It's Not Goodbye...It's See Ya Later

Today is my last day at DNDA and as I finish cleaning and organizing my desk area I can't help but feel sad to be leaving. Of course I knew this day would come. That's the thing with Americorps, you only get 10.5 months. But therein lies the inherent flaw with Americorps. It's a great program that gives people the opportunity to spend a year serving a community, working in public service and growing as an individual. It's also a great resource for communities and individuals that deal with oppression and injustice everyday. But 10.5 months. Come on.

In my time at DNDA I have just recently begun really solidifying key relationships with members of the community. I have only just started truly strengthening those connections into something functional and positive. And while there is a chance that I was just slow, that I am the only Corps member that took so long to build a strong foundation, I highly doubt that. It takes time to gain someones trust, to begin to be vulnerable with a person and let them in a little bit. Especially when you're coming from two different worlds. To bring people in from all over the country to engage in "community service" only to have the leave once they have established themselves enough to really be of service...it seems kind of like a cruel joke.

I feel that Americorps should take a page out of the Peace Corps' book and have people commit to two year terms. Then they'd be getting more bang for their buck (and believe me, it's a small buck). Having one person in a position for two years, getting to know the community and really getting comfortable in their position, is of far more benefit then taking that person away after a year and putting someone brand new in to start from ground zero. Sure, the first person laid down a framework in terms of projects and programs, but the newbie has to start from scratch building trust, openness, and collaboration. That loss of productivity is unfortunate.

But, with that rant out the way, I will truly miss many of the people I have met this year, especially the people who I had the opportunity to work with in the gardens. I have learned so much from them and value every nugget of wisdom they were kind enough to share with me. I can't imagine how much I would learn if I were here for two years. Just another reason, Americorps, to change your system. But of course, as I write this, I'm not entirely sad. Because I know that many of the relationships I have built will continue beyond my position here. People have promised to stay in touch via e-mail, to send me pictures of the gardens throughout the season. Others I am friends with on that life-consuming network called Facebook. I may be leaving this desk in a few minutes, and walking out of this office for the last time, but the 10.5 months I've spent as the Family Gardening Coordinator will certainly stick with me, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

I mentioned early on in this blog that one of DNDA's properties, the Cooper building, did not require a lot of attention from me. Allthough it is actually the same building my office is in, the residents of the low-income artist housing above me tend and care for their garden with vigor and expertise. There are a ton of container beds scattered about the terraced hillside. There is a chicken coop that is also a chicken cooperative in which residents share responsibility and benefit. The Cooper gardeners' success has never been more evident. I managed to take a lunchtime stroll through the gardens yesterday and, with the recent summertime weather that has finally come to Seattle, they are looking beautiful. Check it out!

It's The Final Countdown...

My days as the Family Gardening Coordinator at DNDA are coming to a close, and I've been making the rounds to meet with residents and get them some final resources before I leave. At Croft Place, I worked with one of the residents to complete some final projects, putting in two benches, leveling out some of the perimeter areas, carving some steps into the landscape (see picture), and transplanting some flowers and shrubs. It was a great way to end my time at Croft, seeing so many changes that drastically improved the aesthetic of the garden area. Not to mention all our veggies and herbs are growing great with the vast improvement in weather. The resident has already harvested and eaten tons of chard, spinach, and lettuce. We both ate some strawberries and they are so sweet and juicy, it's incredible. The heat has been especially good to the squash and cucumber plants. It was tough saying our goodbyes on our last work day, but we sipped some iced tea together after a hard mornings work, which was a nice way to end.

I stopped by Delridge Heights yesterday because I was having trouble getting in touch with the two women there who actively garden. I had an extra tomato plant that the kids started indoors during garden clubs and no space at any of those three properties, so I brought it with me to Delridge Heights. If you saw one of my previous posts, you know how great the lettuce, broccoli, and carrots are all looking in their garden. The spinach plants and some collards went to seed due to the sudden heat, so we took out a few plants, making room to plant some new seeds. We filled some empty spaces with tomatoes (the one I brought as well as some plants she had started indoors) and peppers that she started indoors. Today I dropped off some collard, cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, and corn seeds to fill up the rest of the empty space.

I had also been trying to get in touch with the woman at Holden Manor who has been incredibly successful with her windowsill herb garden. She had expressed an interest in getting a second container and growing some more herbs. Her phone was disconnected, so I dropped by today to see if she was home. I had a windowsill container for her that I filled with potting soil, and had stopped to pick up some herb seeds on my way. She was feeling under the weather, but was super excited to have a new container. Her basil and chives were still looking amazing, and I brought her some parsley, oregano and marjoram to plant as well.

All three of those goodbyes were difficult and bittersweet. I'm so happy that they are all comfortable with where their gardens are at right now, and that they're using the stuff they are growing. It's also incredibly rewarding to hear how appreciative they are and how sad they are to see me leave. It truly affirms all the work and energy I have put into this job over the past 10+ months. Next week will bring closure at some of the other properties and will most likely be even more surreal.