Country Roads

Hola!  Or should I say, Hallo!  I know you've all been waiting with baited breath, so here it is, a post actually up to date on my travels!  For the past week and a half, I've been working on a agritourism farm in Mallorca, a small island off the east coast of Spain.   The island is a hot spot for European vacationers, offering beautiful beaches and warm weather well into the fall season.  Most guests come to this particular location to ride the horses.  Along with the 11 horses, there are 2 donkeys, 2 pigs, 1 goat, 2 geese, 6 cats, and too many chickens to count.  The owner, Bernd, is German and he's owned the farm for six years now. He used to be a regional manager for a telecommunications company and just got sick of his job, so decided to try something completely different. He lives here with his girlfriend, Claudia, and her two children, Tina, 7 years old, and Luca, 2.5 years old.  All the guests that have been here thus far have also been from Germany and I get the feeling that everyone who stays here is from Germany.  The place has a really homey feel about it and the relationship between Bernd and all the guests is very casual and friendly.  We all eat dinner together (the guests, me and Bernd's family) which is a nice touch to the place.  They converse in German so I just sit, look from speaker to speaker, and smile. Most of the adults who stay here speak English pretty well and try to engage and include me in conversations, but it's just not the same.   This past week and a half, I've probably spoken less than I have in any given day back home.  It's actually a nice change, just to listen without obligation to contribute to any of the conversation.  Maybe I'll try that when I get home. (but I wouldn't count on it)  I was hoping to practice my Spanish during my stay here, but instead I'm learning a bit of German, unexpected, but good all the same.  Also,  it turns out the people on the island speak a dialect called Mallorquinl, so my Spanish knowledge is kinda a moot point here.  
     As far as my daily routine goes, I'm pretty much in charge of anything that has to do with the horses.  I feed them every morning at 8, afternoon at 1, and evening at 6:30.  I also clean out the stable and the corrals when need be, which is definitely not the most glamorous job.  Part of my job description is also to exercise a few horses every day, but because of my supreme lack of experience on a horse, Bernd has arranged for me to have riding lessons every other day.  They've been going really well and I think I'll be able to actually ride the horses on my own by the end of the month.  I really enjoy my lessons because it gives me a long term goal while I'm here and I love my trainer, Steph!    She's also from Germany and she's just absolutely fabulous with a great sense of humor and flawless English!   The lessons on top of all the other work has been a little rough on my body, but I'm really enjoying the change of pace from the domestic tasks I've been doing thus far on my trip.  I was sore the first week, but now I think my muscles are getting used to it and never have I enjoyed a shower and hot dinner as much as I do here. I felt like a true farmer today when I discovered calluses along my palms from the pitch fork handle.  Just call me farmer Katie. 
     Since I've arrived, a woman named Eva has been staying here as a guest with her four children.  She's a yoga instructor and was leading yoga sessions last week, but now is just enjoying time with her kids.  Last weekend, she took me with her family to the market in Campos, the nearest town, and a gorgeous beach the next day.  I went with her today to another beach and she admitted to me that she likes me going with her because that means her kids will come too.  She said I was the "pied piper" for her children.  Her kids seem absolutely infatuated with me, which is such an unusual phenomena.  It must be my exotic nature as an American and everything.  The oldest kid speaks decent enough English and him and his sister, 10, are on me like a cheap suit when I'm feeding the horses.  They LOVE helping me do ANYTHING and are CONSTANTLY asking me what work there is to do next.  It was nice for, like, a day, after which, it drove me nuts.  I like to do everything in a very certain, specific way (the right way) and having a 10 and 12 year old trying to help put me a little over the edge.  But like everything else on this trip, I've just had to make a few adjustments with my attitude, lighten up a bit, and let go of the things I can not control.  Low and behold, I'm actually starting to enjoy their company.  The younger kids pretty much play amongst themselves, but occasionally, they'll tag along with me on my chores, which I really just can't handle.  My personality just can't stretch that far.  It's  a good thing that 5 minutes into any given task, one of them has made the other cry and they are running to mama to clean up the pieces.  They really are cute kids, but it's a whole "too many cooks in the kitchen" scenario (too many children cooks who don't know what they're doing and don't speak the same language as the head chef).   But I must say, one of the top experiences I've had in Europe I shared with Eva's family.  Her husband was here when I first arrived and one night, we all decided to play "singstar" on their playstation.  First on the line up was "Country Roads", a song I'd never heard but was one of their favorites.  I was absolutely destroyed in karaoke by everyone there (all Germans).  It was more embarrassing that the song was in MY first language and about MY country and more specifically, MY regional culture.  I was an embarrassment to the south and I am still ashamed.    I got a little redemption singing Abba and then came the hightlight of the evening:  Eva and her husband singing "Cotton Eye Joe".  Enough said.  It was absolutely one of the most entertaining moments in my life. It was obvious they had heard this song maybe once and I don't think even native English speakers know the words.  It was definitely a great end to a great night.
       All in all, this is a great place to be with friendly people and interesting work.  I did, however, have a bad bout of homesickness the past three days.  I really miss people my age. Who speak fluent English.  I miss Chapel Hill and my friends.  I miss my family and our birthday celebrations.  I miss college football and tailgating. I miss my Max.  I miss college.  I miss home.  I miss a lot of things, and just today I realized that as long as I keep busy and reach out to other people, I'll be ok.  I've definitely learned to embrace the company I'm given, whether that's a 12 year old boy flinging a sythe around like it's a plastic chew toy, or a yoga instructor telling me about the healing power of prayer and meditation. I think this place is really opening my eyes to a different culture and also teaching me to live day by day.  There aren't any looming projects or deadlines, just the troughs that need to be filled and stables that need to be cleaned. I'm also learning things don't always need to get done the "perfect" way.  Just being done is sometimes good enough.  I've always had a hard time distinguishing which tasks deserve my precision and time and those that don't.  Having children "help" you in any work  is an expedient way of determining which category the work falls into.  The life is simple, the people are happy and life is good here.  Sure I miss home, but that's a good thing.  I feel lucky that I miss my life back home so much.  It would worry me if at this point, I wasn't missing good ole' North Carolina.  Ok, I think I'm done being sappy and sentimental.  I will try and be more diligent with my blog posts in the future, but I can't promise any exciting updates while I'm here.  Thank you all for being so great and patient with my blog and hope to talk to you soon!  Emails and skype chats are always appreciated!

Auf Wiedersehen!