Aloha, Friends.: up and out

Well, I finally did it. I moved off of Don's farm last week onto another farm on the North shore of Kauai. It was really difficult the last week or so I was there. Don was acting normal except for being a pain about helping me move my bags to the new place, but Maya was the one that surprised me. For some reason she was being really hostile toward me and even yelling sometimes. It was weird, but it's over now. So.....

The new place I'm at is called La Ola organic farms. It's about 3 acres with fully producing papaya, starfruit, pineapples, and guava trees as well as a whole range of vegetables and herbs. I'm expected to do about 20 hours per week and you actually get a weekly list of assignments that you can get done on your own time. How refreshing! I live in this little shelter toward the back of the property. It's just a frame with a rain tarp on a tent platform and a bed, but it's pretty sweet to be sleeping outside, a step up from camping! I get to wake up to the smell of guavas wafting in every morning. Not bad, I'd say! The farm is owned by Tim and Catherine. Tim handles most of the farm overseeing and Catherine is a naturopathic doctor and midwife. I'm here with an older woman named Sunny, and a young couple, Josh and Corinne. Everyone's really cool. It's a nice change. I am up in a much less developed part of the island, and am surrounded by lots and lots of other farms and the small town of Kilauea.

I am still waiting to hear back about the food co-op program. Cross your fingers for me! Getting into that would be so wonderful!! The only thing that concerns me at the moment is that Tim has asked the two women before me to leave and, according to Sunny, his interactions with me are almost identical with theirs up to the point when he asked them to go. You see, the first two weeks are a trial period. Apparently, he's got a pattern with asking people to go even when they've been working hard (I've already put in 10 hours more than I needed to). I'm not quite sure I get it fully, but I'm hoping I don't get asked to go or there will have to be some scrambling for plan B's and C's. I'll just keep working hard and doing my best and that's all I can do. But, for now, I'm in a new place and I'm working and learning. I've already learned a bunch of new things, preparing and maintaining compost, and planting teensy onions among other things.

Oh! and I bought a motor bike to get around on. Not a motorcycle, not a scooter, a beach cruiser with an 80 cc, 2-stroke motor welded onto the frame. It gets 150 mpg and can go up to 45 mph. I can be a motorbike enthusiast legitimately now! No more pretending! haha.