It was a wild ride with friends gained and experiences never to
be forgotten. This goodbye was sprinkled with a sense of accomplishment in
jumping into a new curricular that pushed me to learn differently and grow
through a foreign academic terrain. My last exam at USYD was for my law and
contemporary society class on a striking morning that represented the grandeur of
law. Just like the law, my time at USYD followed the rules of my own character
along with the emotional and situational factors that caused me to reevaluate
my own rules and what I wanted to accomplish with my life.
My last glance at USYD turned into the view of a clear blue sky
as I flew above the clouds and into one the friendliest places on earth, known
as Adelaide, South Australia.
Adelaide
November 12tjh
Ellie and I traveled to this wonderful city of friendly folks in
aims of exercising our bravery through WWOOFING.
Willing Workers On Organic Farms, aka WWOOF, is a program that
allows those willing to work 4-6 hours a day the chance to travel and discover
new environments and cultures on a budget. In exchange for working on an
organic farm, the host family provides all meals and accommodation along with
additional perks (i.e. educational lessons, farming techniques, scenic tour)
depending on the hostess.
After receiving our membership, Ellie and I searched through
every participating host farm in South Australia to gauge what we thought would
be the best fit. We knew we wanted to get the most out of our time in Australia
and had both never been to the south. After days of researching and email
threads we finally decided on two farms – an organic oyster farms 9 hours away
from Adelaide and an organic vineyard 45 minutes away from the city.
Ellie and I checked into our Youth Hostel Accommodation (YHA) - an affordable, friendly
and clean hostel that I recommend for those wanting to travel around
Aus.- and explored Adelaide for the day. We fell in love with the slow and lazy
pace of the city and could hardly fathom the kindness of the people of
Adelaide. People, left and right, willing to direct us wherever we wanted to go
and make friendly small talk in exchange for nothing but a smile it seemed. Why
were these Adelaideins so friendly? Was it the peaceful way of life in the
south? Or the feelings of warmth only a community of do-gooders and pure hearts
can expose? It was neither. Well, maybe it was a little of both. The people we
encountered were kind to us because that’s exactly who they are. They weren’t
putting on a show or trying to gain anything in return, rather, they were
exercising the inner workings of their greatest talent in being themselves.
And that, that in itself is the definition of what it means to
be human.
That day in Adelaide was filled with an enriching balance of
local creamy gelato paired with the sweetness of compassion surrounding me and
my humble existence.
Churning Butter
Plans fall apart so better experiences can fall into place.
Ellie and I trotted to the bus station with the guidance from an
elderly man who enjoyed exerting loud and long winded conversations with anyone
willing to listen. Bless his heart.
As it turned out, the bus fair to and from Angel Oysters would
cost $275 and a long bus ride of an estimated 20 hours in total. We felt
defeated. We had traveled all the way to South Australia to work on an oyster
farm to experience work that would provide us with knowledge, personal
challenges and growth through experience. We sat down in the hard chairs of the
bus station with no plan and limited funds. Some would call this a fork in the
road, a speed bump, a barrier hindering our aims. I call it, churning butter.
Just like butter, the most rewarding experiences are produced by
a mixture of ingredients such as obstacles and triumphs. After a long exertion
of physical and intellectual power of the one churning the materials, the
smooth and silky butter is produced. Otherwise known as a golden reward that
can be used to enhance the taste of other foods or future experiences.
Just like that fresh butter, Ellie and I used this golden
obstacle to think on our feet, move on, and be optimistic for the future. We
called The Yangarra Estate Vineyard in hopes of being able to arrive early to WWOOF.
As fate would have it, our wwoofing host would be in Adelaide the next day
picking up supplies (and us).
We couldn’t have been more grateful. All we had to do was tough
out the churn to create an experience dictated not by ourselves but by the forces
of an unplanned direction.
