Soap Box Surf or Hungry for Life

I watched a movie/documentary the other night called "Surfwise" with my brother. It was about a wild man, Dr. Doc Paskowitz, who all of a sudden packed up and left his job as a successful doctor to tramp around with his wife and family in a RV from surf spot to surf spot. He had some pretty radical philosophies on life and family and health. He eventually had 8 boys and 1 girl, all of them living in a tiny RV. He raised his children without school, they were very poor and struggling meal to meal, but they all surfed everyday and generally ate very healthy by most any nutritionist standards. I very much appreciate his sense of self and knowing what he wanted to get out of life- being around his family all day, everyday, and surfing. In fact I hold knowledge of self as one of the most important characteristics one can have. I do, however, disagree with many things about how he lived his life, but that's okay- its his life and I am a very different person. One thing stood out to me more than anything from this very provocative and thought conjuring flick and that is a quote he made in his book- "Surfing and Health" it went more or less like this- Primitive man had to fight everyday not to be hungry. Modern man has to fight everyday to be hungry.

We do have to fight to be hungry. Hungry about life, our direction, finding fulfillment, health, love, and genuine appreciation for anything. In today's America we have too much food, too many clothes, transportation is easy, communication is easy, hell compared to the rest of the world- money is easy. Why then, is life not easy? I think I could argue that today's modern man is less happy, less content, and less fulfilled than men (people) of the past (short of war and depression).

I sometimes think of my generation as the Green generation. Not green in the context of environmentally sustainable and progressive, but green in the sense that "the grass is always greener on the other side." Why are we always looking at others or to the future wishing that our situation was better than it is. "If I had more money then I could buy a better car and house, and that would make me happy." "If I was happier with my job, then life would be much better for me." "I am having difficulties with my spouse, maybe there is someone else out there who could make me happy." "Once I retire, then I'll have time to be happy." Notice one thing about all of these statements- they all depend on an external influence.

I don't live perfectly and I certainly don't mean to express that I live better than anyone else, remember I am part of the very generation I speak of. I do realize that any possibility of finding lasting (not momentary or fleeting) happiness relies on looking inward not outward. Perhaps changing how we think about life, how we appreciate people in our lives, and being grateful for the things we do have.
Maybe we cannot appreciate these things until they have been taken away from us, but we can try, and that is my intent everyday- to appreciate the art of living. To fight to be hungry.

Time to get off my soap box. I hope you find something to be hungry for today!

Happy Days, Float Away or A Note on Stability Shock

Notes on Blog neglect:

I feel as though I have neglected you Blog. I don’t particularly enjoy feeling neglectful, especially to a public journal that exists in the magical, made-up world we now depend on entirely too much called the Internet. So there. I don’t feel bad. I created you as an outlet for expression not to become another bullet on my laundry list of things I need to do. So I’m cutting you off. I’m not discontinuing you, like a band breaking up. It’s more like we are taking a hiatus, and whenever we feel like it we can play a spontaneous show at some local venue. It’s not you, it’s me.

Notes on Culture Re-shock:

More like stability shock. Out of the three times that I have lived abroad, this time was the most difficult for me to readjust to home life. I don’t specifically know why. I was excited to see family and friends, still am, and I look forward to continuing to figure out the next step in my life, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t feel out of place in some of the most familiar of situations. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that in a matter of 4 days I went from spontaneously jumping on the next flight out of Madrid to avoid volcanic ash to substitute teaching in an American middle school. In one week I went from seeing shoeless children wrestle and kick around garbage in a Berber village to daily observing American children abuse the privileges that have been handed to them on a silver platter. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I am making money, paying rent, going out, seeing friends and family weekly, and finding a quiet little schedule to nestle into every week. I’m not saying I like or dislike it; it’s just very different. I am not reading or journaling as much, two qualities of my travel that I was very proud of. I am exercising more, a lot more, in preparation for some upcoming runs and half marathons. I don’t have an answer, and I don’t expect to find one. I can admit though, that there is something wildly fantastic about having lived for 24 years on this earth and experiencing a completely new and foreign emotion.

Notes on a Happy weekend:

I had an incredible weekend. Beyond incredible. Sasquatch at the Gorge. This 3-day music festival is a time when I get to see and hang out with people that I rarely do any other time of year. I can witness a few of them in their element, and in some respects completely be in my own element. I made new friends, reconnected with old friends, continued to bond with my brother, saw a lot of great music, and had some INCREDIBLE luck. I didn’t spend beyond my means, but had the experience of doing so. It almost took me a whole day to decompress and come back down to earth. I almost floated away on account of my happiness :)

Notes on notes:

Sometimes I keep notes. For order, for reminder, for habit. I have been using my ipod touch a lot to jot down thoughts, poems, book and movie suggestions, contact information, even grocery shopping lists. There is something very nice about looking at a bulleted and organized list and progressively crossing off item after item until everything that past Hal wanted future Hal to accomplish has been finished. Then again, it’s also nice to completely disregard an organized note in the spirit of spontaneity, and just enjoy being. Present Hal enjoys that the most. I hope that you, dear reader, are finding ways to just enjoy being.

Journey to a Berber Village

I suppose a delirious plane ride is as good a time as any to write this.

