Kate, my service learning partner, picked me up around 9:40 and we drove to the West Philly site of Urban Tree Connection. The person in charge of the site is Que, a 23 year old short black man who studied landscape design in trade school. Our first task was to uproot arugula from the fall to prepare for spring. Luckily, the Arugula was indoors. The mild smell of arugula and compost filled my lungs. Que was surprised that me and Kate were English majors. He said that he was thinking of majoring in English if he went to college. We talked about our favorite writers and poets as we stripped the land from its product. It took us about an hour to finish.
Que asked, "You guys need a break/want a snack?" Me and Kate refused politely. It stopped raining yet the day was gray. He showed us the outside of the farm. We saw where the garlic, spinach and carrots are harvested. As we passed by the carrots he dug the ground with a piece of wood and gave me a carrot. Can I eat this? He said something about small children being freaked out when he ate it from the ground. I broke the carrot in half and couldn't resist. I brushed the dirt off against my sweatshirt and ate a piece. It was the freshest carrot I have ever tasted. He said it had more flavor because the leaves of it didn't grow. He gave a carrot to Kate and she ate it as well. "I told you we were having snacks," said Que.
Our second task was to make the doors of the plant house sturdier. We unscrewed the edges and drilled in new nails. After a few nails I got he hang of it. It reminded me of the work I did on Appalachia my sophomore year. Before we knew it, it was 1pm and our three hours were done. I was surprised how quickly time passed.
I'm looking forward to the spring a lot more now. Maybe working the land will give me a new perspective of the seasons. I don't know what will be the main lesson I get from UTC; but, I do know that this is going to be a great way to start my week.
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