The Closing of a Chapter

Things around the house have definitely been busy the last month so here’s a little recap:

For our last professor meal, we enjoyed an evening with Professor Esen Kirdis of the Rhodes International Studies department. Over a yummy pasta with veggies fresh from the recently opened farmer’s market, we discussed her research this summer, which will be centered in Tunisia and Turkey, as well her experiences in a liberal arts school compared with a larger state institution and her comparison of Memphis with some other metropolitan areas she’s lived in both within and out of the United States.

Also in April, we participated in the first Rhodes Relay for Life on April 20^th.  Despite some questionable weather, the event was still successful with Rhodes, including team Ruka and Co. raising a substantial amount in the fight for cancer research. The night of the event, we hosted a 60’s themed booth in which participants were able to tie-dye t-shirts or tanks from the event.  Pictures of some the shirts drying on out clothesline are below!

Also in April, Emily and I had the opportunity to spend an evening with the 3114 community located a few blocks away here in Memphis. Active with the Binghamton community, this group shared with us the story of their founding, their mission and goals as well as gardening tips and a tour of their recently built “shop” that is going to be used as an art studio as well as gathering space.  We were so welcomed and encouraged by this meeting in particular because we were able to share some of our struggles from the year and hear how others handle similar issues (just knowing a more experienced community has similar problem spots makes us feel a little better as bad as that may sound!). We learned a lot from our short time and are looking forward to spending more time with them come the fall.

Also this weekend we wrapped up the year with a lunch to thank Professor McNary-Zak and celebrate Robin’s graduation. This time with some spices from our own garden (the veggies Emily mentioned aren’t ready yet unfortunately) and other yummies from the farmer’s market-seriously everyone needs to check out both the down town and cooper young markets (open every Saturday morning  7am-1 pm) we recapped some fun things from the year and Robin’s college experience. Full of laughter, the meal was easily one of our more relaxed of the year given we’d all had substantially more sleep since finals had ended.

Though the end of the semester has been hard, packing up the house, saying goodbye to the peacemakers (who I think I can speak for everyone in saying we are certainly going to miss them-we had the best time seeing some of them perform in their school “Seussical” ) and solidifying the fellowship plans for 2012-2013;  it’s been rewarding to have time to be together without all the stresses of school and reflect on all the things we’ve done this year.  Sitting up late on each others’ beds while packing, celebrating Robin’s birthday, showing off our garden/yard to anyone who would listen and having the opportunity to meet new neighbors while spending time in our yard or porch, I had the realization that this really is my family when in Memphis and how different things are going to be away from all this for a couple months. Regardless, I think it’s fair to say the experiences at the Ruka this year have impacted each of us in so many ways that we don’t even realize all the time. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to live in this community, and am excited about its continuation in the coming months. Robin will certainly be missed as she moves on from Rhodes to an undoubtedly bigger and bright future, but the impact she has had on this community and things we’ve learned from her (patience, composure,vegetarian cooking, the list is quite long)  will continue to throughout our time in the Ruka.

Over the summer Emily and I will be living with our families, ideally making a few trips to Memphis and working on Eco-friendly living at our homes, while Paula and Allison will be living in Memphis keeping tabs on the garden and planning for our chickens. We’re excited for the time off but, at least I know I will be missing the Ruka while we’re away.

Shannon

Yard of the Month!

End of the Year with our Wonderfully Amazing adviser!

Our Relay for Life Booth (60′s themed)

The tie dyed shirts on our clothes line

Caption on the shirts…What the Ruka is all about!

Nature=Cool

Today marks the first day of summer…well at least for a few of us. Shannon and Robin still have things due until Friday, but Paula finished today and Allison and I finished last night. Allison and I had a busy day today, full of planting and cooking. After we slept in and woke up naturally (to the sun, not an alarm clock!) we put more plants in the ground. We created Berry Boulevard with our blackberry, blueberry and raspberry plants. Our watermelon plant lives on Berry Boulevard as well. We have a strawberry plant too, but that one is not quite ready for the ground. We also planted peas against the trellis, as well as okra and pickling cucumbers next to our other veggies. Additionally, we planted some sage, oregano and more rosemary in our revival herb pot. The sage isn’t looking so good, but we put a basil plant in the revival pot a few weeks ago that was on its last legs, but now it is stronger than ever!  We are hoping the same will happen with the sage. When Robin came home she helped us plant these beautiful butterfly plants, more basil, another tomato plant, and some flowers to brighten up the yard. All of our plants are still pretty little. Hopefully they will bear their veggies/fruit at the end of the summer. After our planting session Allison and I went to the market to get shrimp and veggies for a wonderful dinner. We had bought some local chorizo sausage at the farmers market over the weekend and tonight we grilled shrimp and chorizo on skewers. We also made salad dressing with the basil from our garden.

