me collecting eggs!
After lunch it was back to the carrots. At this point I was seriously cursing carrots. Erin got to clean out where the chicks are as they got 50 more today and needed somewhere to put them. Erin pointed out that some of the chicks (they have 10 that are about 4 weeks old) are developing irregularly to John and he replied "Yes, it looks like I am going to have to go bonk some of them on the head." Wow. I will not be there for that!
Alix and I were toiling over the carrots and the heavens responded by unleashing a torrential rain. We responded by running inside to get our raincoats (it was sunny!) and by the time we went back outside it had stopped. Thus we walked back to the field and it started raining again! We went into the newest polytunnel and began using a hoe to break up the earth to prepare it for planting. Of course it stopped raining! Back to carrots! As we were kneeling down a hare hopped across the field directly in front of us!
I called it a rabbit and John corrected me that it is a hare. He likes to correct me a lot. For example trash is not called trash here, it is called rubbish. I think that's rubbish! (:
As we were cursing and weeding we heard Erin call us from the stables, it was time to herd some cattle! Hooray! When John & Laura wean calves here they have to bring in the mother cows as they can get mastitis from the flies in the fields so once their milk dries up they can return to the field. The field where the cows were returned to (also seen on my flickr) is across the road so John, Laura, & Alix herded them out of the stables and down the driveway. John assigned the task of blocking the road and stopping traffic to Erin and I. Once the cows got to the road they had to make a left and then a right a bit after that to go to the field.
These were our instructions:
John: You both stand in the road and stop traffic. Don't let the cows get past you.
Me: Umm how do they know to make a right turn?
John: Because I told them to.
Okkaayyyyy.
These cows are black, massive, and beautiful. I was a bit scared of them but once they made it into the first field I had to run ahead of them to get to the gate where the bull was. I reached the gate (after running up and over a 4 hills- thank goodness for running training!) and all of the cows came running towards me. Once I opened the gate the bull came out and there was a bit of a cow stand off as they all started demonstrating signs of aggression to see who was the top cow. Stamping at the ground like they were going to charge, I was a wee bit nervous! John herded them into the corral and then they did this butt heads thing for a bit.
Me: Will they hurt each other?
John: Well it doesn't look like it feels good does it?
Sarcasm is abound here! They call it being "cheeky."
Even though the sarcasm is prevalent, I cannot say enough about how friendly everyone is. They all want to know where we are from, what we are doing on our holidays here, and are quick to offer help or directions when needed. I feel really welcomed everywhere I go. It is very refreshing!
Today we went to the Giants Causeway, it was awesome! John gave us a ride to the bus stop and we had an interesting conversation en route. It started with me asking him what kind of cows the white and black ones are that are down the road from them. He replied that they are (insert Irish sounding name here)'s cows and that they have to be brought in 2-3 times a day to be milked. I asked if they were organic and he replied " I don't think he knows how to spell organic." He then proceeded to tell us about the differing treatment between organic and non organic cows here, it is not as simple as putting them out to pasture. Apparently there is a medication that is widely prescribed by veterinarians that kills all parasites on non-organic cows and sheep. This medication is still active in the manure. Traditionally dung beetles distribute the manure around the grass on the farm to fertilize it. There is also a bird species that only eats dung beetles. When the animals are on this medication the dung beetle will not go near the manure and the dung beetle has been eradicated in large parts of Ireland. The bird population has suffered as well as a result of this.
It is so interesting to see first hand the cascade of events that occur when we resort to the cheapest and easiest fix. I have really had an eye opening experience here that is really helping me to appreciate the little things, from organic carrots to dung beetles.
On a lighter note the bus station was in a shopping center with two grocery stores.
Me: "Which grocery store should I go to John as I need toothpaste?"
John: "Well I would sooner cut off my ears than go to either of those grocery stores."
The bus ride up the coast to the Giant's Causeway was simply breathtaking. Amazing views of rocky beaches, water as far as your eyes could see and quaint villages interspersed here and there. In these villages I observed people going about their lives sitting on their porches or tending to their spray painted sheep (so you know which one is yours!) and it seems so idyllic.
Another eye opening point for me is that a lot of people do have complaints about their country in a similar way that I have about mine. When I would always think of Ireland before coming here it seemed so idyllic, and it still is, but it is also more real. I guess that nowhere is perfect, all you can do is try to find somewhere that feels like home with the understanding that it is the imperfections that help you to see the perfections. But I digress.
It was interesting to see a lot of Gaelic signs on our way up there, as there aren't really any in the area where we are staying. We also received a free bus ride up the coast which was pretty awesome. When the bus docked in the station to pick us up the driver got off and went to the restroom. Ten other people in front of us got on and we followed. We were never asked for money either!
When we reached the Causeway we missed the stop because they don't announce it and for some reason we were expecting this mass exodus to get off but only one person did. It was off to the town of Bushmills then!
We had a lovely lunch of vegetable soup, a greek salad, pot of tea, and garlic french fries. Yum! After lunch we toured the Bushmills Distillery. I cannot drink whiskey let alone smell it but the tour was quite interesting. At the end we got to sample some whiskey, we all took one sip and that was enough for us!
We then had an hour until the bus to the giant's Causeway so we wandered around the town and shopped a bit. We also enjoyed Banofee Roulade which might just be the sweetest thing I have ever eaten! I couldn't even finish it!
The Giant's Causeway was beautiful and sooooo windy as you will see from my pictures. The area consists of an estimated 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns, which were formed during a volcano eruption 60 million years ago.
See below for the legend surrounding the Giant's Causeway:
http://thenorthernirelandguide.co.uk/giants-causeway-and-legend-finn-mccool
Interestingly enough it was the first place we have seen American tourists We were only there briefly as we had to hop on the bus back to Laren where Laura picked us up.
