11 Weeks

I looked at the calendar yesterday and found that I will leave in exactly 11 weeks from Monday. In other words, I will leave in slightly less than three months. Stated either way, it is an exciting fact.

I purchased my ticket for my impending cross-country train ride yesterday. It will take me five days to get to Oregon, which is considerably more time that it would have taken had I chosen to fly there. However, I do not like the thought of flying for numerous reasons, and going on the train makes the trip seem more exciting and adventurous. Luckily, the route seems quite reasonable (i.e., there are no overnight waits for connecting trains and no extremely early morning departures), and there is plenty of time in between the three trains that I will have to take to allow for late trains (which are almost guaranteed on Amtrak; one train I am taking is estimated to be on-time only 40 percent of the time). I will not be able to take my bike, however, as one part of my trip only allows for carry-on luggage. That is not to big an issue, though, as I can probably buy a bike if I really need one once I leave home.

I have recently decided to stop dodging the question of where I am going to school and to tell people that I have a job lined up at a horse farm in Oregon. This seems to be a satisfying response to the few people I have told this.

Finally, a Decision

It seems like a lot has happened within the last seven days, when I first got a call from the Oregon farm. I talked to them several times via phone and email, and my conversations with them and their references influenced me to accept a position at their farm. The last thing that I heard from them was, "see you in May," so the search is truly over. Oregon it is.

I am very glad to have chosen this farm for this year. The more I think about my decision, the more comfortable I become with the thought of it. It is an important choice, one which might influence the rest of my life (if I decide that I like the West and want to stay there, for instance). This does not make it frightening, though; it only serves to make me more excited about it. I am almost literally "counting the days" until the semester ends and I can board the train in Jacksonville.

On a related aside, I had the fortune to go to a local horse-drawn plowing and harrowing demonstration at a living history farm this weekend (this links to a short article with a photo: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090208/ARTICLES/902081005). Though I had seen many pictures and videos of horses plowing and dragging harrows (the implements that come after the plow and serve to break up clods and make an even seedbed), I had never seen it in person. It was a really wonderful sight (at least to me). I was very glad to be able to explain parts of the harnesses and hitches to my family, who came with me to the demonstration. There were at least a dozen horses, two mules, two miniature donkeys and a pair of oxen (who were not old enough to work on the plowing) at the event. Excitingly for me, many of the horses were Belgians, the breed that I will be working with in Oregon (the horses shown in the linked article are Belgians).

Progress and Pondering

Over the last few days, I have finally started making progress towards getting an internship. On Sunday, I was at my volunteer job (at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville) when the Oregon farm called and left a message that they would call back between 7 and 9 pm, Pacific time (which is rather late in the Eastern time zone). I eagerly awaited their call that evening, and I was rewarded by a call at 10:00 pm (on my clock). The farmers (who were both close enough to the phone to talk to me at the same time) told me that I had gotten good reviews from my references, and said that they thought that I would be quite capable of doing well in their internship program. They offered me a position, which was very flattering and exciting, as they said that they had received many queries this year, with more likely to come as the spring approaches.

After we talked a bit about their farm and a few questions that I had about their program, they told me that they were a bit concerned about the issue of liability (as I am technically a "minor" for the next 11 months), but that they hoped very much that it would not hinder my chances of taking on an internship at their farm. They also told me that they would appreciate a decision about whether I want to be one of their interns for the coming season by the end of the week. They ended by saying that they would investigate the liability concern, and get back to me soon.

Yesterday, these farmers called at the same time and talked a bit with my mom about the potential liability of my minor status. They requested that she send a hard copy of a liability waiver with a signature. The husband in the couple then talked to me about safety and the potential for danger in working on their farm. He again stressed that he believes that I am competent, but he also noted how serious he and his wife are about safety. He apologized for giving me this "safety spiel," as I described it to my mom later, but I did not mind. I have heard such things before, and it only reinforces for me how serious this farm is about taking me on as an apprentice.

Today, my mom sent this farm (via email) a rough draft of the kind of liability waiver discussed over the phone last night. I also got the chance to email two former apprentices with some questions about the farm's internship program, but I have not yet received any responses. I feel confident that all of this will be resolved by sometime next week.