Having a garden is really cool. I have never been much of a gardener, but the idea of putting something in the ground and letting it grow into something you can later eat is so rewarding. There was a baby tomato on one of the tomato plants and I got really excited because I would be able to watch the process of it growing. I think that is the part that I find most fascinating…the actual growth of a plant—all it takes is water and sunlight. I forget sometimes that food comes from plants. I know that sounds silly, but when you are at the grocery store and there is a huge pile of perfectly ripe tomatoes, you don’t think about what state they came from, the plant they grew on, or the farmers that watered it; all you think about is how many you need for your dinner. Now that we have a veggie/fruit bearing garden at the house I look at produce a little differently. I now know what it takes to grow a tomato, or a strawberry. I didn’t know that the actual berries on the strawberry plant form from the center of the white flower. It is really pretty. Basically, I am awed by nature.

~Emily

Rites to Garden???

With spring and beautiful weather upon us, everyone has been so anxious to spend some time outside. Though we’ve all found ways to enjoy the early spring weather with bike rides and meals on the porch, we were able to devote this past Saturday to some yard beautification, and gardening. This turned out to be much more of an adventure than we’d originally planned….I guess by now I should come to expect those things…

Anyway, we began by raiding the garage for supplies; some we’d bought in the fall, some generously bequeathed to us from the first Ruka, and some mysteriously still around from the previous homeowners. Nonetheless, we found lots of pots behind the garage and some mystery veggies growing in our compost pile as we took some out to put into the planned garden. After surveying the supplies and a little research (both online and from more experienced gardeners) we took a trip to Home Depot. Side note: I was personally very excited on this venture because the plants had all come from a nursery in a small town near my family!  Then after much more weed pulling than anticipated and a couple individual battles with some ivy that certainly demonstrated a mind of its own, we were able to put some flowers into the back beds as well as some pots for the front and back steps. Not to mention sunflower seeds near the garage! All in all, with the help of the previous tenants who left some roses, azaleas, and a hydrangea, our yard currently is just so colorful, that as dorky as it may sound, I get really excited about!

Next we took on the box garden for our veggies. The plan being that since we’re in the same house now and through the summer, we’ll be able to really enjoy all the fruits of our labor.  So, using some seeds and some plants we now have two rows of green beans, multiple colors of bell peppers, a couple tomato plants, a jalapeno, an eggplant, and zucchini. Believe it or not the placement of each item was meticulous processes  to maximize growing given none of us are exactly green thumb professionals.  However, we were also able to use a large tub as our new herd garden. It currently hosts basil, cilantro and rosemary with the plan being to expand the better we get at this.  But also offers an exciting way to cook with things we’ve grown ourselves which is so encouraging.

The Ruka day continued from there, after washing off what dirt we could see (come to find out some hung out on my face for a while unbeknownst to me), we headed to Caritas for an afternoon at Rites to play with the Peacemakers! In addition to rediscovering my love for inflatable slides and face painting as well as actually appreciating physics (however briefly that may have been given some not so stellar past experiences), the day was full of so much laughter. I don’t think I realized at the time-but thinking back, those kids and that day were completely stress free—something that’s pretty rare in my life at Rhodes I hate to admit. But the ability of Rhodes to give back to Memphis and our ability to be a part of it was so incredibly rewarding that homework and assignments or due dates just didn’t seem to matter quite as much. I was reminded of the joy in the little things whether that is the first baby green tomato, a corn starch and water mixture squishing between fingers, or a day spent among friends. And the craziest part is, I hadn’t realized how consumed and overwhelmed I really was until some elementary school students pulled me back out of it all.  And it is those moments, or rather the reflection on them later, that I realized we’ve all learned so much this year. You never really notice it as is happens, but each of us consciously making the choice to put our time into something besides ourselves or our school work illustrate just that: not only did we spend time with one another and with some pretty amazing kids, we were invested in our community, and as I realized that day, the community gives us even more.

Shannon

Learning about Memphis History and Bonhoeffer

A little while ago, we had the privilege of having dinner with Professor Steve Haynes of the Religious Studies department. Our conversation began with a discussion of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the author of Life Together, a book that the Ruka holds very dear to our hearts. We talked a lot about what Bonhoeffer means to us and how we apply Life Together in our fellowship.

From there, our conversation progressed to the history of various churches in Memphis and how they tackled issues of racial integration in the 1960s. There was a lot that we learned in this discussion, such as how the ecumenical community of Memphis has evolved over time and how segregation prompted important splits within large churches.

Professor Haynes also gave us an interesting insight into the inner working of Rhodes College, and how the Life and Search programs have grown and changed over time. This conversation really helped me personally understand the rationale behind requiring Rhodes students to take three semesters of either Religious Studies or Humanities classes, and it enabled me to reflect on the classes I took as a part of the Life program. Talking about these topics additionally assisted us in discovering facts about our college, which was certainly very enriching.

