We have two weeks of vacation in February, so I thought rather than sticking around and not really accomplishing much, I decided to volunteer on an organic farm.
I was supposed to already be on the farm (which is 40 minutes away by train from Périgueux), but I ran into a little bump in the road...
I got to the train 30 minutes before its' departure. Then, I saw the big sign stating that the train is running 50 minutes late. Ok, no problem, I will just go sit at the café for a while to kill some time.
Two trains arrived late, and at the same time, so I was paranoid that I was going to get on the right one. I had to interrupt two high school students passionately saying their good-byes to verify I was going in the right direction.
Then, the train ended up being an additional 15 minutes late. No problem. There was no one in my car on the train. So, I put my feet up on the seat in front of me and got my book out.
After being on the train for around 20-25 minutes I hear my stop- well, at least I thought I heard my stop. "Saint Léon Sur L'Isle" they called out, and I thought they said "Saint Seurin Sur L'Isle."
Oops! First, I couldn't figure out how to open the train's door and started to panic. I even found someone's glasses, so once I finally figured out the door I ran up to the conductor and handed them over. She was really friendly and waved good-bye.
There was not a soul in sight. Granted, I did call the couple I will be working with to say that I will be late. All I could see was the train passing me by and farmland.
Oh shit! (excuse my french). Why does that sign say the wrong name. I am in the right town. There were two white benches, with no train station, just a small cement covering that had another villages name. I have never heard of this town, so I was thinking maybe they call the "correct" city two names. Fat chance!
I then hurried over to the sign that had the train hours. Mine was the last one. Stranded in the middle of the countryside with no train station and absolutely no idea where I am. I started laughing in hysterics. I then made the call to the farm, assuming they could just come pick me up. Wrong. They said it was about 50 km away and it was too far. Panic, panic... breathe...
I ended up making a few phone calls, which eased the fear of being alone in the pitch black, in the countryside, with lovely dogs howling in the background. Ok, I know I really need to start watching law/criminal shows when I'm bored.
A group of friends picked me up about an hour later in their car. What saviors! I then spent the night in my own bed, and I am writing you just before I head off again to try making it to the farm for the SECOND time.
The next time I will write I will be telling you how the milking cows and goats, making cheese, and becoming a farmer in rainy France went :).
Happy Valentine's Day and sending birthday wishes to my little, big brother, Trev! :)
Much love.
