Attention!! New Blog Site Address...

I have created a new blog address because this
one is difficult to edit as it has been on Caitlin's account.
In the future please visit:

www.piacelove.blogspot.com

Thank you so much!
all my warmest wishes this holiday season.
Kisses

My days in Paros

This life is amazing...
The general day consists of waking up to the sunlight streaming in my window off the mountain side, with my gaze running over the terraced gardens down to the sea in the distance. I then grab some breakfast, tea and toast or muesli while sitting and catching more views off the front porch...warming my hands on my fat tea mug. My work is generally mild, starting with watering the garden and coming up with strategies for the plants to contain more water by moving the earth to cup it. Mainly I have been moving lots of earth...making small swales for the trees and lining them with rocks, mulching their new water catching niche....our news project (that would be Emily and me...shes 19 from Alaska, super awesome, great laugh, super fun..) is to flatten out the small stadium at the bottom on the garden....we are not quite sure if we are leveling or flattening it...bc the point is to flatten it..but allow the slope to drain down to the west...its a nice art we are enhancing in our lives...moving earth.
It sounds boring, but it is actually super enjoyable. I love using my senses to observe the land and then see what logically needs to be changes for the best water catching purposes. And whenever we get a bit exerted I simply lean on my shovel and watch the sea...
I am getting over a cold now, so I ended up sleeping allll day yesterday...waking up at sunset...and then until noon today.
I better go, Irini just brought out the cake, and Raymond just made tea...getting ready for a movie.

love you all

Am I Really Here?!..Paros, Greece

Saturday, December 6th 2008
Am I really here?! Paros, Greece. I am in heaven. I spent a couple hours at the port, as I missed the bus…watching Greek fishermen in their boats…I asked one if he needed help, he smiled and said thank you very much but no. haha I ended up meeting the German couple and their baby walking on the beach, who are also wwoofing at the farm …they are amazing…and their baby is ridiculous. So well mannered and adorable! Oh my goodness. The perfect toe-head blue eyes baby German girl.
(There was a moment where we were all waiting for the bus sitting on the rocks by the water, and I was stretching out my legs on the adjacent rock..and she climbed up...observed me and then plopped down beside me in the same position...needless to say it was love at first sight...)
It is always an interesting moment becoming part of a household for the first time…with people you have never met. Many questions run all over the place in my mind…mainly how is the sense of humor…the expectations…
I walked into the kitchen last night after a quick shower…to find it packed and wonderful, sarcastic, loving, humor being thrown around. After dinner I had a wonderful chat with Jim about my experience studying Vedic Science and TM…(I love being surprised by topics of conversation)…and about consciousness and suggestibility…and mental paradigms. If you know me, you know how enriching this type of conversation is for me. It was wonderful to have intellectual conversations again.
This place is miraculous. All stone buildings, beautiful terraced gardens with goldfish pond. The German family sadly, left today, so last night we took a nice long walk around the mountain on its donkey path, which overlooks the setting sun across the sea…behind another island. The dad and the baby would run ahead and hide in a little nook and wait for us 3 ladies to walk past and the baby would squeal with excited giggles…until...BOO! sooo wonderful!
Today I luckily have the luxury of relaxing my ankle (which took a toll after twisting in the mountains and through my travels with my huge bag) and taking it easy. Its difficult relaxing while wwoofing, I have found, because I constantly am on edge as I am in their space, on their time.
Which in itself is an amazing experience. But this place I feel is more quickly soaking in as a home. I communicated to Jim how I like to know his expectations blunt and clearly so as I don’t always have to be on edge…that I should always be doing something…and he also communicated how sensitive he is to making sure I am enjoying my work and comfortable. This knowledge of Jim, mixed with his sarcastic humor, intelligent opinions, as well as the deeply warming smile and heart of the lady of the house, is promising for a great stay in Paros. And did I mention the accommodations…amazing! My own wing basically, double bed, my own stone shower, that gets the first morning sun.
So I will keep you all updated as to the work and the knowledge I gain here…it seems potentially extensive…painting, gardening, tiling, building, water systems…stone work….not sure what else, but I know there is more.
I am ….SO….happy!
MWAH!
Here is the sunset from the donkey path.

Dismanteling Comfort Zones...