We arrived in Marrakech to our friend Steve’s open arms. It was great to see him. Marrakech, in all of its quirky glory, is a wonderful city. Much more diverse than I had anticipated, “The Kech” has seen a boom in tourism in recent years and is subsequently much more liberal than most Arab cities. Jeema al Fna, a main attraction, is a giant open square full of snake charmers and orange farmers, monkey trainers and wok flamers, dancers, musicians, and tea technicians. The drums and commotion of life in this square sound off long into the night. Just off Jeema al Fna is the endless Medina, or back alley markets. These twist and turn in all directions for what feels like miles. We got lost several times. You can find anything from Djalalbas (traditional robe worn by men) to leather goods and teapots, jewelry, spices, metal and woodwork. If they don’t have what you want, they know someone who does. The shop workers will stop at nothing to coax you into their store. “Hello my friend! English? Deutch? Frances? Espanol? I give you good price.” While traveling with my bearded counterparts, a popular heckle was “Ali Baba! Come here!” You can google “Ali Baba” for the story behind that.

On every corner of this eccentric city you can find restaurants and café’s selling Couscous (the dish so nice they named it twice), Tajine’s (traditional dish), and sweet mint tea. Traveling on a budget has created some very amazing and unique experiences for us. We ended up staying at a popular Peace Corps hotel that Steve knew of. We payed 30 Durham’s (3 Euros or $4) and got to sleep on the rooftop terrace of the hotel with mats and heavy blankets. I was awe struck by the view of Marrakech from this rooftop. I even enjoyed the 4 AM wake up to every Mosque in the city blasting their first call-to-prayer of the day. The call-to-prayer would start quietly from a very distant Mosque and slowly crawl its way closer to your doorstep and then inside your ear.
There are a few annoyances in this peculiar city, the main one being the hash dealers. Every 5 steps the three of us would be propositioned by some punk to purchase the national nugget. We did find ways to release some of the frustration by devising creative tactics to avoid/distract these ganja goons. The flying V, the scatter, the swim move, and the spin move. Our responses usually went something like “No, Ethiopian, click pop tweedle” or “did you make the last call-to-prayer?” or we would just make a loud fart sound at them. Mature, I know.

Finally we decided it was time to head out to Steve’s Berber village. Berber are the native people of Morocco and are generally regarded as hillbilly hicks by the rest of the population. Luckily Steve speaks Tashlheet, a Berber language, and we were welcomed at many places with a strong sense of Berber pride. We enter the bus station, somehow manage to dodge the dank delinquents, and buy our ticket on the cheapest “Suk” bus. A Suk is a weekly market that each town/village has and it is where Moroccans do most of their food shopping and trading. The Suk bus is the people’s bus, because it is the cheapest and it stops at all of the Suk’s along the way. On our way to the High Atlas Mountains, where Steve’s village is, we have to cross the Tishka pass- a series of impressive switchbacks. Before we even start the ascent the ticket taker is handing out loads of plastic bags to the passengers. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, we entered Barf-o-rama 9000. Steve and I had an impressively fluidic family sitting in front of us, passing their infant between them while they took turns expelling their lunch. After 4 or 5 hours of beautiful mountain passes and High Atlas countryside we reach Aguim. Aguim is a small town. If you googled it, I imagine the only results that would turn up would be a bus website listing it as a stop on the way to Ourtzazet. Its small. The type of town that a tourist might pay an expensive guide to go see an “authentic” Berber village. This is where we catch our “taxi.” A regular sedan taxi, we end up fitting 8 adult men in this rig- 4 in the back and 4 in the front sandwiching the driver. An hour later, after more mountains, villages, and mosques we arrive in Tidili. The people in the yet smaller village of Tidili have seen maybe a handful of foreigners in their lifetime. There are no hash hooligans here. There is a small Suk there and even a modest post office (Steve’s closest). Not there yet.

We pile into a Landrover for another 45-minute drive further into the depths of these ancient snow-capped mountains. Along the way the paved road turns into dirt and gravel. Village after village of farmers and children all stopping what they are doing for a moment to watch the automobile drive by. A stream here and there crossing the road, providing a source to wash clothes while supplying water the tiered fields below. As Steve exchanges stories wit the driver, I cannot help but think about how long these people have survived out here. You look at their faces and you know they are an OLD people. Despite Morocco being a country ravished and conquered by countless dynasties, these people have endured by escaping to these mountains, where others dare not go. Their perseverance shows in the authenticity of their culture. Some of these people now have electricity and television, but still make their own bread everyday, have dirt floors, poop into a hole in the ground, and transport goods by donkey. The driver finally stops at an insignificant turn in the road, no different than any other for the past 20 miles, and we get out with our backpacks. From there Steve finds a narrow dirt path among the red rocks and green nameless brush and starts walking. We hike 3 or 4 kilometers off of the road up into his tiny village, La Moda, which literally means “the place.” We are not in Kansas anymore. The landscape is stunning. The blue-sky contrasts with the desert mountains to create a depth that is unmatched. The green tiers of wheat add color to the tan village that would otherwise disappear into the shaded valley. Children are playing with long sticks in the aqueducts that run down the street. Old men sit on stones after digging out the irrigation lines to flood the next field. Women sing the Koran while tending to the wheat fields. The people were very kind and accepting of us foreigners and I was astonished by their hospitality.

