oi

well, I'm still alive. That's good. I'm writing from Cork City right now, where Mark (the wwoof host) has a gig tonight playing salsa music at a hotel. The ride in was absolutely HARROWING!!! I've seriously never been in such a fast, unsafe situation in my life and I prey that I get back to the farm alive tonight, and will not leave again unless on my own two feet or on bicycle wheels. Seriously, I wanted to scream at him the whole way in. OI VEY.
Anyhow, farm life is... well... It's hard to think of the right word.... I'm at least getting used to the abuse. For the last week I have done 21 hours of weeding and 14 hours of turning hay out in a field. THANK GOD for my new friend Denise, who makes it entirely liveable for the fact that we can complain to one another and make up ridiculous stories about what we could do for pay back once we leave. Our best idea yet is to save every slug or snail we see in a jar until the end of the month (giving them food to stay alive, of course) and then setting them all free in the greenhouse the day we leave to have their way with the food inside. The other idea is to set the goat free on their flower garden. That would be equally delicious payback. We've renamed Mark "vassa kopf" (water head) because there's not much upstairs besides hot air and a bit of water, and we've named Debbie "the tiger". We have good laughs coming up with stories of the adventures of "Vassa Kopf and The Tiger" while we're working. So.... things are ok I suppose. I know that I'll look back at this experience and laugh a lot. Meanwhile, my face is completely sunburned and I have really pronounced farmer tan lines on my wrists from my work gloves and my arms from my t-shirt. Oh well, I guess. My blisters are also pretty impressive. At the end of the day I pour myself a glass of wine (which I brought from town last weekend... a bit of luxury amidst the pain and isolation) and cross one more day off my countdown calendar. I'm looking forward to being done but at least I have a friend now, and stronger muscles, and the prospect of brighter things in the future. At least it's not raining (famous last words....)