It has been a great couple of days and I am looking forward to farmwork tomorrow and karaoke at the local pub tomorrow evening! Oh and we get a new WWoofer tomorrow who is a german guy so we will be bringing him along as well!
Signing off for now as I need to go to sleep but flickr is having difficulty uploading video so I may do it on facebook....
Yesterday began with feeding the animals. Alix graciously agreed to videotape me doing this so you could see the pigs screaming. Of course the one day I approach them with a video camera they were so far off in the field there was no screaming! Oh well. I took a couple of videos yesterday and am in the process of uploading them on Flickr.
After feeding the animals it was time to weed carrots. Carrots that are newly planted, thus the carrot stems are less than an inch tall so one has to be on their hands & knees basically with your face in the dirt to distinguish carrot tops from grass. According to John grass is one of the only things that grows plentifully here and boy does it grow! The weeds are easy to pull out of the ground because it is so moist, but it is really tedious and tests your sanity. I was SO looking forward to lunch break because my back, knees, and legs were screaming.
For lunch yesterday we had toast with eggs and everyone but me had smoked salmon on that. The eggs were a bit runny for my taste but I know this is a European thing. For dessert we had yogurt. The eggs here are really good, and if you go to my flickr you will see a video of me collecting eggs!
After lunch it was back to the carrots. At this point I was seriously cursing carrots. Erin got to clean out where the chicks are as they got 50 more today and needed somewhere to put them. Erin pointed out that some of the chicks (they have 10 that are about 4 weeks old) are developing irregularly to John and he replied "Yes, it looks like I am going to have to go bonk some of them on the head." Wow. I will not be there for that!
Alix and I were toiling over the carrots and the heavens responded by unleashing a torrential rain. We responded by running inside to get our raincoats (it was sunny!) and by the time we went back outside it had stopped. Thus we walked back to the field and it started raining again! We went into the newest polytunnel and began using a hoe to break up the earth to prepare it for planting. Of course it stopped raining! Back to carrots! As we were kneeling down a hare hopped across the field directly in front of us!
I called it a rabbit and John corrected me that it is a hare. He likes to correct me a lot. For example trash is not called trash here, it is called rubbish. I think that's rubbish! (:
As we were cursing and weeding we heard Erin call us from the stables, it was time to herd some cattle! Hooray! When John & Laura wean calves here they have to bring in the mother cows as they can get mastitis from the flies in the fields so once their milk dries up they can return to the field. The field where the cows were returned to (also seen on my flickr) is across the road so John, Laura, & Alix herded them out of the stables and down the driveway. John assigned the task of blocking the road and stopping traffic to Erin and I. Once the cows got to the road they had to make a left and then a right a bit after that to go to the field.
These were our instructions:
John: You both stand in the road and stop traffic. Don't let the cows get past you.
Me: Umm how do they know to make a right turn?
John: Because I told them to.
Okkaayyyyy.
These cows are black, massive, and beautiful. I was a bit scared of them but once they made it into the first field I had to run ahead of them to get to the gate where the bull was. I reached the gate (after running up and over a 4 hills- thank goodness for running training!) and all of the cows came running towards me. Once I opened the gate the bull came out and there was a bit of a cow stand off as they all started demonstrating signs of aggression to see who was the top cow. Stamping at the ground like they were going to charge, I was a wee bit nervous! John herded them into the corral and then they did this butt heads thing for a bit.
Me: Will they hurt each other?
John: Well it doesn't look like it feels good does it?
Sarcasm is abound here! They call it being "cheeky."
Even though the sarcasm is prevalent, I cannot say enough about how friendly everyone is. They all want to know where we are from, what we are doing on our holidays here, and are quick to offer help or directions when needed. I feel really welcomed everywhere I go. It is very refreshing!
Today we went to the Giants Causeway, it was awesome! John gave us a ride to the bus stop and we had an interesting conversation en route. It started with me asking him what kind of cows the white and black ones are that are down the road from them. He replied that they are (insert Irish sounding name here)'s cows and that they have to be brought in 2-3 times a day to be milked. I asked if they were organic and he replied " I don't think he knows how to spell organic." He then proceeded to tell us about the differing treatment between organic and non organic cows here, it is not as simple as putting them out to pasture. Apparently there is a medication that is widely prescribed by veterinarians that kills all parasites on non-organic cows and sheep. This medication is still active in the manure. Traditionally dung beetles distribute the manure around the grass on the farm to fertilize it. There is also a bird species that only eats dung beetles. When the animals are on this medication the dung beetle will not go near the manure and the dung beetle has been eradicated in large parts of Ireland. The bird population has suffered as well as a result of this.
It is so interesting to see first hand the cascade of events that occur when we resort to the cheapest and easiest fix. I have really had an eye opening experience here that is really helping me to appreciate the little things, from organic carrots to dung beetles.
On a lighter note the bus station was in a shopping center with two grocery stores.
Me: "Which grocery store should I go to John as I need toothpaste?"
John: "Well I would sooner cut off my ears than go to either of those grocery stores."
The bus ride up the coast to the Giant's Causeway was simply breathtaking. Amazing views of rocky beaches, water as far as your eyes could see and quaint villages interspersed here and there. In these villages I observed people going about their lives sitting on their porches or tending to their spray painted sheep (so you know which one is yours!) and it seems so idyllic.
Another eye opening point for me is that a lot of people do have complaints about their country in a similar way that I have about mine. When I would always think of Ireland before coming here it seemed so idyllic, and it still is, but it is also more real. I guess that nowhere is perfect, all you can do is try to find somewhere that feels like home with the understanding that it is the imperfections that help you to see the perfections. But I digress.
It was interesting to see a lot of Gaelic signs on our way up there, as there aren't really any in the area where we are staying. We also received a free bus ride up the coast which was pretty awesome. When the bus docked in the station to pick us up the driver got off and went to the restroom. Ten other people in front of us got on and we followed. We were never asked for money either!
