Zzzzzzzzzt! That’s the sound of a black fly circling my head a bit before making a direct landing upon my ear cavity and taking a look around as though it were an invitingly dark little cavern in which to beat out the Australian afternoon sun. I’ve taken to wearing a scarf over my face at this farm in the golden-grassy, rolling hills of Dederang—when shoveling out the horse paddocks, while cleaning the mouse droppings off the assorted equipment of unknown-to-me purposes in the shed, during an endless scraping-off of the foam that was hanging in tatters from the sun-broiled roof of the old farm vehicle, even while teaching our hosts a lesson how to throw a good jab-cross. (Our persistent pests so inspired that martial arts class on wings that it earned a title: the fly swatter workout).
Said mauve scarf, with its light and open weave, never before looked so tough.
Working on this farm in Southeast Australia was a travel dream come true. Well, except for the flies. I never did come to like them. Picking up a rake and a scrub brush might not seem the best way to experience a country at first glance, but allow me to make a case for it.
We first experienced work-based travel on the other side of the equation, as hosts who welcome explorers into their homes, offering them food and a place to bunk down in exchange for a few hours of labor per day. In our garden back in Virginia, we needed extra hands to tame the lush growth that is partner to a humid East Coast summer, and this idea of “will work for travel” seemed a novel way to solve our problem.
It worked beautifully. Using the website www.workaway.info, we connected with some incredible young people from around the world. We shared ideas over meals, learned about each other’s cultures, and, working together, conquered some long-tabled house projects in a flash. They, in the meantime, had the run of Washington, D.C. and all its offerings for the low cost of a metro ticket or two.
So, when it came to be our turn to live as world travelers, I had to wonder, could we, a family of five, do what they did? Travel cheaply for a week and connect with people from another country in a sustained and meaningful way?
Thanks to Christine and her amazing kids, we were given a chance to try.
“We are interested in your help around the garden….I would also be interested in organizing regular martial arts and music lessons with my two children and just exchanging knowledge/play and activities in general.”
On the farm, we had the run of our own little cottage, lovingly named “the Humpy.” It provided us with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, bathroom, laundry, fruit trees from which we might nibble, an herb garden for cooking, and a gorgeous view of the countryside. All this in exchange for a bit of work in the garden and a daily lesson!
It was a perfect match. In addition to the joy of teaching, this fantasy of mine required me turning in my teacup handle for one with a shovel at the end of it. Traveling full time has a way of making me feel as though I’m floating atop reality a bit. I wanted to get my feet on the ground—literally in the ground. Physical labor just feels good, doesn’t it? Meals taste better with the flavor of satisfaction from some sweaty pursuits. Sleep is sweeter after some toil in the sun. I feel better as a parent if I’m finding ways to develop my boys’ work ethic. And tight bonds are formed through a hard project’s loose ends being well-tied in teamwork.
My manager and partner in this labor was an incredibly-motivated twelve-year-old girl. This amazing person, with a natural talent for positivity, sensitivity, and practicality, tinged by just the right amount of silly fun, is destined for greatness. With her, getting covered in cobwebs, splashing in manure, and breathing in innumerable allergens was, sincerely, the highlight of my time in Dederang.
Why? Besides the aforementioned search for grounding, it feels wonderful to be of service to another person. I love that sense of purpose. Together, in addition to teaching some martial arts lessons, the Santillo family helped the McNeill family to deep clean their shed and make it ready for horses to board, fixed a barbed wire fence to keep cows out of the vegetable garden, gave the farm vehicle a total makeover, picked fruit from the orchard before the birds could take it all for themselves, cleared the driveway of storm debris, consulted on how to grow their B&B business and de-dusted long-forgotten nooks and crannies in the beloved Humpy.
Thanks to this experience, my boys remember what it’s like to work a wheelbarrow, shovel, and broom. They practiced achieving project completion, in spite of heat and dust. They worked as a team. They served someone other than their immediate family—or just themselves.
Best of all, after sharing in this work together, we learned about each other over home-cooked, healthy, whole-food meals lovingly prepared. Thanks to our young equestrian, we also learned about caring for horses and even had a go with riding bareback. After five days of this program, we were great friends. After five more—because we loved this experience so much that we returned for a second round once we were out of bush fire danger—we were family.
Have you found a way to serve others while traveling? Do you like to work abroad?