Home is a Concept,
Heart is Constant
November 13th
To make the most out of our day, Ellie and I decided to educate
ourselves about aboriginal culture at the Museum of South Australia before our
WWOOFing host (Peter) came to pick us up and drive us to the vineyard.
We enjoyed the taxidermy of various animals and later broke off
to explore aboriginal, contemporary and Asian art separately.
 |
| A painting of an aboriginal from all angles |
As
I read about the aboriginal culture and how they once lived, I felt close to
the people and their way of life. Their simplicity of living and the constant
struggle to survive and fight off danger seemed exhilarating yet terrifying.
Although living off of the Australian land alone would provide a strong
connection to mother earth, I couldn’t possibly fathom living only for
survival. While finding solace in nature is the goal, there must be a balance
in finding joy in educational pursuits such as learning the art of philosophy
or arithmetic. While their natural instincts were magnificent, they still
yearned to learn the art and theoretical world (as shown through aboriginal
art).
The
meat of the matter is, they too were curious. Curious for life beyond survival
and a constant urge to feel connected to the dirt that kept them alive.
Their
home was a concept. A place where they could find nourishment and shield
themselves from danger. A notion of security.
But
their heart, oh their heart, was a constant. An unceasing tie of heart and land
where they found solace through the grounds of creation.
Yangarra Estate Vineyard
(WWOOF)
November
13th – 27th
 |
| The Vineyard |
Yangarra Estate Vineyard is a “biodynamic wine farm”
located in Kangarilla, South Australia.
Row after row of green luscious vines, ready to prosper into maturity and be picked off by the harvester. A sight for the appealing eye that could only invoke feelings of amity and wonder.
How fortunate were we?
We received the opportunity to work in wine country, to breathe the fresh scent of soil, and to feast our eyes upon the rustic state of natural infinity.
We ended up setting home base with Peter in his
humble abode located on the winery.
Our duties were far from what we expected. Again, an
unplanned direction. Although disappointed to not have been able to pick the
grapes from the vine (Harvest is in February) we were fortunate to have learned
about ourselves through other sorts of manual labor.
A list of tasks accomplished
- - Feed hay to the horses at 7 A.M. and 6 P.M. During the evenings, mix a variety of grains, salts, and so forth for Peter’s horses.
- - Place rugs on the horses depending on the weather. Choose from different rugs for different weather conditions
- - Feed dogs a balanced meal each evening and feed cats
- - Haul sticks to burn pile
- - Weed and fill holes with manure
- - Domestic house duties (weed, mow, weed wack, laundry, dishes etc.)
- - Spread wood chips in the garden
While the weather was bipolar our feelings of
affection for our temporary stay were stagnant.
 |
| Dealing with the bipolar weather of thunderstorms to sunshine |
As a native
Californian, Mexican food is a lifeblood and a part of life. In Australia, it
is not.
The alternative, “Family meals” every night that mostly consisted of Mexican food made by two young girls who played chef and a man who could actually cook.
In addition to the
food, the beverages were superb. Although not a fan of red wine, Peter’s red wine
was the most flavorful I have ever tasted.
Oh the perks of life.
As a reward for working
with the horses, Peter saddled me up on one of his favorite horses (Katie) and
we went for a ride along the endless rows of vineyard.
I enjoyed feeling
powerful yet powerless on the back of an athlete who could knock me down to the
dirt or build my adrenaline high.
 |
| Kisses |
Watching the rows of
vine through the guiding light of sunshine was a spectacle of beauty for those
with an appreciation for the unalloyed elements of soil and water.
To some visitors,
Yangarra Estate Vineyard represented nothing but a means to wine – a necessary
component but not the main attraction.
To me, the vineyard was a splendor of art.
It is a fruit of wine
and chemistry. A tedious but rewarding job for those with pallet. A way of
life.
Just like the aboriginals, the vine tenders connected to the dirt that
provided a platform for growth not only for the vines but for those willing to
dig the soil and dig life.
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