OSS Trip

I never really envisioned myself gardening in a place like Manhattan when I first moved here, and I’m glad that I had the opportunity to – especially for an organization with such an amazing mission. The specific garden we worked on, located among some public housing buildings, was meant to bring both the black and hispanic communities that lived there together. Being a Cuban from Miami and seeing all the different communities that live in certain areas back home, in a way, I understood. When we first got there, the project was explained to us and we were shown how to turn the soil. While I had heard of “turning the soil” before, I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know too much about it. We learned that it was the sustainable way to garden considering that a lot of people just replace “old” soil with “new” soil – something that didn’t quite make sense to me since it sounds more expensive… of course we should be turning the soil! While working, a male community member approached us to see what we were doing. We soon found out that he’s one of the members who’s worked on the garden before. He only stayed a few minutes before walking away, and later on we had another community member approach us – this time a woman. She also wanted to see what we were up to, and informed us that she had her own spot in the garden. Sure enough, we came across a small sign in the garden that had her name on it. It was exciting to see just how involved the community was and how passionate they were about the project. Through my experience there, I learned of all the benefits that come with a community garden and what a difference it can make. As far as improvements go, the physical handouts for the projects (such as the one we received regarding our specific garden) could be looked over by a proof reader, and I propose a garden that focuses on mental and physical health. Plants grown in the garden could be specific plants that have healing properties or are good for purifying the air, and while working members could learn about the health benefits that come with gardening (physical movement, sunlight, breathing non-recycled air, etc.)

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