My Island Home: Moving to Catalina Island

I’ve had three, approaching 4 sleepless days. I am exhausted. However I need to write. So much has happened in the last few days that I feel it vital I share it before life goes on and these moments become merely my own incredible memories. I ended up my stay in Merlin’s Perch on a high. The two new wwoofers who arrived as I left were incredible and I felt a really strong, deep bond with them. I also enjoyed spending time with Lloyd alone and getting to know him more too. I feel like Merlin’s Perch is my home away from home and Lloyd became part of my ‘international family’. You know, those people you come across in life that make an impact on you in some way or another. I was also very fortunate to spend a lot of really meaningful time with Diogenes in the last week as well. Love & gratitude are flowing. I cried for an hour or so to myself in bed after we separated for yet another long-distant stint. My tears were completely one of raw love and deep gratitude though. They also represented the gratitude I felt not just for Di, but for everyone in my life and family and all the experiences I’ve had up until that moment. My time at Merlin’s Perch came to an end, knowing full well that I’ll be back one day soon.

My amazing friend and old housemate Mia drove me down to LA, cruising Hwy 1 to SoCal (Southern California) has a completely different vibe… I like it! Palm trees, people about everywhere on the streets, the summery vibe (despite being the middle of winter) is innate here. I stayed on a Tall Ship in Long Beach over night and caught the 6am ferry over the island in the morning. We were greeted with huggingly warm sun and a pod of dolphins. Fox Landing is the base where I will be living and it is only accessible by boat. It didn’t take us long to get our dive gear on and hit the ice… I mean water. Same thing here. It was freeeezing. We snorkeled and oriented ourselves around the bay. After, we enjoyed a three hour hike around the canyon. Later, we sat on the roof of the instructor accommodation and told stories and learnt about constellations. Aside from the WOW-factor of how amazing this place is, and how incredible everything we have done is, the people, the set-up and the program are pretty damn good too. We exchanged many laughs, ate delicious healthy food (a nori soup for example!), sang along to the guitar and just got to know each other. I am lying in bed, desperate to close my eyes and finally sink into my pillow. But my excitement was too great and I just had to quickly write something about my first day on the island. I am just STOKED to be here.

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This morning we woke up at sunrise and swam/drove a boat along with over 100 dolphins who were so inquisitive and played around the bow of the boat. We then went on an incredible 3 hour kayak. The water was so clear you could see 30ft below; it had the texture of silk. And we got paid for it… This is the life! 

Wwoofing: Big Sur I

Wwoofing. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Wwoofers exchange their labour for a bed and some food every day around the World, simultaneously learning, growing and sharing.  A week into my journey wwoofing I feel the need to write. Write. Write. Write. Draw. Create. I am in a haven for expression, peace and community. As I write, three wwoofers, my boyfriend and our host are sitting around the fire place. Conversation, music, guitar, art fill the room as we sit in a rain cloud that creates a bubble of magnificent natural beauty and peace around the farm. The breathtaking view of the ocean over the rolling hills is hidden by fog and we are about to prepare another community dinner as the sun goes to rest for the day. Night approaches. I arrived exactly a week ago and climbed up into my loft; the walls lined with books. Lloyd, the wwoofing host, built his house gathering eclectic mixes of art, textures, literature and stories to match.

We awake at whatever time we awake (the earlier the better because we can fit more adventures into our day) and set off to work, retiring before lunch some days and working until sunset on others. In any case, the days are relaxed and filled with new adventures. We have undertaken activities ranging from pruning, transplanting, setting up irrigation, erosion control, seeding, other farm visits, public organic agriculture lectures, farm maintenance, community networking, and more.  Each wwoofing experience is different and people visit different farms for different reasons. Some venture and journey looking for farms to gain practical experience to start their own life living off the land. Others use wwoofing as a medium to travel using the wwoofing sites as stopovers on bike tours and the like. And me? I am wwoofing to be out in nature, away from it all, and enjoy some time of peace with likeminded wayfaring strangers. Merlin’s Perch is exactly the right place for that. Today Karen, Laura and I worked on the hillside helping establish an orchard. The view was breath-taking; a cloud swept in with the breeze off the ocean and we worked in a foggy dome. The land was green and fertile and the thick air created a rainbow in the valley of the mountains as the sun lowered in the sky. We got our hands dirty, talked nonsense whilst simultaneously having those iconic deep and meaningful conversations, stopped for a breather and grazed on some homemade bread every now and then. What a life.

Aside from the work and nature aspect, wwoofing is a refuge where many ground themselves emotionally and/or spiritually. The relationships you build with not just your host but your fellow wwoofers are incredible. Laura (20) and Karen (24) are mirrors for me, despite the diversity of our upbringings. We share similar dreams, hopes and ambitions but intend to manifest them differently. Our challenges (be it career, relationships, family or something else entirely) are similar and we find strength in knowing that we are together in our respective journeys. Given there have been roughly 4 wwoofers (including myself) here at a time, the house has been social and busy. There have also been a lot of dishes! We gather our creativity at meal times to prepare delicious feasts from fresh ingredients. We have made stuffed capsicums, tabouleh, tatziki, fresh salads, soups, smoothies, fresh fruit, homemade pastas and risottos, different kinds of fresh breads, all with delicious ingredients from fresh lemons to coriander and from kale to goats cheese. The best part about it is coming together to create and consequently be greatly rewarded by our communal efforts with a scrumptious assortment of fresh food.

After living in what I have now realized to be a bubble, the Berkeley Bubble, I am learning about different aspects of American culture. The wwoofers come from wide and far and have been even wider and farther in their travels. It is truly wonderful to learn and hear about their views, beliefs and values. Karen, in particular, comes from Virginia, raised out in the ‘mid west’ and probably has her head screwed on better than most other people I’ve ever met. Even political discussions differ from the same discussions I had with my fellow Berkeley/San Francisco companions. It makes me realize how much I want to visit the South and the East to learn more about the good ole’ US of A.

Having little internet access and no phone reception is also incredibly comforting and grounding. I feel much more peaceful and intend to go for some local hikes, bike treks and do some more painting and drawing over the next week. In addition to the farm work, we are also constantly meeting people, going to farmers markets, going around town running errands and I have made some incredible contacts and people working in/ running inspiring non-profit organizations. I don’t know what it is about this region that inspires me so much, but I know for certain my first week wwoofing has been an amazing positive learning curve. I can’t wait for week two. 

Check out the full photo album here.