When we reached the Causeway we missed the stop because they don't announce it and for some reason we were expecting this mass exodus to get off but only one person did. It was off to the town of Bushmills then!
We had a lovely lunch of vegetable soup, a greek salad, pot of tea, and garlic french fries. Yum! After lunch we toured the Bushmills Distillery. I cannot drink whiskey let alone smell it but the tour was quite interesting. At the end we got to sample some whiskey, we all took one sip and that was enough for us!
We then had an hour until the bus to the giant's Causeway so we wandered around the town and shopped a bit. We also enjoyed Banofee Roulade which might just be the sweetest thing I have ever eaten! I couldn't even finish it!
The Giant's Causeway was beautiful and sooooo windy as you will see from my pictures. The area consists of an estimated 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns, which were formed during a volcano eruption 60 million years ago.
See below for the legend surrounding the Giant's Causeway:
http://thenorthernirelandguide.co.uk/giants-causeway-and-legend-finn-mccool
Interestingly enough it was the first place we have seen American tourists We were only there briefly as we had to hop on the bus back to Laren where Laura picked us up.
It has been a great couple of days and I am looking forward to farmwork tomorrow and karaoke at the local pub tomorrow evening! Oh and we get a new WWoofer tomorrow who is a german guy so we will be bringing him along as well!
Signing off for now as I need to go to sleep but flickr is having difficulty uploading video so I may do it on facebook....
Thursday, July 15, 2010
From Polytunnels to "Grab a Granny"
This morning I woke up and was a wee bit tired from the goings on last night... but more on that later.
Every muscle on my body is sore. It is no wonder that the people that work on farms are in good shape, because it is tough work. I know a lot of you out there are probably thinking "Duh, this is what you signed up for" but I still think that point needs to be stated!
Yesterday began with feeding all of the animals, the screaming pigs really do a number on you mentally. It is this loud cacophonous roar as you approach the gate with all of them pushing against the gate and you just trying to push your way through them without letting any out to make it to the trough. I am hoping to catch it on video before I leave.
After feeding the animals we had to carry these 200 lb metal drying racks down to the fields. Erin and I carried them and it was a workout! The drying racks are to dry leeks, onions, and garlic. This work makes you seriously hungry so I was really looking forward to the 15 minute break at 10:30. At lunchtime we had a wonderful salad with vegetables from the garden, homemade bread & butter, and a lentil salad consisting of currants, lentils, & chives. It was so good! Dessert was yogurt.
After lunch it was pouring rain so we weeded the polytunnels. A polytunnel is like a large greenhouse in a semicircle shape. John & Laura have three here and they are growing beans, courgettes, lettuce, beets,and fennel in them. I have decided there are some serious spiders, slugs, and small scorpion/millipede things hiding in the polytunnels! After and hour or two the sun came out and I had to organize an area in front of the polytunnel where everything was strewn about. Items were huge logs, barb wire, hoses of various assortments, old seedlings that didn't make it, and random things like a coke bottle.
We were quite fatigued after the days work so we passed on riding bicycles to the nearest town with a store and called a cab. I needed to go to the store to get more warm clothes as I didn't bring enough. Literally all of my warm clothes are caked in mud and animal droppings so I picked up a couple of sweatshirts. When you see the pound sterling price it is almost a gut reaction to think "Wow that is cheap" until you do the conversion. (:
We wanted to find Irish food but the only restaurants in town were Indian and Chinese so we opted for Indian. It was quite good, then we decided to go to a pub for a pint. There was only one pub in town that had 2 people in it so the waitress told us to go about 3 miles out of town to another that was quite popular. This one had 6 people in it! The bartender was so nice and when we asked him to take our picture he invited us behind the bar to get our picture taken there! It was pretty fantastic. While we could only understand about every third word he said, he was so friendly. Everyone we have met so far is really friendly.
The cab driver had told us about another bar that had dancing last night and when he mentioned country music Alix's eyes lit up like it was Christmas. Thus it was off to the dance club!
Turns out it was "Grab a Granny" night. This means younger men go there to pick up on older women. It was certainly an experience! There was a surreal moment when they played "Country roads take me home, to the place I belong, West Virginia..." and everyone got out of their seats and ran to the dance floor. They were singing along with every word, arms in the air, and loving every minute of it. Then you have to two Americans who were sitting in a booth against the wall and not dancing at all! (:
The demographic of this nightclub was a lot of older women 50's and 60's dressed to the 9's in stilettos and dresses dancing like no tomorrow. All of the men were standing around tables watching them (until the aforementioned song came on!) It was quite a memorable evening and one I will not soon forget!
Signing off for now as time to get to some farmwork!
Every muscle on my body is sore. It is no wonder that the people that work on farms are in good shape, because it is tough work. I know a lot of you out there are probably thinking "Duh, this is what you signed up for" but I still think that point needs to be stated!
Yesterday began with feeding all of the animals, the screaming pigs really do a number on you mentally. It is this loud cacophonous roar as you approach the gate with all of them pushing against the gate and you just trying to push your way through them without letting any out to make it to the trough. I am hoping to catch it on video before I leave.
After feeding the animals we had to carry these 200 lb metal drying racks down to the fields. Erin and I carried them and it was a workout! The drying racks are to dry leeks, onions, and garlic. This work makes you seriously hungry so I was really looking forward to the 15 minute break at 10:30. At lunchtime we had a wonderful salad with vegetables from the garden, homemade bread & butter, and a lentil salad consisting of currants, lentils, & chives. It was so good! Dessert was yogurt.
