Sitting here in limbo

Here we are.  Jobless, distressed and mustached.  But how did we get here?

Our plans had assembled themselves last Spring to working through AmeriCorps at a farm-based community that lives and works with people who have developmental disabilities.  On 600 acres of beautiful rural Columbia County, NY, it seemed rather ideal.  Eli and I moved there in early July, only to find, ironically, isolation, and not the peaceful farm life we had imagined.

I suppose within any large group of people there will be messy politics, but this community is also much more religiously involved than they advertise.  Upon expressing my personal discomfort with weekly Bible readings, I was met with contempt and I would say there was even coercion happening.  I could go on, but in short, we were asked to leave the community, against our will, and maybe even against the AmeriCorps policy(!).  We drove away on sweet and sour terms — I loved working on the 2 acre herb garden that produces teas and remedies, and Eli on the animal farm, but we couldn't maintain our health and sanity in a place where we felt disrespected and where our rights were being violated.

So, now that I have returned to ground zero, I am reflecting upon my experiences, and am resettling my goals and aspirations for the next year.  Both of us have decided to apply to other AmeriCorps programs in the Cleveland, OH region, where Eli's dad lives.  But for now, sitting in limbo in Boston.

and...we got a kitten!  She left the farm with us, and we named her Luna.

~Kate