There was a certain point in which I felt guilty being there. Guilty because, unlike Steve, I had not lived in this country for 14 months. Contrite that I had not learned the ancient language that most people don’t even know exists. I had not invested enough of my heart to deserve seeing such beautiful rawness and inaccessible life. Regardless, I feel fortunate to have experienced such a special place and rare culture. I am thankful for many things in my life, but right now I am especially grateful that Steve could share with us his life in a remote Berber village in the High Atlas Mountains of North Africa.

Moving on...

Curt and I leave today for Palermo. Tomorrow we fly up to Pisa and will spend a few days in Florence before we arrive in Marrakech, Morocco. We cannot wait! We will be visiting our good friend Steve who is doing the Peace Corps there.

Refelctions on Sicily:
I love it. It is a very unique place. Humble, unlike the majority of Italy, because people simply don't have money here. With that being said, they live incredibly rich lives here. Indulge in the weather, food, and life in general. It is a confused culture, having been conquered and reconquered by so many different cultures. Greek, Roman, Norman, Arabic, Phoenician. The Sicilian dialect reflects this confusion and ends up sounding like an old man blubbering a mix of Italian and Greek with a few random "G's" thrown in. I mean they barely get the words out of their mouth.
The people are more than friendly. They are not concerned with showing you how posh their clothes are or how much money they have, but more about how you prepare a meal or enjoy your olive oil or wine. Oh the olive oil! I have two addiction that I fear will haunt me after I leave Sicily: Olive oil and blood oranges. I do not know how I will live the rest of my life without them everyday.

I have made many friends here and said too many heart felt goodbyes. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and I am so looking forward to our final 3 weeks of travel, but I must say- I MISS HOME! I have been thinking more and more about it lately and I have so much to look forward to when I get back.

Time to pack! I think when I return, I could teach a class at the local travel agency on how to have really fulfilling travels on an ultra-tight budget. 3 weeks!!



Us with Alfio, a worker on our 2nd farm in Sicily.

Me and Alfio clearing muck and nastiness from an aquaduct.

Even here, in Sicily...

Journal Entry
March 15th - Catania, Sicily

I am watching three young boys, about 10 or 11 years old, playing soccer in a pedestrian way that’s runs off the corner of some random piazza near the center of Catania. The youngest, more Indian looking and obviously the runt of the group, is stuck at goalie with the other two just unloading their hardest kicks at him. His goalie gloves are about three sizes too big for him. Big kid almost hit a lady walking by in the head with the ball! Close call. Nearby a group of older men, all with moustaches and goatees, hold bags of bread and talk about whatever relaxing subject that may come into their thoughts. They will soon have to return to their waiting wives who are slaving away in the kitchen for the evening’s meal. Until then they are content to observe the neighborhood and its people. The boys keep testing their luck, kicking the ball purposefully toward the traveler and his backpack. He seems to be writing something down. They chase a neighborhood girl with their football; she just popped out to tease them. The Arab owner of the Internet café just noticed his baby boy was brought there by his mother. He greets the infant with a large smile and gently lifts it up into the air to give him an honest look- “Has he really grown that much today?” Friendly parking police walk by and offer a pleasant smile. “Hey, kick the ball toward the foreigner again!” The gentile men continue to practice their art of people watching. A young, bearded man, with baggy dark pants, facial piercings, and a general “punk” look about him bothers a passer-by for a cigarette. Internet cafe owner stops his child from entering the street and then tosses him up into the air…the same way I imagine any father would. Stop the game- an old couple walks by- “game on!” and the tallest boy boots the ball once again. A woman on the balcony shakes out her jeans that have been drying in the still-cold spring sun. That same sun can now only be seen on a few rooftops in these evening hours. The clouds are still bright but few. The boys will keep playing all evening, but they know mom will call them in for dinner soon. Almost hit another woman walking by. A young man briskly walks down the street with his gaze down on the ground, talking on his cell phone. An old man slowly strolls down the same street behind him, taking his time. He reflects on the changes this part of town has seen over the years as he peacefully plays with the keys in his hand. The difference between generations still exists here in Sicily. The wife of the Internet café owner takes the children for an evening walk, and the father's heart aches while he dotes on them as they turn past the fountain and out of sight. Love of family still exists here in Sicily. The older kid takes the huge goalie gloves from the young Indian boy and decides to finally give it a try. In his first kick, the young runt scores on his taller counterpart. The bliss of childhood still exists, even here, in Sicily.





(My current farm, an Orange and Mandarin orchard, just north of Catania)

I feel like I'm Falling....

