Part 1: Gathering All Nations Together (G.A.N.T.)

I believe I left off in my previous entry how the Spanish boys had arrived. Did I mention that two Germans came soon after? Botho (pronounced boat-o) and Thomas. They are both 18 and completely different characters, but I enjoyed them both a lot. Botho is full of energy and loves the sound of Spanish words. He learned the word conejo (rabbit) and that became his favorite word that he incorporated into almost every sentence. It was quite unique I’d say. Thomas was a person I found to be unintentionally funny. He was quiet and reserved, but when he said things, the way he said them I found to be hysterical. I was never laughing AT him. I was legit finding him very funny, but completely unable to explain why. That sometimes left him a little confused. Sorry, Thomas. Both of the boys were practically fluent in other languages besides German. Botho knew French and Thomas knew Polish. English was their“weakest” language, although they were practically fluent in that as well! For instance, in the last 2 weeks that I was at Leades House, Thomas read 2 books in English. I can’t even read 2 books in 2 weeks, let alone in a 3rd language. Once again, Thomas was slightly confused as to how I was mesmerized… which, in turn, just made me laugh.

I also met a French girl, Pauline, whom I adored. She stayed in my room, finally occupying another one of the 6 remaining beds. I was able to feel less guilty about hogging a room. ANYWAYS, Pauline was highly memorable because… I will explain. First of all, she had a blond afro. Both of her parents are of French origin as well, so there is really no explanation for the gorgeous, tight curls. They are a phenomenon. But she did get them from her father. Secondly, Pauline was the bubbliest, silliest, funniest, kindest person ever. It wasn’t even that she didn’t care what people thought of her; she didn’t even notice it (even though the thoughts were all as positive as mine!). So, she was able to be whomever she wanted to be at any moment, without inhibitions. Quite admirable I’d say.

Two American girls arrived the same weekend that Pauline did. Libby and Madeleine. Libby lived in Spain for a year and is now majoring in Spanish. Her ability to speak the language and her reflection of her experience made me really determined to have one of my own. In addition to the Spaniards being there and loving them, Libby was sorta like the icing on the cake that made me really want to live in Spain and finally become fluent in the Spanish language. Madeleine is this chill chick that is going to school for films. Kudos to her because I love film studies. She also liked to experiment with cooking and baking. My kind of homie. I regularly found myself down in the kitchen of Leades House trying out her creations…whether I was invited to or not. Muahaha.

There was a girl visiting, Ramona, who had once been a volunteer at Leades House. She loved it so much, she decided to stop by for a few days to say hello to her past. She was so so nice. I was lucky enough to get her contact information so I can always stop to visit her in Germany in the future. The rest of the people were all ones that I have mentioned before. Anne was the most natural when it came to doing the barn chores. She was always on top of things and definitely the most trusted by Colin, the owner. Anna was my go-to girl for entertainment and relaxation. She also reminded me of friends back in America, which made me less homesick at times.

The Spanish boys were just wonderful. They spoke English a lot better than they thought, and what wasn’t correct was definitely understandable. However, they surprised everyone with knowing the words to some American/English songs, even if they didn’t know what the heck they meant. Some of my favorite moments were when they would bust out with the Beatles. I once caught Ruma singing half of a chorus of one of their songs, then the other half he said “blah blah blah” in his thick Spanish accent because he didn’t know the words. He had no idea I was listening until he heard my giggles. It was adorable. Luis was funny with his sarcastic sense of humor, and he was also brilliant on guitar. Beautiful voice. Juan was always so kind and laid back… except for when it came to killing pigeons. Then there was kind of an exciting anticipation like when someone’s about to compete. He and Ruma (and sometimes Botho) were hired to kill the pesty pigeons, which sort of became a sport at Leades House. He also made this clucking noise all the time, to the point that I adopted it. Ruma… let’s just say Ruma stole my heart. I would take him as a brother any day. He was adorable, funny, and always interested in having conversations with me. I, as well, enjoyed them because I got to help him with his English. Ruma also liked to teach me Spanish phrases (i.e. how to call someone crazy).

Francy became sort of like an Uncle Francy. He’s content giving people his opinions about life and never bending. He also is content never trusting anyone because he has had his fair share of untrustworthy people in his life. However, for whatever reason, he told me he trusted me in front of everyone. People said that’s the biggest compliment he can give someone. So, I was sort of taken under his wing. He told me his words of wisdom and I listened, even if I didn’t agree or if some of them made my stomach turn. He was quite perverted. In exchange, I got to know an extremely memorable, highly entertaining, and decent man. With all of his inappropriate, at times disgusting banter, I was extremely surprised when he said goodbye to me with a hand shake. It was actually quite cute because it showed a vulnerable side to him, one that seemed to not like goodbyes.

Colin, the owner, was a very kind man. My favorite part about Colin was his storytelling. Every day, either in the car or at the dinner table, he would tell stories about suicide, people dying, people being killed, animals being killed, how to kill animals, or elopements. The way he talked about these things were so matter-of-fact and almost light-hearted, like they were everyday occurrences. In the beginning, my jaw would drop every time one of these stories was told. Then, when I realized it was a regular thing, I began giggling every time he began because I was reflecting on how colorful and different the Irish small-talk is from the U.S.

These were the main people that I met in Ireland, the ones that had the most impact on my time spent there. I miss them all terribly, even though it’s just been a week. My goal is to AT LEAST keep in contact with them. Eventually being able to see them would be even better. But for now, you know enough about them, that I can now begin Part 2 of departing entry: what I actually did.

written by  A broad goes abroad. on August 9, 2009 from Rochester, United States
from the travel blog: Volunteering in Ireland
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