Tuesday 10/11 1030am Fiumicino Aeroporto, Rome, Italia
So, I know it's been a week since I last wrote, but it seems like it was just yesterday... and then it also seems like it was a month ago. You lose track of any kind of time at the Mogli and before I knew it, it was the day before I was supposed to leave. Work was pretty much the same over the last few days... Michelle and I spent about a day and a half shoveling horse poop, and while everyone seemed to think it was the worst job ever, both of us thought it was a decent job because there had to be two people so we talked the whole time... and it's just horse poop. We also were in charge of taking the horse and the donkey down to the pasture in the mornings so they could graze, and that required a lot of guts since the foal, Chapati, didn't like us taking his mother. He was more than welcome to walk with her, but instead he would jsut run crazy circles around us and then try and charge us. But he's a winnie and would run the other way the second we yelled at him to stop. We also helped cut wood up in the woods and bring it back up to the house. Giuseppe took the tractor, so on the way down/up there, Michelle and I would ride in the trailor he had attached to the tractor and on the way back down/up to the house, Michelle rode on the tractor and I rode on top of the wood pile. (I say down/up because to get from the house to the wood-cutting area, we had to go down a giant hill and then back up one, and the same on the way back). It probably would have been faster if we walked, but it was more fun to just ride on the tractor for 30 minutes each way.
The past week has also been a little ridiculous weather wise. It was hot towards the middle of last week and then within a few days, it became cold and windy. I started having to wear both my fleeces around the Mogli because it was just so cold. And it was so windy that it literally blew all our tents several feet from where they were.
Yesterday I left the farm and it was kind of sad. The night before all 5 of the Mogli kids slept in the ruin because it was SNOWING on the mountain and storming ridiculous outside. So we drank wine, ate potatoes (we ran out of pasta...), and played rummy. Then I woke up yesterday, packed up my stuff, and went to the house. I didn't say goodbye to anyone because they all were going to come to the house later to say goodbye. WELL, it ended up that I needed to catch an earlier bus because no one could take me at 130pm to catch the one I originally told everyone, so I almost didn't get to say goodbye to anyone. Luckily, Benoit and Gavin both showed up and Mariella and Sandra were already at the house. But Simon and Michelle didn't so I decided not to make them wait any longer, and Giuseppe took me to the bus station. BUT, on the way there, Simon and Michelle were walking in Sora. Giuseppe must have though I was insane because I yelled "WAIT" and jumped out of the car, and Michelle was running full speed towards me. Cars were definitely watching us, but I'm glad I got to say goodbye to them. I didn't get to see Linda and Vera before I left, but I'm sure I'll see them again, especially since Vera probably won't remember me now, but she will later. I gave Maria a tin ornament from the Market in San Antonio and then I gave Benoit another to give to Linda when he saw her. I think Maria was surprised since she sometimes didn't like me, but I think she'll remember me now!
The bus ride and metro ride to the hostel were uneventful and I checked in around 5pm. The room they gave me was only for two people (usually the hostel dorms have at least 4 beds) and no one else ended up showing up, so it was alllll mine. Pretty much my plan for the rest of the day was to do nothing and I succeeded. I watched a movie and talked to people on Facebook (including Hayley). Then I went down to the pizzeria and bought some pizza and a giant grapefruit fizzy drink (it was 1.5 litres and I drank it ALL). I guess I didn't realize how much I've become accustom to pasta, but I really wanted pasta, but it'll just haev to wait. Then I took a shower and went to bed early.
I woke up this morning at 645 and was on my train at 822am to Fiumicino Airport and now I'm sitting at my gate in the airport (it's 1040 and we board at 1110am). I'm meeting Angelica, the oldest daughter, at the H&M inside the big train station in Bucharest at 430pm (there is an hour time difference), and then I will start my second Workaway. I'm looking forward to this since that family has got to be better than Antonello, who was not my favorite person. It's nice of him that he allows volunteers to come, but he treats everyone like employees and unlike other workaways, he doesn't actually do any work himself (other workaways have the people actually working with you). He was just too cocky and didn't appreciate the work any of us did, so as much as I'm going to miss the other volunteers, I'm glad to be away from him.
