Traveling Circus Troupe

Tuesday: February 2^nd

Tuesday morning after breakfast and our morning meeting, Christian and I called Scott. He told us that the manager was coming in a week and he strongly believed that things would get much better once she arrived. One week sounds like nothing in terms of a work week. We had only been at the hostel for two weeks and it felt like three months. Having trouble in the work place is always a bummer but being able to go home afterwards to decompress is how we get over the little things. In the hostel we all work and live together so if something happens in the work day, it comes home with you and vice versa. After a while we came to the very difficult decision that we needed to leave the hostel because we weren’t achieving what we thought we would.  We asked if we could come back in the summer when it may be easier to spend more alone time in the woods, or even camp if we wanted a night alone. The growing tension in the house was not worth the amount of time and energy we were giving it.  Our time is very valuable right now since we want to travel in the fall.

Scott was very understanding and welcomed us back whenever we felt ready. Multiple volunteers had informed him that things weren’t going very well but he did not want to change anything until the manager had a chance to take leadership first. There is a probable chance that things at the hostel will get better but we couldn’t wait that long.

We talked with Yen and Allie who also understood but were sad to see us go. Though we were all going to miss each other we planned to meet up in Austin, Texas for the Levitation music festival! So it was sad but we knew we would see one another again.

Since Sunday and Monday were off days it was time to get to work. Christian and I began scraping the old paint off of the chicken coop to make the new coat of paint go on without chipping off. Yen and Allie began working on the walls inside and outside of the bathroom. Brian was planning on making pizza for dinner and taught Christian and I to make the dough correctly. The process involves mixing the yeast, water, and sugar separately from the flour and salt. Salt apparently will completely kill yeast. After a few hours Allie, Christian, and I decided to go into Paoli and French Lick to hunt for a sewing machine for the hostel to make curtains with in the future.

Some of the flea markets and thrift stores were more like junkyards indoors, but it was interesting. We did kind of find a sewing machine at the craziest store. There were some amazing antiques but there were also half full bottles of alcohol scattered around the store. The owner, an elderly man, was a bit thrown off by us city kids. I asked him if he had any sewing machines for sale and he looked at me like I had three heads. He asked if I was a local and I began explaining how we were volunteering for a hostel in West Baden Springs. He was unenthused but did tell me about a sewing machine he had buried somewhere in the back. He told us we would have to call back so he could dig it out when we needed it. As we looked around the store for a little longer the owner did not take his eyes off of us. We got the message and saw ourselves out.

When we got outside we all cracked up realizing how we are quite the trio in a small town like this. To the locals we appeared to be a traveling circus troupe. I have the side of my head shaved, Christian was wearing cut off sweat pants paired with red and white-stripped knee socks, and god forbid, Allie is foreign. It was an interesting lesson to experience. We were all reminded of different cultures across America. Living in a big city, especially on the west coast, is kind of like living in a massive bubble. There is so much diversity you don’t even think about the way others look or dress.

We were all pretty hungry so we decided to stop into a bar for some snacks and drinks. It was so nice getting to spend time with Allie outside of the hostel. She is so down to earth and such a calm and fun human to be around. We talked about the music festival, the hostel and how much we were all going to miss each other.

When we got home and it was dinnertime. We circled up and shared what we were grateful for. I was grateful for everyone at the hostel. I was thankful for everything I had learned and experienced. We all took a moment of silence and a loud “YUMMM” before eating. Brian made pizza with homemade sauce and dough and it was wonderful! After dinner Christian and I went outside to tell Tim and Brian the news. They were both very understanding and wished us luck with our future endeavors.

The rest of the night was awesome. I played Ratatatcat with Li, had talks in the kitchen with everyone and most importantly created a gift for Yen with Allie. We had this idea of wanting to create a bracelet or key chain for Yen. We wanted it to have a yoga theme so we chose the seven chakras. With Sculpie we created individual pieces representing each chakra. It took us hours. Christian studied Ruby on Rails and Li played Minecraft while Allie and I had such a great time creating together. All four of us were crammed into our tiny room and it was so great. After finishing our gift for Yen we were proud and completely surprised. I cannot remember the last time I sat down with a plan, began creating it and did not stop until the final product was completely finished.  

Yen was so excited and grateful. She gave us one of her palms in prayer at heart center bows of gratitude.

Once we were finished we all moved downstairs since we no longer had to hide our gift. Allie spent some time painting the mural in the bathroom and headed to bed. Yen became consumed with Sculpie and I hung out with Li in the kitchen. I was talking with Li about something pretty deep. I cannot remember exactly what we were talking about but I do remember turning around, looking at him and saying “Li, when we have these kinds of talks I forget completely that you are only eight years old.” He smiled and ate his English muffin that I made him.

It was a perfect last day in the hostel. Most of the day was spent with the housemates in a relaxed environment. We explored, created and as always had beautiful meaningful conversation.

Love Grows Like Bamboo

Monday: February 1st 

Monday was such a fun and relaxing day. Allie, Yen, Li and I went to the Living Roots Ecovillage for an Acroyoga class. Michael, the owner and teacher, is very into yoga and invited a previous volunteer, also named Allie, to come teach a class. She and Michael demonstrated multiple poses while we all watched in awe. I have minimal experience in Acroyoga. I practiced a bit in Portland and sometimes Christian and I would play around with some poses but otherwise I am a beginner. Yen had some experience as well but for everyone else this was their first experience. The most important lesson Allie taught us was that Acroyoga is more about bone stacking than strength and flexibility. If your legs and arms stay completely vertical when holding someone, the bones can line up and support your partner. If your limbs are at an angle then your muscles have to do all of the work.

