Friday, February 29
illegal
Today is Leap Year Day and my world is a little backwards - today is my last day as an officially welcomed tourist in Spain. Tomorrow the entry stamps on my passport are no longer valid, and I will be an illegal alien. I´m actually a little excited at the prospect. I feel a little fear as well when I think about it, but I've been doubly and triply assured that nothing unfortunate will befall me in this situation. I carry an American passport, after all - until this travel I've never fully understood the value of that. Even the Policia Nacional - Spain´s version of Immigration - told me when I went there to ask them about it that I won't have any trouble or consequence as long as I don´t stay for a very long time past the invitation my stamps afford me. I haven't yet found a suitable position on a UK sheep farm, though I'm still working toward that.
Wednesday, February 27
Gran Canaria
Wow, it´s been a long time since I've posted anything to this site. I've been on quite a few adventures and there's too much to try to catch up on for now, so I'll just write about where I am.
I am living now on the island of Gran Canaria, Tenerife's easternly neighbor. Gran Canaria is a little smaller than Tenerife and almost perfectly round. I am staying in almost the center of the island, in a mountain village called Lagunetas. I'm making a garden for an old house that is being fixed up a bit. I received the invitation to stay here and work here from a friend of Vero's; it's not a WWOOF gig but it ends up being about the same. I've been planting lots of seeds, including jalapeños my dad sent me.
Finally I feel that Winter has arrived. Some days are sunny, but more often the clouds roll in surround everything in cold and damp. Somedays there is rain or wind, but generally it's just a calm gray. One fellow in the house complains every day about the weather, and then laughs every day at my different persepctive. It's really beautiful to me. The skies often look like something from a fairy tale when the clouds come in thick and fast a little above the house or a little below. The hills are densely green, interupted by occasional small houses surrounded with neat patches of garden. Birds call brightly across the valley. My only disappointment in the weather is that the moon was obscured by clouds on the 21st and I couldn't see the eclipse.
I am invited to stay here as I like, but I feel I might be moving along soon. No firm plans yet, but it seems that the continent of Europe is calling to me. I've been looking online a bit, trying to find a position on a sheep farm to help with the lambing season. This would almost definitely take me to the UK. I have a book about raising sheep that was a gift of Finca Limon and I've been reading up about all the details of lambing in anticipation of a job. Wish me luck!
I am living now on the island of Gran Canaria, Tenerife's easternly neighbor. Gran Canaria is a little smaller than Tenerife and almost perfectly round. I am staying in almost the center of the island, in a mountain village called Lagunetas. I'm making a garden for an old house that is being fixed up a bit. I received the invitation to stay here and work here from a friend of Vero's; it's not a WWOOF gig but it ends up being about the same. I've been planting lots of seeds, including jalapeños my dad sent me.
Finally I feel that Winter has arrived. Some days are sunny, but more often the clouds roll in surround everything in cold and damp. Somedays there is rain or wind, but generally it's just a calm gray. One fellow in the house complains every day about the weather, and then laughs every day at my different persepctive. It's really beautiful to me. The skies often look like something from a fairy tale when the clouds come in thick and fast a little above the house or a little below. The hills are densely green, interupted by occasional small houses surrounded with neat patches of garden. Birds call brightly across the valley. My only disappointment in the weather is that the moon was obscured by clouds on the 21st and I couldn't see the eclipse.
I am invited to stay here as I like, but I feel I might be moving along soon. No firm plans yet, but it seems that the continent of Europe is calling to me. I've been looking online a bit, trying to find a position on a sheep farm to help with the lambing season. This would almost definitely take me to the UK. I have a book about raising sheep that was a gift of Finca Limon and I've been reading up about all the details of lambing in anticipation of a job. Wish me luck!
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