I must admit, for a few days there I was considering falling off of the grid and staying out of contact for a few more weeks. The freedom of not having internet, a cell phone, keys in my pocket, or even carrying my wallet around has been so gratifying I cannot begin to express it. I had a very special 3 weeks at FeudoTudia, the last Wwoofing farm that I was on. Sudhir and Gila were great hosts whose warmth grew everyday. I can honestly say that each day brought something new and interesting (and at times just plain weird). I will miss tying vines in the perfectly still hills of central Sicily, I will miss the communal meals with wwoofers and hosts all sharing experiences, I will miss the group sing song that inevitably follows when we wash dishes, I will miss the lazy afternoons and their freedom, I will miss Houdini and La Tigrota (dogs- one young loving and peppy, the latter being old, crusty, and withered). I may miss the wwoofers the most. My time at Tudia was uniquely divided into two parts- the Vermont Girls/Cesco half, and the 6 boys all-star crew. Some of those great wwoofers may follow closely behind us to our next farm, and I cannot wait to continue to make more memories and concentrated awesomeness with them.
But at last, as the title of this blog originally intended, things must change. We move on, our surroundings change, and, if we are doing things right, we change. I am changing and the process is great. Of course my essential self will always be who/what it is, but there are some subtle internal changes happening in me that I hoped would happen when I set out on this trip. No, mom and dad, I have not figured out what I want to do with my life…sorry. I have, however, accepted the fact that I don’t need to figure it all out at age 24 and that- guess what- I may NEVER figure it out! The key for me is enjoying how I pass the time trying to figure out this big mess of life. Many of these changes may not be tangible or quantifiable, but I feel they could be leading me closer to being myself, knowing what that is, and being happy with it.
Other thoughts: I am really enjoying sharing this experience with Curt. Especially right now. This last week, home sickness has officially set in. I know this feeling and I know it all too well. My daily thoughts turn from wherever I am and its beauty and awesomeness to my friends and family and wondering what they are doing or wishing they were there with me. “Hmm, mom and dad are just getting up for work right now. Probably a boring ol’ Tuesday, they might very well be scratching the ice off of their windshield at this very moment.” Or “Oh man, Kale is at that show right now!! Man I wish I could be there shaking my thing with him on the floor.” Or “darn, today is ______ birthday!” or “I wonder if grandma and grandpa are bickering over which TV channel to watch or the temperature of the heater.” Anyways, in a time when I am fully appreciating the gravity of my homesickness, it is nice to be able to knock on Curt’s door and ask for a hug. He is like a little pinch of home that I take with me everywhere. He reminds me of the wonderful life and people that I have left behind to explore the world and myself a little. Each day I get to see more and more of exactly how special he is and how true, warm, and open his character is. I feel fortunate to be here, doing what I am, with such a great person. Thanks buddy.
All mushy and warm feelings aside, my beard is finally getting pretty gnarly. By gnarly, I mean it looks like Abe Lincoln’s neck beard at age 13. Can’t win ‘em all!
I love and miss everyone and I will try to post a picture blog soon of my new farm!!
Xoxo,
Hal

Upcoming Agenda:
New Wwoofing farm in Paterno, Sicily. March 15- April 4th
2 day layover in Pisa. Probably visit Florence as well. April 4-6th.
Visit our best friend Steve doing the Peace Corpse in Morocco. April 6-18ish.
2 Day layover in Madrid. Visit a few friends. April 18-20ish.
Return to Wwoofing farm in Ireland. Spend a week working and visiting Irish friends. April 20-27th.
Fly home. Hug family. Happily ever after. April 27th.
Summer Begins…

This will tide you over...

Unfortunately I do not have time to write an elaborate blog about my recent adventures Wwoofing here in Sicily, but I did want to poast a few pics with brief explanations. I must say, I have felt more alive in these past few weeks than I have in a very long time. I only wish I had all of my family and friends here to share it with me. I guess Curt will have to do for now :) I love you all and MISS YOU!






My last weekend in Ireland Curt and I went with a friend, Tricia, up to Northern Ireland. This is me next to the Giants Causeway. I took so many pictures of these weird little rock formations. You can't see them as much here, but I thought I'd give you a quick shot of what ol' Halskies is looking like now-a-days :)



Our last day on the farm in Ireland, Curt and I played on the trampoline with Rosa. She cried when we left, and we were very sad to leave. We will return to our friends in Ireland for about 1 week in the end of April before we return to the states.



This is the farm and the rolling hills of Tudia, my current farm in Sicily. It is so green, quiet, and expansive here. Everyday I look out and cannot believe how my life has brought me here to this moment. I am so grateful for it.



These are all of the Wwoofers breaking from work for lunch. It was a big happy family of 4 girls and 1 guy from Vermont, 1 Belgium guy, 1 French guy, and Curt and Myself representing Seattle. Now the 5 Vermont folks have taken off and it is just the four of us guys, I must say they are incredibly fun to be around.

A dinner with the hosts (pictured at the end). Salute! Cin cin.


The view I wake up to every morning, and the vineyards that I am currently pruning, pulling, and tieing to the trellace system.
Curt on a hill hike. We just about take one everyday:)

Thats about all I have time for right now. In 1.5 weeks Curt and I will move to another farm near the coast of Sicily and then we must plan out a way to pissibly visit my friend Steve in Morocco. I miss everyone and trust that even though I am having a very valuable and rewarding experience abroad, I often think about those in my life that I love so very much.

Ciao!!

ps-check out the website of my current farm, www.tudia.it

I want more Moher!

**Please view the previous blog for some recent pics of farm life & the chalet**

Whew, what a day! Started off waking up to the annoying ping of the alarm and the relentless sun shining through the shades. A clear night resulted in a light frost blanketing everything as far as the eye could see. I knew it was going to be a great day.

Just the night before we contacted a friend living outside of Galway and asked if she would like to go on a hike sometime soon. The text response was quick and direct "How about tomorrow? Half 9? Need a pick up?" Yes, yes, and yes.

The question was "North or South?" After a quick look at the forcast, it was decided that we stood a much better chance of sun if we headed South. Beautiful, close, and hiking trails abound were the famous "Cliffs of Moher" (pronounced Mo-Her, strong "H") and The Burren.

