new friends

I was welcomed into this new household by a host of nationalities and experiences. The woman who owns the home and land, my wwoofing host, Marie Louise, is Sweedish. Also is Tuve, another wwoofer. A German family lives in the connected house, which is rented, and there is also a Canadian wwoofer. It seems Siri, Marie Louise's daughter, the child in the below pictures, took to Tuve right away as they speak Sweedish. Making friends has been easy so far. There must be something in the air. Or maybe the soil, as the locals attribute the island's energy to the volcano on which we are living. 

La Palma

I stepped off the plane Thursday wearing thermal boots and a backpack full of wool socks and three different types of jackets. While the weather in Ireland was looking up, the cold, damp and grey climate could chill you to shivers easily. A sea of green palm and banana trees waved to me as I made my way from the plane to the terminal. My first item of business in Spain was to buy a pair of flip flops. 

The language is coming back more each day. But, it's going to take some dedication and practice if I'm going to improve significantly, which is the goal. 

I had forgotten how pleasant this country really is. The people, language, the energy in the air. Everything seems to radiate, and maybe especially on this island. I'm living about 700 meters on the side of the mountain, which is the island. From the edge of the beach or even straight into the Atlantic, volcanic rock shoots straight up to an eventual height of 2,400 meters. A German tourist who picked me up yesterday said that the island, according to height and surface area, is the steepest island in the world. The only really flat space here is the beach, which is slightly rough, and black, coming from volcanic rock. Other spaces have been plowed flat and terraced off and are reserved for rows upon rows of banana orchards. 

The west half of the island seems less touristy than the east. What there are a lot of here is Germans. They seem to flock and relocate to this place as an escape from whatever there seems to be a need to escape from. They, and many other people, buy or rent space along the jagged mountainside, live off the land, which produces an abundance of produce, and trade or sell items at a farmers market in Los Llanos on Sundays. Afterwards you see many of the same faces enjoying the sun and a beer, maybe playing guitar along the beach boardwalk. The below snap I took while walking along that boardwalk in Tazacorte. 

seaside mornings

i drive myself to distraction

when i find the peace, i don't know how to handle it 

scared to put my words down on paper

because then they will be real, mine

and i will have to claim ownership 

the winds of

three months have passed and i find myself on the same couch, in the same flat of the same seedy Dublin neighborhood. i feel changed, refreshed, more established and with forward momentum embracing the future. 

looking back at how i felt when i first walked into this apartment i see gaps in differences in my personality, bravery, even accomplishments. and it's strange, and rewarding, to know that i'm not the same person i was three months ago when i sat here, something has changed. i have that vague feeling of having learned some visceral thing, so real i can smell it in my clothes, the funny sun-bleached color of my beard, the shunned feelings of exhaustion. 

i am beginning to wonder what will happen in the next three months, six, twelve. it's not advisable to speculate too much, after all. who will be sitting at this computer? uploading pictures and words to this forum? is the you of five years ago the you of today? 

it is nauseating, exciting, to think about. faint aromas of overwhelming carried in on the winds of adventure.  

status

hey there people.. i'm still kicking it by the sea in county clare. not much internet availability but i should get some by monday and tuesday as i'll be back in dublin. spring is finally here and it really is beautiful. actually got a bit of a sunburn today, dirt still engraved in the wrinkles of my skin. i love it

Cliffs of Moher

Music of Doolin, Sunhild and the accordion

Sunhild hosted me for two days in Doolin where she was cat-sitting in a cottage overlooking the Aran Islands, the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. 

Between farms still but enjoying my time living out of a couple rucksacks and using my thumb and feet as main modes of transportation. Sunhild introduced me to a farmer in Miltown Malbay, who she met through hitchhiking. I'll be headed to this new farm along the coast of County Clare in a couple days to live out the remaining time I have here in Ireland. 

It's amazing what can happen if you just stick your thumb in the air and smile. Who you'll meet. What conversations will come. The where's you'll see passing by the window. 

Starting March 26 I'll be located on the island Santa Cruz de las Palmas, of the Canary Islands. Again, I'll be WWOOFing. From there I have no plans as of yet, but they always formulate. I will continue to pursue stories and poems. And I will be available for assignment. 

yo

by Natasha Smith

dublin oldie

A snap from one of many aimless walks in the East Wall neighborhood of Dublin during my first week in Ireland. 

fog II

a throwback to the days at tullyboy farm 

reporting in

so there have been a few changes on this forum. 

the color: it might change again. i just felt like brightening it up, loosing up a little. 

the name: an exert from some seriously inspiring talks from a certain week in september. 

the general idea is the same, just aiming to keep things simple.

The snow is falling hard now in Galway. Big, fat, unexpected flakes heave from the grey sky. With my hoodie up and cup of tea at my side, I don't dare venture downtown just now. I have come and gone from a farm in County Clare since my last post. It was, in the end, a sour experience for everyone, but one that was better off to end sooner than later. I won't get into details, but sometimes personalities just don't work well together. And this was a big case of just that. 

I've got roughly three weeks left in this country and exactly no plans as of Monday. I think some heavy hitchhiking and couchsurfing are in store. The Cliffs of Moher and Cork are still on my to-do list. 

wtf? snowing in ireland?