In Banff

After my last post I spent a couple of days doing absolutely nothing.  This consisted of hanging out with the girls in my room and watching bad horror movies on TV and drinking at the in hostel bar.

On Saturday (27^th October) the Banff Mountain Film and Book festival started.  I went with two of the girls from my room to the Banff Centre to have a look at the mountain art and craft sale.  We walked up there and had a wander around then went back to the hostel.  It killed and hour and a half.  I proceeded to do absolutely nothing for the next three days.

I tried to get outside each day and escape the hostel for a little while and go to a café at the other end of town.  I became quite the regular and even had my own spot at the window where I would sit using their free and well-connected wifi, and drink coffee for a few hours.

Wednesday was Halloween.  I went for a short hike during the day.  It was nice to get out and actually do something.  I went with a girl who I’d met in my room during the first few days of being in Banff, but she now had her own flat.  The hike was to the Hoodoos, which are rock formations.  By this stage most of the snow had melted but there were sections where the ice had compacted and it wasn’t safe to walk on.  This is where I walked like a little old lady who was cautiously trying not to slip over and break a hip.

The Hoodoos turned out to not be as impressive as my friend had imagined.  We took a different trail back and ended up losing it at the road.  Or maybe my friend had just pretended that she couldn’t find it so she didn’t have to listen to me being scared of falling over every time I came across ice on the trail.  I liked walking along the road.  I like looking at all the different houses.  I’m a little sick of seeing trees all the time.

That night I wasn’t particularly motivated to partake in the Halloween festivities.  I didn’t have any money to waste on a costume and I was tired from all the fresh air I’d had during the day.  In the end I got sick of all the girls ‘encouraging’ me to get ready so I put on a black dress and a face full of black makeup and decided I was a Goth.  It was funny that I was the last to get ready but the first to actually be ready, so I headed to the bar and brought a jug of beer and shared it with a guy with a pumpkin on his head.

I got told I was hot by Jack-o-lantern Man and Brandon Lee and by 10 pm I had decided I had made enough of an appearance and that most people would be too drunk to notice if I went to bed.  I had an early morning anyway.

The next morning I was up by 7am and went to my first session of the festival at 8:30am.  It was old time storytelling.  It was really interesting.  There was a panel of 5 people and each took in turns telling a story about a personal experience.  There was no real theme to the session.  One story was about that person’s experience growing up in Banff and being a part of one of the founding families.  Another was about working as a park ranger, another was about a kayaking experience where everything went wrong.  It was the kind of stories that would be told around a campfire among friends and it really had that feel and atmosphere around it, only it was in a room packed full of people.  The session even ended with a sing-a-long, guitar and all.

I went to three sessions over the weekend, each were taken by National Geographic and were free.  Saturday I went to 2 sessions.  The first was about grants and the application process.  I have no intention of becoming a mountaineer but I thought it would be interesting to see the types of stories they are looking for and the types of expeditions they give grants to.  I found the session really interesting and I’m glad I decided to get up early and go.  The second session was about writing and photography.  This session was full of people but it was really a continuation of things that were discussed in the first session.  I got a lot of ideas and information.

Sunday I went to a two and a half hour session about digital storytelling and social outreach.  Lunch was provided in this session and I had an interesting conversation with one of the directors of the Kendal Mountain Festival, which is similar to the Banff Festival but in the Lake District in England.  I found this session really interesting because I am not up with all the different Social Medias and technology and the National Geographic approach is similar to my own ideas and approach.

The key things I learnt in this session were to be strategic about what you want to communicate.  Be responsible with your message.  Connect with your audience and engage them.  What is it you want them to do with your message?  Also engage in a community and be a good citizen within that space.  The speakers made a lot of good points that I could relate to.  They stressed that you must be accountable for everything you put out there, you are not anonymous and you can’t take it back.  And it is not necessary to be on every platform.  If you are strategic you can choose a few that you can control and have an idea of how your audience uses these platforms and maximise their interaction.

After my sessions were over I went back to doing not a lot of anything.  On Tuesday I spent 5 hours sitting in my usual café daydreaming and writing up my notes.  On the way back to the hostel I decided it was time for me to go.  That night I caught the bus to Vancouver…

After my train trip and the bus back to Whitehorse the next day I got picked up from the hostel by the lovely people from the farm I’d been working on.

Saturday had been chicken slaughter day at the farm.  I was gutted I’d missed out.  I’ve always wanted to kill and pluck a chicken.  I have no idea why.  I just think it would be a handy skill to have.  But on the farm they process the chickens they have raised with a bit more equipment then an axe and bare hands.

