The Breakfast Club
I have spent the last week and a half on a Finca (farm) in a town called San Rafael. This town is usually not on a traveler’s radar of places that need to be visited while in Argentina. But that is not what brought me here, and little did I know I was in for an experience I will never forget.
When I first arrived to San Rafael, I was only given a description of how to get to the Finca and an approximate address to top it off. I was not sure what I was getting myself into but I knew I was going to make the best of it no matter what. My taxi driver drove around for about 45 minutes trying to find this place, that to my knowledge thus far, only existed on the Internet. I had never met this so called person Robbie, the owner of the Finca, and it was looking like I wasn’t going to either with the luck I was having at trying to find the damn place. But with my taxi driver’s persistence, him wanting to find it even more than I did, I finally arrived at my destination.
I showed up a bit flustered and annoyed but greeted by two guys from the States, Luke and Mike, and a Danish girl, Josefine. Each had a smile on their face to welcome me; so I had a feeling things would look up from here. I was led to the house where we were all going to be staying. Now Robbie’s description of the house was rustic, I was not quite sure what he meant by that, but I prepared myself for the worst. He was right in his description, it was rustic indeed, compared to what I had been used to these past two months of traveling. (I think I’ve become a bit of a princess in these last few years.) But nevertheless, I was just glad I had finally found it and had a place to lay my head. A bit later, I was introduced to the final member of our crew, the veteran, Niculin from Switzerland.
We all exchanged stories of how we came to be in this place, in this particular time. Mike had just finished a semester studying in Santiago de Chile and Luke met up with him to travel around South America for the next four months. Josefine had been traveling for eight months now, working on farms as she went, and in total would end her journey with ten months of traveling in South America under her belt. Niculin, was two months into his three month journey and was going all over Argentina and Chile, to really wherever the wind took him. And now me, I made the fifth member of what was to be a great team, of what I endearingly refer to as my own version of The Breakfast Club.
We did everything together-we worked, we cooked, we ate, we rested, and we worked again! The first couple days were relaxed as it was Saturday afternoon and then Sunday, our day off. So when Monday came about I was well prepared to work! The week was filled with all sorts of hard tasks and the one that was always my favorite was working with horses. With them I learned that patience is key and a firm hand but gentle spirit would take me further than frustration. I was very proud of the progress I made with the horses and in one of the very last days they really became my companions and started to trust my presence.
For some reason I was never given all the information in every situation. And always after the fact. It ended up turning into a running joke between all of us. Really that is how everything went on the Finca. We never had all the information, but some how we all worked together and made the best of every moment. Even when our propane tank died in the middle of making our meal, we pulled together and made it work. There was of course a little complaining but always what was left was laughter.
Every moment on the Finca has been accompanied with an unreal feeling. As I write this on one of my last days here on the Finca, it brings a smile to my face. Here I am in the middle of Argentina on this farm, looking at the sky that seems to be more vast than the one I know back home. I feel so small but incredibly triumphant. I have cleared waterways that were filled with weeds taller than I, in order to feed the farm with water. I have blisters on my hands and an aching back. I have ridden horses and tried my hand at breaking a young stallion. I have seeded by hand a field with alfalfa and oats for the next seasons crop. I have cooked and ate from the land with our very own garden filled with tomatoes, corn, chard, squash, honeydew and watermelon. I have picked pears and plums so vibrant with color, I had to take a picture. My clothes are filthy, my skin is dirty and broken out, my hands are split open, and I smell of the earth; but I have never been so happy! And the reason is not from the work that I have done, though very proud of it I am, but I am happy because of the people I have met here and what each of them has taught me…
From Josefine, still young but so wise, she has reminded me of the importance of living life to the fullest. To do what your heart tells you to and not to be afraid of what is to come, because life is an adventure and should be lived as such. From Luke and Mike, to look at life and the possibilities it has for you and to always remember, life doesn’t have to be so serious all the time, every problem can be solved with a fit of laughter in the end. From Niculin, to work hard, but you better enjoy it too. If you don’t then it is not worth doing or continuing on with it in the end. If you do what you are passionate about, then others, even if they do not feel the same, can’t help but be inspired and excited to do the task at hand. And last but not least, I even learned something from myself. I have realized that my circumstance does not define who I am, was, or will be. I am not a victim of my circumstance nor bound by my past or the choices I have made. I can and have risen above and am stronger now than I have ever been before. This is my adventure!
With our own life stories bringing us together to this small but vast land in Argentina, our paths have crossed, intertwining and overlapping for a brief but important moment. We are…a traveler…a comedian…a learner…a farmer…and yes, still a princess. Yet all of us are not confined by the nature of these words, but free to choose and discover our own adventure. That is what connects us together. We are and forever will be in this moment, The Breakfast Club.
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