Freedom WWOOFers

Danny told me not to worry about getting up early, which is the last thing I expected to hear as a farm worker. I woke naturally at 8:30am and was the first one up. Danny woke up around 11, made a big breakfast of sausage, bacon and eggs, then woke everyone else. We didn't get out to work until noon. I'm sure that isn't normal for most farms.

I was assigned to do some digging for new irrigation pipes. It was over 90 degrees, but I'm used to much more humid climates and it actually felt nice. I also picked the right work clothes... jeans, light long-sleeved collar shirt and a big hat. I finished digging in an hour, then ran into the Brits. They were cutting PVC pipes to irrigate grapes in another field and I ended up helping them the rest of the day.

Josh just finished a year working as a police officer in Manchester and is here on a 6-month trip to see the US before returning to school. Aaron, his old friend, lives on a farm just outside Manchester and is a student on holiday leave for a few weeks. We all hit it of right away, especially when I mentioned I grew up outside Atlanta. It turns out these guys are really fascinated with the deep south and want to do a trip across all the Southern states. I asked if that was a normal interest for the British and Josh said no, he's just personally really into American redneck culture.

I always thought it was a stereotype that the British hate the French, but Josh and Aaron assured me it was true. They call the French volunteers "the French fags" behind their backs and make a lot of jokes about them surrendering all the time, as in "Why are the French fags going in so soon? Are they surrendering to the tractor?" They're very friendly to their faces, though, and the French guys, Nicholas and Gabriel, seem to be oblivious. I'm staying out of it. That feud is centuries old, and I get along fine with both the Brits and the Frenchies. Nicholas and Gabriel are super friendly, although their English isn't great and they tend to keep to themselves and speak French.

We measured and cut pipes the rest of the day. The Brits decided to go swimming after work and invited me to come. We drove to a nearby lake and hung out there the rest of the evening. They later told me they come there to fish if I was every interested. When we got back to the house, it was too late to set up the trailer, so I hit the couch again.