I got picked up from the hostel and then helped deliver the trailer of equipment to the next person who needed it.  I help unload it then we headed back to the farm.  We arrived rather late so I went straight to bed.

 Where I am sleeping

The next day I help insulate the house that I had helped work on the week before.  And Monday I moved and stacked bales of hay and the afternoon was bust as everyone crashed out for a snooze.  The other girls who were also WWOOFing here had headed up to Dawson City for a couple of days.  Tuesday I had a day’s temp work at the quilt shop.  It felt weird being paid for something I enjoy so much.  I spent the day sewing samples and talking to other quilters.

Wednesday there was a bit more work to do as it was the day before the farmer’s market.  So I helped bake and in the afternoon I helped put mud on the chicken coup.  Turns out I’m a bit handy in this area.  The evening was spent writing and more baking and watching a movie.  It’s all very casual.  Thursday was Farmer’s market day, so we harvested and packed salad greens than headed into town to set up.  I spent the afternoon hanging out at the stall and wandering around sampling backed good from various stalls.

 The chicken coup covered in mud

I have really enjoyed my time on the farm.  The hosts were very laid back but helpful.  I like WWOOFing because of the feeling of contributing to something bigger then I am.  I like being helpful and also learning something new.  The quiet and fresh air and beautiful location are all just an added bonus.

Ideally WWOOFing should be a mutual exchange of culture and lifestyle.  I think you need to also be accepting and open to another person’s beliefs and reasons for wanting to work by organic principals.  The exchange should be mutually beneficial.  It isn’t just about working on a farm in exchange for food and accommodation, you should learn something new or different or consider changing your own ways for something that may work a little better.  I think you also need to appreciate the host’s hospitality, not expect it.

 The view from the main house

The hosts I have been with this week have been wonderful and it has been a fantastic experience because of the people I’ve met and worked with.  They were always grateful of the help they received.  And I have to say it’s the best I’ve eaten since being in Canada. I have heard some horror stories of other people that have done WWOOF and I have also had one rotten experience myself so my main recommendation is to ask a lot of questions about the farm and what is expected before singing up.

I have enjoyed my time on the farm, I’m not sure if I will stay longer as my plans are up in the air at the moment but we’ll see what happens.

This post comes at the request of Alison of See My Travels. She has just finished her first WWOOF CA placement on a blueberry farm near Vancouver.  I had made a comment on her post and she became interested in my experiences.  So, here it is.

For those that don’t know WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and also Willing Workers on Organic Farms.  Either way you look at it, it is a fantastic way to do something a little different, learn something new, meet interesting people and add to the experience of being in another country.  It is also a great way to save a bit of money, because you work in exchange for food and accommodation.

I have enjoyed wwoofing.  I like the feeling of contributing to something bigger than I am and I like learning and experiencing new things.  I have done three WWOOF UK placements.

My first placement was suggested to me by a girl I had met in a hostel in London.  She had just finished on the farm and had really enjoyed her experience.  I took note of the name and kept it in mind.  I did a bit of travelling and settled for the winter in Chippenham, Wiltshire.  After 5 months of working it was time to get on the road again so I wrote to the farm that had been recommended to me, mentioned the girl’s name and organised my stay for a month.  I had never done anything like this before but am always up for a new challenge.

It was February 2010, the weather was miserable, but I was heading to Cornwall, where the weather was meant to be a little better.  I was picked up at Truro train station and taken to Cusgarne Organic Farm, in the tiny little hamlet of the same name.  The surrounding area had a few cottages, the pub and bus stop was  2 miles away, the closest train station was a 40 minute walk and it is situated smack in between Truro and Falmouth.

Cusgarne runs an organic box scheme.  They grow as much as they can but when the vegetables are not in season they order them in.  They have their own organic meat and eggs, and the boxes are delivered all over Cornwall.  At that time the farm was being run by the 17 year old daughter and there were 6 other woofers.  We each had our own rooms, scattered all over the farm, we had our own common area, bathroom and kitchen, and we each took in turns cooking meals.  We could help ourselves to as much of the vegetables as we wanted and other food was brought in for us twice a week.

Jobs included packing boxes in the morning, and then the rest of the day was weeding and preparing seedlings and beds, as well as some planting.  I also volunteered to man the market stall once a week at the hall in Redruth.  Work was 6 hours a day and when the time came we were told to put down what we were doing.  We weren’t expected to do more than the allotted hours.  (This is a common complaint from other wwoofers I’ve spoken too.  They feel taken advantage of because they end up working more than what the food and accommodation is worth).