Friday, Dec 5, 2008 Ferry to Paros, Greece 10:44 AM
I woke up in deep exhaustion (5AM), not wanting to pry myself out of bed along with dismantling my comfort zone of traveling with a friend in this new country. But the adrenaline hits…I am now on my own and have to get up, get ready and find/make my ferry. I look forward to walking through the dark morning listening to my best song (Heartbeats by the Knife) that I know will channel my adrenaline which was currently sporadically raging through my body and brain, into a coherent purpose with each step through the dark morning….once I was outside I was content as by this time I am already back into my traveling-alone-deadline zone allowing me to simply enjoy the short walk to the metro with my own inner peace. Arriving an hour early for the ferry allowed me to relax even further…this is when I turned on my Ipod, strangely enough to the playlist of 5 songs that saved my emotional sanity during these last 7 months and I am relieved to say that only 2 songs gave me that teleporting phenomenon into the familiar gut-sick past….but it didn’t linger long.
I love where I am, pulling out of Athens, seeing the pinkish yellow sunrise-rays low on the horizon resting upon the deep blue water turning slightly greenish….with the misty island mountains in the distance…. Its going to be a beautiful sunny ride.
Its amazing looking out my window and the present hits me, I’m in the Aegean Sea on my way to Paros… looking at the rich blue water with islands lurking here and there, I have to pull the curtain a bit so the sun’s reflecting off the water doesn’t hurt my eyes. Drinking my luxurious tap water on the rocks (yes mother its safe to drink)...listening to music that brings me back to what feels like another life, all the good and all the bad…fully adding to everything I love about right now.

Will I make the ferry?

Dec 1st Leaving Rofrano the days adventures making the ferry to Greece...
Donnatella gave me one of the small loaves of bread and small apples for my journey to Greece. I am going to miss these beautiful mountains, but Im happy to be going and excited for Greece. The sun is out today, I seem to bring the rain everywhere I go…It was nice sitting for the bus in the familiar scene, of the old men out on the street, the guy pumping gas for cars, the statue infront of my seat…the bushes smell like Spring Lake from Jersey…I have the same friendly bus driver, honking and waving to everyone and warning of his arrival around all the windy mountain roads. Sometimes we don’t fit through the road and so he honks a few extra times and all the men on the street gather together over the commotion…many heads pop out of the various shops about…there is usually about 8 men grouped to see what the deal is...what they can do to help...or laugh and yell at the man whose car is in the way. Driving through these mountains and towns gives me a grounding feeling of great hominess. I realize that I am just now feeling more normal with the idea that I am in Italy…more easy to talk to someone, asking how they are…even if that is the extent of the conversation…but my Italian is much better, I was able to understand the bus driver say that he is better now that the rain has stopped! That was exciting for me! To have the words turn into meaning and register in my brain…and then realize that was just Italian!!!! It is ironic to get accustomed after 5 weeks in Italy, that I am actually here….and now be hoping to make the ferry to Greece tonight. Nutso! We shall see how today plays out…I don’t have tickets yet.
The day in short: 20 minute car ride, 40 minute train ride, where I made friends with 19 year old girl wwoofers from Canada! Super exciting and grounding to speak English with people having a common experience! On that train I was also serenaded by an Italian man by singing Frank Sinatra…and complimenting my smile over and over…the wwoofers gave me a wonderful excuse to go sit with them….then a 4 hour bus ride…which arrived to Taranto late so I caught the later 1 hour train to Bari….and on this train…lol….here is the story: First of all...let me say that I am in ‘Alone Girl Traveling Mentality plus exhaustion’… so…I was alone in the train compartment until a man joined me…my alarms were lightly dinging…but was able to relax after a quick glance…middle aged, general feeling OK… through the reflection of my window I noticed him looking at me and smiling …and I thought ‘you don’t actually know he is looking at you’…but decided for precautionary purposed to assume. A few minutes later…randomly he comes over and offers me candy, of which I hear my mothers voice ‘never take candy from strangerssss’ so I politely take one, and when he is not looking pocket it and randomly act like I have something in my mouth….lol. He starts talking…trying to make conversation without knowing much English…I am uncomfortable and feeling too tired to try using my small Italian…but being polite I speak back…we end up having an enjoyable conversation about why I am traveling alone…to how I am beautiful and need to be aware and keep attention to divert men on my travels…about his children…his travels to America some 20 years before…prehistoric history we decided…I forgot how awkward silences can be…and then we had arrived in Bari. Which put me in serious Go Team mode…as I had to find the right bus…and the right ferry port…to FIND OUT if I can buy a ticket for tonight…and then if not find a place to stay and book the ferry for tomorrow night…SO this all raging through my adrenaline…I can barely make out him asking me if I would like to get some tea…and I tried to explain…no thankyou I have no idea how I am making a ferry tonight so I need to promptly leave….and this is all in A+ charades…he walked with me to the buses helped me find the right bus..30 minutes till it leaves…so why not get tea with me- he asks?...we go to 2 places near by he doesn’t think is good enough, and then we sit down, he buys me cappuccino and water, and then chocolate for my journey…AND my bus ticket! It was all a bit rushed as to make my bus…but we made it back… ciao ciao kisses, he reiterated: Attention! Divert Men!...many Gratzie Gratzie (thank yous) and I was on my bus full of italian men …alone again with my huge bag . I was just closing my eyes to regain my calm collectness after the whirlwind of on gaurd, watching my back, being polite, shocked, and grateful the last hour and half when I hear a male American voice…I swing around, which is a miracle in itself with my bag the size of Rhode Island, and help the guy buy his bus ticket…long story short…Brian is from New Jersey, also going to Athens from Patras, also does not have a ferry ticket, also 22. After a surprised we have almost everything in common conversation, we buddy up and travel the next leg to Athens together.

