It's Official

After narrowing it down to about a dozen hosts in France, I contacted them, and immediately received responses. Now it's official. On April 20th, I'm starting at the Château de Sacy in central Oise in northern France. The picture on the left is of the château. I'll stay there for 3 weeks maintaing the orchard, herb garden, and small forest, feeding the doves, making jam, and learning about French cooking. Visit the website (chateaudesacy.com) for more information about the place, it's history, and some great pictures. After finishing at the Château de Sacy, I'll take the train to Mayenne where I'll help a family with dairy cows, baking bread, cooking, haymaking, and fencing. After 4 weeks in Mayenne, I'll take a long train ride to Ardèche, in the south of France. The picture on the right is of the cherry farm. I'll arrive around the 8th or 9th of June, just in time for the cherry harvest.
We pick and juice cherries, and friends and family are invited for celebrations. I'm so excited, and all I can think about is the preparation (what I need to pack, buying train tickets in advance, etc). The only problem is I'll probably have to quit my job if I'm going to be gone for 2 months. I'm working at a restaurant that opened at the end of October. I really like it, and I only hope they'll take me back when I return.