Gardens, Politics, and Birthdays

I was lucky enough to get into the class “Reading the World: Environments – A Seat in the Garden” with Professor Amelia Katanski for this quarter. It’s an English class that focuses on the importance of gardens and what it means to build one. It’s also a service-learning opportunity, which means that students must dedicate time outside of class to participate in something in the greater Kalamazoo community. This week was my first week working at my garden! It’s called Trybal Revival, and so far, it’s been absolutely wonderful! It is run by Dale and Tomme, and their aim is “to provide a space on the east side of Kalamazoo for positive community interactions—space where people can meet each other, work together on shared goals through shared responsibility, and improve their knowledge and skills regarding local fresh foods, sustainable practices, and community development.” So far, I’ve only mulched part of their garden, but I will keep you all updated as the quarter goes on, especially because a couple students and I plan to have our own bed of veggies!




This past week I had the opportunity to work the leader of the College Democrats at Western Michigan. A couple friends and I went over to the Obama 2012 Campaign office at the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party. We were there specifically to inform women in the local area of how both the Republican and Democratic candidates view women’s health rights in regards to contraception. I think it’s really important to stay informed about these issues because it could directly affect me, and I’m hoping that most K students feel that way, too! It’s only two miles away from K, and I look forward to working on the campaign more this year.

Oh, and today is my birthday! My roommate asked if I wanted to go study with her on the quad this afternoon, and to my surprise, my friends had set up a cute little tea and snack party for me! It was absolutely lovely and I couldn’t be happier about the friendships I’ve made so far at K!