All in all, it was a great dinner full of fascinating conversation and delicious food!
-Robin-

A Meal with a Peacemaker

We recently had the privilege to share a splendid Mexican Fiesta (made mostly by Paula and Allison-though the rest of us chipped in as necessary) with Noel Schwartz, the founder of the Peacemakers program for elementary students at Caritas Village. Even though we’ve spent many afternoons working with Noel and sharing in her love for the kids of the neighborhood, we were all excited to have this opportunity to share a meal and conversation and fellowship together. Noel has been active with the Rivendell Intentional Community for a number of years and shared many of her experiences living and working in community, particularly in Memphis. Highlights of the conversation include peacemakers and sharing community with them (a whole other blog post because I could on about those kids for hours-trust me), all the different ways intentional communities can exist, the sheer number of communities in Memphis as well as the role of faith in a community.  We also learned about some other active communities in Memphis that we’re excited to work with and learn from soon.   From our time with Noel, I took away two main things (in addition to lots of laughter, some delicious Irish Oat Cakes and homemade Jam, as well as getting some background about Rhodes-she went to school here too!)

First,  as we discussed Noel’s experiences I became very aware that though there are plenty of named  and organized communities in the area (and around the world for that matter) community is so much more than that. We talked about communities that share funds, communities that share living space, communities of single families and on and on. From that, I came to the conclusion that community is in fact, whatever you make it—yes most intentional communities share many of the same goals and/or value the same aspects of living but those vary as much as the communities themselves. The only necessary ingredient seems to be a desire for something greater than the individuals themselves; whether that be other people, the environment, service, the list goes on and on. And though I don’t normally consider myself a cynic, I found myself greatly pleased with this  reminder that not all people are as a individualistic as it so often appears.  Now, I can’t say something like that without clarifying that I, by no means, claim to be a selfless individual and certainly fall victim to that self-preservation mentality often, particularly at school. However, I do think that that is something living in community has forced me to recognize and taught me to put into practice. I’m not good at it…yet….but like the rest of this whole adventure; it’s a work in progress.

Second, I was also reminded in this meal about the significance sharing meals has meant to the Ruka. Not the food aspect per say (though I must say, I do live with some ballin’ chefs) but all the things that go into meals. Everything from selecting the menu to the grocery shopping, to preparing the meal and cleaning up afterwards, are all community events in and of themselves. Sharing at the table has easily created some the best moments all semester including serious conversations, self reflection, the occasional debate and tons of laughter. Even the nights when it’s been carry out pizza and we sit on the floor around a box, we do it together, which means we grow together. Not to mention meals with professors and community members have been great experiences every time. Our time with Noel only solidified that further.

Ruka Love,

Shannon

Bicycling and Us

One aspect that we have all really enjoyed about the Ruka is being able to welcome other people into our house. Explaining to others who we are and what we do really helps us examine how we live and what makes us different by living in an intentional community. We recently had Professor Newstok over for dinner. During dinner, we all learned a lot more about Rhodes, and Memphis itself. One of the big discussion topics was biking in Memphis. Last fall, a few of us were able to take advantage of the nice weather and bike on the Greenline from Binghampton to Shelby Farms. Talking with Professor Newstok about the new developments on that trail and the new bike lanes on several streets in Poplar got us to some interesting topics on events that happened in Memphis before any of us were here, and that none of us knew about since we all lived so far away. Overall, the dinner was a great time for us all to sit and eat together and learn a few more things about our new home.

-Paula

RELAY FOR LIFE Fundraising Bracket Challenge

It’s MARCH MADNESS and time for your two favorite things: Making a Bracket and Fighting Cancer

The RUKA’s Relay for Life team is trying to reach their fundraising goal by Relay for Life on April 20th. So, we’re doing a bracket challenge in attempts to raise money.

The …Prizes:

FIRST PLACE: $50 Visa Gift Card

SECOND PLACE: $15 iTunes Gift Card

THIRD PLACE: 10 Free Red Box Rentals Gift Card

(all prizes will be mailed to winners after the tournament)

 **If more than 75 people join the group and donate, then prize values will be increased!**

 The Rules:

- For your bracket to be eligible, you must donate a minimum of $5 to our Team’s fundraising page: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/?team_id=1048380&pg=team&fr_id=40537

- You may enter as many brackets as you want, you just have to donate a minimum of $5 per bracket.

- All brackets must be completed by the first round of games (Thursday, March 15th), brackets can be made starting Sunday March 11th. To Join our group and enter your bracket go to: http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/en/group?groupID=10291

If you have any questions or problems feel free to contact: vaspe@rhodes.edu

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING AND GOOD LUCK!

