A Flower Farm in England
I'm sitting here, in my bed at my host home in Toot Baldon, England, wondering how the heck I got here. A month ago, I was living a normal, average life in Grand Rapids, Michigan and three weeks ago I landed in Europe for the first time. I hope to never forget these wonderful memories that I'm making. So, to My Future Self: Here's how you ended up working on an English flower farm in a village with a population of 148.
Like any fresh college grad I had only one thing on my mind, how to travel the world. Not knowing where to start, I went to Google with a simple search: "how to travel when you're young and broke". I was shocked at how many affordable opportunities were available. The one that caught my interest the most was participating in a work exchange program. Basically, you apply for a posted job in your country of interest. I was particularly interested in Europe as a whole so I wasn't too picky on my country selections. I saw a listing for help on a flower farm in Toot Baldon, England, roughly 15 minutes outside of the city of Oxford and an hour away from central London. I reached out and instantly clicked with the lovely woman who owns the garden. We decided on a four week stay. She would provide me with housing, as well as small sum of money for my weekly shopping, and in return I would help her with her massive garden. She does small events like weekend markets as well as larger events like weddings, which I was lucky enough to help with!
I submitted my application, received an almost instant response, and then had a little over a month to get my things in order, plan my travel, and pack. My room is completely independent from her house and I also have my own bathroom and kitchen. When I am done working for the day, it's nice to wind down in my own space. I'm super fortunate for there to be a bus so close to where I'm staying. Not counting the walk to the bus stop itself, it takes no more than 20 minutes to reach the city of Oxford. From there, I can spend the day or take the Oxford Tube for direct travel to London. I work from 9-3 5 days a week so I have plenty of time to do things after work as well as 2 days off to spend however I would like.
I've never been one to be good at blogging, but I hope to post more about all the travels I've taken. As someone who travels alone, I will have recommendations on places to stay, places to eat, and things to do. Thanks for reading and safe travels.
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