of course i said yes. I was on a patrol station nearby Paris when a boy came up to me and said "I am going to Morocco, i can drop you off in South of France"
So, there i was, being dropped of in South of France,, he drove me to the village where the Kiwi picking had to happen.
Peyrehorade, the village was named. and i should know, because i spend a month in that village.
Anna was sick, back in Poland so i had to wait a week or so to see her. She had made some friends when she went Grape picking earlier on and i met them. together we drove to a lake where we made food and sat around. It were two girls, and when i wanted to sleep they offered me tea. and one thing led to another. I became to talk, improvise and share my life sitting on the bed in the van. they laughed and loved the stories about my familie. These girls were travelers as well, more experienced in finding work. "I am not punk enough to find a job here." In peyrehorade i saw the big vans and the many dogs. the 'travelers' from Portugal, Spain and France. They were mostly drinking beers and smoking joints. Punks as i call them. I heard about those gatherers of punks to work on some Picking job somewhere, they gathered as flies and i had to ignore the itch i got to disconnect myself from them. They agreed that i was not punk, but i could talk to myself and transform so i could be comfortable hanging around with punks. They asked me who i was and i told them about true love and the fantasies of a young boy. That night i had a dream about Anna and Sara. one of the girls in the van. We were talking about that i was not punk enough and i should leave. In the morning Sarah told me she dreamed of me. She dreamed that i had maybe seen my true love but didn't notice it.
I find it very beautiful that we dreamed of one and other, the first night we spend together.
That day i left, wanting to go on my own two feet. I went to Pau and spend the night in a park. dancing on some music from kids and having a free Pizza from the Pizza place.
the next day i went back to Peyrehorade. Or that was what i wanted. I got picked up by a woman who was very cool. it was raining so she invited me into her house. She had one daughter and one son. Her son didn't talk so much. he didn't know English but mom said that he never talked. The mom was not a perfect English speaker but it was fine. I could sleep there for two nights, and she could cook very nice. The mom was always laughing and smiling. But she had two boyfriends in the past who were alcoholic. Her daughter came by with her boyfriends and she could speak perfect English. she had a very nice energy around her and she made me think about Tess. the friend i have in Copenhagen. She had no contact with her father, and when she was young she was lonely and tried to kill herself. but then it all turned and she got a phoenix as a tattoo to remind herself of her past. The daughter and the Mom were best friends now and they gave me such good energy. 
I played chess with the boyfriend and i won.
When it was time for me to leave, she dropped me off at Peyrehorade and my days were going by. It was Friday now and i needed to find a job before Anna came. I wanted to surprise her. I went around and eventually found something. With the knowledge that i did what i could, i waited in Peyrehorade, hanging around untill she came.
But it was not Anna that i saw. The car stopped at the parking where i sat on a bench and a girl came out. I knew she was a hitchhiker. As soon as the car who dropped her off went away, i went to the girl. Her name was Emmy and she was from Belgium. We began to talk Dutch and liked each other. so we sat somewhere to talk some more.
"Cestmir!!!" We ran towards each other and hugged.
Emmy went to the forest by herself and we sat down. Moments later, Emmy came again and said. "I like you energy, can i come along with you."
of course she could, and for many days she was with us. It was more than perfect. because Emmy really had mine and Anna's energy in her: The silence and the crazyness. i felt mostly awkward around her but i tried to hide it. Firstly we went to the forest to chill.
We sat our camp but then agreed that we should get some food and water if we wanted to stay.
Together with Emmy i went to our "Neigbours" and asked food and water. Emmy could speak French. She really helped us with that. She had a power inside her. the same power i had: To let down the walls of the people she met.
We went to a rich house with a grandma and grandpa who loved Emmy from the start and they became our benefectors. giving us everything and more we needed. they even drove with us to a man who searched for some workers for his Kiwi plantation. So she also made sure we had jobs. When it was cold, she would lend us blankets. We could eat there and wash our clothes.
We went to someone else after wards and she gave us a basket full of food.
We could spend a few days in the forest without any worry.
The rain had stopped and sunshine moved us to talk about beautiful things.
We bonded in the forest and went on an ice cream misson every day because Emmy loved ice cream..
But the ladies got bored after awhile. the Kiwi job would start in two weeks and they wanted an adventure.
so we packed our things and went to Toulouse.
Now,, this city is full of magic.
but because i was not alone, i could not think only for myself so i had to follow the girls around and wait for an opening.
and the opening came. i saw this beautiful girl sitting alone on a bench. I had to sit next to her and ask "Can i make you a poem?"
She said yes. She was a girl from morocco and had a very nice energy. An energy that made me want to feel childish.
She thanked me for the poem and went away. Emmy and Anna left their stuff with me and went to a shop to buy Ice cream. When they were gone and i sat on my own for the first time in many days. Something magical happend that made me want to cry from happiness. A group of people, all in blue came to me and surrounded me. i sat on this bench with all these backpacks around me. "Hello." said the first one. "Would you like some tea." "I have some cookies." "A banana is what i have." "Do you want some chocolates." I didn't know what to say so i said yes on everything and didn't try to understand.
