The arrival

Today was the beginning of my summer farm adventure. I woke up at 5 am in order to make it to Newark Airport in time for my flight at 7:40. I was strangely organized and thus didn't have to do this morning, so we left pretty fast. Unfortunately, my poor mother began getting stomach cramps after we got in the car. I felt bad because I am pretty sure it was nerves about my leaving and her worrying that I'll be okay. Sadly, we had to drop her off somewhere to use the bathroom but had to continue onto the airport without her because otherwise I would have been late. It was really hard to leave her there. Not only because I knew that she was suffering and alone, but because it was the first time that she wasn't there to see me off at the airport. It just felt like a turning point for me, like a real wake-up call that something I have always taken for granted won't always be there.

I found out later that she was feeling better, and that made me feel better. I flew from Newark to Houston, then Houston to San Jose. I fell asleep on both flights and was passed out through both of them mostly. I made a friend on the 2nd flight, Bobby. He was a really cool guy from near San Jose. Probably a surfer dude. Either way, he was really friendly and fun to talk to. We flew over some crazy fires right before we were going to land, and he was taking photos of them. Apparently some part of CA has been on fire for the last two weeks and they can't seem to get it under control. Nuts, huh?

Well, I landed in San Jose and was met by John and Anna (I assume his stepdaughter?) and their dog, Shorty. It was a very festive gathering. John, who is very laid back, indeed had a pickup truck, except it was humungous and nothing I had ever seen before. I can't imagine what the gas mileage is on that car. It took us nearly 3 hours to get to Firebaugh (the town where the farm is) because we stopped at Wal Mart to get me a toothbrush and grabbed some lunch at Subway. But the long journey gave us time to chat. John's involved in a dozen different projects, which is very exciting. He owns land all over the place and does both conventional and organic farming, although organic is his favorite and his focus.

When we arrived at the house, I was led to my bedroom, and its a spacious room that they just repainted blue. It's quite nice, and I have a little rocking chair and tiny TV! That's more than I was expecting, so I was happy. Later, Shelby (John's partner and Anna's mom) came around and we walked around the farm together and she showed me where everything is growing. We met the baby goats (adorable), picked apricots, lettuce and radishes. I then went inside and made myself a salad with the lettuce and radishes and ate some apricots on the side. A nice light meal since I've felt pretty bulky lately.

Shelby and Anna just left, and here I am in the house, all alone. There are no other interns here yet, so its just me. It's a little weird to be here by myself but they say that its safe, so I'm hoping that's true. The other workers live on the land nearby, so I'm not totally isolated.

It's been a tough day. Emotional. Highs and lows. I'm excited to be here, but definitely feeling the transition is going to be hard. For instance, we don't have a stove, just an electric griddle. I'm sure I can make it work, but that's just another layer of discomfort to deal with. The house is undergoing a great deal of re-construction, so living here while that is going on will be tough. Many of the workers here do not speak english at all; since I don't speak spanish, I'm wondering how I am going to communicate. There's a ton of stuff that's on my mind. But, I am trying to stay calm and keep the faith that things will work out. Yes, my friends, I am trying to live and let God.

We'll see. Tomorrow I am to get up and be ready for work by 7 AM for the "box-filling" ritual - this is when we fill boxes to send down to the members of our CSA. I'm excited about it.