It seemed that, no matter where we went or what we did, we could not escape food in Richmond. We ate well in Richmond, visiting some very interesting restaurants (including one, called The Firehouse, which is run by Boaz and Ruth). And the majority of our time at William Byrd Community House and Boaz and Ruth was spent in sustainable and organic community gardens. Our service entailed a variety of tasks to help these organizations with the upkeep of their gardens. As we plucked weeds and harvested vegetables, we learned about the benefits that these gardens provide each of these organizations. William Byrd Community house provides a farmers market where patrons and local community members can use food stamps to buy the crops, offering a healthy and organic alternative for those living in a "food desert." Boaz and Ruth, who just started their garden, are able to use the crops at The Firehouse and also plan to use the garden to draw the local community into the Boaz and Ruth community.
The food was definitely exciting, but "growth" was much more definitive of our time in Richmond. From educating ourselves about the Civil War to learning about the exciting organizations that we worked with, Richmond provided us all with a variety of growth opportunities as individuals and as a group.
Our time at the Hollywood Cemetery and the Civil War Museum, and our individual interactions with some of the people we worked with, gave us a new perspective on the Civil War. We were able to view the history of the war through three lenses: the northern perspective (which we have been taught traditionally), the southern and confederate perspective, and the slave perspective. It was interesting to be learning about the war in the city that was once the capital of the Confederacy. Our time learning about this has helped me to grow in my understanding of the cultural and political differences between the north and the south of our country. And while I still would find it impossible to live in the south, the concept of time is far too slow and my perspective just does not align with the majority culture down there, it is nice to have a new understanding of it.
Learning about the advanced and progressive strategies and models of the two organizations that we worked with in Richmond also allowed us to understand the growth that is possible for the organizations that we work with in Trenton. As someone who spends three out of five days of my week at East Trenton Center, it was inspiring to the way the William Byrd Community House runs its organization. It provided a vision for the future of the center and what my primary site, Learning Lab, could one day become.
My favorite growth experience on the trip, however, was much simpler than the others. Simply put, our time in Richmond also allowed us to grow in our relationships with each other as a Bonner class. I thoroughly enjoyed spending a week with the individuals that I serve with at TCNJ. Getting to know them on a deeper level and enjoying their company has been the highlight of the whole experience for me. I am so glad to have gone to Richmond and look forward to next year's trip. Atlanta here we come!
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