This ain't no disco, and it ain't no country club either

For a couple of weeks in May I am staying at a farm in Amelie Les Bain in the Pyrenees in the south of France. The farm is www.fargassa.com and it is truly a wonderful place. There are 14 chickens, 2 cats, 2 dogs, a rabbit, 2 horses and 2 donkeys. The horses and donkeys are running wild through the mountains at the moment so I haven't had the opportunity to see them. One of the dogs gave birth to 8 puppies two days ago and they are so beautiful. It was my first time holding a day old puppy. They also grow berries, all types of greens and herbs, leeks, beets and many other things. First let me tell you about the journey here from San Sebastian. I was supposed to have a wakeup call the morning I left at 5:30am for a long day of traveling. The wakeup call never came but my old faithful internal alarm clock woke me up at 6:15, the precise time that I should have left. Nothing like waking up in a panic. I quickly dressed and brushed my teeth and speed walked to the train station to make this occur:

6:15am-left hostel for a 30 minute walk to the San Sebastian train station
6:45am-took the 45 minute train to Hendaye
7:35am-took the train from Hendaye to Toulouse(4hours)
2:50pm-took the train from Toulouse to Narbonne(1hour)
4:11pm-too the train from Narbonne to Perpignan(1hour)
then a 1 hour bus ride to Amelie Les Bain
then got a 20 minute ride to Fargassa from the bus stop

All this without speaking a word of French. There was a good possibility I would have a two hour uphill walk from Amelie Les Bain, but luckily Madhu, the woman who owns the farm was able to pick me up. She did however warn me that I might have to walk the two hours if she wasn't available when I arrived. I was just so greatful that I had a farm to go to. Fargassa ended up being a muse for me with the babbling brook and moss covered stones, it ended up being worth the arduous journey. The day starts with gentle yoga and meditation by Madhu herself then breakfast. I like the European lifestyle and work ethic very much.
Magic is happening in this kitchen everyday. We cook for 16-21 people everyday, I'm learning so much. There is a group of writers from Holland doing a workshop here and we make breakfast, lunch and dinner for them. We literally pick the greens from the garden and eat them in our salad immediately after. You can't get any closer to your food than that. When you walk through the garden you can practically hear the vegetables growing. Madhu sells her jams, chutneys and bread at the local market. I feel so fortunate to eat them everyday, they are so delicious. She has an 8 year old daughter named Roshant and speaks English, Dutch, German and French fluently. Mahdu studies Buddism and has been to India for her holiday for the past 6 years and takes Roshant with her.
However, not every moment has been bliss. I was given a caravan to sleep in my first night here. When it was shown to me, I had no idea that in my near future I would be running scared out of mind with my feet barely touching the ground back to the house. It was shown to me in broad daylight but in the pitch black darkness I could not find it for the life of me. I made 2 of the other wwoofers get out of bed to help me find it. When I say this place is in the woods, secluded is not the word. The closest "town", if you can call it that is a 2 hour walk or 20 minute drive. I had no idea people lived this far from civilization.
I've been reading and writing a ton. The farm has been very theraputic for me and I haven't spent one penny. The absence of tv and mainstream life can give you so much clarity. There are so may things in life that obstruct your view of what's really there. There are some things I will never get used to like limited warm water, tending to high maintenance chickens, having dirty fingernails and being in a drafty old house that is older than the United States itself. If Paris wasn't awaiting me soon after my perspective could be vastly different, but for now I will listen to French music, cook fresh organic food, bake bread and breath the fresh mountain air.