After a brief attempt to enter the cliffs through the back side of the trails via a local farmers fence, we decided lets find parking closer. We refused to pay the 8 Euro to park in the car park and found an abandoned stone house about 1 Km from the entrance. As we walked into the Cliffs of Moher park, we somehow missed the gate and entered at no charge. Relax, I don't feel guilty. They have turned this beautiful creation of mother earth into a tourist circus, exploiting foreigners and locals alike by nickel and dime-ing them at every chance. This gorgeous place, and I mean magnificently gorgeous, is for all human kind to enjoy and my hard earned euros are not going to go to the Irish Gov in Dublin (who provided no funding for the park- it was all outside grants and donations, a lot of them American!) just so I can enter a natural wonder. Enough of that, we got in for free and it was worth every penny!

We then hopped a small fence that was hardly trying to restrict people, displaying in tiny print "No Trespassing" and "Do not enter." As we do this the rangers watch countless people do the same in search of even more magnificent views down the coast.

Needless to say, it payed off. The sun was shining its brightest among the friendly puff-clouds as the wind swept up the walls of the cliff, letting you know just how powerful of a place it truly was. I was impressed with Connemara, I might have been even more impressed with the Cliffs.

We continued to lazily walk along the path and take hundreds of pictures. Found a nice spot to eat our fruit and PB&J's for lunch. Oh yeah, I tried to push Curt off the cliff...

We were moving so slowly and staring out into the ocean, back to the cliffs, and around at the sun and bay to our backs that hours passed without us really even noticing. Not once did I get tired of staring at the same cliffs. I could have set up camp and stayed there all day.

As the sun started to descend lower and the trail had no new developments ahead, we decided to call it a day and head back. A very successful day. On our way back home, we took some back country roads that rival any I have every seen anywhere. We popped out on a slightly bigger road and stumbled upon a Dolmen (ancient stone structures believed to be used as tombs or for worship, circa 3000 b.c.).

As we were entering town, almost at our doorstep, we ran into a large rainbow. This wasn't your garden-variety (sky-variety?) "oh wow, lets move on" rainbow, this was a strong spectrum, full rainbow. We could see one end, the entire arch, and the other end. It was the first full rainbow I think I have ever seen. It was a magical ending to a very special day.

I share this with you,

thanks for visiting!

p.s. Curt and I have an idea for our next video! Stay tuned :)

Our first week Wwoofing: Farm, Chalet, and Market

This will be more of a "picture blog" than anything else. Just wanted to share with you where I am living and what my daily life looks like :)

The Farm: some polytunnels
Inside a polytunnel:

A view from our Chalet:

The Chalet!!

Our Kitchen/Livingroom/Shower:

A nice view of the country from our dining table:

The other half of the inside of the Chalet- shelves of clothes and books, desk with laptop, and one bed under the loft:

The other bed in the loft:

The market that we help with in Oranmore on Thursdays (Athenry on Fridays):

A cheers at the end of a hard day on the deck outside our Chalet. A fitting end to a great day:

We have such a great situation here. The work is great, the people are great, the food is delicious (and organic), the area is beautiful, and so far the sun has been shining every day. I am thankful for every moment that I spend on this earth. Thank you.

We have arrived on the farm!
After a week and a half of waiting, we are finally here and happy. For those of you who I have neglected to update, Curt and I are now working on an organic farm in Athenry, Ireland. It is a small town about 20 Km outside of Galway. We could not find work, and decided that perhaps Wwoofing would be a more suitable option for us. We are really excited to have purpose, after a few weeks of basically being lazy bums and trying not to spend money.

We did have time to create a video postcard for all of our loved ones back home. It is ridiculous. Please be accepting of the horrible stereotypes that are presented in it and know that we portray them only to make fun of ourselves and not the cultures that they mock. We realize that none of these stereotypes are accurate. With that being said, enjoy Curt and I making asses out of ourselves. We mainly made this video to occupy ourselves for a week (well...less) and to show you around Galway and surrounding areas. All of the tracks were created using Garage Band, and we are sort of proud of the finished product. It was a lot of fun to make and to have an excuse to be goofy.




We plan to make a few more videos of our advntures, so stay tuned for video postcard #2...farm theme?

Hope you all are well! I think this week we might attend a yoga and meditation classes in town with the couple that owns the farm. Maybe an Irish step dancing class too! Wish us luck :)

Love love love.

Sayonara Connemara

After a week of job searching, Curt and I decided that we deserved a little time away from the city. We booked a day tour to the countryside known as Connemara. It has been one of the coldest winters that Ireland has seen in recent times. Each year Ireland gets a few days of frost in the winter, this year it has been frozen for over a month! As a result Curt and I got to see a breathtaking side of Ireland that few, including locals, get to see.

If you so desire you can check out two movies that were shot in this Mountain/lake/fjord district of west Ireland: 1- The Field circa 1990 and 2-A Quiet Man circa 1952. Both movies show this Irish landscape, and both towns (Leenane and Cong) still try to profit off of their past minutes of fame. The Quiet Man Cafe, The Field Pub, The Quiet Man Public Restrooms :)

We stayed in a Hostel out in the middle of nowhere, overlooking the never ending fjord (Irelands only fjord) and resting quietly between two mountains. It was great to be away from people. It was just me, Curt, and Jordan the guy running the hostel in the winter. There was no running water due to pipes freezing, but that only meant no showers. We enjoyed taking the mountain path 6 Km into town to buy our groceries for the next day, hitching a ride back, and spending the two days reading, watching movies, observing the stillness of the nature outside, and making meals in such a serene and undisturbed setting. Today I am refreshed and rejuvinated, ready to attack the job hnt once again...

