Well, four days on the Eastern Shore of VA and I find myself with mixed feelings. I spend the days working at Telamon distributing food to farm workers who come by the office while also making contacts to start a theatre group with some of the interested community members and creating an entertaining pesticide safety training workshop. I spend the nights trying to remember how to cook (at least, how to cook enough not to starve) and meeting the array of our roommate's small-town friends. Spending time as a child in what we affectionately called 'The Country', or our small plot of land out in Gaston, SC, certainly wasn't enough preparation for life in this rural peninsula in the Chesapeake Bay. The other Student Action with Farmworkers intern, Rachel, and I found a cute bar with wifi in "'downtown' Parksley. So, with a jukebox soundtrack of Guns N Roses, Allman Bros., and whoever sings that song, "Cornbread and Chicken," and locals playing pool and darts, we work on writing assignments and check the beloved facebook.
So now to the interesting stuff: in the office, I've gotten to work with a few campesinos (farm workers) who come in for food assistance. Our outreach so far has consisted of going to an English as a Second Language class, and we were greeted with such warmth! We are planning an art exhibit on the civil war in El Salvador and I am going to be interpreter for the introductions. In two weeks, we also are hosting a Latino festival and I have hopes that the theatre group will be ready for its first presentation; we'll see. We have many other pesticide safety trainings planned with some of the major growers in the area as well as with the people who come into the Virginia Employment Commission office. The farm workers are arriving here in the next week or two from either Florida or Beaufort, SC. Many of them who are already here say that the work is limited. Driving by the fields, you can see that harvesting time is still a few weeks away.
So far, in terms of 'cultural experiences,' I've stopped by a vegetable stand on the highway and 'The Oaxaquena' tienda. This weekend, Rachel and I are planning on hitting up all of the thrift stores. Blue crabs are a huge thing on the peninsula....and I can't wait to get to eat some. All I'll have to do is stop at the local roadside stand.
There are certainly beauties of the open fields and long highways. But, a change of scenery brings with it many challenges. I have had more conversations in which racist comments are tossed around within the first five minutes than ever before. I have also been greeted by people as if they had known me their entire life. This summer promises to present many questions about my past, my present, and my future, as well as questions about the history of farm working, the current situation, and plans for cultural understanding and agricultural work reform.
The sign pictured is the same as a (now defunct) centro in Carrboro. It's easy for me to forget about the rest of the south when I am all comfy at home in the uber-liberal triangle area. You tend to forget about the racism (both overt and subtle) that is so prevalent here.
ReplyDeleteI haven't gone on a farm outreach yet, though I did go to a strange Methodist convention in Greenville to table for my organization. It's always hard to be far from "home", even if you know you will be going back soon.
I try to keep this in mind as we enter our summer tasks. The subject is "home" and what that means for a people so so far from theirs. It's really hard for me to imagine what this muct feel like. I couldn't bear being away from my kids.
I hope you and Rachel are well. I will keep up with your blog.
-April