"Everywhere I am is just another thing without you in it"

An excerpt from an email from JB. I miss you!!

Today I went on an epic bike ride, found the Trans Canada (aka the highway) and biked alongside semi-trucks and discovered a TOWN with a gas station/ grocery store/ video rental/livestock feed store called Laughing Llama that sells international calling cards AND has a payphone with lots of fun people to watch. Score.

Friends - stop being so scared of random numbers .... geeeeze.

"My woof life is dead here."

When Hye-Yeon sputtered out these words to me a tear came to my eye. Apparently she is off to Victoria tomorrow to work at a hostel for the rest of the summer. Then Paul ran up to me and told me he completed his “rock garden” and he is leaving on Tuesday. That means it will be me and Bettina. I tested the waters and called her Betty and she did not like that. Humph.

Anyways, on a happier note I completed 8 hours of harvesting lavender today and even though my back and legs are pretty sore it was a great day. I worked with Alison's (one of the farm owners) 13 year old son. I’m used to crazy, angry, loud, funny, ghetto, in YO face teenagers. When I talked to Trevor I got the sensation of slowly settling to the bottom of the ocean. He is the most boring child I have ever met. Regardless of the company, I know when I start working again I will stare out my window/ at the wall of my cubicle and remember today. The weather was perfect, the surroundings were gorgeous and my iPod provided an excellent soundtrack. Today was one of those days I never wanted to end…

Sunday Funday

It's about 9:45 Sunday night and I have entertained myself by letting Weird Paul read my palm AND my horoscope. I learned all about the planets that are rotating around me - I always knew I was the center of the universe. WP biked 45 minutes to another village to their public library and photocopied a book about "geometry and the beginning of the world." Somehow on his bike back he got all the sheets out of order and was very distressed so I put them in order and tied them together like a little book with yarn. He is very pleased.
Now I think I'm going to find Hye-Yeon and re-teach her English. She started being a little argumentative when I told her "is" and "be" can be synonyms. Maybe I'll give her the night off and I'll play my hermonica (where Bettina can't hear it) instead.

Day 1 - DONE.

I've just completed my first day of farming here at Dalami Lavender farm in Mill Bay. When I woke up at 8:00 I was whisked away to the harbor where I helped Dave (one of the farm owners) bring in his shrimp pots. I was taken aback when he told me to rip off the live shrimp's head to use as bait for the crab pots. They were squirmy little buggers but I tried to be as professional and compassionate as one can be when killing a helpless animal that was just innocently looking for food on the bottom of the ocean. I think I did a good job. Then I weeded for an hour and I washed lavender for about 2 hours (all you do is sift through lavender and take out any stems or debris that gotten mixed in with the buds). And lastly, I harvested St. John Wort and learned a big lesson. Apparently, if your skin gets in contact with St John Wort and you are in the sun there is some sort or reaction and your skin blisters and bleeds. Hye-Yeon learned this the hard way. Speaking of Hye-Yeon, let me tell you about her because I feel as if she and I have a lot of potential.
There are three other woofers here, Paul from Victoria (he's 38 and I would describe him as an odd duck), Bittina from Germany (she's mean) and Hye-Yeon from Korea. So far I've taken a liking to Hye-Yeon because she laughs at everything I say and her English is very poor so I think she gets ignored a lot. Thus, I have decided to "takeitupon MYself" and create a language that only we will understand. I'm not sure what I am going to call this language but it will be a mixture of made up words that rhyme and ghetto slang that I learned this year from my students. I want to wake up one morning and hear Hye-Yeon say, "Yo farmer Dave! Where be dat gizzle-rizzle?!" Translation: "Excuse me Dave but where is the shovel?"

So Far I Have ....

Been face to face with a woolly mammoth, seen Darth Vader fiddle, watched a mime yell at a girl (are they allowed to talk?!), eaten at Pike Pier, gave all my cash to a homeless guy who neeeeeeeded a beer, drank the best beer I've ever had (thank you Victoria Brewery), learned how to line dance, toured a castle, practiced my Spanish (rough translation: "Hello. My name is Amy. I like your pants."), saw a killer whale, rode a ferry, enjoyed the razzle-dazzle of the Fairmont Empress and watched people watching people.

I have learned: Darth Vader smokes and texts on his time "off", bras hanging from the ceiling of a bar is a cheaper than hiring an interior designer, how to DJ at the Music Experience Project, my health insurance works in Canada, the Space Needle is a waste of $$, there is a major difference between chirping and tweeting when it comes to crossing streets and how to properly sip English tea in a tearoom.

WOOFing

My dear Mom and Dad I know I set off a big ol' alarm
When I told you this summer I'm off to Canada to farm.

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I worked 9 grueling months in the inner-city

And now I want to see something pretty.

But, "WWOOFing!!!" you screamed - "What in the world is that?!"
"Weeding and camping, is this something you can excel at?!"

Hosts of farmers and volunteers created this world organization
Everything is organic, so rents don't worry about me having constipation

I'll get food and will meet interesting neighbors
All for the cheap price of manual labor.

For 8 weeks I'll be working at farms near Galiano Bay
I wonder if I'm allowed to use DEET spray....?

Now, Ma and Pa, I realize you think this whole idea is strange
Because you know deep down I don't care if my chicken is free range.

Okay, okay, I'll admit it - I am beginning to feel a bit of anticipation
What if they find out I'm an organic phony and just wanted a cheap vacation?!

I guess I'd head south to CA and stay with Hogan
Where I could work on some advertising slogans.

Mom, Dad - perhaps you'd feel better if this summer gig sounded more portentous....
Just tell people in town that I'm becoming a Farmer's Apprentice!