After lunch it was pouring rain so we weeded the polytunnels. A polytunnel is like a large greenhouse in a semicircle shape. John & Laura have three here and they are growing beans, courgettes, lettuce, beets,and fennel in them. I have decided there are some serious spiders, slugs, and small scorpion/millipede things hiding in the polytunnels! After and hour or two the sun came out and I had to organize an area in front of the polytunnel where everything was strewn about. Items were huge logs, barb wire, hoses of various assortments, old seedlings that didn't make it, and random things like a coke bottle.
We were quite fatigued after the days work so we passed on riding bicycles to the nearest town with a store and called a cab. I needed to go to the store to get more warm clothes as I didn't bring enough. Literally all of my warm clothes are caked in mud and animal droppings so I picked up a couple of sweatshirts. When you see the pound sterling price it is almost a gut reaction to think "Wow that is cheap" until you do the conversion. (:
We wanted to find Irish food but the only restaurants in town were Indian and Chinese so we opted for Indian. It was quite good, then we decided to go to a pub for a pint. There was only one pub in town that had 2 people in it so the waitress told us to go about 3 miles out of town to another that was quite popular. This one had 6 people in it! The bartender was so nice and when we asked him to take our picture he invited us behind the bar to get our picture taken there! It was pretty fantastic. While we could only understand about every third word he said, he was so friendly. Everyone we have met so far is really friendly.
The cab driver had told us about another bar that had dancing last night and when he mentioned country music Alix's eyes lit up like it was Christmas. Thus it was off to the dance club!
Turns out it was "Grab a Granny" night. This means younger men go there to pick up on older women. It was certainly an experience! There was a surreal moment when they played "Country roads take me home, to the place I belong, West Virginia..." and everyone got out of their seats and ran to the dance floor. They were singing along with every word, arms in the air, and loving every minute of it. Then you have to two Americans who were sitting in a booth against the wall and not dancing at all! (:
The demographic of this nightclub was a lot of older women 50's and 60's dressed to the 9's in stilettos and dresses dancing like no tomorrow. All of the men were standing around tables watching them (until the aforementioned song came on!) It was quite a memorable evening and one I will not soon forget!
Signing off for now as time to get to some farmwork!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
First Day of Farmwork!
Last night ended with Alix, Erin, and I headed to the local pub to check out the Orange Day celebrations. As we were walking there (45 min walk!) we were worried about whether it was open as yesterday and today are national holidays. But all of us were too cheap to actually call them and ask, so upon entry into the town we were met with drums and bagpipes, oh yes the pub was open and packed!
We started off with Irish cider which is quite good and made new friends right off the bat. The pub is quite small, basically one room and people of all ages were there. Very interesting to see children in a bar, it was a family friendly atmosphere and everyone was in high spirits as most of them had been in the parade that day.
Alix & Erin had been to the pub last week so they knew the owners and we met a lot of other locals. We ended up spending the night talking with the local postman who filled us in on all the goings on. The locals were astounded that we would come all the way from America and France to volunteer on farms doing manual labor. It was quite funny because they were a bit inebriated and kept exclaiming "Are ya sure ya aren't getting paid?" When we replied "No" and laughed the postman said he could get us a job in the post office. (:
They then proceeded to convince me to try Guinness (I have never enjoyed it stateside) and I tried it with black currant liqueur, whoa it was sweet. After that I had a regular one and it was quite good! We only paid for two round all night, apparently when you are foreigners everyone wants to buy you a drink! Works for me!
It was really interesting with this packed pub (they are non smoking here , whew!) where everyone knows everyone. Once everyone had consumed a bit to drink they convinced a local guy into playing the bagpipes upon request. He played beautifully. After that it became pass the bagpipes around the men to let them all have a go. Beautiful music was abound, friendly people, and smiles were on everyone's faces.
We finally decided to leave at 1 a.m. but we could have definitely stayed longer except for farm duties at 9 a.m. Thank goodness the ONE cab was available in the area to come pick us up and give us a ride home!
This morning it was up and at em for farm duties! Alix was given the task of showing me how to feed the animals, they are so cute! First we fed the large male pig Ricardo who is on my flickr and SO cute. He has huge ears and they basically cover his eyes. He gets very excited about the food and it is a bit overwhelming as he is MASSIVE. He has huge tusks that curl out of his mouth as well.
Next we fed Trixie, the momma pig who has piglets that are white and black and just about the cutest things ever. I really wanted to pick them up and give them hugs and pet their little squiggly tails but Laura said that they would scream and then Trixie would take us down. Thus I just admired them from afar.
After that we fed 9 pigs that are across the road (Laura & John have 120 acres). These pigs scream so loud when you walk up to the fence and they are super excited about eating. So you have to push them aside to get in the corral without letting the pigs out, it is a bit of a feat. After the pigs we walked up to count the angus cattle to make sure that they didn't escape during the night. It is a bit of a hike up the hill to see them, but it is so beautiful. I felt like singing "The hills are alive... with the Sound of Music!" I resisted today but tomorrow might be a different story.
Post cattle count it was time to gather eggs from the hens and feed the chicks. I have decided that chickens are not the smartest animals. At 10:30 we had to clean the hen house after we let the hens out. The hens are outside during the day and go back inside during the evening because of foxes. Cleaning the hen house was quite simply the most disgusting job that I have ever done. The ammonia smell was so strong and feathers, wood shavings and poop were everywhere. We put the feathers/poop shavings on the raspberry bushed as mulch so now when I eat a raspberry I will not be able to get that thought out of my head!
After cleaning the hen house we brought straw to all of the pigs for their houses. Laura thinks that pigs are smarter than cows and chickens because they do not poop where they sleep. Not quite sure what the IQ quotient on that is.
Then it was time for weeding! We are on our hands & knees or standing bending at the hips. Alix and I weeded onions all day while Erin hoed leeks. This farm business is tough work, there is always something to do and not enough time to do it.
