Nove Starine -- Solin, Croatia

I'm starting this post from the patio of a cafe about ten minutes down the road from my new placement in Solin. The current volunteer used up all the internet at the sculpture park, so us newcomers have to hightail it to the cafe.

Which is perfect for me. This will keep my use of the internet focused and seldom for the duration of my workaway experience with Ivan Tokic. Ivan has such a magical place that it would be an absolute shame to spend more than the bare minimum glued to my computer screen.

I woke up on Milda and Mario's couch this morning feeling lonely. Stressed. Depressed. I hugged Jurate goodbye at six o'clock and wished her luck with her summer garden and eventually becoming part of a community again.

"You were like an angel to me on this retreat. I couldn't have done it without you," I squeezed her tighter, imagining all the oranges turning to juice inside of her.

"I could say the same about you."

I think I'll meet Jurate again.

Laima graciously took my lonely, stressed, depressed self to the bus stop at 10:00 and I boarded bus #1 for Solin at 10:50.

I stood at the window and watched buildings and faces flash by.

New start. No expectations. Live softly. Tread lightly. Breathe deeply. Listen closely. Respond mindfully. BE loving. 

Ivan had told me to disembark at the last stop, give him a call and to NOT MOVE. He would pick me up in five minutes.

I always like it when people tell me to not move. Makes me feel like the chances of us actually meeting without mishap are significantly increased.

A tall, tanned fellow with long dreads and a bright pink shirt approached the last stop. He was accompanied by a short-haired girl wearing worn work boots, jeans and a casual shirt.

"Hello!" I stood up and eagerly offered my hand, "are you Ivan?"

"No," the dreadlocks shook back and forth, "she is. It was a trick."

"Nice to meet you, Ivan," I laughed and finished shaking his hand. "And you are?"

"Elizabeth, nice to meet you."

"I'm Aimee, nice to meet you."

It always makes me happy when hosts accept multiple volunteers.  It's a sign that they enjoy the exchange and not just the labor. It's also an opportunity for me to meet other people with similar values -- people who don't tell me that I'll stop traveling eventually because everyone does.

My first day was spent wandering through the park and nearby fields --

Ivan's workshop

Stone chair circles

Myriam is always eating. Even if it's only a green onion.

 -- helping Ivan set up my tent --

Where I will live for the next two weeks.

-- learning how to operate the composting toilet --

The composting toilet. Take a poo, put the toilet paper in the waste bin, and cover the poo with a wee pile of dirt. Mmm.

 -- the sun heated shower and how to wash my dishes using ash (saving the water to pour on the plants later). I took a nap in the sunshine and contemplated my new situation from this chair:

Our kitchen/livingroom/hangout. Who needs a big indoor space when we've got the glorious outdoors?

Life is slow here. It takes two to three hours to prepare lunches and dinners (the fire takes ages to get going) and we make sure to sit down to enjoy our food. Myriam and I meander through the garden, harvesting kale, green onions and rocket for a salad. Giuseppe is a piercing blue-eyed fire god, and prepares sublime food (fulfilling all my stereotypes about Italians) over the outdoor fire stove.

I ask if I can help. Sometimes he lets me stir his mouthwatering creations, but most of the time I just sit and watch the fire.

I'm living in a eco friendly art park in Croatia watching an Italian cook mussels I just gathered from the Adriatic on an outdoor fire stove. How did I get here? 

I took a sip of wine that Ivan brought back on his bicycle in an old Coke bottle.

I'm so happy I got here. 

I was introduced to my first project the next morning -- building the temporary floor for Ivan's future information center.

My mother and father would be so proud of me. Mom's a massage therapist, and I spent the last few weeks massaging people. Dad's a carpenter/builder, and now I'm laying foundations. Ha. 
 
This work is hard, but the company makes the heavy labor light. I spent the morning and afternoon gathering stones and finding ways to fit the pieces together. Myriam and Giuseppe and I laughed and joked as we puzzled together the "basement". My hands hurt, my back hurt, my body smelled like I hadn't washed in weeks, but...

What an absolutely wonderful place to be.

Some of Ivan's work

Giuseppe punctuates our silly jokes with bits and pieces of Italian songs. Hearing Italian always makes me smile.

Myriam punctuates our days with, "Can we eat now? I'm so hungry!"

Myriam is a tiny, tiny person. Myriam is always hungry. For lunch yesterday, we ate sausage and salad. Giuseppe ate one sausage. I ate one sausage.

Myriam happily consumed two.

After a couple more hours spent working on the basement for Ivan's information center, we set off up the mountain for a view of the city.

On the way, we passed a mining project and stood stupidly on the edge, taking pictures and waving at the people driving the CAT vehicles up the mountain. Eventually, a Croatian driving a jeep caught up with us, rolled down his window and managed to communicate that in ten more minutes, dynamite would go off and we would be dead. Should we continue in the direction we were currently walking.

This was all in Croatian, of course. Giuseppe took advantage of the situation and managed to convince the Croat to give us a ride back to Ivan's in his jeep. Thanks to Giuseppe's charms, Myriam's good looks and my... well... sarong, we were given a tour of the mining facilities and a drive home to Ivan's (and more than a few lingering looks... blurgh).

I wake up late here. I find far too much pleasure lying in my tent and listening to the birds.

Everything finally makes sense. It makes sense to use so little water. It makes sense to take two hours to cook food and at least half an hour to eat. It makes sense to care so little about sterilizing everything.  It makes sense to sleep in a tent and see the stars. To allow life's natural simplicity.

I feel so at peace.

My hands are torn up, my shins are destroyed and I have 8 gazillion mosquito bites around my ankles... but I hardly notice this. I'm just happy.