Dear Ennio,

It has been great getting to know you and I'm really glad that you were here on the farm.

Ennio is my 17 year old German buddy that lived in the caravan with me for three weeks. For the past 21 days we spent a majority of the time together. We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together. We walked dogs, cleaned the barn, scooped poop, cleaned the kennel and fed the dogs together. His bed was three feet away from mine. I've since taken over that bed because it's a little closer to the possible internet connection we have. Despite my slightly greater chance of having internet I'm sad to see him go.

I won't act like adapting to this lifestyle has been the easiest thing. In fact the first week was pretty hard for me. Suddenly I was away from everything and everyone I know. It was a strange farm where the dogs outnumbered the people 44:3. In the first few days Ennio and I didn't talk much. Of course we were polite exchanging good nights and good mornings, casual conversation. We went on cart rides together and chatted some. When we were put to the task of walking dogs we started out walking at different times. At some point there was the realization it may be more entertaining if we walked together. So Ennio and I began taking out dogs that get along two at a time. I believe this is the point we really became friends. And that friendship helped me settle into life here.

I learned a good bit about what life is like when you live in Germany and you're in high school. I also learned about Germany in general. Ennio is very on top of things politically, something that surprised me. I hope I seemed as smart at his age. We talked about all kinds of topics from gay rights to Germany's position on shipping weapons. He would read a lot of articles that we would someties discuss. One of my favorite Ennio moments was when he read one about a cross between a donkey and zebra. Only he didn't know the word donkey and asked me.. "How do you say.. It goes eee-ahhh?" He's also encouraged me to do a bit of hiking in his country. There is a 285km trail that runs through the black forest that I now plan to hike when I visit. Originally I was going mostly to see my friend Cinthia but now I may also run into Ennio. His name by the way is Italian. He was named for an Italian writer and not the composer. In my ignorance I know neither but hope to one day know both.

We also spent time making light of our isolation here. For a few days there was a lot going on, there might have been 10 people total! I joked with him about the possible motives behind their arrival. Are they police who have pinpointed the barn as a murderers body dumping site? Will we be questioned? It turned out the property has been sold and they were just here to begin moving things. Siggi just rents the land. We had thought it might be interesting to be questioned by Icelandic police. We hear the jails are quite nice.

We also dreamed of adventure. Along our walk you see an island in the middle of the river, it'd be fun to visit. There are folks building a house there piece by piece. We often see them drive by or on our walks. Ennio didn't find my idea of stealing the boat for a joyride too good. But maybe one day one of us would walk to Keflavik from here. Or we could take bikes to Selfoss or the waterfall nearby. One adventurous dream we fulfilled was a bath in the river. On a sunny day during a lunch break we walked down and hopped in. It wasn't too enjoyable but it was an experience.

And we talked about the future. Our travel plans and what we'll be doing later on. He's somewhere in Reykjavik right now. Afterward if I remember correctly he's off to Holland with his family before starting a year of general studies at university. His parents like mine were both involved in teaching. I told him about where I'd like to visit, where my friends are and my planned expenses. He had some solid advice and sounded hopeful about my budget. And he gave me travel pointers while teaching me some about geography and the metric system. For instance I learned I could take a train from Norway to Germany but it's not practical as you must go around a sea. You're better off with a ferry which may take two days and drop you off in Denmark. Or just fly.

No matter the topic of our conversation I enjoyed it very much. Thank you Ennio for teaching me quite a bit and being my friend here on the farm. I hope our friendship continues. Good luck travelling in Reykjavik and try not to worry about the volcanic eruption too much. I know you will. Find someone to buy you a bit of Icelandic beer, relax and let me know how it is. And most of all good luck at university. I know in general studies you will find something you're passionate about and excel at it. You're a bright guy and I hope there are more younger dudes like you out there! I think tonight I'll boil water for two, I'll drink your tea. Or would you have had hot chocolate?

Sincerely,
Zeb