During the week we have lunch with Laura & John in their house. Their house is huge and was built in the early 19th century. Today on the menu was roasted bell pepper soup with homemade bread, it was so good. For dessert we had yogurt with plums & honey, YUM. Of course we had a cup of tea at the end and then it was back to more weeding.
Thank goodness for my Ipod as I would be so bored without it. Everyone listens to their Ipod when they are working, I alternate between listening to the sounds around me and listening to music. Alix and I are enjoying exchanging slang words in our respective languages and sharing stories of our lives as well which is quite enjoyable.
By the end of the day my fingers and arms were so sore that I could barely pull out weeds, some of the weeds were so big that they were taller than the onions!
Tonight we made homemade pizzas with ingredients from the organic store & the farm. Mine had tomato sauce, fresh basil, fresh zucchini, and fresh tomatoes with olives, artichokes, and feta. It was amazing.
There is such a sense of accomplishment with looking at a row of vegetables and knowing that you have helped to nurture these plants that feed us. When I was weeding if you get close enough to the onions you can smell them, and it is .a wonderful scent.
I am so exhausted but my heart is full and happy. I look forward to a full day tomorrow. The girls and I are going to Ballyclare which is 6 miles away after work to go shopping. We will be traveling via the bicycles that Laura & John have offered to us. I just hope it isn't raining. I am looking forward to shopping as I did not bring enough warm clothes. One polar fleece does not cut it!
We started off with Irish cider which is quite good and made new friends right off the bat. The pub is quite small, basically one room and people of all ages were there. Very interesting to see children in a bar, it was a family friendly atmosphere and everyone was in high spirits as most of them had been in the parade that day.
Alix & Erin had been to the pub last week so they knew the owners and we met a lot of other locals. We ended up spending the night talking with the local postman who filled us in on all the goings on. The locals were astounded that we would come all the way from America and France to volunteer on farms doing manual labor. It was quite funny because they were a bit inebriated and kept exclaiming "Are ya sure ya aren't getting paid?" When we replied "No" and laughed the postman said he could get us a job in the post office. (:
They then proceeded to convince me to try Guinness (I have never enjoyed it stateside) and I tried it with black currant liqueur, whoa it was sweet. After that I had a regular one and it was quite good! We only paid for two round all night, apparently when you are foreigners everyone wants to buy you a drink! Works for me!
It was really interesting with this packed pub (they are non smoking here , whew!) where everyone knows everyone. Once everyone had consumed a bit to drink they convinced a local guy into playing the bagpipes upon request. He played beautifully. After that it became pass the bagpipes around the men to let them all have a go. Beautiful music was abound, friendly people, and smiles were on everyone's faces.
We finally decided to leave at 1 a.m. but we could have definitely stayed longer except for farm duties at 9 a.m. Thank goodness the ONE cab was available in the area to come pick us up and give us a ride home!
This morning it was up and at em for farm duties! Alix was given the task of showing me how to feed the animals, they are so cute! First we fed the large male pig Ricardo who is on my flickr and SO cute. He has huge ears and they basically cover his eyes. He gets very excited about the food and it is a bit overwhelming as he is MASSIVE. He has huge tusks that curl out of his mouth as well.
Next we fed Trixie, the momma pig who has piglets that are white and black and just about the cutest things ever. I really wanted to pick them up and give them hugs and pet their little squiggly tails but Laura said that they would scream and then Trixie would take us down. Thus I just admired them from afar.
After that we fed 9 pigs that are across the road (Laura & John have 120 acres). These pigs scream so loud when you walk up to the fence and they are super excited about eating. So you have to push them aside to get in the corral without letting the pigs out, it is a bit of a feat. After the pigs we walked up to count the angus cattle to make sure that they didn't escape during the night. It is a bit of a hike up the hill to see them, but it is so beautiful. I felt like singing "The hills are alive... with the Sound of Music!" I resisted today but tomorrow might be a different story.
Post cattle count it was time to gather eggs from the hens and feed the chicks. I have decided that chickens are not the smartest animals. At 10:30 we had to clean the hen house after we let the hens out. The hens are outside during the day and go back inside during the evening because of foxes. Cleaning the hen house was quite simply the most disgusting job that I have ever done. The ammonia smell was so strong and feathers, wood shavings and poop were everywhere. We put the feathers/poop shavings on the raspberry bushed as mulch so now when I eat a raspberry I will not be able to get that thought out of my head!
After cleaning the hen house we brought straw to all of the pigs for their houses. Laura thinks that pigs are smarter than cows and chickens because they do not poop where they sleep. Not quite sure what the IQ quotient on that is.
Then it was time for weeding! We are on our hands & knees or standing bending at the hips. Alix and I weeded onions all day while Erin hoed leeks. This farm business is tough work, there is always something to do and not enough time to do it.
During the week we have lunch with Laura & John in their house. Their house is huge and was built in the early 19th century. Today on the menu was roasted bell pepper soup with homemade bread, it was so good. For dessert we had yogurt with plums & honey, YUM. Of course we had a cup of tea at the end and then it was back to more weeding.
Thank goodness for my Ipod as I would be so bored without it. Everyone listens to their Ipod when they are working, I alternate between listening to the sounds around me and listening to music. Alix and I are enjoying exchanging slang words in our respective languages and sharing stories of our lives as well which is quite enjoyable.
By the end of the day my fingers and arms were so sore that I could barely pull out weeds, some of the weeds were so big that they were taller than the onions!
Tonight we made homemade pizzas with ingredients from the organic store & the farm. Mine had tomato sauce, fresh basil, fresh zucchini, and fresh tomatoes with olives, artichokes, and feta. It was amazing.
There is such a sense of accomplishment with looking at a row of vegetables and knowing that you have helped to nurture these plants that feed us. When I was weeding if you get close enough to the onions you can smell them, and it is .a wonderful scent.
