Not many people outside of Wales consider it a country separate from England. I can assure you nothing about my time in Wales reminded me of England. Well, except Alex... And the drinking... And the rain... Maybe I should talk about everything that is different in Welsh territory... Excellent suggestion people, I'm glad somebody out there has a good idea. I somehow always like to talk about the people I meet. Though that was a big part of my stay, the time I spent there was to slow myself down. Since beginning my trip in Europe, pretty much everything has been go go go. The four months that I've been on this side of the Atlantic, only about a week was relaxed. Think of those vacations you take and when you return, you need another vacation. Now multiply by 16 because they are usually only a week long!! Yea, you heard me... My job is tiring! So, what does someone do for vacation that is on an indefinite holiday? Good question, I volunteered for a month doing something that required little thinking and allowed me to work a daily routine. In essence, when you take a holiday from traveling it's to get a job. Weird, I know... To be fair, what I was doing shouldn't really be called work.
Job Title: Day Laborer
Job Definiton: Do what the boss says and have a beer at the end of the day (or in the middle of it)
Job Pay: Room and Board
Job Benefits: Holiday recovery, Meet locals, Learn something new
I must have shown up at the perfect time. The first couple days were doing hedging and clearing for the... Let me take a step back. The place I'm offering my assistance is a sustainable living village called Lammas (www.lammasproject.org). In brief, they were given a grant by the Welsh assembly to create Eco-homes in order to determine building regulations for the future and whether it is financially viable for communities. Though, everyone I met in the village had their own reason usually related in some fashion to wanting a connection to where they lived that wasn't through a banker. Okay, so back to the tasks... Clearing bushes and weeds and stuff. The type of work most people complain about because it makes their back hurt or they feel unproductive; it was just what I needed. Over the remainder of my time, we pounded stone, shoveled dirt, drank beer, sifted soil for stone, mixed limecrete, and filled earth bags amongst other tasks. All excellent endeavors for clearing my head. You're probably still wondering why I would say it must have been the right time. Well, because work had begun once again on the house; I was able to visually see the fruits of my labor whereas most volunteers contribute but never see any of the progress. Seeing the transition of the foundation from when I arrived to when I left was unbelievable. A mantra of slow and steady, much like a turtle, made the daily progression unnoticeable until you took a step back. Continuously, we need to be reminded that life is passing us by and we're missing it; please, stop and take notice and realize that you don't need fast cars, power suits, and 3 different ways to connect to the Internet in the off chance 2 fail.
The best part was the family hosting me; the food might give them a run for the money, but I'd like to think of it as part of the family :). They became part of my family (and me theirs) very quickly. When I first arrived, the kids were shy and scared of the new guy, but within a couple days it was as if I'd been there for their entire lives. In the course of a month, when you spend day in and day out with the same people a type of bond is created. If you're lucky you see it while you're there and can cherish the time that much more. At times I was their babysitter, teacher, or simply just a buddy to hang out with. The best was when I became the student (or even the babysittee...)! Don't ever underestimate the power of a child to share something you don't know; they're sponges man and all you have to do is squeeze a little for them to share their world. I went out to Wales to visit Alex, and we had a blast, but I never expected to take so many other relationships with me.
Photo Album
Job Title: Day Laborer
Job Definiton: Do what the boss says and have a beer at the end of the day (or in the middle of it)
Job Pay: Room and Board
Job Benefits: Holiday recovery, Meet locals, Learn something new
I must have shown up at the perfect time. The first couple days were doing hedging and clearing for the... Let me take a step back. The place I'm offering my assistance is a sustainable living village called Lammas (www.lammasproject.org). In brief, they were given a grant by the Welsh assembly to create Eco-homes in order to determine building regulations for the future and whether it is financially viable for communities. Though, everyone I met in the village had their own reason usually related in some fashion to wanting a connection to where they lived that wasn't through a banker. Okay, so back to the tasks... Clearing bushes and weeds and stuff. The type of work most people complain about because it makes their back hurt or they feel unproductive; it was just what I needed. Over the remainder of my time, we pounded stone, shoveled dirt, drank beer, sifted soil for stone, mixed limecrete, and filled earth bags amongst other tasks. All excellent endeavors for clearing my head. You're probably still wondering why I would say it must have been the right time. Well, because work had begun once again on the house; I was able to visually see the fruits of my labor whereas most volunteers contribute but never see any of the progress. Seeing the transition of the foundation from when I arrived to when I left was unbelievable. A mantra of slow and steady, much like a turtle, made the daily progression unnoticeable until you took a step back. Continuously, we need to be reminded that life is passing us by and we're missing it; please, stop and take notice and realize that you don't need fast cars, power suits, and 3 different ways to connect to the Internet in the off chance 2 fail.
The best part was the family hosting me; the food might give them a run for the money, but I'd like to think of it as part of the family :). They became part of my family (and me theirs) very quickly. When I first arrived, the kids were shy and scared of the new guy, but within a couple days it was as if I'd been there for their entire lives. In the course of a month, when you spend day in and day out with the same people a type of bond is created. If you're lucky you see it while you're there and can cherish the time that much more. At times I was their babysitter, teacher, or simply just a buddy to hang out with. The best was when I became the student (or even the babysittee...)! Don't ever underestimate the power of a child to share something you don't know; they're sponges man and all you have to do is squeeze a little for them to share their world. I went out to Wales to visit Alex, and we had a blast, but I never expected to take so many other relationships with me.
Photo Album
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