Back to school, and work!

I have returned from my travels and am now catching up on lots of work and re-acquainting myself with the Market committee. Because the committee was interested in so many of the ideas that i brought to them from my previous experience, I decided to give them a document where i had explained all of my ideas and have them choose which ones should have priority. So i have started to make profiles of all the stall holders (vendors) for the market website. This is actually a really good way to meet everybody officially. I will be interviewing them mainly about their farms, or manufacturing industries then write up a small paragraph about them, who they are, why they do what they do, what their practices are, philosophies etc. This way, potential costumers can begin to know about who they are buying from and feel all the more compelled to support them and be consistent buyers. I will accompany this with a photo and put it online. Since we have so many stallholders, the diversity is really nice. Even though there are multiple vegetable stands, some are asian and focus on asian vegetables, some sell only what is growing in their backyards...

I am beginning to realize why i felt somewhat dissatisfied (in regards to my last post). I somewhat expected this market to have similar aims to the Lewiston Farmers market. In some ways, no matter what you are working towards, a farmers market provides a space for small community business owners and organic farmers to compete with large store chains and aim to provide fresh food to the masses. So essentially the success of the market is a win win situation for all. Except not really, which is what i learned with my position last summer, where our focus was to provide fresh organic food ACTUALLY to all the masses and not just those who consider farmers markets to be within their price range. Even if the products are very comparable to super market prices, there is a stigma attached to farmers markets that needs to be dismantled, as was our goal with the Lewiston Farmers market. And while that continues to be my goal here in New Zealand, and is the reason i am working with the market, i am noticing that it is not the goal of those i am working with, or at least it seems that way. If i was a more longstanding member of the group, i would feel more comfortable voicing some of my concerns but for now i have only been able to follow my own goals in more subtle and round about ways.

However, i think with time, i may be able to speak up more. The community would so greatly benefit from a bridging of the gaps that exist between the polynesian (Maori) community and Pakeha (european) community in terms of what spaces they inhabit, where they shop, who they interact with. The Market of course is ideal for a step in this direction but it may not be easy to present this as an idea...although they are always looking to expand their costumer base so...win win.

hello hello,

I am now into my fall break (strange i know) so i will not be working closely with the market for two weeks as i will be traveling, yet actually missing only one day of market which is nice! i want to make sure to be a consistent presence at the market and get to know people as this will not only facilitate my work and allow me to better assess the strategies that work (or dont) but because this is what a farmers market is really about! And this is really where you learn everything about what the vendors need, what the costumers need etc.

Since im not doing alot with the market this week as we are at a bit of a standstill, i would like to talk to you about where i am at intellectually and mentally with my work here. To be perfectly honest with you, i am feeling something lacking, a connection between what i am learning in my classes, what i am observing all around me, and the actual work for Bonner that i am doing here. I have heard many times since being here "we do what we know" and how true this little phrase is! It is only natural, that in a new environment, where you have to grasp at every connection you have and strain your ears for suggestions and opportunities, the only road open to you is quite-often a road you have traveled before. And while i believe that most of the time we should not be hesitant to engage with these familiar opportunities, we can also become sensitive enough to realize when it is time to reach a bit further and perhaps look beyond our well trodden path.

I am starting to feel this nudge, this push towards something else. However, this brings me back to square one in terms of making connections, searching for organizations etc. which, as most of you are familiar with, is both daunting and possibly frightening, even more so when you are in a different country. I am learning about the colonial period, and the repercussions of this as seen in the everyday life of the Maori (indigenous) and Pakeha (European) people of New Zealand. And what im learning and what im seeing fascinates me, especially when i think back to my Native American studies...I think i shared with you how during orientation at the university, the host prided New Zealand and Auckland on the egalitarianism of all the residents. While this may be perceived to be true in some situations, it does not come as a surprise to me to learn in our classes, and witness in my daily life and in the media the racism and prejudice that seeps its way into New Zealand society and yet is so diverse and different from race relations we may be familiar with in the states. However, instead of the racism being somewhat invisibilized and quieted as we often experience with many Native American situations because of their small numbers and perceived separation from physically, economically, and socially (though this is not true, it os often perceived this way), the Maori social, economical, environmental and political issues are often more visible if nothing then for the fact that they are a higher percent of the population and, as my Maori professor says "dont take anything laying down".

However, bridging this gap, become more intimate with these situations that are becoming familiar in the classroom but not outside, will be a challenge, and im not even sure i will succeed. What i do know is that i am feeling compelled to explore again...not leave the market work, i already have a somewhat commitment to them, but i am ready to at least keep my eyes peeled and my ears open...