I am so exhausted but my heart is full and happy. I look forward to a full day tomorrow. The girls and I are going to Ballyclare which is 6 miles away after work to go shopping. We will be traveling via the bicycles that Laura & John have offered to us. I just hope it isn't raining. I am looking forward to shopping as I did not bring enough warm clothes. One polar fleece does not cut it!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Orange Day
Today was Orange Day and our host Laura was participating in the parade with her reenactment group so she brought Alex, Erin, and I along to watch the festivities. The big parade was in Antrim where all of the Orange party lodges march through the town with bands and congregate in a field. After everyone arrived in the field they had a Protestant service and plenty of food and it ended with everyone marching back. They did not allow alcohol because they were trying to keep it family friendly but some people most definitely snuck it in.
For those of you who want to know more about the Orange Party click here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Institution
As we were driving to the parade with horse in tow Laura told us about the violence that is usually associated with this day and about some of the history. She said currently teenagers on both sides (Catholic & Protestant) will text each other to meet up to throw rocks or other items at each other. When the police arrive both sides turn on the police. What a bad idea.
It was interesting to find out that most of the schools in Northern Ireland are segregated and there is a push to try to integrate them but only a small percentage are. We then got into a discussion on religion, it was interesting to hear her viewpoints on religion although I strongly disagree with them. She stated religion should be difficult that is why it is religion and that by it's nature it should be exclusionary and limit you from doing things. She thinks that all of these "new" religions where people can pick and choose what they believe in don't make sense. All of you will be impressed to know that I kept my mouth shut!
After arriving at the parade site we walked around the grounds of the castle of Antrim which was demolished in 1970 but still has beautiful gardens and a river alongside of it.
Then it was parade time! It was very interesting to hear all of the variations on english being spoken, for example when some of the people walked by and they would be talking to each other I would have no idea what they were saying! Alex was having a hard time too because her english is limited so we were having a good time trying to decipher what they were saying.
As the parade was starting and people were lining up I said to Alex & Erin "I bet people are going to litter all over the place at this parade."
As if by magic or just poor manners 3 minutes later a child was eating something that he didn't want next to us and his father told him to just drop it in the ground. I was aghast, but once again I kept my mouth shut! Not looking to get into a brawl while I am here. (:
The parade was very interesting, there were at least 50 lodges represented and each had their own bad from drum bands to flute bands to accordion bands! Laura was surprised to hear that we don't have marching accordion bands in the States. The bands were quite formidable with huge drums that you felt reverbrate through you as the passed by within arms reach.
After the parade when we gathered in the field and sought to find some lunch. I had fries because that was literally the only thing I could eat! I finished it up with doughnuts for dessert. I am sure I will burn it off on my first day of farmwork tomorrow as I am sore from the 3 hours of work yesterday! There were a lot of trucks that said "Ice" on them but apparently that refers to ice cream, not shaved or italian ices. Darn. Also I kept seeing signs that said "Bacon & Sausage Soda." I thought that sounded really gross until Erin informed me that soda stands for bread. haha
The crowd at the gathering was quite an interesting mix with Union Jacks abound. Some people even had it painted on their faces. There seemed to be a lot of young mothers and everyone smokes here! Tattoos are very prevalent as well. There was most definitely some interesting people watching.
Now we are back at the house and the girls are taking a wee nap before we head to the pub. Everyone here uses the word "wee" all the time so I am trying to incorporate it into my vocabulary. I had to explain to Alex what it meant and how Americans use it vs. the English. Today she taught me in french how to say "bless you" and the word for ladybugs. Also she knows french sign language so we have been comparing signs.
Look for the accompanying pics and video on Flickr!
For those of you who want to know more about the Orange Party click here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Institution
As we were driving to the parade with horse in tow Laura told us about the violence that is usually associated with this day and about some of the history. She said currently teenagers on both sides (Catholic & Protestant) will text each other to meet up to throw rocks or other items at each other. When the police arrive both sides turn on the police. What a bad idea.
It was interesting to find out that most of the schools in Northern Ireland are segregated and there is a push to try to integrate them but only a small percentage are. We then got into a discussion on religion, it was interesting to hear her viewpoints on religion although I strongly disagree with them. She stated religion should be difficult that is why it is religion and that by it's nature it should be exclusionary and limit you from doing things. She thinks that all of these "new" religions where people can pick and choose what they believe in don't make sense. All of you will be impressed to know that I kept my mouth shut!
After arriving at the parade site we walked around the grounds of the castle of Antrim which was demolished in 1970 but still has beautiful gardens and a river alongside of it.
Then it was parade time! It was very interesting to hear all of the variations on english being spoken, for example when some of the people walked by and they would be talking to each other I would have no idea what they were saying! Alex was having a hard time too because her english is limited so we were having a good time trying to decipher what they were saying.
As the parade was starting and people were lining up I said to Alex & Erin "I bet people are going to litter all over the place at this parade."
As if by magic or just poor manners 3 minutes later a child was eating something that he didn't want next to us and his father told him to just drop it in the ground. I was aghast, but once again I kept my mouth shut! Not looking to get into a brawl while I am here. (:
The parade was very interesting, there were at least 50 lodges represented and each had their own bad from drum bands to flute bands to accordion bands! Laura was surprised to hear that we don't have marching accordion bands in the States. The bands were quite formidable with huge drums that you felt reverbrate through you as the passed by within arms reach.
After the parade when we gathered in the field and sought to find some lunch. I had fries because that was literally the only thing I could eat! I finished it up with doughnuts for dessert. I am sure I will burn it off on my first day of farmwork tomorrow as I am sore from the 3 hours of work yesterday! There were a lot of trucks that said "Ice" on them but apparently that refers to ice cream, not shaved or italian ices. Darn. Also I kept seeing signs that said "Bacon & Sausage Soda." I thought that sounded really gross until Erin informed me that soda stands for bread. haha
The crowd at the gathering was quite an interesting mix with Union Jacks abound. Some people even had it painted on their faces. There seemed to be a lot of young mothers and everyone smokes here! Tattoos are very prevalent as well. There was most definitely some interesting people watching.
