New Furry Friends

Working hard at not working never really worked out for me until now. Physical work always appealed to me but my school grades and good sales record at a previous job typecast me to prospective employers. And it drove me nuts. I was never given a chance to prove that I could be good at something new.

Moving to the US helped me. On the presumption that I'd just be shovelling poop at the Alpaca Farm I felt liberated of my resume and school grades. I've been given a chance to prove myself. To myself.

An ember from the fire of the Do Lectures had rolled onto me and smoldered for years. Meeting the owner of the Alpaca Farm added tinder. Meeting the alpacas for the first time covered me in gasoline and set me ablaze. 

She called the girls from the pasture into the barn where we stood with chickens flowing around our feet. The herd moved towards us as if it were one animal. These creatures are connected but all so different. Each one has a defining hairstyle. Some of their fleeces graduate from a heather grey to white crystal tips. Others have a single identifying dot. Each face is warm with curious eyes that look straight into yours. Being with alpacas for the first time felt surprisingly intimate and serene. 

Instead of being asked what I'm good at I was asked what I wanted to do there while I was volunteering. Moving here already felt like winning the lottery. My bank balance had doubled in front of my eyes, I got a new shoe size and I lost two dress sizes without lifting a finger. Being a novice I didn't know what needed to be done other than the obvious poop scooping. I offered my help with any time consuming tasks and she asked me to help training the alpacas. I had no idea what this meant but it sounded great! 

Training the alpacas helps get them comfortable with human contact. It makes trimming their nails and trips to the vet less stressful. I felt like a part of me should feel nervous about this, but the privilege of petting alpacas for hours at a time quashed any nerves that began to stir. 

The next day I was shown around the farm and learnt the basics of keeping all the animals safe and happy. For the first time I remembered everything I was told. The time came to get in with the alpacas. I wasn't sure how long it would take for them to get accustomed to me. I was expecting weeks rather than minutes. One of the girls, Willow, instigated the mass sniffing of my face that followed. I felt like part of the herd.

When I went on a poop hunt in the boy's pasture I was followed around by a sweet brown alpaca with goofy teeth. He stayed close to me the whole time even though he's one of the more nervous characters. He will be my first training buddy, Nikolai. We start training together when the snow melts.