It was still within my new bedroom. I was as snuggled in as it gets being wrapped in a thin sheet, for the warm night acted as a blanket of its own. My first night at my new home in Asesewa could not have been more tranquil. The three window screens allowed for the room […]
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When first meeting someone, the conversation usually begins by asking the question, “What do you do?” or “What are you doing here/there?” It’s not too often that one will be asked, “Why are you doing what you are doing?” Over and over again, since accepting the position as an AgriCorps Fellow, people have asked me […]
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There I was, sitting in the passenger seat of a small red sedan car, en route to my new home and family for the next couple days in Koforidua, Ghana. As I stared into the dark storm clouds in the distance through the car window, thoughts of excitement and curiosity were flooding my brain. I […]
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Taking a break from packing my bags in preparation for Ghana, I head to an old wooden dock overlooking a pond on a West Texas ranch. I journey there alone to be alone in nature, alone with my thoughts, and to contemplate what will happen over the next few months. I feel a warm Texas […]
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Although all 8 of us have the same title, we have all had our own unique experiences as AgriCorps Fellows. In the past year we have laughed, cried, been angry, happy, and every other emotion you could ever imagine. We have gone through loss with each other and experienced new life. We have grown, both […]
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I walked up to the farm that I had been working on for several months, just like I did every other Monday. I had just come back from Christmas break and was going around to check on some farmers that I had been working with. This day, however, the young man who works the farm […]
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My AgriCorps service didn’t end quite like I had planned. At the beginning of May, I was sent back to the states due to noncontagious medical issues that could not be solved in Liberia. Due to health risk, I was forced to leave my site without saying goodbye to my community. I basically went from […]
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“I believe in the future of agriculture…” The words were so familiar, but rang out so differently that day. “With a faith born not of words, but of deeds…” The sound from the speakers was scratchy and slightly delayed. “Achievements won by the past and present generations of agriculturalists…” But I didn’t care. “In the […]
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I grew up on a farm in southern New Mexico and later, in Arizona. My father has been a vegetable farmer for almost 40 years. He too grew up on a farm, as well as his father before him. When I began to take on my first real responsibilities of irrigating fields, I was around […]
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I didn’t always love Mama Liberia. And if you asked me now I would probably deny it. But there are moments I catch myself, appreciating the life I’ve curated here, and it has made the growing pains of this journey all worthwhile. Before I board the plan in exactly two months I thought it be […]
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