Now we are back at the house and the girls are taking a wee nap before we head to the pub. Everyone here uses the word "wee" all the time so I am trying to incorporate it into my vocabulary. I had to explain to Alex what it meant and how Americans use it vs. the English. Today she taught me in french how to say "bless you" and the word for ladybugs. Also she knows french sign language so we have been comparing signs.
Look for the accompanying pics and video on Flickr!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I made it!
After a tearful farewell to Rufus and Olive Grammy dropped me off at LAX for my adventure. I was quite nervous to put my backpack on the scale... but it weighed in at 47 pounds! Whew.
I had a non-eventful flight to Atlanta and then spent 45 minutes wandering around Atlanta trying to find something to eat that wasn't meat filled or fried. I sat down in a restaurant and ordered and waited for my greek salad. I kept looking at my watch and thinking I had plenty of time because Atlanta was two hours ahead of LA... riiigghhhttt. Until I looked up at the television and realized it was time to board! After a mad dash to the gate I boarded just in time and sat next to a lovely woman from Texas. The flight went well but I had 1 hour of sleep because I was so excited!
Got off the plane and waited in line for customs. I don't know why but customs always makes me super nervous! The customs agent was super cute though.
After picking up my ginormous bag it was off to try to locate the bus to Belfast. They speak so fast here I couldn't understand a word they said and had to ask both of the gentlemen giving me directions to repeat themselves.
Made it on the bus, it was a nice short ride (2 hours) but of course I couldn't go to sleep because it is so jaw droppingly beautiful here! Didn't even notice when we entered Northern Ireland until I started seeing the United Kingdom Flag everywhere. Then I was dropped off in Belfast and waited for John to come pick me up.
My first volunteer experience is on an organic farm in Northern Ireland.
John picked me up (I was sooooo nervous) and informed me we had to make a stop to check on his cattle on the way home. I promptly tried to get in the car on the right passenger side. HAHA
It is so strange to be in a car driving on the left side of the road!
We went to check on his cattle that are grazing at his brothers house. Brothers house=small castle. I was in awe.
Then it was off to the farm! The farm is north of Belfast by about 20 minutes. It is so pretty here.
John is quite a character and was quick to ask if I was Mormon after finding out that Dad & B live in Utah. (: He then told me all about the holiday tomorrow, Orange Day. He then asked what my background was to see where my loyalties lie. He was fine with me being anything but a mormon. Apparently the LDS church tried to buy his parents house in order to build a church there. His parents refused to sell to them and then sold to another couple. Who promptly sold it to the LDS church. There would be the origination of the dislike.
Laura; his wife is very nice, she is active in historical reenactments and will be participating in the parades tomorrow on her horse with full costume! No she is not a member of the Orange Party. The other WWoofers and I get to go to the parades which apparently can get a bit rocky as John puts it "There are a bunch of music bands with young men with too much anti-pope machismo." So this will most definitely be an experience.
Along our ride home John asked me about my farm and vegetable experience. That was a short conversation. (:
The other WWoofers and I are staying in a two bedroom apartment over their shop. All of our food is provided by their shop which has a large selection of organic goods and we are allowed to take anything to make up our meals! I am soooo looking forward to cooking amazing meals!
After sharing lunch with the other WWoofers Laura offered me to nap but I declined and said I would like to get out to work ASAP! It was off to weeding leeks! Wow I was one with the dirt. It was so peaceful though, just the sounds of birds chirping, leaves rustling, and the smell of freshly dug dirt. It made my heart happy.
The other WWoofers are Erin who is a middle school guidance counselor from Ft Lauderdale and Alex who is an archaeologist from Lyons, France. Alex is helping me with my french and I am helping her with her english! Both of the women are really nice and I think this is going to be a wonderful time.
As I was chatting with Alex who has never been to the states I asked her wher she wanted to go see when she came to the U.S. Her reply??? ALABAMA!!! I told her it was an armpit and then I had to explain what that meant. She said she would like to visit there because of Forrest Gump. I couldn't help but smile.
We are about to go for a walk, the nearest village is Straid which is about a 10 minute walk and all that is there are houses and a store. The nearest pub is in Ballynure which is a 40 minute walk. That is definitely on the agenda for later in the week!
Well hope everyone isn't too bored at this point of all of my minutae, but needless to say I am loving Ireland so far! And I am going on 24 hours with no sleep, local time here is 5:00 so I am anticipating an early bedtime tonight!
Hope all is well with everyone and miss you all!
I had a non-eventful flight to Atlanta and then spent 45 minutes wandering around Atlanta trying to find something to eat that wasn't meat filled or fried. I sat down in a restaurant and ordered and waited for my greek salad. I kept looking at my watch and thinking I had plenty of time because Atlanta was two hours ahead of LA... riiigghhhttt. Until I looked up at the television and realized it was time to board! After a mad dash to the gate I boarded just in time and sat next to a lovely woman from Texas. The flight went well but I had 1 hour of sleep because I was so excited!
Got off the plane and waited in line for customs. I don't know why but customs always makes me super nervous! The customs agent was super cute though.
After picking up my ginormous bag it was off to try to locate the bus to Belfast. They speak so fast here I couldn't understand a word they said and had to ask both of the gentlemen giving me directions to repeat themselves.
Made it on the bus, it was a nice short ride (2 hours) but of course I couldn't go to sleep because it is so jaw droppingly beautiful here! Didn't even notice when we entered Northern Ireland until I started seeing the United Kingdom Flag everywhere. Then I was dropped off in Belfast and waited for John to come pick me up.
