Newborn goat, leaving the farm and New Years in Dublin

27/12 - This place is going to be remembered for all of its smells. The house is always filled with the scent of wood smoke that comes from the stove near the back door. Then there's the odor of horse manure combined with the sweat while shoveling it into the wheelbarrow and soiled straw that was used by poultry. But there's the pleasant smell of clean air and damp earth as well.

It's amazing how good eggs, butter and milk taste when you know they came from just 30 feet away. They taste richer and creamier. Perhaps that's because they're more fresh or without chemicals. I'm not sure. I just know this city kid has never tasted anything like it.

My two days off are approaching, so I've been researching ways to travel. It turns out Swinford is in the middle of nowhere. It doesn't even have a train station. If I want to go to Northern Ireland and Couchsurf for a night, my best bet would be to get a car. That's expensive, though, and I don't want to spend too much.

28/12 - Instead of going to Northern Ireland, I'm going to be easy on myself (and a little bit dull) by just going back to Dublin for a few days before my flight. I'll leave the farm on Wednesday to give myself a day or two checking out the breweries of Dublin. Whether I'll Couchsurf, do Airbnb, get a hotel or sleep on the streets I still don't know.

I'm getting the routine down at the farm and more confident in understanding what needs to be done. But amid all of the routine, something completely random happens. For example, one of the goats gave birth today. Mary first noticed something was wrong because the goat was lying down. That usually only happens if it's being submissive to the other goats or if it's ready to give birth, she said to me.

While we created a makeshift pen for it, the goat kept standing up and lying down, so Mary called Anna to help her assist the goat with the delivery. They told me to keep clear so as not to stress the goat out more, so after doing a bit of work, I could hear a new, high-pitched voice, one that sounds like it breathed some helium.

The baby goat, which I learned is called a kid, is black and white and never stood up during the time I watched it. The mother also was not taking to it, so Anna and Mary held the goat and guided the kid's mouth to the udder to get to feed. I was amazed at how much of a difference one feeding made to the kid, as it looked more perky after getting a little bit of milk. Eventually the kid was placed in a shoebox filled with straw so it could stay warm over night.

I also learned a kid typically stands up and takes its first steps within 10 minutes of being born. In the time I watched, it stood up on shaky and clumsy legs while Anna rubbed its legs to get them moving. This was cool for me because I've never seen a newborn goat before. Another new experience while traveling.

29/12 - The baby goat is standing, walking and nursing off of its mother now. I had to be careful not to step on it while changing the water in the goat pens because it's so small. That came as a relief to Mary, who didn't think the situation would change for the better this quickly.

My week on the farm is complete. If I'm honest, I'm ready to leave. It's good to get some manual labor in to knock myself down a peg or two, but I wouldn't want to do farm work for months on end. Though it's immensely healthy, shoveling manure and working in the daily rain gets old because there's no variety in the daily routine. Mary and Anna are quick because they have their own routine and have been doing it for years, whereas I've done it for about six days. I got my fill of the farm.

Now that I've left, it seems like only yesterday I arrived. It was a quick trip, but rewarding nonetheless. As I sit here in the Gateway Hotel bar waiting for my bus that comes in an hour and a half, I should note that I feel proud of the fact I volunteered my time for a week. My traveling seems to always turn out positively, and I sincerely hope the bug to explore planet Earth never goes away. This adventure reinforces the fact I'll choose travel over work nine times out of 10. You can always make more money; when the opportunity to travel presents itself, you have to snatch it.

Tonight I'll stay in Dublin for a couple of nights in the Temple Bar district, which is in the center of the city. From the looks of things, it's a very lively area so New Years Eve (NYE) should be plenty memorable. I'll stay in a six-bed dormitory in a hostel and there looks to be plenty to see in Dublin. I'm really looking forward to it because this city life is the complete opposite of my time on a farm in a lonely part of Ireland. For NYE, I won't be getting trashed, but I do want to find a good microbrewery. I'd like to get a pint or two of a good Irish beer, or if possible, a bottle of Trapistes Rochefort.

