Aussie in the Boot: Sardinia

I am spending six months travelling around Italy. I am staying with hosts around the country, WWOOFING (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). Learning, sharing and creating great connections. There will be ups and downs, but I have my yoga mat packed and a 560g jar of Vegemite, so I’m ready to take it all on. 

Region: Sardinia

Host: Cala Jami

“A little Germany in Sardinia.”

“So much love for the people and the place.”

DISCLAIMER: So many amazing things happened at this location, I am so full of love and joy. I cannot express my experience entirely through my writing as I was so consumed in the journey that I didn’t write many notes. Just know that Cala Jami and the people there will always have a special place in my heart and story.

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After a long first ferry experience that made me very tired, I arrived in Sardinia. I had been told by many Italians that Sardinia is extremely beautiful. It truly is a landscape that cannot be put into words. If I had to try, I would probably say, “lots of rocky, shrub-covered mountains.” But that wouldn’t really motivate anyone to make the journey to the island, it is something that can only be truly appreciated when witnessed. From the ferry port, I had to get two buses to reach the town where my new hosts had said they would meet me, San Pantaleo.

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I’m not sure what it is about this half of the journey, but I am meeting so many more people. I made many friends in my limbo travel moments. I feel as though the longer I travel, the more I am opening my heart. Wow, this post is already taking an emotional turn.

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I was picked up by Joa, a German man who is planning to stay at Cala Jami for about a year. I loaded my stuff into his van and we headed to Cala Jami, Joa shared his experiences with the powerful energy of Sardinia and the abundance of crystals on the island. We pulled into the unsealed road that leads to the retreat and I got my first glimpse of the place that would be home for three weeks. I met the rest of the crew … finally a place with other volunteers!! No “WWOOFERS” but “Work-awayers.” It’s a start! There were twelve people staying at Cala Jami, guests, staff and volunteers.

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My new location was a little different. It is a Sufi retreat. Sufiism is defined as, a mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through the direct personal experience of God. They also host retreats and seminars and constantly have guests that are enjoying the beautiful location. As the volunteers, we help with all sorts of tasks that keep the place operating. Some of the jobs include cooking, cleaning, gardening, setting up tents and preparing accommodation. They also have an organic garden and it runs similar to an Ecovillage or community. A “country toilet”, outdoor shower, outdoor kitchen (bamboo kitchen) and communal living. Oh, and everyone is German!

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I was told that my job would be cooking, and I would be staying in a tent, like the other volunteers. I quickly realised that there are many rules and processes that need to be learnt, this was a bit intimidating, but I was motivated to learn fast because it seemed like such an interesting place to stay.

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On my first day, after lunch, we all piled into Joa’s van and went to the beach! Apparently, Sardinia has some of the best beaches in the world, second only to Australia (this was a Joa fact).

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I had to hold back my Italian. German is such a different language, luckily, they all speak English.

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The food was so awesome! Everything I love, much the same as Giulia and Federico (from Verona) chia seeds, nutritional yeast, oats, vegetable milk, nuts, fruits …

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It feels strange to not work on the farm all day. I was again struggling with a lack of structure. But yet again, I am so grateful for the order that I visited the farms, each one has prepared me for the next. I was also not sure what to do in my spare time. I actually wrote this blog post draft on the back of my old ferry ticket as I had no paper and charging my technological devices wasn’t so easy in a tent!

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This tent life is like training for my future thru-hikes (PCT in my sights).

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I really liked having these other volunteers around … I was keen to get to know them better.

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I was nervous about cooking, but I did my first day and it was totally fine. I had to throw most of my Italian knowledge out the window because they are German and eat very similar to me. What I did keep from the Italian experiences is my new calm and simplicity in the kitchen.

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One night, we did a group Sufi style meditation, 8:30 pm. The meditation was really good, and I would love to do more. Chanting, singing and silence.

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I quickly began getting the hang of cooking for the large groups (10-25 people).

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Drank tea and played cards with Maya, I knew that we would be great friends.

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One night we were invited out for dinner, all of the staff. It would be my first Italian restaurant experience of the trip and it was with Germans!! I ordered pasta from the restaurant without any guilt or fear. It was kind of strange to not have any bubbling feelings or thoughts as I ordered and ate the dish. The night out was so beautiful, I really love the other volunteers. Maya, Alex and Joa! We played in the park outside the restaurant after dinner as the sun went down. It was so fun! We did handstands and cartwheels and just played!

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More meditation …

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Much bonding and chatting with Maya and Alex. Also, another volunteer arrived, Jolene, she was assigned, captain cook and we would work together in the kitchen.

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I am growing so much with my food things; for the first time, I offered food to someone and I was being genuine. Wanting them to take some. I had always felt a rush and greed around food (stemming from the disorder). The only feeling I had was sharing. I am growing, healing.

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We had a staff meeting and got given job cards with funny names: Pollution Police, sitting Zen Master, the Temple Lover. This also provided a clear understanding of what needs to be done each day. My jobs are Eye of Beauty (ensuring the place looks nice with flowers and fruits), Kitchen Star (cleaning the kitchen), Temple Lover (making sure the meditation tent is clean), Assistant cook (helping prepare meals, lunch and dinner).

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We hiked to the top of the rocky hill without coffees (Orzo for me, a coffee alternative) and watched the sun go down.

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I was having cold outdoor showers every morning and they made me feel alive.

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I began carving avocado seeds, Jolene said that I can have one every morning. I feel like it was just my next step to becoming a more extreme vegan! Jokes aside, it is actually a really great creative outlet for me while I am travelling.

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Played cards with Maya at night! This is the kind of thing that I have been longing for.