My first volunteer experience is on an organic farm in Northern Ireland.
John picked me up (I was sooooo nervous) and informed me we had to make a stop to check on his cattle on the way home. I promptly tried to get in the car on the right passenger side. HAHA
It is so strange to be in a car driving on the left side of the road!
We went to check on his cattle that are grazing at his brothers house. Brothers house=small castle. I was in awe.
Then it was off to the farm! The farm is north of Belfast by about 20 minutes. It is so pretty here.
John is quite a character and was quick to ask if I was Mormon after finding out that Dad & B live in Utah. (: He then told me all about the holiday tomorrow, Orange Day. He then asked what my background was to see where my loyalties lie. He was fine with me being anything but a mormon. Apparently the LDS church tried to buy his parents house in order to build a church there. His parents refused to sell to them and then sold to another couple. Who promptly sold it to the LDS church. There would be the origination of the dislike.
Laura; his wife is very nice, she is active in historical reenactments and will be participating in the parades tomorrow on her horse with full costume! No she is not a member of the Orange Party. The other WWoofers and I get to go to the parades which apparently can get a bit rocky as John puts it "There are a bunch of music bands with young men with too much anti-pope machismo." So this will most definitely be an experience.
Along our ride home John asked me about my farm and vegetable experience. That was a short conversation. (:
The other WWoofers and I are staying in a two bedroom apartment over their shop. All of our food is provided by their shop which has a large selection of organic goods and we are allowed to take anything to make up our meals! I am soooo looking forward to cooking amazing meals!
After sharing lunch with the other WWoofers Laura offered me to nap but I declined and said I would like to get out to work ASAP! It was off to weeding leeks! Wow I was one with the dirt. It was so peaceful though, just the sounds of birds chirping, leaves rustling, and the smell of freshly dug dirt. It made my heart happy.
The other WWoofers are Erin who is a middle school guidance counselor from Ft Lauderdale and Alex who is an archaeologist from Lyons, France. Alex is helping me with my french and I am helping her with her english! Both of the women are really nice and I think this is going to be a wonderful time.
As I was chatting with Alex who has never been to the states I asked her wher she wanted to go see when she came to the U.S. Her reply??? ALABAMA!!! I told her it was an armpit and then I had to explain what that meant. She said she would like to visit there because of Forrest Gump. I couldn't help but smile.
We are about to go for a walk, the nearest village is Straid which is about a 10 minute walk and all that is there are houses and a store. The nearest pub is in Ballynure which is a 40 minute walk. That is definitely on the agenda for later in the week!
Well hope everyone isn't too bored at this point of all of my minutae, but needless to say I am loving Ireland so far! And I am going on 24 hours with no sleep, local time here is 5:00 so I am anticipating an early bedtime tonight!
Hope all is well with everyone and miss you all!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
To WWoof or not to WWoof?
Welcome to my first blog post about my travel adventures. I have been planning this trip for 10 months now and it has evolved from my preliminary ideas. With working for the school system I have the luxury of having the summer off, and have always had a love of traveling and a desire to do more. One of my other loves in life is volunteering and I really wanted to do a bit of that on my trip. Originally I was going to volunteer in Romania at an orphanage... well that cost $3000 for 3 weeks. A bit pricey in my mind. Back to Google.
I set out to plan this trip with the eventual goal of ending up in Provence to help Dad & Bonnie celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary along with 20 friends and family. I spent a lot of time trying to find organizations to volunteer for and applied at several. From a camp for adults with spina bifida to a childrens cancer camp, to a lighthouse in Northern Ireland cataloging birds. Apparently I am not the only person that loves to volunteer and they were all full.
Then I happened upon the term WWoof. Not just a noise that Rufus and Olive make when defending their homestead! The more I read about it the more it interested me. I have never spent time on a farm, but I do love a farmers market and I do love pushing my boundaries to go outside of my comfort zone. WWoofing certainly is that!
The link above is a video about WWoofing that I found to be really inspiring. Thus I am WWoofing on 3 farms in Ireland. After WWoofing I will be spending some time traveling around Ireland and then travel to France. This is a long trip, 65 days to be exact and I am not quite sure what I have gotten myself into, but I look forward to the experience of learning about new things and getting to know myself and others more in the process.
I have 2 days before I leave and am spending as much time with my pups as possible because I am going to miss them dearly. Also Grammy's 75th birthday is tomorrow so I will be helping her celebrate in style!
I hope you enjoy this blog and reading about my travels and will try to keep exclamation points to a minimum. Try being the key word.
I set out to plan this trip with the eventual goal of ending up in Provence to help Dad & Bonnie celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary along with 20 friends and family. I spent a lot of time trying to find organizations to volunteer for and applied at several. From a camp for adults with spina bifida to a childrens cancer camp, to a lighthouse in Northern Ireland cataloging birds. Apparently I am not the only person that loves to volunteer and they were all full.
Then I happened upon the term WWoof. Not just a noise that Rufus and Olive make when defending their homestead! The more I read about it the more it interested me. I have never spent time on a farm, but I do love a farmers market and I do love pushing my boundaries to go outside of my comfort zone. WWoofing certainly is that!
WWOOF: The Movie Trailer from Ashley Terry on Vimeo.
The link above is a video about WWoofing that I found to be really inspiring. Thus I am WWoofing on 3 farms in Ireland. After WWoofing I will be spending some time traveling around Ireland and then travel to France. This is a long trip, 65 days to be exact and I am not quite sure what I have gotten myself into, but I look forward to the experience of learning about new things and getting to know myself and others more in the process.
I have 2 days before I leave and am spending as much time with my pups as possible because I am going to miss them dearly. Also Grammy's 75th birthday is tomorrow so I will be helping her celebrate in style!
I hope you enjoy this blog and reading about my travels and will try to keep exclamation points to a minimum. Try being the key word.
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