So here's to celebrating the end of a fantastic year in Dublin. A visit to the National Leprechaun Museum is in order.

Christmas in Ireland and escaped chickens

23/12 - As I lay here in bed, my sleeping pattern all jacked up from the time change, I figured I should start this post off with a little bit of education.

Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England are. Instead of British pounds, the Euro is used in Ireland. That's good for me because the exchange rate for USD to Euros really isn't that large. And according to a taxi driver this morning, about 10 percent of the population speaks Irish, a language whose letters are not pronounced like their English counterparts. Most people study it in school, but since few people actually speak it in everyday life, important aspects of the language such as grammar are forgotten. It's like Welsh and Gaelic in Scotland.

Here's an Irish phrase: "Nollaig shona duit." Merry Christmas. Don't ask me how to pronounce it.

The day started off with yet another snag. While charging something in my hotel room, I was packing my bag when suddenly there was a loud pop and a flash of light. All other lights in the room switched off and would not come back on. My first thought was of panic because I thought I'd have to pay a heavy fee to fix that problem.

But after a few moments, I realized it was probably just a blown fuse; a simple fix. Other than the fact I had to go find another new wall adapter because the first one turned black after blowing up, I was fine. From that point, I just shook my head and laughed; It's all I can do at this point. I just let the front desk of the hotel know what happened; they were understanding.

After a three-and-a-half-hour bus ride on which I fell asleep several times, I've arrived at the farm of Mary and her daughter Anna. It's not really a farm; more like a house with several acres Mary and her daughter utilize to their own advantage. Mary (maybe in her 60s?) picked me up at the bus stop in Swinford. She walked right up to me and asked if I'm Michael, somewhat surprising me.

The house is in a rural area, several miles from Swinford. If I want to go to town to get a pint, it'll be a bit tricky. There are three dogs, several cats, four horses (one of which is a mini), two cows, goats, ducks, chickens and pigs. What Mary expects of me is to work five hours a day for five days, but that work basically entails giving her a helping hand - nothing too strenuous. In return, Mary is giving me accommodation and meals (she used to cater; she's a very good cook!).

Jessica, a 22-year-old Canadian from Toronto who recently graduated with her Bachelor's degree, is also here for the next few days. She's been traveling since September and will go on until February, and it's good to have someone around my own age here. It doesn't even feel like I'm so far away. The fact I'm staying in a comfortable house helping take care of animals and getting home-cooked meals makes this feel normal, routine.

One last thing here for today: Stella saw my scathing WhatsApp message last week. There was no reply. What she did to me is beyond rude; it's shocking. But I'm not angry. How can I be if I still got the opportunity to do cool stuff while traveling? I'm not going to stress about it because I know karma will come back to haunt her. Doing something like this is not what a decent person would do to a fellow human being. Though I was screwed, I still squeezed value out of a bad situation.

25/12 - Merry Christmas all the way from Ireland!

My first full day of work yesterday followed the theme of my trip up to this point: snags, snafus and fuck-ups. While helping Mary clean the horse stables, I left the gate open, thus letting one of the horses out. Thankfully, it just kept close to the stables, munching on grass.

Later, I didn't do a complete job cleaning the yard and the garage. After that, I accidentally let four chickens and guinea fowl escape the coop. I thought the door was closed, but apparently the birds can squeeze through tiny openings. Yes, chickens aren't the smartest of animals, but on that occasion I was outsmarted by one. Hearing the news she had chickens loose, Mary was none too pleased with me and said I needed to improve or I was to catch the bus out of Swinford on Monday. I also nearly let a couple of goats escape too.

After the work was finished, Anna took Jessica and I to Swinford for a few drinks at a pub. I can now say I've drank in an actual Irish pub, and my Irish buddies kept buying me pints of Guinness. Six pints later and an hour after closing time, I think I held my own with my hosts. However, it wasn't the smartest idea to get tanked the night before an early morning start, as Mary actually had to come into my room and wake me up. I'm really making a good impression on her!

