Much of what they say rings very true to our current situation. Our diet is poor and we are a bizarre mix of healthy and fit; while fueling our bodies with endless baguettes and digestive biscuits. Arguably we also quit the 9 - 5 in search of adventure. Our photos perhaps don't show the entire story (as I write this I am holed up inside sheltering from the endless downpour that has saturated Lake Orta in North Italy for the past two days; no photos have been taken of this). And yes, we've scrubbed a few toilets along the way to ensure we are fed.
However, what irked me about that piece, and where we differ from them, I think, is that I am happy scrubbing toilets.
We are also using workaway to get us back to New Zealand, taking the very long road. It's a fantastic website where you can connect with people all around the world and offer your services in exchange for board and food. The work is varied; as are the expectations. But the exchange is worth far more than just a warm meal each evening. And that's where their blog annoyed me. They made it sound like it's when they are on the road, jumping from one place to another that they are most happy, begrudgingly having to stop every now and again to clean some toilets or polish some glasses so they can get a proper meal or two. Whereas in fact, I would argue, it's in those moments when you have stopped to scrub some toilets that you learn the most; and in turn, gain the most from your travels. It's in those moments that you finally stop to feel the beat of a town, to finally figure out what the locals say as their greeting, to take a step back from the train timetables and the church opening hours to figure out what it is that makes a place.
At the moment, we are doing that in the north of Italy overlooking Lake Orta. We are at a conference centre, which hosts many different groups from yoga, to family constilations to a group who yelled for two weeks straight. The work is solid - we even have a roster - the food is delicious, the company is abundant and the location is second to none. No complaints from me; even as I stand in the dishwashing room scrubbing all the dishes from a 60-person two course dinner. We are here for another week - three weeks have already raced by - before we head to the south of Italy; back into the sunshine. And off to learn a little bit more.