We made the ferry, shared many laughs, and about 4 hours of sleep later (16 hour ferry ride) we make it to Patras. Then for a 4 hour train ride to Athens. We arrive, Im exhausted, be walk slightly lost finding a hostel is ends up being closed…to walk to another that ends up being the best hostel ever…near the metro…free internet…only 13.50 euro a night.
It was wonderful to be able to have someone to travel with after the last month alone. It ended up that there was not a ferry to Paros the next morning…so we went to the Akropolis together on Thursday and I stayed another night in Athens. Found a great pita place for a veggie pita 1 euro! And while eating I was able to see these 2 delectable specimen of the tall dark fit and handsome greek breed. (hehe..no im not sexist..) It was a nice couple of days.
Holy Shite Im in Greece!

Journal Entry...Leaving Ceglia (olives) arriving at Rofrano (mountains)

10:30 So I am on the bus…the plains slowly turn into foothills and then small mountains. In my own world I am transported to what is familiar to me…the drive through Colorado. I feel like I could be there in America now…listening to ‘Sexy Back – Justin Timberlake, but there is a subtle difference…I cant quite put my finger on it…that white house with the red roof nestled in the hills, or the cactus sprouting out of the train tracks, the beautiful oak trees changing to yellow/fire orange…there is something not quite America about it…I could be anywhere, but there is a different air in my blood making my heart a special flutter, driving along the river at the bottom with the rocky mountain peaks emerging around me…what is that white crane doing in Colorado?...The olive trees and the citrus trees have turned to oak filling this valley. I could be anywhere, on a bus alone…the lady next to me could be any dark haired American, but there is something different, something more exciting about this dark tunnel than the ones in Colorado…all the same I hold my breath as I would if Lynett was with me going to Vail…

The vowels rhyming all around make it clear. I’m on a bus, driving through the Italian mountains, with Italian strangers, breathing Italian air, in Italy.

After 2 days, I am in Athens, Greece!

holy crap. Im in Greece.
After 2 days of travel, leaving the beautiful mountains of Lucania Valley...I am in a hostel in Athens, with a few nice adventures along the way...one italian man serinading me by singing Frank Sinatra to me on the train and complimenting my smile over and over...luckily being saved by two awesome girls from Canada..also wwoofers! That was a nice time for a bit...before I got off the train.
The other was on the train from Taranto to Bari...where a gentleman who I was not excited to talk to...ended up helping me find my bus...bought me cappucino while I waited...and chocolate..and my bus ticket. At the end when we said goodbye, he said. Attention! Divert Men! (We had already talked about how I am beautiful and how I need to keep attention....) This was all ofcourse in an amazing Cherades game...and the little Italian I have picked up. After getting on my bus...relaxing awkwardly with my huge bag...re composing myself after the hour and a half of....being on gaurd....trying to be polite...figuring out where I am...accepting his help...the whirlwind of it all....I heard an Amercian male voice.....
long story short...Hes from New Jersey, going to Athens...does not have a ferry ticket yet...Just like me! So we have buddied up for the last day. It has been nice to have a travel companion for my first leg into a new country!
I have to cut it short, as we are about to be tourists!
Tomorrow I hope to catch my boat to Paros, for the next farm!
All my love.