The thing I've noticed so far is how this trip doesn't even feel like traveling. The benefits of home-cooked meals after a couple hours of manual labor gives it a totally different vibe; it feels like I'm just living with a family (which I am). The work has me tired, and I got an amazing night of sleep last night. The fact I'm enjoying this "vacation," and all of the work that comes with it is one reason I'm one strange dude. It makes me feel like I'm doing something positive for another human being, and it's something I can look back upon and be proud of doing it.

After all, how many people can say they spent their vacation working on an Irish farm? At the very least, I've learned to lock gates behind me. Animals are escape artists. But, I guess I always seem to learn the hard way.

26/12 - My first Christmas away from family is in the books. Though I didn't spend it with my own family, I spent it with my Irish family. Mary can really cook! It was a full Christmas lunch, complete with turkey, stuffing, potatoes and carrots and other foods, such as bread sauce. To make bread sauce, you take some bread and mix it with milk and butter. But the turkey was the best I had in a very long time because it was juicy and perfectly cooked.

Anna took Jessica and I to a Christmas party at her friend's house, which was at the end of several miles of one-lane roads through the countryside. Dave and Lisa have a baby, and their house is incredible. It looks new with a modern design. Behind the Christmas tree was a two-story window. The same people we drank with at the pub the other night were here, and we just played party games.

Being included in that social group has made me feel comfortable right away. Anna and Mary do make their guests feel welcome in a warm, family environment. The only other time I've experienced this homey feel while traveling was that month in La Almunia with Felix and Rosa over the summer. The fact it doesn't even feel like visiting a different country is still stunning.

Los Angeles and a difficult trek into Ireland

21/12 - Los Angeles is a massive, smoggy, traffic-infested metropolis. There's trash everywhere, Spanish is prominent and lots of murals on building walls. Thankfully, Stephanie and Juan have given me a place to stay and are showing me around for the day I'm here.

They live in a small studio behind Juan's mother's house in San Fernando. You have to walk up the driveway, open the gate to the back and dodge the barking German shepherd (it bit a burglar, so the burglar sued the family for not having a Beware of Dog sign. The burglar won). Inside their studio is a cozy loft that makes excellent use of what little space there is, and a young, male cat that loves to run around the room and play fetch with a ball. I'm basically Couchsurfing, but not really. 

Today I walked for miles in an unglamorous part of West Hollywood. Stephanie and I wandered around, got some Guatemalan empanadas and rode the bus and subway (which I didn't even know LA has). It's been a while since I pounded the pavement of a strange city, so both of my knees are a bit swollen and sore, maybe because of slight tendonitis. 

I dislike Los Angeles. There are too many cars and sitting in traffic is a large chunk of your day. But on the way back to Stephanie's place, life got a little bit slower as we walked on the railroad tracks, something so simple yet so powerful when having an adventure. 

But for dinner, I got a taste of eating with a Mexican family. You'll continually be served chorizo tacos and quesadillas until you waive them off, unable to eat more. But our meal time was fast paced, as we ate while cooking more at the same time. So thanks to Juan and Stephanie for making my short stay in Los Angeles enjoyable. Both were great hosts and I hope I left a good impression.

As for LAX and Ethiopian Airlines...shoot me. The system for that airline crashed, so all of the tickets and information was processed by hand. I don't know exactly how long I was standing in the check-in line, but it was easily 90 minutes. I've never experienced anything like that, and I'll try not to ever use this airline again. Imagine that kind of frustration! And imagine the only time you ever arrive at the airport about three hours early, this happens.

22/12 - In hindsight, Ethiopian Airlines is fine. They did the best they could do with a crashed system. The plane was clean and the food was quality for the most part. It was a chilled out flight. I can't talk trash about the airline now. But...

I'M IN IRELAND!

My trip seems to be hitting more snags than usual, as I was held back at customs because I don't have a work permit for this WorkAway adventure. The customs officer had to walk away with my passport twice to verify information. At one point, he asked me how much money I have and what I'd do if I had to catch the flight back to Los Angeles that night. The thought of possibly getting deported back to America made my head explode.

