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.