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A seminar began — yoga and meditation — and many guests arrived. We were about 25 in total. As volunteers, we were able to join in with some of the sessions! I was excited to experience how some of the Sufi practices operate.

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I had bed bugs in my tent … but I loved the place and the people so much that I didn’t even care! I just kind of pretended that they weren’t there.

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I learnt bits of German … what a shift! Wie geht es dir?

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So, I couldn’t just ignore the bed bugs! All of my clothes had to be put in the freezer and my tent powdered. I am covered in big red bites. It is very common for me to have extreme reactions to insects, I also have an Epipen for bull ants.

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The bed bugs took over and I moved into the basement while everything got treated. This was kind of cool because Jolene and I slept on the couch together and we were becoming best friends. The only thing is that the bites prevented me from sleeping. I had one night that I spent in tears because I was so itchy.

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Due to all my clothes being frozen, I had no clothes … and I wore an Australia shirt that I had given to Maya — how ironic. The Australia t-shirt confused the guests a little; I was sure to tell them that it wasn’t, in fact, my shirt. I think that I have worn an item of clothing from everyone at the camp — Maya, Roshan, Lena, Joa and Jolene.

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Jolene and I were the dream team in the kitchen, we called ourselves the “blended beauties.” We had so much fun in the kitchen together singing and chanting and then going to the beach.

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A new Irish girl volunteer arrived — Ailbhe. She is coming to Australia!

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I still had a fear of my tent and didn’t want to move out of the basement, I loved it there.

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Being the cook is so empowering. I never thought that I would be able to cook for so many people and definitely not without a recipe. But I did! Twice a day! I even cooked an improvised version of Minimalist Baker Beet Soup with what I had.

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Maya painted me with a mineral powder and water paste on my bites … butt naked! Afterwards, we laid on our yoga mats in the sun. I carved, and she drew.

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Dancing and chanting in the big tent. I really enjoyed it and I wonder if I am a converted Sufi? I am considering going to the Sufi camp in Switzerland. Going to the seminar events also allowed me to become friends with the guests.

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A beautiful day off, full of adventure, with Jolene, it felt so good to get out and explore. We get along so well, many of the guests or people we meet on the beach ask if we are mother and daughter. It has happened so much that we have just started to say yes! Jolene has visited Cala Jami many times and therefore she was able to take me to many cool places on our day off. We went to a 4000-year-old olive tree, the oldest known to man. I did a bush wee on a 500-year-old tree. We then went to a Giants’ tomb, visited a town and Jolene bought me a carving knife for my avocados! We had a Gelato and to top it all off, we stopped at the beach for a life-changing sunset swim. It was the perfect day.

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This place has already brought me so much joy but it’s also bringing up many emotions. Maybe it’s the fact that I now feel safe enough to open my heart. My clothes began not to fit … it is very triggering and confronting. I have literally been carrying around my past with me in my bag. I cried in the bamboo kitchen … I am feeling very supported by my new friends. First people, I have opened up to on my trip about my eating disorder. We made a plan to buy new clothes and to thoughtfully discard the others.

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We had so many beach trips, almost every day. I felt that the sun isn’t the same as in Australia … leading to a lack of sun protection. So, I got very burnt! All of these Germans look so much more Australian than me!

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Maya and I walked in the dark to see the sunrise. A very beautiful morning. Making memories!

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We went to Olbia and bought new clothes!! Jolene and I had another great bonding experience, she was so incredibly supportive with helping me find things that made me feel good. The positive is that my bag is getting lighter because I discarded more clothes than I bought.

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I was concerned about spending money and felt even worse that it had to be on clothes, considering that I brought what I needed with me. Another blessing, the guests gave the volunteers a donation or tip for all of our work, 50 euros!! It covers my clothes and more!! I also decided that the best thing to do with the old clothes was to donate them to Cala Jami. It has been such an important place for me that it just felt right to leave them there.

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A wise friend of mine told me before I embarked on this journey that everything I need, money, clothes, friends … would all come when I needed them. This is so true. You just have the right energy!

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One of the guests and I had a beautiful connection. She doesn’t speak English, but we always hug and laugh together.

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New guests arrived, and I have been sleeping in the basement for fear of the bed bugs. My tent was flooded after a night of rain and I wasn’t keen on returning to it, so they offered me a different tent — the meditation tent!!

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I slept well in the big tent. It meant I finally had somewhere to do my morning sun salutations and a bit of a practice!

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We took a staff group road trip to Capo Testa, Valle Della Luna! It is a place that looks like something from another planet. There are many caves that are occupied by a community of hippies that live a somewhat ‘Freegan’ lifestyle (not contributing to consumerism and only getting food that is free, often out-of-date products from supermarkets). It was an amazing location, we walked through the valley with our bags and food and slept in a cave, made shadow puppets on the roof of the cave at night, had lunch with the hippies, climbed rocks and carved avocado seeds.

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I had great last days, beach and market and some work.

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The goodbyes were beautiful and sad with everyone, genuine hugs and emotions.

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Jolene and I took a final road trip together seeing some great sights, the Altare di Santo Stefano and fairy caves with a picnic lunch. I then caught the train the rest of the way to Cagliari for my ferry. Another beautiful example of things coming when you need them … I didn’t have any food for my travel period and before leaving Cala Jami, I was given many vegan snacks and fruits and vegetables by guests and staff.

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I had such an amazing time at Cala Jami. My body was full of powerful emotions the whole time. It will forever be a big stepping stone in my journey. It felt really amazing to be in a place where I felt so happy that I was able to miss home, out of appreciation, but not long for it. I am on the ferry to Sicily for the next adventure. I feel as though Cala Jami gave me a recharge of love and joy that I am ready to take to my other locations!

See ya, arrivederci!

Kindly, Steph.