But after verifying that I have a return flight back to America on Jan. 2, a place to stay in Dublin for the night and that I work for the Porterville Recorder (the officer pulled up one of my stories on his computer), I was free to go, but not before I had to take a mugshot. The Irish government is watching me now.

Because of that, I had to stop in the airport pub and have a Guinness, which tastes much better in Ireland. I've heard more Irish accents in the past few hours than I have in the past year in England. Besides the accent, though, it really isn't that much different from the United Kingdom.

Walking around looking for basic supplies, I had that stupid smirk on my face again which usually is the result of being in a new country. I'm stoked! This is the 16th country I've visited in 2015, and it's already started off with a great story. The next 10 days should be a blast. Not even my right knee, which feels a little bit stiff and swollen, will ruin that. I'm also looking forward to blogging regularly again. Hopefully it inspires others.

On the eve of Ireland and a different perception of Porterville

16/12 - My new adventure has taken shape incredibly quickly.

In the time span of less than a week, I've changed my flight and found a host in Ireland through WorkAway. It turns out you're not allowed to stay in your layover country and get back on the plane on its return trip through that country, so I changed my flight to just be a round trip to Dublin. I was this close  to visiting Kenya, but it wasn't in the stars.

If I'm honest, I was a little bit surprised I wasn't more disappointed about that adventure falling through and how fast I was able to change my plans. Kenya and Ireland probably couldn't be more different; Kenya is hot right now, while Ireland is seeing rain for days on end. The No. 1 key to this whole situation is staying positive and seeing the silver lining in that there's another opportunity there; I just had to be a little bit creative and act quickly. In fact, I don't think I've heard of this kind of thing happening to anyone else. As far as I know, this is unique.

During my time in Ireland, I'll work on a farm that raises large animals such as sheep, goats, pigs, horses and cows. The mother and daughter that run the farm have nothing but positive reviews on their WorkAway page, and there is a picture of them milking some of the animals by hand. I've wanted to learn how to do that for years now. Apparently the mother is an amazing cook and the work isn't too stressful, so I'm really looking forward to this trip.

As you all know by now, the draw of traveling for me is meeting new people in their own countries and creating unique stories. I'd much rather go work on this farm than go wander aimlessly through Dublin, staying in hotels and doing the tourist thing. A friend asked me today the simple-yet-complex question of "what makes you happy?" I told her doing things not many others can say they've done and then inspiring others to do the same makes me happy. This is a trip not many others can say they've pulled off. It's been done with the intention of one thing: chasing memories.

19/12 - I'm done with work. My trip to Los Angeles is tomorrow, and I fly to Ireland Monday night. But I'm not quite done in Porterville. My remaining time here for this year has been quite amazing, especially on Saturday. It was filled with meeting fascinating people that have connections to family and a successful date that ended with a kiss, however awkward and screwed up it was. Saturday was one of those truly excellent days, one that puts you on Cloud 9.

But most of all, and perhaps more importantly, Saturday made me enjoy and appreciate Porterville and the Central Valley just a little bit more. That doesn't come from the city itself, but the people. I do like being here, and it's been much better than my first stint.

So I'll get a ride by car to Corcoran, where I'll catch the train to Bakersfield, where I'll ride the bus over the Grapevine and into Los Angeles, where my friend will give me a ride by car to LAX, where I'll fly to Ireland. So before I travel, I'll travel. Here's to cramming one more adventure into 2015 and visiting my 16th country of the year. Just like old times, expect a few more blogs documenting Ireland.

Good neighborhood, Ducati thoughts and a trip to Ireland for Christmas

11/11 - I've lived in this new house in a nice part of Porterville for a couple of weeks now. The neighborhood is quiet and safe, and I don't have to worry so much about someone bashing a stone through my back window but not taking anything (like what happened last summer). I'm fully established in town now.

This neighborhood is perfectly safe for an after-dinner walk through the streets after 10 p.m. Ideas seem to come much easier when you just start walking; I guess my mind in particular starts revving when I walk. As I walked, I thought about what I do every day: the mediocrity of this town, how it's best feature by far is its proximity to national parks. I want to do something else giant with my life, and that opportunity isn't found in Porterville.

