Live on Exchanges? Ep #5 | 2 Months of Workaway in the Oriental Pyrenees

Hi everyone, welcome to this special episode. Today you will discover how we went from this to this in less than 24 hours. Life, in addition to our experiences with Falkor, gives us the chance to learn from our encounters. You will have understood by watching our first 4 episodes that one of the most important points of our trip is to make exchange of services with the people we meet on our way. We would therefore like to share with you this unforgettable first experience of Workaway. Two sumptuous months of Indian summer in the heart of the Oriental Pyrenees. We present to you La Tallerie. There are people who manage to create their own hand, an Eden in their image. The Cooper family is one of them. From an old ruined mast, they created a place of peace where nature, animals and people come together looking for a place to resource themselves. A bubble of pure air, far from the city life. Here, we take the time to feel our connection to the earth, this link with the one that hosts us. In these mountains, everything is true and alive. As a nice surprise, we are lucky to be part of an English family and thus to speak and practice our English during all these days. We feel even more on a journey. Far away. Somewhere where the problems of the world seem very attenuated, even insignificant. Ali and Matt opened their hearts and lands to us with so much generosity. They are among our most beautiful examples of perseverance and creative strength. Ali made this place a real haven of peace. Matt, with his energy and tenacity, never leaves anything behind. He takes care of this place and puts all his energy into it. Thanks to this, nothing is abandoned and everything evolves constantly towards the beautiful. There are also their two children, Olea and Simeon, who filled us with glitter with their questions, laughter, sharing and curiosity. Each of them had a different life before that, very different. As we read it somewhere, sometimes our lives need to be completely changed, changed and reorganized to put us back where we are supposed to be. This family comforted us in our vision of change as a vector of personal fulfillment. What matters is the here and now, so that this beautiful paradise is nourished, cherished, maintained as it maintains us. They teach us, explain to us, trust us. We are lucky to carry out very varied tasks that always keep us motivated. We start our stay in the Magic Bus, a simple place that has everything you need to live happily. Dry toilets, an outdoor shower, a small kitchen and above all, surrounded by forests. It is the season of orchids, so we make infusions, pesto, soups and thus connect to what nature offers us in the moment. We have a little feeling of a croissant and it fills us with meaning and happiness. We participate in their daily life by going to feed the animals every morning. A touching activity that taught us a little more about these precious hosts. We present to you our morning routine! Jingle! On the one hand, the hens, who teach us so much about group life and give us some of their beautiful creations. And on the other, the two truits, Bella and Fluffy, who participate in maintaining the earth so that the vegetation does not cover the entire ground. The animals here are an integral part of the family. There are the dogs, who are aware of everything that is happening, the cats who remind us to take a little break so that we caress them. Tai and Roco, the dogs, do not miss any outing with the hens, a precious ritual for the coopers. Maurice, Martin and Melvin are the funny ladies of this place. They come to greet the visitors, eat the plants that grow in abundance and are happy to go for a walk to discover picnic corners nestled in these mountains. Oléa and Ali are their little angels who take care of them on a daily basis. Those who maintain the forest so that it does not invade the house are Matt and Simi. The cutting of the wood, essential for a warm winter here, is an integral part of Matt's daily work. He takes care of the essential work of maintaining and evolving this place. He is also the master of the fire, both to heat the yachts and other places of life, heat the hot tubs, but also to allow beautiful evenings under the stars near the fire. It is so beautiful to see the balance and harmony that can be created between these resources and our needs. No abuse, no waste. We learn to get closer to ourselves. Here, there are also Ali's parents who live. They are also part of this crazy project. The headquarter of the workshop is him, Nigel. He can literally make everything, including the hot tubs and furniture that are located in the yachts. We had the chance to share a little time with him to varnish the new beds of the friend's room that they have furnished. Gina, his wife, takes care of our stomachs and supports Ali in the washing of the yachts when the need arises. They introduced us to a part of their respective families, present and also visiting, and some of their friends who live in these beautiful mountains. We will not forget these moments either. Beautiful days and evenings of sharing and laughing. In parallel to all this, we obviously took the opportunity to visit the region without all our business. Sense of freedom, go with Falkor and discover magnificent places, immerse yourself in the Red Coast, the Eastern Pyrenees. We even went to Spain, find the place where this whole story of travel started more than 17 years ago. We had a lot of fun. Who cares about cookies while I work, waiting for the tent, while Madame has to tidy up the tent? But I check the finished works. And it's very beautiful, bravo, it's super well tightened, we have no risk of ... We are ready for the rain tonight. Bravo Dudu. La Taillede, you will miss us. You have filled us with hope, you have allowed us to discover new skills, new possibilities. We take the road filled with deep gratitude for this exchange that is now part of us. Lucky are those who will be able to meet you and enjoy your place of peace. Thank you. It's time for us to keep moving towards this still mysterious place where we are supposed to be. But all this is another story. Thank you.