When the girls returned they asked. "What happend here!!!." All around me was food.
"You would not believe me." I said.
The girls had bought some champagne and we had ourselves a party. We spelt there, on the benches and in the morning the police woke us up.
We went to a park where i slept and they walked. i woke up and i wrote the whole day. In the evening they came back. I wrote one poem to a group of friends, just for the sake of it. i alreay felt that no one was going to give me money. I began to talk to a girl. She asked me to guess her age. "23?"
"What, so old?"
"I am sorry, your eyes gave me that the impression that you are older."
As she heard this she became curious. "Oh... and what did you see then."
"That you have an old soul." I said.
"What do you mean."
I hated these situations, because i knew i could explain her what i saw and maybe descibe herself to her. but i didn't want to, for i think people have to figure out themselves who they are and i don't want anything to do with that. But i knew that life had this role for me. I had a certain power i was scared of but i had it.
"I see loneliness and independence in your eyes. They are giving you power."
Do you see that it was born out of darkness."she asked. Something in her voice told me that she was not playing with me.
"Yes, but darkness is not what it is now. it is born out of darkness, but i should not say more."
We went onwards, talking about love and the power to believe in it. i felt that she needed something more. So i gave her a sentence and the stone my ex love gave me. With the words. "May this stone guide you on you path to let your love guide you and develop and trust."
She was very thankful.
We had ourselves another party wherein i danced contact with Emmy and in the morning the police woke us up again.
We spend the entire day walking and Emmy bought a fire stick. We heard about this community of artists and when we got there, we asked if we could sleep there. We could after some communication and we spend two days there. the first day we were so happy that we could sleep there so Anna made a meal for all of them.
The second day, we went walking towards a market in the town and there we met someone.
it was another chapter of our story together. It was a man who invited us to this community where he was part of. they made bread and worked in the garden and could use some help.
it was in Sus, which was 20 km. from Peyrehorade so of course we were planning on coming.
but first the last days in Toulouse. We met some friends on this artistic place. we had great fun with them. they were roommates and were totally unique. they invited us to their home and we ate there and had another party. The next day we slept there and had another party.
I guess, if you are travelling with two girls, parties are just the way things go. Anna had even a friend who came to Toulouse that night, so she joined in as well.
the next day we decided to head back to Peyrehorade.
We still had some days before the Kiwi Picking started so we went to this community in Sus. Emmy and Anna and i. We came to this village and as we got outside the car who took us we saw a castle on our left. There was a man who smiled at us and said. "Hello, are you here to visit us." I had no idea what to say, because the castle was too beautiful. "uum.. yess" "Let me help you with your bagage."
We walked towards the castle and i was still a litlle bit too happy about the place whe discovered. but then i had no choice but to completely give in to the perfectness of life.
Because Stacjek was standing in front of me.
He was just coming from behind the corner. and there he was. I could do nothing else but drop everything what i was holding and running to the friend before me. Anna followed me and we hugged the traveler we met in the Dessert.
Stacjek was my teacher and one of my dearest friends. It was more than magic that let us meet again.
He was here for three weeks now, and he was glad i was there now. he needed a friend.
This community was a bit different than we expected. They were part of the twelve tribes and believed in the
When we were there, we heard about this place for the Kiwi workers. It was a place where Warm showers and toilets were set on a parking place next to a forest. So we went there and our adventure as one of the punks began.
Their were also a lot of rainbow people, because there had been a rainbow in the mountains and everyone heard about the Kiwi's.
they made a huge shelter with bamboo sticks and plastic tarps. It was very cozy because in the middle, someone had made a stone oven. It worked really well.
It was raining and there was mud everywhere so we had to put up our tent on some pallets. It was raining in the morning and all the day it went on but we got up at 7 and went to the farmers house who had this job for us. His name was Roger. All the workers came here. We got in a car and they drove us to the Kiwi's.
I was with Emmy and Anna. We worked together.
It was a real adventure,
the tree of us in this tiny tent, our shoes destroyed; our socks wet.
The Kiwi's were hanging as rainbows on these metal ropes; twirling and intertwining. It was a long 'tunnel' of Kiwi's, after one and other. We had baskets on our belly, a rope was holding the bottom close. When we had gathered enough Kiwi's we would go to the truck who had huge crates behind him. We would pull this rope and then the Kiwi's would slide down and out, into these crates.
There were lots of people, and because i was so tall, i was keeping behind to search for the Kiwi's who were to high for them. "Shakespeare. over here. Shakespeare, come. Shakespeare, i need you."
These were the words being used if some Kiwi's needed me.
At the end of the first hour, we would get hot chocolate and unlimited cake. at 12 we would all go to the house of the boss and the wives would have tables set for us. Three cours meals were served with some alcohol to start with.
In the weekend, we didn't work but we could not get some rest because the punks had a party.
Friday night we woke up, the music started and it never stopped. all day and all night they were drinking and p
artying.
The girls were going crazy ( maybe i did too.)
And the other Rainbow people as well, when i passed them in the morning their camp was destroyed. The punks had destroyed it because that was fun to them. Nothing was left of the stone oven or anything really. Everything was wet.
