Next Stop

I’ve decided to eschew cultural immersion in Morocco in favor of a cushy life in an English village with well-behaved dogs and reliable Internet. I‘d originally planned to do a WorkAway with a family there to better understand the people of that country. I had a wonderful WorkAway experience in Scotland, and a decent-ish one in freezing Alton earlier this year. However, I’m gifting myself time to be alone with only an animal’s needs and emotions to consider.

When you stay with a family via WorkAway, you are witness to their lives. You hear their children cry, hear the parents making love and are privy to their disagreements. You must be discreet knowing when to withdraw and when to step forward. A few years ago, I stayed with a family on an isolated farm. The dysfunction was so bad one night that I considered packing up and walking 2 miles in the dark to the main road. The only thing that stopped me was knowing that all the hotels were full up due to the local 3 day rave. The situation improved with some clear communication between us all and the rest of the time there was great.

i realized that I’m ready to do a housesit is because living in America is WORK. Just being there requires a certain amount of vigilance and daily strategizing on how to navigate the system. And I’m on vacation, dang it!! I need this time to be easy and enjoyable for me! I feel like I need to stockpile my resilience before my return to the US. No matter the outcome of the presidential election, America will be in FIGHT CLUB mode and I need to be ready.