About that job hunt...it seems Ireland's economy has been hit just about as hard as any in Europe. January and February are the months of the least amount of tourism nation-wide (or is it republic-wide?). What this means is that it is so cold and miserable that people just don't go out and consume as much, which means that there is much less demand for workers. To add on to all of these odds stacked against us, our work visas are only valid for 4 months. Our competition, Canadians, Kiwis, and Aussies, all have 12 month work visas. Nobody wants to hire people only to have them leave right before the busy season hits. These are things we did not necessarily anticipate.

There are other alternatives and I will only briefly talk about them as we are going to give the job hunt one more week and then re-evaluate our situation. We are looking into WWOOFing - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Basically you volunteer for a certain amount of hours/week on an organic farm and they give you a place to stay and all of your meals as well as teach you a lot about their way of life. Many of these farms are also yoga retreat centers, bed and breakfasts, meditation clinics, etc. I think it sounds exactly like the type of experience that we came over here for, the only catch is that there is no pay. Right now though, room and board is about 90% of what we spend our money on anyways (I'll let you guess the other 10%...it starts with a G and ends with uinness...). The other option is Help Exchange. This is a similar program but includes more hostel and accomodation type businesses. Some even have a little pay!

Welp, that is all I feel like typing at the moment. Enjoy the pictures, comment, and if you'd like me to give you a call soon email me an update and your telephone number. I use skype and it only costs me a few cents a minute.

haliverson@hotmail.com

love

New Year's Eve and Howth

New Year's: We left for Temple Bar (meh) with a handful of people from Lyon, France. Instead of paying for an overpriced pint in one of the "pub's" in Temple Bar, we decided to bring our own and lap it up with the rest of the drunkies in the street. It was a great choice. The hour before the clock struck midnight was filled with snow! Light, fluffy, fun snow. We we slip slidding away.

We made it to Christ Church Cathedral for the countdown and to hear the amazing bells from the cathedral. This was a gathering spot for all sorts of people- the Time's Square of Dublin, if you will...only much less people.

We then picked up a group of Italians and a few Americans and headed to a few pubs, payed for the overpriced Guinness, and danced our butts off to crappy American tunes like Ghostbusters, Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark, Footloose, and Men Without Hats. It was a blast.

I can proudly say that I woke up at 9 am, not hungover, and ready to charge the day. Curt and I took the DART train to a nearby coastal town of Howth and enjoyed some spectacular views.

We leave for Galway in 30 minutes. Love to all! Bon ani, buon anno, feliz ano nuevo, happy new year!

Hal

Return of the Halbury

At long last, the Traveling Halbury returns.  I am, however, going to keep "Spare Some Change" as the blog title.

I openly admit that many times having a blog and writing about your weekly adventures/thoughts feels a little...pretentious?  But this is a way for a few members of my family and a couple friends to keep connected with me, and more likely keep them entertained for a few minutes on their lunch break.   So for the next 4 months I will continue to give this little muse of a blog some attention.  Thats my justification, take it or leave it :)

Right now I am in the basement of my hostel in Dublin with my buddy Curt.  It has only been 2 days and so far luck has followed us.  Our flight attendant was Irish, and a sweet lil ol lady.  She gave us extra attention (and food) and warm conversation the entire flight over.  When we arrived at customs, the officer noticed that we both had musical instruments and he had me pull out my Charango and play a few tunes for him.  What luck that he was in such a great mood, because he stamped our passports with our brand spanking new work visas and waived the 150 Euro registration fee!!!  An excellent start indeed.

We have already enjoyed a few Guinness's (Guinni?) and enjoyed our fair share of cold rain.  Yesterday we went through our brief orientation, learning mostly about the paperwork that follows working abroad, and left feeling surprisingly optimistic about finding an apartment and a job in Galway.  We visited an art museum and a history museum and then got lost for an hour in a half around dusk in the pouring rain.  Hal and Curt, the wet rat brigade, returned to the hostel and settled in for the night with a few beers, a couple instruments (I realized that I cannot event attempt to play with Curt, he's too good!) and a lot of good conversation and interesting people.  Oh yeah, and lots of cribbage.  Curt won the first 4 games and I have won the last 5 in a row.

Today's plan is to buy a sim card for our cell phone, get Curt a towel, and see a few sights before trying to figure out how to spend the new year.  We have asked around and it seems there is no big event in Dublin for new years.  The common response is "Oh, I reckon any pub 'round will be a craic."  We know that we don't want to go to Temple Bar, maybe we can create a giant mixed group with the French, Spanish, and other Americans here at the hostel for an eventful evening.

Wish us luck on the job front! 

Luvin from Dublin :)

Halbury

"Holiday Stress" or "Wearing your Sleeve on your Heart"

Had a bit of a mental freak out today. How, ladies and gentlemen, how am I going to get everything done? I could give you a list of everything in my life causing this stress, but I'm done thinking about it. There is never enough time in the world.

Last year around the holidays, in an attempt to alleviate some of this year's holiday stress, my family decided we would make all of our gifts next year. Brilliant right? We could avoid the unnecessary stress of shopping at the mall or borders or wherever. "We would save a lot of money" I add and "it could be fun!" I imagine my mom said. You can imagine how fun it was thinking of what we would make the next year. Well then is now and future Hal is not appreciating past Hal's decisions.

