On Track Again

The backs of my hands are wrinkled and parched and my cuticles are grey and stony from the switch into a less humid climate, and from being on the go all the time. I guess that's what happens when you couch-surf. I've been traveling around Northern California for the past week and I'm lovin' it. The moment I stepped off the plane at SFO, my troubles fell to the ground and I walked out of the terminal feeling refreshed (if that's even possible after an overseas flight.) There is just a sort of looseness in the air here, perhaps it's the lack of humidity combined with a generally more open-minded way of life that the people in the Bay Area tend to possess. It is exactly that quality that I'm after.

 I've simply had enough of the suffocating traffic-humidity-parking crisis that I face every day in Hawaii. I've become so much better about accepting the challenges that Hawaii carries, but that doesn't mean it doesn't kill me inside every day. I don't want to curse at people when I'm driving, or biking, or walking because of their insensitivities towards others and their neglect to even pass off so much as a friendly smile. Of course their is "aloha," but it's not as abundant as one would think. And I'm not strong enough anymore to fight the negativity that lingers between grocery store parking, H1 traffic, and competitive people everywhere. Up against each other for jobs, for housing, for a decent (and frankly, safe) driving distance between cars, for a parking spot that won't have people dinging each other's car doors... the list goes on, and on and on in my head everyday. And it's not intentional. I will myself to think about the positive things that exist, and there are so many. But it doesn't matter. I feel so sick of having to defend the good things and pretending to ignore that bad things that I'm exhausted. All I want to do is have a peaceful shared space, where people are conscious of each other and of the earth.

That is exactly what brought me to California (for the umpteenth time...which is kind of saying a lot.) I'm interested in Davis in particular, because the university is centered on sustainable practices and progressive ideas for a greener future. As cliché as that sounds, it is just so. People recycle without a second thought. The city has the most bikes per capita in the entire country! There are co-ops and gardens and hippies and intelligent people everywhere. It's exactly what I think about every day of my life. And there are apples, berries and stone fruit trees, organic dairies and goats everywhere, so the access to my desired foods is plentiful.

Couch-surfing has been a great experience. It allowed me to live with 4 other Davis college students and get the true perspective of a student. Yes, I took the guided college tour and learned a lot from the official college people, but my hosts were such a great catalyst for me to gain a better understanding of the "true vibe" of the town.  My host even took me to sit in on her "Feeding the Planet" class on sustainability.

I rented a bike and cycled around campus, whizzing with all the expert bikers! It is scary to bike with people who are well seasoned and have to get to class. There are more bikes than cars, and cars and pedestrians yield to bikes. I was so shocked to receive any respect at all as a cyclist, when a car who had approached a stop sign before me (clearly he had the right of way) allowed me to pass, and with a smile on his face. People smile all the time. People just smile and say nice things to each other and help each other. The word community actually exists here, and not as a superficial yuppie term loosely thrown around by people who think they're on to something.

 I visited the co-ops, communal/ cooperative living arrangements both on an off campus. They were amazing. The "Tri Co-ops" invited me to their "garden work day" when I casually strolled onto their property to inquire about their lifestyle. They had chickens on campus. Hello. I parked my biked there and proceeded to walk to the "Domes," passing both the student farm and the community gardens on the way, as well as the animal studies facility, that had cows grazing on a field in the middle of campus, conveniently located on "dairy road."

The domes are a cooperative of 14 dome-shaped homes, quite like the house in the children's book, "Franklin the Turtle." Each domes houses two people and they are all surrounded by lush gardens, fruit trees, hammocks, artsy things and they share a "yurt" which they use for gathered meals and events. Chores and 5/7 evening meals are shared, and everyone is generally very hospitable. I treaded carefully around the domes, wondering if I was trespassing and was instantly invited to check one out. A man with a beard and curly hair theatrically bowed and with a sweeping motion, said, "Come into my dome!" I chatted with a few dome-inhabitants for a while and gathered that they are actually a pretty studious bunch (not just "strung-out hippies," which is the impression that some people might have) and include some mathematics, engineering and other very science-y majors. I left them to their gardening and other tasks around their sunny abodes and made my way to the bee-sanctuary. (Seriously, this school is too good to be true, and it's regarded as a legit research university.)

Today I met with another couch-surfer who couldn't host me, but still wanted to get coffee. She brought me to her co-op, which was off-campus in a residential area. Lovely isn't even close to describing what her home was like. It was two homes conjoined by a patio, surrounded by gardens in the actual yard, and on the strips of land that technically would be called "sidewalk." She showed me her house and it was so fricken' beautiful and peaceful. We went into her kitchen and she showed me all the jars of dried flowers that she and her housemates had been collecting and her sourdough bread which she was baking. She took me into the garden and let me harvest a huge bunch of mangold (swiss chard.) Just a gift, from a wonderful stranger. There are still good people in this world. If there's anything I've gained from this trip it's hope, or faith or trust, or whatever it is to be called.

Now I am riding a train down to San Francisco, to spend a few days visiting friends. The trains here actually go "Chugga Chugga Choo Choo." No joke! At first I couldn't believe my ears. It's great having space to travel. I definitely needed to go on some long train and bus rides to convince me that yes, the mainland is not surrounded by water and I'm not stuck. Island fever sucks, and I come down with it so often that I think it's me. And I'm just not meant to live in Hawaii permanently. That's just the honest, sad truth. I can't go extreme-harsh Germany winter either... Just something balanced and mellow.