Beautiful Housemates

Day One: Tuesday January 19th

A mile away from Indiana's opulent West Baden Springs Hotel, sits what will one day be The Lost River Hostel. Right now it is a modest farmhouse inhabited by seven volunteers from around the globe. Over the next few months, they will build another house for guests, a parking lot, a bathhouse and more. Two of those volunteers are me and my boyfriend Christian. Yesterday marks the beginning of our a six-week journey, in which we will share a home with strangers who will become friends, and work with untouched nature that will become a new home for guests.

We arrived to the Lost River Hostel around eleven a.m. yesterday. We both were nervous but excited. When we rang the door we were greeted with hugs from our new friend and housemate Brian. When we arrived everyone was slowly waking up after a long night of jamming. Scott, the owner, gathered everyone in the living room for a meet and greet as well as the morning meeting. Every morning there is a meeting to discuss what everyone is going to be working on and who needs help with what. We were assigned the closet in the living room which needed to be painted and then turned into the art storage space. Others were in charge of working on the bathroom walls, adding electricity to certain rooms, emptying the sun room, and staining the blond wood. We ate pancakes with a homemade strawberry syrup and was given a tour of the house. The hobbit hole is a wonderful little space to escape to, the kitchen is huge with all open shelving, and every room upstairs has a chalkboard wall. Our room is probably fifty square feet, if that and its absolutely perfect. Scott left, we cleaned up after breakfast and began moving into our room.

Slowly we began to meet all of our wonderful housemates. 

Alley: turning twenty four in two weeks, originally from California. She went to UC Irvine to study art and graduated the same year as me and Christian. She was working at a Jewish Deli and decided she needed a change. Took an Amtrak from LA to Indiana with her boyfriend Billy. Together they traveled across america enjoying the views while struggling to sleep.

Billy: I met him for twenty minutes but sounds like a hell of a dude.

Brian: A thirty seven year old man who has experienced more than most do in multiple lifetimes. He has been to every state in the US, has traveled to hundreds of other countries, living in about fifteen or so of them. In his time here on Earth his careers have been but are not limited to: the military, badass chef, engineer, professional tree climber (arbor master), programmer. He is knowledgable in how to do everything in and around this old farm house.

Yen: Is how I believe you spell her name. A beautiful Venezuelan woman who came with her son Li by her side. She is a strong follower of Buddhism and a yoga teacher and I look forward to all that I will learn from her.

Li: Yen's eight year old son may be my best friend here at this point. A lover of adventure, crafts, and staining wood around the house. His world currently revolves around Billy complete with handmade Billy pants and shirt.

Tim: A kind wise man who has also traveled the globe. He has received multiple PhDs and has taught in China and India, offering us jobs in either country if we pleased. He has been to every country in Africa, most of Europe and Asia. All of the housemates tried to convince him to grow a beard but he thought it made him look old so he shaved it off.

Li took us to check out the cave located at the front of the property. We were assured we would be completely covered in mud and that it was well worth it. I followed him down into the tight tunnel towards the slightly larger space at the bottom. When my body was about half way down the rabbit hole I decided I had gone far enough. I wasn't really in the mood to squeeze myself into a space that I was not positive I could escape from. Christian went further than I did and as promised we were both covered in earth.

We enjoyed getting to know everyone as we started settling into our new home. We ate leftovers for dinner and planned a yoga class for the morning. We all watched the movie Green Inferno which is absolutely ridiculous and I would not recommend it to anyone, but it was fun suffering through it together. I stayed up talking to Alley and Yen about life stories, relationships and art. I slept soundly excited for what awaited.

Fact:
Tim shared with us that when you hike Machu Picchu in Peru the locals give you coca leaves to help your body adjust with the elevation. The leaves also give you a hell of a boost for your hike!