— 🇫🇷 Version française plus bas 🇫🇷 —

6th of March 2025, Mugla, Türkiye —

I'm following your feedback and will now be dating when I write. And I will be doing it in the same format I do in my journal, which is adding also the place from where I'm writing to you. —

Today I’ve felt strange. Restless, but also a bit hopeless. I woke up and heard about Macron’s public talk yesterday evening. My first thought is that I am scared for our world. I really am. And then, my second thought is about me, my trip. I'm supposed to be crossing Russia in a few weeks. Is that even possible in such an unstable world? For the first time, I question my trip. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it to India by land, safely. I’ll get to Georgia anyway, and wait there to see how everything evolves. If it’s not safe, then it means that I’m reaching the boundaries to where I can travel right now, without flying. And that’s okay. That’s something that has always been on the back of my head and I was at peace with this idea. But now that it’s becoming real and that the chances of not being able to make it to India are high, it hits differently. I’m feeling sad, but again, mostly for our world than for me. It almost feels unfair to be enjoying and travelling in such a crazy world. But also, when it seems like it could go very wrong very soon, there's this other feeling of, let's enjoy before it's too late. Life is such a paradox, and sometimes it's harder to be okay with it than others.

I'm still travelling with Caro and Freya, and we made our way to the next farm. For my fellow travelers, we're still using Workaway to find some volunteering opportunities. Another similar platform which has been recommended to me is Worldpackers. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions about them. 😊

We meet with Berkish on the side of the road. His farm is in between three villages, not reachable by public transport. Actually, we first meet with Hussain, Berkish's friend and neighbour. They're both coming with their motorbikes to pick us up. We get to the farm, very much in the middle of nowhere, and meet with Laura and Jack. They came all the way from the U.K. with their van!! 🚚 Laura has been living in her van for 3 years; it's so well-arranged and cosy. And I’m jealous of their place to sleep when I see mine.

Laura & Jack in front of their super coool van 🚐

We get introduced to what will be called our bedroom for the next few days. 😅 Let me explain: an opened barn in which some curtains made of sheets are hung in a corner, you know, to give us some privacy. In that corner, a couch and two beds in questionable condition. It's 9 degrees at night, and it's a barn so you can forget about windows or doors. We make a strategy: let's put together the couch and one of the beds so that the 3 of us can keep each other warm. I can't say that these were some warm nights, but we tried whatever we could. We added as many clothes as we had, zipped our sleeping bags all the way to the top, and then the real challenge was to find a good balance between being able to have some air coming in but not some cold breeze which would make your nose freeze. 🥶 Aaahh fun times. We knew what we were getting ourselves into though, as Berkish told us beforehand that the room for volunteers during winter was not built yet. And everything is an experience, after all!

The next day, we have a mission: let’s build a fence for the vegetable garden. 👷‍♀️🪵🪓 We started by taking measurements, then cutting wood and digging holes. After that hard work, it's time for a waterfall shower. 🌈 That feels great because I can’t say that showering has been part of a daily habit these last few days. We eat once or twice a day if we claim it. When we eat though, it's amazing. Berkish cooks some delicious Indian food, which we eat with our hands ‘for a full experience’ as he told us, giving me a taste of what will come if I do make it to India. Berkish spent six months in India, and it was a trip that changed his life. He's not the first one who talks about India this way. What is so magical about this country? I can't explain how curious I am about India, its colours, its taste, its scent...

Caro planting some seeds ahead of spring 🌷