I am feeling frustrated. The frustration is coming from the tediousness of daily life. I have my goals set out, but I feel stuck, in high school. I know I want to farm, but I feel stuck in this area where we eat without thinking, and try to move faster and faster. I intend to get out of urban life, but I feel that I can't leave soon enough. I am seriously tired of urban life.
I feel different from everyone here. The reason that I am different is that I care about food, and its sources. My peers are so unaware of these issues, which matter to me. Interacting with them is a frustrating experience because they think I'm crazy for caring. The only agriculture that interests them is the growing of cannabis.
I am passionate about these issue, so I am alone. There's an entry on The Cold Antler Farm Blog that sums up the response that I get when talking about agriculture in my current surroundings, "People at the water cooler will stare if you say these things aloud." For now, I just sit here, waiting to be surrounded by like minded people.
Here is one easy way to find like-minded people: start a garden at your school! They might not realize they are like-minded until they taste their first Sungold cherry tomato, but they'll learn, and they'll come back. I was a high school sophomore feeling stuck four years ago (now I'm a college sophomore ... go figure) and that's what I did. It changed the course of my life. And it was delicious.
ReplyDeleteAlso: one great way of getting summer internships as a sub-18-year-old is to volunteer at local farms and community gardens. I learned almost everything I knew before this past summer (my first paid farm job) that way. It is easy to employ someone for free, plus you usually get yummy food and a lot of love in return!