Community Engagement: Day 3

TASTE TESING 101

On February 26th my group and I went for our third day at the farm. This was our first day without one o the managers Jay. The main projects we participated in on this day were planting new crop. When we first got to the farm we picked up all of the old lavender that Jay pulled from the ground the day before. There was something very calming about picking lavender, probably due to the great smell that was coming from the plant. We pulled up old artichoke plants to plant new rhubarb plants. We also help with more production for the green house by planting onions. These onions will start their process in the greenhouse and later will be planted in the ground. We calculated that we will be planting around 8500 onion seeds.

Of course we had to have another taste test day as well. This time we all partake in the asparagus eating challenge. This meant that we would have to eat an entire asparagus from the ground without our hands. Now I am not a big fan of asparagus but after trying fresh asparagus I fell in love. I even ordered asparagus for dinner two days after doing this challenge. I HAVE FELL IN LOVE. We also pulled a carrot and picked two different types of lettuce.

Community Engagement : Day 2

                                  
                                                        

"Rain or Shine"

On Friday February 19th, headed to our second day of farming. This day was a little different due to weather conditions we bounced back and forth from different projects. We first began our day with picking weeds around the rosemary garden. This was a quick process that we just started. We then moved to another part of the farm. Here they plant cactus, artichoke, and rhubarb. One cool thing that we were able to do was to actually eat the stem of the rhubarb plant right from the ground. It was a mild sour taste that I can understand why it's used so much in jams and pies. We also picked weeds around the rhubarb and talked about cooking and animals. These are always my favorite times because we are able to really get to know Suzie and Jay. 

We went back to the strawberry field to the progress of growth since the week before. We were actually able to see little strawberries. During this time we met Christine who is also the owner of the farm. She was showing us the fresh asparagus she just picked from the garden and showing us the difference between the purple and green one. After we went to the orchids where they grow all types of plants ranging from oranges and apples. This reminded me of back home and my great-aunt use to have  orchid farm and my favorite time of the year was when I was able to pick my very own orange. Due to the rain we were quickly moved into the green house where we did some yard work. We swept, pulled weeds and made sure all tray tables were stable. This was a time to get prepared for Suzie to lay down knew crop that they will be growing in the next few weeks. 

The last assignment that we did involved me in to get in a rain suit, which included jacket, pants and boots. This is where me and Ahmed sprayed all of the trays that the crops will be placed in. Even though it was cold and raining outside something about putting on all of this gear made me feel like a real farmer. 

Blog Post #5

The case study that I picked was about the Seattle School District No 1 vs State. This case was about having funding for k-12 public schools to provide for textbook, supplies and staff and programs. They stated that the state was struggling in providing funding for education which was against the article IX sections 1 and 2. After many weeks of trial the ruling was awarded to the school district. One interesting quote that was said in the case study was " Further, we clarified that the State’s duty is not to provide all knowledge and offerings tangentially related to the central thrust of the educational concepts we had outlined—in other words, there is no obligation to provide “‘total education.’” " Earlier they stated that education was defined as " the basic knowledge and skills needed to compete in today's economy and meaningfully participate in this state's democracy.

What is said to see here is the states law on their view of "Education". The years of k-12 are the most prominent years for youth to understand what they want to do by learning different aspects in life. Not just focused on economics and governments but also things such as science, fashion design. Without funding was withholding public institutions to allow this diversity of knowledge for the students. This notice was then moved to the supreme court because the notion was declined in supporting funds for other interest group classes. This sadden me on the fight that the school district which under the local government level had to do ask for funding for proper education.

https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/843627.opn.pdf

Community Engagement: Day 1

On February 12th , my group and I went to our first day of community service. We were greeted by the beautiful couple who are also the farm managers, Suzie and Jay as long as their beautiful dog Bear. We were suppose to start at 12:30pm but due to our first time driving to the location we all kind of got lost. Once we arrived Suzie and Jay discussed what Potrero Nuevo Farm does for the community. Majority of their time is spent to grow vegetable for the Catholic Workers, help high school students as well as even have one profit project where local people are able to come and pick their on fruits and vegetables. After out tour of the very small vicinity of the entire farm we began to get down to work. We picked weeds that were growing ferociously and getting ready for the new season of vegetables and fruits that were inputed. While doing the yard work we also began to have conversations leading from politics, to Netflix series all the way up to what are future goals are. After our first day at the farm I am excited to continue my community service at Potrero Nuevo.

Blog Post #4

While reading this short passage one line stuck out to me, " you should have only the government you need, but also all the government you need". Subsidiarity to me is a notion that is controlled and prevailed by a small organization such as a neighborhood. When thinking of examples that pertain to me I thought of the block club meetings my neighborhood has. This is held on weekly basses so that the community as a whole can deliver there wants a needs without the help of the government beforehand. In the book devolution is stated  as a power change from federal to state and local governments. I believe this relies a lot on subsidiarity, with allowing the local government ( neighborhoods and communities) to make executive decisions.

When reading about devolution in Kenya , I saw that a lot of the changes of laws were designed by the local level. These are given to them to cater specifically to the people and give them what they need as individuals. Many things have improved since the devolution and hopefully it can stay that way.