Love and Peacemaking!

Happy Valentines Day! This week has been cold and rainy with an unfulfilled promise of snow. However, despite the bad weather we have been able to spend some quality time at Caritas Village. With the craziness that is Rhodes College – constantly adding more and more to your schedule – this semester we can finally add something to our schedule to look forward to each week. This semester we are able to help out with the Peacemakers program at Caritas Village. It’s been an amazing opportunity for us to be able to hang out with the kids, and see the great program that Noel has developed. Peacemakers is an afterschool program for children grades K-5 that sponsors art based activities and service projects that promote healthy relationships and community responsibility.

For us, this has become more than just a weekly obligation. We love going and after only four weeks find that we are gaining so much from these relationships both with the other volunteers and the kids. Although playing with the kids is never-ending fun, the underlying goal of this program cannot be ignored. The idea of making peace and being a means of change in a community and society that seems to lack that peace so often is inspiring. Especially because the Ruka’s goal of trying to build and foster intentional relationships with each other is so in tune with what these kids are learning to do. Being present, participating their daily lessons, and seeing the kids watch and emulate things that we do and say makes me very aware of my actions and intentional behavior. I would’ve never thought that elementary school kids would be so great at holding me accountable to how I’m treating other people.

More than anything, Peacemakers brings us all lots of laughs and fun, and a much needed breath of fresh air from the chaos of school. I’m looking forward to continuing to my involvement with peacemakers and learning more about the program and myself.

Fun fact: A sneeze travels out of your mouth at over 100 mph.

~Allison

A New Year!

Welcome back! So even though it’s taken a while for us to get going on a routine in the new semester, we’ve been back in action quickly in the New Year! Our first day back as a house, we all sat down with some food and worked out Ruka resolutions of our own.  From little things like more fun ways to spend time together, to bigger things like being more involved on campus and implementing more eco-friendly ideas into our home, the afternoon also included plenty of laughter and stories as we caught up from holiday breaks.

With that being said, we also have the beginnings of our garden! Robin craftily turned some old toilet paper rolls, a glad Tupperware into a seedling tray where we have now have the start of some mixed greens and lettuces that can hopefully be transported to our box garden when the weather gets warm. Paula has also been planning other veggies to add to our garden and ideas for an herb garden for the things we use most. Unfortunately, the recent bout of grossly cold weather has prevented anything from moving outside quite yet.

We’re also at work planning for Rhodes Relay for life which will take place on campus April 20^th. For more information or to support our team go to: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/?team_id=1048380&pg=team&fr_id=40537

Something else that’s new that I have particularly enjoyed, is the wonderful welcome we have received by the Peacemakers at Caritas Village. With new class schedules, we have been able to commit to afternoons playing and learning with some of the children of Binghampton. This has been so much fun and really refreshing break from life at Rhodes-kids brighten my day and week every time!

More coming soon!

Shannon

Around The World Without Leaving Home

The week before winter break we had an Open House. This next semester we are really hoping to make our name and our mission known in the community so we hosted a get together to show people what we are doing and how we are living. In preparation for our Open House Allison and I embarked on an art project. We wanted to fill some of our bare walls with pictures that we (all of the community members) had all taken during our various adventures. After deciding on sizes and how many we were going to order I went to the photo counter at Walgreens to pick up the prints. The man helping me said that he had looked though some of the pictures and wondered where they were taken. I was immediately taken aback because it was the first time all day I had an opportunity to reflect on what I had been doing. Engulfed in the project all afternoon, I never stopped to think about where the pictures were taken. As I started to answer the man’s question I realized the ludicrous reply: Spain—Barcelona, Toledo, Madrid, Italy—Milan, Cinque Terre, Spoleto, Siena, Florence, Lake Como, England—London, Bridlington, Hull, Flamborough, Sewerby, York,  Canada—Calgary, Banff, France—Paris, Giverny, Chicago, San Francisco, Grand Cayman, Israel—Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Turkey—Istanbul ,  Jordan—Petra.

I immediately had to justify that the pictures were a collection from five girls over a few years, but still this made me think about the reasons we have all traveled abroad. Traveling abroad is, in my opinion, one of best things a person can do. I studied abroad in Italy and I not only learned the course material, but I now have a better understanding for Italian culture. It was an amazing experience and I would go aboard again in a second.

Other exciting Ruka events included our community dinner with Professor Kendra Hotz and her spouse Dr. Matthew Mathews. We shared a wonderful conversation about the books that they have written and the ones they are working on over a scrumptious spread of chicken kabobs, homemade hummus, organic guacamole, and fresh mixed salad. The pair is closely involved with the Church Health Center and is writing a series of books that discuss elements of the relationship between health, wealth, and faith. It was so nice to have Around them over and I really enjoyed learning about their work outside of the classroom.

~Emily