Other punks came to them and tried to be nice by saying that they wanted to help to rebuild it. but the Rainbow people wanted to leave and have a nice time at a lake.
We went to a building that looked deserted for a long time already, it was close by the hot showers. We found a matras and we said "Here we are going to sleep."
I was still tired, so i slept already and the girls went to a squad in Peyrehorade. They made friends with some people there.
But, as they were gone and i woke up; i heard footsteps coming up the stairs. ( I was upstairs.) And then faces appeared. Two angry looking man starting to shout at me in France. I recognized one of them.... that was our boss at Kiwi Picking. "You have to leave, immediately. What are you thinking, this house belongs to him." The other guy translated. When i went down, i saw that they thrown our stuff out already. "You better leave, we have called the cops."
Now, i had a little bit of a problem.
I was on my own, but i had the stuff of three people with me.
And i needed to be quick, so i carried three backpacks in my righthand and then gathered as many with my left and dropped them on them. i dropped them along the road and came back for the other stuff. I dropped that by the side of the road and went back for the other stuff. Then i had everything on one pile again and i began repeating my work, hoping to get closer and closer to the hot showers.
The police stopped by me and asked. "Is this all your stuff." Yess." I responded, and they drove away.
One guy passed me tw
ice with his little van. On the second time he stopped and handgestured that he wanted to help me.
So i loaded everyting in the back and he drove me to the showers.
I unloaded everything there and i didn't knew what my step would be so i decided just to walk around and find Pallets. But fortune favours the bold and Punks started to assemble. The Punks who wanted to help the Rainbow people to build their shelter once again. suddenly, eight of them were pushing sticks together and trying to fasten the tarps to eachother.
In one hour, a shelter was made. a massive big one. For me alone. The Punks had moved everything into the shelter and done. I could sleep safe and sound. Still, most of my stuff was wet, and it was not so warm but it was home. In the night the girls came with their new friends of the squad. "What happend??"
That was a good question. but there was no time for much explanation, the girls wanted to move to the squad, so we left the whole shelter to return again and we jumped back in the van of the friends to drive to our new home.
It was not such a nice energy but oo well. it had a fire so i could dry my sleeping bag and my shoes a little bit. Anna had met a friend she really liked. We all slept with two other guys in one room.
Here it was, where i began hitting myself.
I think the whole thing stressed me out.
and the only thing i could do to send some energy out my body was to hit myself.
one of the guys,, he acted as if he was the leader, he stood in front of me, with his face to mine and said that i better not flip, otherwise he would kick me out.
I humbled myself the best i could to please him and it was over.
I still felt angry, at the whole situation. how it all came to be,
as if i could make no decision.
but that was travelling with some one also. Especially, two some ones. They both had a different point of view, a different way of acting in situations. A very different way sometimes.
but it was the real magic to try to stay humble in every situation that you find yourself in.
God... i missed Stacjek. after the community, we had a plan to travel together, but it never came of the ground. he had work in the Kiwi's also but at another place.
When i calmed down, i tried to sleep but there was another obstacle. The guy , who acted as if he was the leader. he snored like a hurricane. And slowly, everyone went outside of the room to sleep.
After the weekend, we went back to the shelter, to prepare us for another full week of Kiwi's.
it would be five more days and then it was over.
We found a matrass in Peyrehorade and i pursuaded the girls to carry it with me to the shelter. it was four km. and it was very heavy, but we made it. and it was so good. we made a proper bed for the girls in the shelter and i set up the tent to sleep there. The sun began to show her face again, after one week of raining. And the rich grandparents gave us blankets and socks. I was very, very cosy in the tent. And i had boots. Anna and Emmy gave them to me. the rich grandparents gave their small boots to Emmy and Anna. So it could not get any better. the sun was out, we had boots and slowly our stuff began to dry.
The kiwi's were so much fun in the sun.
Music was playing and everyone was calling Shakespeare to save the day.
the two last nights, the girls wanted to sleep in the old building again so we did. no one saw us this time because it was dark when we got there and dark when we stood up to go to work.
Our boss never mentioned the incident, but the sister of the boss. mannn..... she did a number on us.
she was so mad. she shouted at us and cursed us. We just walked away.
In that house, me and Emmy began to get real close. as really good friends. Anna slept with her friend in one room. and me and Emmy slept together in the other room. Here it was where, for the first time since all this time, we had our first real conversation alone.
it was wonderful
and she cried and she laughed,
saying in the morning "Cestmir, the conversation we had last night was the best conversation in my life." I know that she is only 22 but she said it and i was happy, saying: "well, that is my job."
At the last day, we had the most amazing meal, Emmy had gone to Belgium and Anna was already in the travelers mode.
The same guy who drove her from Amsterdam to South of France, could drive us to Portugal. The only thing we had to do was to grab out stuff and meet him 20 km. from where we were.
We asked around and a nice friend we made during the Kiwi's could take us there. We paid the gasoline and there we were. Up to Portugal.
not even 20 minutes after we finished the Kiwi Picking.
Anna had almost forgot to ask the money from the boss for our work.
( my battery had no energy anymore, so not so many pictures, i am sorry.. i left my charger back in the Netherlands. )
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