How ironic that making our own gifts for each other would be MORE stressful, cost a bit MORE money than anticipated, and NOT be very fun at all.

A lot more is on the line with these gifts. You have to think carefully about the person and what they might like and match that up with your skill and creative boundaries. We all are putting our hearts into these gifts and perhaps that is why it is proving to be so much more stressful. It is hard being this caring right? Maybe it is easier to go out and buy a book, cd, movie, ornament, article of clothing, or whatever but it is done with less of your heart.

I wish I put more of my heart into everything I do. It is a hard thing to do because it leaves you more vulnerable, but I think it is the truest way to exist.

Here is your homework assignment: try to put more of your heart into something small in your life. Contemplate what might make your husbands evening more relaxing, call a far away friend and ask them all about their life, wake up early and make breakfast for your wife, plan a spontaneous evening to spend with someone you love. It could be making coffee or an interaction with a cashier or petting your dog/cat or making a mixed CD for a friend. These are only suggestions, of course. Let me know if you notice a CHANGE and I'll do the same.

Back to putting my heart into x-mas gifts. I wish you all success!

Spontaneous Planning

Bought my plane ticket this last week! Found a non-refundable flight from Seatac to Dublin airport and back for $746. Thats the best I can do.

IDA:

Depart Seatac- 8:30am on Dec 28th

Arrive Dublin- 9:00am on Dec 29th (Happy B-day mom!)

VUELTA:

Depart Dublin- 11:00am on Apr 27th

Arrive Seatac- 8:59pm on Apr 27th

Next step= Find a job!!!

Also, really getting into "Another Roadside Attraction" by Tom Robbins. Just read about Plucky Purcell's first adventure with the Catholic monks working as assassins for the Vatican.

Oolong, Flu, Thanks for Ireland, Eckhart Tolle

I don't necessarily feel like creating a post at the moment, however I have a lot of CHANGE happening in my life and I feel it warrants an update.

Change happening:

I have been reading a book called "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. I was exposed to the first chapter of this book on Audiobook via my brother's iPod. The iPod died, and I was intrigued enough to patron the nearest Borders and spend a whopping $14 on the soft cover. It has proven to be very Awakening. I have been inspired so much by this book lately, I fear my writing skills cannot accurately express its impact. Eckhart writes a lot about shedding the egos, emotions, and identities that you usually identify with and awakening to the true Being that you are. I was really relieved when he addressed the fact that the true "You" is not the constant and incessant flow of thoughts going through your head, but rather the person that you are when you are completely in tune with the present moment and aware of the presence of this controlling and practiced ego. I guess what I am getting at is this: I am trying to appreciate the now, now.
If you don't understand what I mean, then maybe you should check out the book for yourself!

In my present moment I am sitting in the Antique Sandwich Company with my brother, about to pick a second pot of tea....hmm go with a black tea, definitely. Oolong again, or switch it up with an Irish Breakfast tea (foreshadow)? I am actually really enjoying it. I love my brother. I can listen to his thoughts on life until the end of time. I am lucky to have him in my life.

Shall we transition to the future for a moment?
Big Change! I am going to Ireland with a great friend, Curt. I know it is random, but it is a pretty special opportunity and I and seizing it! It is with a program called BUNAC under a student work visa. The visa has a limit of 4 months, with no possible extension. What is 4 months? From December 30th to April 30th. We will most likely live in Galway and search for jobs through Curt and his sister's contacts there. I have done some soul searching lately and I feel like this is a great opportunity to explore and understand myself, share an amazing experience with an equally amazing person, and once again throw myself into a somewhat random situation in which I must shape-shift and adapt. I thrive in that adapting. Luckily I have wonderful parents who are okay with me, as a 23 year old, not being sure what he wants to do with his life. I look at friends with stable jobs, marriage, buying houses, Kids soon? and I realize how many different paths there are in life. That is not my path and I do not know if it ever will be. I am still very dependent on my parents, emotionally and financially, and if I return in April with no money, still no car, and still no job- they will still love and support me. I am so thankful that they support me and allow me to have a crazy adventure like this. I love them very much.

In other news, I got hired as a substitute teacher for the Peninsula School District. Finally! No thanks to Tacoma Public Schools. I should be able to sub next week! I think I'll try to free up a few more mid-week days in my Harbor Greens schedule to sub :)

I had a great Halloween, as the Swine Flu, and subsequently think I might have the dang virus. I have not been able to stop coughing for the past week. It is not a productive cough, but a persistent lil bugger and all the theraflu, alka seltzer, and dayquil in the world isn't taking it down. My abs are sore from contracting every time I cough. Even with the negativity of this cold, I feel an overwhelming sense of contentment right now. I am happy.

Thanks for reading, I welcome your words- let me know your out there and more posts will follow!


ps- I don't know why I rhymed this blog post title with Patrick Swayze's sub-par movie as a drag queen, "To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar"...it just felt right at the time.

Turn and face the strange

Ch-Ch-Changes!

Alas, loyal bloggies, I return with a post about recent changes in my life, good and bad.

Travels over. Daily excitement is slow, like molasses in January. I find myself at a pretty basic point in my life: broke, no car, and no serious job commitment in the future. I suppose I always knew this time would come, but now it is time to work and pay off all the fun times that were had this last year.

