Garden = Community: Final Day

    Memphis, Tennessee: Day 5/Final Day- On this final day, we had a very early awakening, considering the night before we went to The Hunger Games premiere. So not including this, the morning became disappointing quickly. The garden site leader unfortunately forgot about the fact that we were even coming to volunteer. Poor guy, named Dock, is an elderly fellow whom went out of town not realizing the day we were coming. But fortunately, Chris, the Mid-South GrowMemphis Director, told use we could work at the greenhouse site once again.

            The greenhouse has definitely been my favorite site out of them all. Here, we get to handle plants first-hand. We transplant the plants separately, so they can grow appropriately within their area. Then, they can eventually be moved to a local community garden where locals can take them and enjoy them. We are affecting them directly, which is truly when I think about it.

            After that though, the day was basically over. But we let this be our free day. We headed over to the National Civil Rights Museum. The highlight of the entire museum was a film we watched there about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. This civil rights ideology quickly related back to the work we had done on this trip. Though it is more social rights, we still have to consider the equality of the neighborhood. We have met so met some many determined people whom have overcame so many struggles and prejudices in their lives. From Marva to Anne to Alberta to Dock to Chris to Chelsea, these people have all come to affect me and change me in some sort of way. I respect every single one of them. I’ve made relationships that have helped me grow as a person within our Alternative Break group and outside it as well. I feel extremely lucky to have had such an amazing experience.

            Wrapping up, I have learned so much—like way too much—about gardening, and I have learned so much about communities that are severely different from my own. From all the garden locals to the church we stayed in to the alumni, I have learned that community is more than important. These gardens all build communities. Can they be more said? I will look back on this trip and remember two things 1) the people I met and 2) the car accident. But really I will look back on this experience so positively; I cannot imagine a better way to spend my Spring break.