What is Community? - By Kai Rapaport, Garden Intern

It is getting hot in the Garden. Much of the week was spent doing intensive work mornings and doing design work in the evenings. On Saturday, one of the longest days of the year, the interns went to the Fremont Solstice Parade. There was good music, art and dance, but what was most surprising was the naked bike ride. It was fun to see so many people, yet it's ironic that I don't think I spoke to a single person, so different from the outgoing community of Songaia. Or perhaps that meant that I was conditioning myself to not seek out people outside the community. 
We did various tasks through the week like mulching, permaculture designing, seed saving, weeding, and on my own time, reading. However, in reflection I feel like that is an important question people have faced when encountering communities. 

The Garden Gym

Just two days ago marriage equality passed for the whole country. That is amazing, but why was I not involved in this from the get go? All of us are saying, this came out of nowhere, but not really, it was decades of activism that finally resulted in this improvement to an egalitarian society. Yet then again I am doing my own revolution by sustainable sourced food and improving the soil. 

At the beach with Gabriel.

Fremont Solstice Bike Parade

When I think about it, I pretty much don't do anything out of Songaia. It's not that I am comfortable in this situation because times can get lonely or tiring. I used to communicate with colleagues in college, with comrades in direct action protests, with my family. Outside of my work days I am doing reading on sustainability, volunteering or working for people, and seeking some work in the Farmer's market. 

Weeding

This issue I will be considering for the next few days. And I can and will go to farmers markets, the beach, to visit my family, and hang out with beautiful ladies in seattle. Lets be honest, there are children, teenagers, people that are middle aged or older, but a huge gap in between that is filled by some interns. Perhaps there should be more interns, and there will be a woman coming in a few days. Of course diversity doesn't just mean age and sex, but also values and actions. 

To diversify my experience here, I went to a farmers market just this Friday, the beach this past Monday, and I've initiated conversations with my sister a few days ago.