Change: I now work at Harbor Greens, a natural and local foods market. I am a cashier/miscellaneous man. I dabble in produce, stocking, cleaning, and pretty much anything they want me to do. Although the job is already monotonous, the employees and customers alike are all very nice.

With my days off (2 or 3) I will be substitute teaching for both Tacoma Public Schools and Peninsula School District. It pays better but is also less consistent. It looks like I might move into a place in Tacoma with my brother and friend in the end of October. I'm excited for that. I like Tacoma and for a real report on the life and culture of the town check out my brothers blog.

I recently got a membership to the Y, and often find myself there seeking solace from the monotony. Once again I feel the travel bug creeping up on me, but realize this time it is probably more of an excuse to escape from an unknown future than anything else. The question remains: What do I want to do with my life? The more I think about it, the more I question teaching. Is it okay to settle for something just because its easy or you need the money?

I have been fighting off an overwhelming loneliness lately. This is a surreal emotion for me. I have not felt truly alone, either due to distraction or a relationship, in....well I cannot remember the last time. I don't see this as a bad thing. It will be a great chance to grow as an individual, but that does not make it easier...

I have crossed a few things in my life very recently that have encouraged living in the present moment. One being a book called "Meditation for Beginners" by Jack Kornfield and the other an audio book called "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. They both express the importance of not dwelling on the past, not worrying about the future, not fretting the hard times, and not clinging to the good times, but accepting each moment for what it is. Good or bad. This is something I hope to work towards and I feel it fits right in with the theme of this web log.

Tonight, like all nights, I will lie awake in bed. I will think about people in my life, past and present, I will think about places and possibilities, I will secretly make wishes, I will thank the vast expanses for everything wonderful in my life, I will wonder what tomorrow brings (hopefully excitement) and wonder what I can bring tomorrow (hopefully excitement). The one truth that I have learned is that there WILL be changes.

In the immortal words of David Bowie:

Time may change me,

but I can't trace time...

Blog-tirement?

I haven't really had time or the drive to do any blog posts this summer.  I am sorry for my neglect once again, but perhaps it is time to give the blog the boot?  I still haven't decided and perhaps I will post when inspiration strikes, but for now I need to focus on comprehending and adapting to the changes going on in my life and worry about posting on them later.  I still track my favorite blogs out there though! So keep posting, until then

Much love from your Halbury!

Northwest String Summit- Pluck Yeah!

Last weekend I had the opportunity to get down and dirty at a down home pick-a-thon, the 8th Annual Northwest String Summit. This bluegrass festival, hosted by Yonder Mountain String Band, is held at a place called Hornings Hideout just outside of Portland, Oregon.

Dirt stomping, camping, hammock swinging, hootin and a hollerin, string plucking, harmony singing, late night walks, early morning wake-ups, dressing up in goofy clothes, celebrating life, and, of course, picking dirt boogers naturally ensued.

...Aside from all that fun, I almost died. Story- Okay so maybe not "died" but seriously injured. I was walking along one of the dirty paths in a campground over yonder with my friend Nate. Suddenly a breeze, which we normally welcome on such a warm day, rushes through the campground and we hear a "CRAAAACK." I look up to find a substantially big tree falling down on us from a considerable height. I saw that it was leading us slightly and decided to backpedal to escape its wrath, while Nate did not get a glimpse of the tree and just decided to run forward as fast as possible. I witnessed the branches of the tree brush the back of Nate's flailing legs before crashing into the ground. Ugh, that was close. Naturally after such an intense incident, we gave each other hugs and decided to take pictures with the falling death machine.

What if we would have left 2 minutes later for the walk? 5 minutes earlier? 3 seconds earlier? Sometimes I understand how everything could happen for a reason, and sometimes i am not so sure, but one thing is for certain- that experience immediately made me appreciate my life, my health, my surroundings, and the family and friends that I love.

It was a good change, and continued to be a great weekend afterwards.


It was a great way to start off the festival season, and in some respects the Summer. I just looked at the weather forecast and cannot wait for the next 10 days of 80+ degree heat, camping?, working, playing, and basking.
















Enjoy today because tomorrow will be different.

In the Words of Elton John...

Alas, the Traveling Halbury expires.  I have returned from my travels, settled in, and begun the the next stage in my life.  Though I am positive my travels will continue in the future, for now I need to focus on other things in life and I thought a change up in the blog was necessary.

Spare some change?  Why?

One thing that I have discovered about myself is that I resist change.  I don't like returning to my hometown to find 5 new restaurant chains, 7 new housing developments, a Borders, a Costco, and a friggin Jamba Juice- even if it means convenience.  I don't particularly enjoy meeting up with an old friend only to find out that our lives have taken us in opposite directions.  I definitely don't enjoy clouds coming in to cover up the sun that I was enjoying.

But there are new towns to see, new friends to make, and sun waiting to evaporate any obstruction.  It is ironic to consistently resist change when I find myself in such a transitory part of my life.  Returning from travels, finding a home, finding a job, low on money, and with no real plan or direction.

This blog is a creation to help me accept the many changes that I am sure to encounter in the coming moments of my life.  Some change is bad, some change is good, but change is always constant.  I hope to embrace the good and the bad, let it change me, and adapt to the new circumstances that it may create for my life.

I ask you, loyal blog readers, to think about change in your life (be it good or bad)- Can you spare some change?

-in the words of Elton John "Change is gonna do ya good!"