Li perched calmly in throne pose 

As we watched Michael and Allie we were all becoming more nervous, excited, and slightly intimidated.  The first pose we tried was bird. The flyer, the yogi on top, begins standing while the base, the yogi on the bottom, is lying down. The base lifts their legs up and the base places their feet on the flyers hips. The base bends and stretches their legs getting a feel of the flyers weight and center. Once the two feel comfortable the base bends their knees into their chest enough that the flyer can make contact with their hands, and the flyer’s feet raises off the ground. So the flyer is laying flat above the bases whose legs are in a strait vertical line.

It is like playing airplane with a child. When comfortable enough the flyer and base can disconnect hands only connecting feet to hips. From bird we moved into different poses like folded leaf, mermaid, bow pose, and inversions! The class went really well and we all went into poses that we once thought were impossible. Even Li joined in on the action! It was extraordinary to work with other like-minded humans in this very trusting form of yoga. We all put our fear aside, trusted one another, and achieved so much together.

Me and Edward in shoulder stand 

Yen in mermaid with Edward

We left class filled with a blissful feeling of community. When we arrived back to the hostel Brian and Tim told us we should all take another day off due to Scott’s request. None of us opposed this wonderful idea. Christian and I decided to leave and find somewhere to sit and work outside and to have some alone time. We ended up at the French Lick Winery. Most of the grapes came from Oregon, Washington, and New York so we felt right at home. We shared a glass on the patio and began talking about the drama that had been happening in the house. Our time at the Lost River Hostel had so far been a mixed experience.

We had learned so much in such a short period of time, and met some amazing people, but the tension in the house seemed unavoidable. It was starting to feel that even though some moments were the absolute best, the bad times were beginning to overshadow the positives. We left the house to have some alone time but we ended up talking about what was bothering us and what wasn’t working. Even when we left the house we were spending our energy negatively from being upset with our living situation. Having difficult times at work is completely understandable, but when your coworkers are also your housemates, tension is going to rise. We decided we needed to talk to Scott and reevaluate if it was worth the negative emotions. After contacting Scott we planned to call him in the morning to discuss our options.

Those who have read all of this blog are probably thinking, “What? Where is all of this coming from?” A lot has happened here in the hostel that I have not written about. I began this blog to look back at to remember what happened day to day. I wanted to exert my energy remembering the positive aspects which have been the absolute best. In five years I may remember one or two awkward moments that happened here, but I want to be able to remember the positives clearly and fully.

Later that night Allie, Christian, Li, Yen and I wanted to watch Ace Ventura. Since it was past quiet time we decided to set up a cozy space in the somewhat furnished shed outside. There was no electricity or furniture so we brought candles, mats and blankets. We came prepared with popcorn, wine and a laptop to watch the movie. We all cuddled together to watch Jim Carrey as the hilarious pet detective. It was nice to be outside of the house because we could be as loud as we wanted.  I could not be more grateful for these four people. It is obvious how much I adore Christian but I have completely fallen in love with Yen, Allie and Li. They are my family away from home. I have learned so much from them during the hard times and the most precious moments. I cannot believe that two weeks ago these people were strangers. Love grows like bamboo, strong, quickly, and beautifully. 

Allie's Birthday

Sunday: January 31st

These last few days have had such amazing weather! Sunday was Allie’s birthday and it was about sixty-five degrees on January 31^st! Christian and I went out to pick up our weekly vegetables from the Living Roots Ecovillage. There were different squashes, sweet potatoes and lots of fresh greens. Allie, Yen, Christian, Li and I all got ready to head into Bloomington for a night in the city! While we were getting ready drama reeked havoc throughout the house. To escape, Allie, Christian and I went to the roof to soak in the sun and decompress. Finally, we were heading to Bloomington.

We shared stories and music on our car ride. When we got to Bloomington we were all starving and went to a Thai restaurant. Christian did some research and realized it was highly ranked by an authentic Thai food association. The food was some of the best Thai food I have ever had. We ordered spring rolls, pad Thai, tofu fried rice with lime and cucumber and green curry. We shared everything and did not have a single complaint. We left the restaurant and began wondering around the city. We went into different stores, which ended up being way more fun than it should have.

We saw some socks that had a lumberjack cutting down a tree that read “F*ck This Sh*t.” I don’t think any of us would have thought these socks were that funny until we had been chopping down trees and logging them for days. Li was fascinated with these finger hand toys. Actually he was fascinated with everything and wanted Yen to buy him something in every store we went. I bought Allie a cute button to match the other ones on her backpack as a small birthday present. She said she had a different but awesome birthday.

By the time we got home we were all pretty pooped. It was a nice day off and I am grateful for the time we shared away from the hostel. Normally I would say I need to get out of the city but we all needed to get into a city and be around more people than our housemates. Its interesting how quickly our wants and needs change. Getting into the city definitely made me miss Portland and everyone inside of that beautiful city.