It was a really good group of people and not all work.  We would walk to the pub some evenings.  I had the opportunity to go on a delivery and see a lot of Cornwall with the driver playing tour guide.  We had group trips out on the weekend and I spent time in both Truro and Falmouth, as well as a visit to the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Eden Project and a trip to Tintagel, a place on the coast associated with the legend of King Arthur.

My second placement was completely different.  It was on a smallholding over the English boarder, near Oswestry, in Wales, with an English family.  They were in the process of renovating the house and were living in the half finished rooms and an on-site static caravan.  The father had been involved in setting up WWOOF in the UK and was very adamant that the experience was rewarding for everyone involved.  I was the only wwoofer and spent two weeks with the family of three.

My work involved digging and preparing raised beds, planting and feeding the animals.  They had three sheep that were pets.  They had chickens and we went to pick up lambs on one of our many outings.  I learnt a lot from my two weeks here, even though it seemed like I didn’t do very much actual work.  The father wanted to make sure I saw as much of the area as we could squeeze into that time.  He was a member of a gliding club (flying an aircraft that doesn’t have an engine), so there were a few trips to the airfield in Telford.  We drove around Shrewsbury, he took me to see Llangollen Canal and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a world heritage site, as well as quite a number of other local places.  Wales is just beautiful and in the end I got to see quite a bit of it.

My third and rather disastrous placement was in Scotland.  It was at an organic brewery and after having worked a month in Worcestershire processing hops I was rather interested in the whole brewing process.  I only lasted three days out of my intended month stay.  The family had left a few days before my arrival so the farm, gardens and furniture restoration business was left in charge of the housekeeper.  The brewery was separate and run by other people but was on the same site.

The family had left to console a family friend whose partner had just committed suicide, and to pick up their son who had just been expelled from a rather exclusive boarding school.  The housekeeper didn’t have a good word to say about the family, and the only other wwoofer was a girl who didn’t know any better as this was her first placement.  No one seemed to know what was meant to be done.  The hours were long and food was scarce and at times non-existent.  As I had spent time with someone who knew what WWOOF was about, I quickly decided this was not the place for me.

This post is longer than usual, my apologies, but it gives you an idea of my experiences as a WWOOFer.  I learnt something from each placement and got to meet some interesting people.  I intend to wwoof while in Canada but that won’t be until sometime next year.  My only advice for people thinking about wwoofing is to do your research and ask LOTS of questions.

Try and get a sense of the people that you would be staying with.  Some have very strong beliefs and strict ways of doing things.  As you are essentially a guest you need to be sure you can respect the host’s wishes. Sometimes there isn’t internet access and there is a chance you will be taken advantage of, so try and get an idea about the farm and what is expected of you before arriving there.  The experience should be mutually beneficial so be prepared to teach the host or other wwoofers about your culture as well as being open to learning about their lifestyle.  Also have an idea of what you want to learn from your experience.  Keep in mind that it isn’t just about the free food and accommodation, there is actual work involved.

Thank you to Alison for inspiring this post.  Sorry if it is a bit long winded.  I really wish I had some photos to put with it but my UK photos are in storage.   I hope you enjoy the hyperlinks instead.  Please feel free to leave a comment if you have a question or if would like to request a post about any of my previous travel experiences.

I thought it would be appropriate to write about Canada Day on Canada Day, July 1^st.

As I am Australian and am living with a girl from Germany I’m not entirely sure what the celebrations entail.  Do I sit around all day reading a Margret Atwood novel?  I quickly ruled out listening to Alanis Morissette all day, but then it was suggested to me that I should listen to Brain Adams instead.  We decorated the office and had blueberry pancakes with maple syrup for lunch.

Traditional celebrations usually include outdoor activities such as parades, fireworks and barbecues.  This would probably be nice if I was anywhere else in Canada.  Prince Rupert is the wettest place on the entire west coast of the continent of North America.  And, yes, it is raining today.  So my housemate and I might have perogies for dinner and a Canadian beer by the fireplace later tonight.

So, a bit about Canada Day.  Much like Australia Day it is in celebration of combining separate colonies into a single country within the British Empire.  For Canada this took place July 1^st 1867 with the enactment of the British North America Act 1867, or as it is known today, the Constitution Act 1867.  This day was originally called Dominion Day but was changed to Canada Day in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed.

Normally I would be more immersed in the culture and the country of which I’m in.  I’ve been in Canada for two and a half months now.  As was my intention, I haven’t done much actual travelling in that time.  Canada is the second largest country in the world, with Australia being third, so I am all too aware of the distance between places and the expense to travel those distances.  I do plan to see as much of Canada as I can while I’m here, but for now I am concentrating of working and getting the funds that I will need in order to do this.  I’m sure next year my Canada Day celebrations will be a bit more exciting.