les aventures de plume

adventures in wwoofing around

Back in March, I was fortunate enough to have my first experience as a “wwoofer.” Sounds silly, but I had the loveliest time! What is wwoofing, you ask? WWOOF stands for the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It’s an international network that links volunteers with organic farmers in a work-exchange program. Usually, wwoofers work about 20 hours a week, and receive free room, board and knowledge about sustainable living in return!

Since I needed to be in Texas for Katherine’s engagement parties, I found a ranch between Austin and Houston where I could stay and work for the month of March: the Lehmann Legacy Ranch in Cat Spring, Texas, and home of Blisswood Bed & Breakfast.

The 650+ acre ranch was absolutely beautiful and my accommodations were perfect. I was placed in a rather large trailer home with another wwoofer: Tatiana, a 25 year-old French girl, who works as a holistic nurse when she’s not traveling. We got along so well that I felt I had met my own French counterpart! We woke up every morning at sunrise to feed the animals of the ranch, which included: horses, cows, goats, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, pigs, emus, bison, antelope, peacocks, burrows (miniature donkeys), and EVEN A KANGAROO! (Don’t get me started on how unethical I think it is to have a lone kangaroo on a Texas ranch… just know that I took full advantage of being in Roger’s presence!) Due to my undying obsession with animals, I was in heaven! Here’s a photograph I took one morning during our feeding rounds, picturing Bear, a long-haired miniature horse: 

One of my goals while at Blisswood was to fully engage in the practice of meditation, and the ever-present beauty of nature certainly helped in that regard. A picturesque green pasture – complete with 6 horses and a burrow – surrounded our trailer, so I often spent afternoons meditating and reading on a blanket in the grass. I had attempted meditation while living in Austin, but never quite got it until my time at Blisswood. I cannot express how life-changing the practice of meditation is! Absolutely anyone can benefit from it and it’s at least worth a try if you’ve never meditated before. Don’t know where to start? I highly recommend the Learn to Meditate podcast offered by the Meditation Society of Australia! You won’t be disappointed.

As amazing as my first wwoofing experience was, I have to admit: there were definitely some downsides. It turns out there were only three paid staff members for this huge working ranch, so more than 10 work-exchange volunteers provided the remaining labor – and we were worked to the bone! Tatiana and I had agreed to work 20 hours per week, but clocked in 45.5 hours each in the first week alone. This would have been fine, if we were doing the chores promoted on the WWOOF website, but the manager instead assigned us to housekeeping duties for the bed and breakfast… not exactly my cup of tea, since I had signed up to learn about organic farming and carpentry. Furthermore, there was no organic anything to be found on the ranch! It seems that the owner of Blisswood exploits work-exchange websites and publishes untruthful posts in order to recruit new labor. The kicker? After speaking with other volunteers about our frustrations, we found out that previous wwoofers had experienced the same thing, and a few had written negative references about Blisswood. LESSON #1 IN WWOOFING: read the references from past volunteers! I had been in such a hurry to get somewhere that I didn’t take the time to fully learn about the place I was going. Not smart, but pretty typical of this scatter-brained Plume.

All in all, I still cherish the experience and definitely intend to wwoof again in the future. Although the work wasn’t what I expected, I am grateful to have received a whole new perspective on the patient and hard-working individuals who clean rooms around the world everyday. Moreover, I’ve gained a new lifelong friend, as well as a greater sense of enlightenment and peace! 

tunisian refugee camps for people fleeing conflict in libya

While quitting my job and packing to leave Austin so that I could pursue adventures abroad, I really had no idea which way the wind would blow me next. I did know, however, that I needed to be in a French-speaking country. I received two degrees in college: one in Social Work and the other in French, and although I’ve made much use of my BSW (and I’ll never stop!), I had yet to fully utilize my French degree. And let me tell you: living in Austin, Texas, doesn’t do much for a French accent. I’ve lost a bit of facility from non-practice, so my new #1 priority is to achieve total fluency in French. The only other thing I knew was that I needed to be able to offer my social work skills in some capacity. If you know me at all, you know that I am completely obsessed with social work. (You can expect more info on the greatest and least recognized profession in our country later on. As for now, I’ll leave you with a little homework… click here) 

With these travel stipulations and news of the recent crisis in Libya, my search for a new home concluded in Tunisia (a French-speaking Arab nation in North Africa.) This small and somewhat unknown country first came to the forefront of our current event minds in late December 2010, when civil resistance via street protests led to the overthrowing of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (after 23 years in power) – and marked the beginning of the Jasmine Revolution/Arab Spring. At the moment, an Interim Government is in place and there are still spontaneous street demonstrations in the country, but it seems safe enough to me! My interest lies within the influx of refugees in southern Tunisia that are fleeing the present conflict in Libya. I have always wanted to gain experience in working with refugees, so I cannot think of a better place to be. Unfortunately, since the situation in Libya is deadlocked, it’s very possible that thousands more will need assistance.

I am currently speaking with various organizations involved in refugee aid in Tunisia, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Tunisian Red Crescent. Wish me good luck! And, if you happen to have any strings (even the smallest ones), please pull them!

Check out one of the latest stories from UNICEF about the refugee camps in Tunisia and one boy in particular who has experienced more tragedy in 15 years than most will in a lifetime: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/Tunisia_58284.html.

My heart breaks for these people without any place to call home and I would love nothing more than to help them in some way. It’s astonishing how some people can be so unfortunate, while many of us Americans can be so blessed. Really makes you second-guess the slight annoyances in your daily life, huh?