But then immediately after that I realized I need to think positive. If I dislike this place so much, why not make it a better place for someone else, if I'm so dissatisfied with it? After all, my No. 1 desire is to do something to make my environment a better place for other people. That's part of the reason why I want to join the Coast Guard. With that in mind, I'm going to start looking for volunteer opportunities within the city. I need to stop whining about my own issues with this place and put my energy into helping my fellow human being.

There are no immanent trips planned for myself, though I did learn the Grand Canyon is exactly 600 miles away from Porterville. But the Kenya trip won't be for another six weeks, and I'm still trying to decide how I'll get to LAX. However, that seems to be figured out as well, as I'll Couchsurf with a friend in Los Angeles for a night before they give me a lift to the airport.

I'm getting more and more comfortable with the Ducati. I'm learning about its behaviors and how to ride it. I have a routine when coming up to stops now, so as to stop the engine from stalling on me. I'm also not nearly as afraid of it as much anymore - I'm becoming one with this machine.

But looking back at my childhood and teenage years, I never thought I'd ride a motorcycle of my own, much less a superbike. The people who rode motorcycles to school were on another level of cool; they were people I couldn't compete with. Three years after learning to ride a motorcycle in that CHP safety class, I'm confident in saying riding is one of the most thrilling things I can think of. Pulling on the throttle and feeling the engine rumble inches below the seat brings out a side of you that does not reveal itself otherwise. That feeling certainly brings a smile to my face every time I ride, like this weekend's mini lap around Lake Success and through Frazier Valley.

This bike is incredible. The sound it makes is enthralling. It shifts so quickly and smoothly. The riding stance, at first incredibly awkward because of how aggressive and forward-leaning it is, is now normal. And of course, I love riding because it gives you entry into the club of fellow motorcycle riders on the road. Whenever fellow bikers pass each other, they always wave or acknowledge the other in some way.

Call me a fanatic. I wrote the same way in the summer after I finished that epic trip through Wales. I felt so envious of all of the bikers who came to Poole every Tuesday evening. The difference now is I have what I wanted.

5/12 - It's been a while since I last blogged. This house I'm living in is great, and my roommate is pretty cool too. The neighborhood is peaceful and safe, so I don't have much to complain about. 

But the guy I'm renting from is a little strange. He disappears for weeks on end and we have no idea what's going on. It's a week into December and he still hasn't collected the rent yet. You have to wonder what is going through this man's head. He's also incredibly lucky there are cool people living there who won't trash the place, otherwise he'd be up the creek without a paddle. 

I visited the Coast Guard recruiter in Fresno last week. While my heart condition and student loans are a couple of knocks against me, they know who I am now. The application process will be a lengthy one as well. I'm looking forward to see where this leads. 

Felix, Rosa, Alex and Nuria Facetimed me from Spain again. I love talking to them! Nuria hasn't changed a bit, as she said my beard looks ugly. I showed them my room, the house, the backyard and the Ducati. Alex wants me to come to La Almunia for a few weeks and then fly back with me to California for a few weeks. 

Maybe. 

This second go round in Porterville is better than what I made it out to be. I'm meeting new people and making the most out of it.

13/12 - A rather large change in plans is necessary. I won't be going to Kenya anymore because Stella stopped responding to my messages. I think she doesn't have the heart to tell me her family can't or don't want to host me, so she's dealing with it by ignoring the issue. Visiting Kenya without a host isn't the smartest idea in my opinion, so that trip is off the table. I'm not mad, just disappointed by her attitude.

Though unfortunate, this presents another opportunity. My flight both ways includes layovers in Dublin, Ireland, so I just thought I'd stay in Ireland for those 10 days and do a WorkAway. The fun with traveling is its unpredictability and how fast you can adapt. I have about a week to find a host in Ireland, and I've sent out a few messages tonight. It's an exciting prospect, and hopefully my friends can meet up with me. Whatever happens, I just might visit my 16th country of 2015, only it's one I never expected until a few days ago.