Green Minds Think Alike

As I watch the rainfall pounce on the windows of Blue Sail Coffee, I am reminded of the gray skies that I so often witnessed while in London. Although gloomy, I could not say that my time in London was without sunshine, both figuratively and literally. Sunshine was not only brought to me by the rays soaking into my cheeks while seed sowing at Horsenden Farm, but also the warmness of the people around me that I feel so grateful to have spent my days with. 

Before arriving to London, I experienced a hardship that robbed me of opportunities that I had visualized for the next part of my fellowship. This challenge brought about many emotions, but with time I realized that things would unfold in a way that was meant to shape me into a wiser and more resilient person and traveler. Although this experience left a harsh taste in my mouth, it was the work that I was doing and the connections I made that turned things around in a way that I could not have predicted at the time. This is something I have worked tirelessly to accept as a part of my fellowship and journey. Because this hardship unfairly robbed me of secure housing in England, I had to scramble to find last minute accommodations that fit within my new budget. As someone who struggles with the need to have things in order, I knew my plan for the year would have to look very different than what I had originally planned. 

On my first day in London, Lucy, the director of the program in which I would be volunteering with, picked me up to give me a warm welcome to the surrounding area and show to me the farms that I quickly found to be a place of solace and sanctuary. London is unlike anywhere I have ever been with city lights illuminating the occupied streets and a soft hum of the metros passing and people laughing over espresso and a cigarette. I do not quite understand what led me to this moment, but I do know that the unexpected continues to surprise me and lead me to places in which I could and still cannot wrap my mind around. 

Because I had to drastically change my budget, I spoke with the manager of a local hostel to see if it was possible to volunteer part of my time here to receive discounted housing. This opportunity did not only provided me with experience I would not have otherwise, but also friendships that have sustained me through a difficult time in my fellowship. My coworkers at London Backpacker’s Hostel were from all around the world including Brazil, Colombia, the Netherlands, Scotland, Peru, and Portugal. Even on our days off, we spent time together binging TV shows or traveling to the local street food markets. I quickly found my footing in London by walking through the streets and getting accustomed to the public transportation. Being able to experience the holiday season was magical with the countless Christmas Markets and the lights that lined the streets, and my time was only made sweeter by the people that would quickly turn into family. 

For the whole duration of my time in London, I volunteered with the organization MindFood. MindFood is a nonprofit organization in Ealing, London, that provides social and therapeutic horticulture (STH) to individuals who suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. MindFood has sessions five days of the week, and most days have two sessions that spread across two different farm locations, one of which is situated amid an allotment. Allotments in the UK are very similar to community gardens in the United States, and some people remain on waiting lists for years to find a space to grow in London. MindFood’s allotment space, while small, contains a greenhouse, a shed, and dozens of raised beds that have a variety of brassicas, beans, and herbs this time of the year.  

Horsenden Farm is a much bigger plot, and I spent my first few sessions there weaving willow into wreaths. Once the other volunteers arrived, Lucy and I helped hand out the willows and demonstrated how to form them into a wreath-shaped fixture. As a group, we then decorated the willow with greenery and ribbons. While some volunteers opted to take their wreaths home to ornate their homes, others left the wreaths for us to take to local charities for families who are dealing with grief and loss. After Christmas, we resumed to regular sessions which consist of two hours of gardening and thirty minutes of mindfulness. The mindfulness varies from different breathing exercises to mindful drawing to observing our space. 

While I was in the UK I was also able to meet Dr. Sue Stuart-Smith, the best-selling author of “The Well-Gardened Mind”. Dr. Stuart-Smith has been at the forefront of social and therapeutic horticulture for years as a psychiatrist and wife to the famous horticulturalist Tom Stuart-Smith. Dr. Sue invited me into her home, and we talked about her book, our passion for flowers, and the courses I recently completed on my way to become certified in STH. Being shown around a world renowned garden and see the behind the scenes work from the head gardener of the Serge Hill Project was something I could have only dreamt of as a part of my fellowship. Making these connections and having conversations with specialists both from MindFood and Serge Hill put into perspective the importance of the work I have been doing for six months.

While it felt as if things were falling into place after experiencing significant changes to my year abroad, I received news from home that made me feel as if my whole world had flipped upside down: my mother told me she has cancer. This immediately changed the trajectory of my fellowship, and I began to think of what I needed to do to take care of myself and my family in the only ways possible while being so far away from home, which, at the time, meant surrounding myself with newfound friendships and finding more time to put my hands in the soil. How lucky am I to have found something that I love learning about so much that also heals parts of me that I do not quite understand? 

While still abroad, I was left with the question: what now? Knowing only partially the extent of my mother’s illness, I made the decision of returning home and taking a deferment for my fellowship. As I sit in the same coffee shop I grew up going to, I think about what it means to return home after making new homes around the world. I do not quite know how to articulate what this means for me, but I am confident in the decision I made to be with my family while my mother seeks treatment.

More on MindFood and the next steps of my fellowship soon…