The Leader Adjusts the Sails

Well it has been 10 days since Nate and I arrived at the Kunzner farm, giving us plenty of time to analyze our situation here. So far most of my blog posts have focused on the positive aspects of living here. I didn’t want to worry anyone with the unpleasant details. However, as the days have gone by, we have realized that this experience has really been more unpleasant than pleasant. I have always liked the quote, “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, and the leader adjusts the sails.” Being neither pessimists nor optimists, Nate and I decided to adjust the sails and change course. Next Wednesday we will be leaving the farm to continue our stay elsewhere in Germany.

I guess I should explain why we have come to this decision. Going into this experience, Nate and I expected to be working an average of 4 hours a day as indicated by our correspondence with Jenny and Helmut. We expected to have some free time to complete our studies online and enjoy the area. We are now each working an average of 6 hours a day; the work is on and off throughout the day and we are generally expected to be available at anytime for Jenny and Helmut. While we are working, the farm owners are generally sleeping or watching TV in the living room. They work only about 3-4 hours a day.

The work load alone would not be so bad, but when we are not working it is very boring here. Jenny and Helmut rarely make an effort to engage in conversation and don’t allow us into the living room to watch TV with them. Through the conversations we have had, we sense a condescending attitude towards Americans. They detest many of the cultural spill-overs that have come to Germany from America. They also often talk about the horrors of conventional agriculture; Jenny said that she believed GMOs were the most horrible thing in the world and she would stop farming before using them. Little does she know how much advocacy work Nate and I do for conventional agriculture.

Nate and I are both generally adaptable people who find the good in most situations, but this experience has been slowly draining our good spirits. I know that many of you might hope that we would stick it out and give it more of a shot, but I can clearly see that this is not a good situation for us. We have asked Jenny and Helmut if we could possibly get weekends off or for suggestions for things to do, but they have not been accommodating. We want to make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. If I wanted to shovel shit all day and stare at the wall the rest of the time, I would have just stayed and worked for my dad! Are we disappointed about it? Sure, a little. We wish it would have worked out better, but we’re really excited about getting out of this joint and having some fun.

So on Wednesday we are off to start a new leg of this adventure. We’ll be taking the train to Chiemsee, the “Bavarian Sea” for a few days where there are a couple of great castles and other diversions. From there we’ll focus on southern Bavaria and northern Austria, hitting up places such as the Neuschwanstein Castle (Disney Castle), Salzburg, and the Bavarian Alps. After that we’ll head up to Munich for the Starkbierzeit (Strong Beer Festival) and to explore the city there. We’ll be staying in youth hostels and cheap hotels and hope to meet some other travelers along the way.

Now, since I know you’re anticipation is growing, I feel compelled to give you an update on The Count. He had a pretty good day today and was able to keep his “Ah, ahs…” to a minimum. He also had a visitor, another tiny old man from the village with checkered pants, a flannel shirt, and a newsboy hat. Standing 5’3” with deep smile lines, the visitor rocked back and forth on his heels as he told The Count the week’s gossip. It really was a comical sight, seeing The Count, who is normally deaf and sickly, leap from his chair and turn up his hearing aid. He seemed 20 years younger with his friend as they chatted back and forth. Nate and I later mused that perhaps The Count really is in much better condition than he lets on; we think he’s just playing sick to get out of the endless heap of chores.