Settling In

Pencil skirts and tights to jeans and casual sweaters. Cute flats and summer wedges to rain boots and outdoor work shoes. Fifteen-mile commutes in stop and go traffic to less than twenty steps from my front door to my office. The list could go on, but these are just a few of the things in my life that have drastically changed in the past week. As the title of this blog assumes, I am a Girl Raised In The South who has made the great migration West. Not only am I a girl raised in the south, but I am also a girl raised in the suburbs and not only have I moved out west, but I have moved to a farm. Yes, you read that right- a farm. And if you know me, you know that I love zipping around town in my little, shopping with my mom, eating sushi and drinking wine with my friends. But if you know me really well, you also know that I have a deep passion for environmental awareness and a strong desire to make a difference in this world. You also may know that I am the kind of person that stays relatively confined within my comfort zone, playing it safe and always sticking to the plan (I guess that’s what you get when you’re OCD). 

It is for these reasons, and many more, that I have thrown myself completely out of my comfort zone into the land of the wild, wild west to live and work on an organic farm in the rolling hills of Los Altos, California. It has been a tough transition, as I have lived on a diet of bulk beans and rice in addition to field greens and leftover vegetables from the winter harvest. I am learning quickly that living seasonally, without the help of local grocery stores and markets is a tough thing to do and nearly impossible in this day in age. We have a supply of eggs and milk from the help of the farm animals (raw milk is quite delicious and so much better for you than processed dairy milk!) and I have learned that you can eat plenty of greens that grow in the area. My living space is tiny; I have a small dresser and desk and a lofted bed so getting up in the morning without breaking a leg takes some consciousness that I rarely have at 7 am. The house I live in is beautiful; built in the 1860’s and was the Inn on the property for stage coaches moving through the Silicon Valley (this property is incredibly rich in history which I will address in a whole new post). I love the people I live with, they are all completely different and smart in their own way but living communally definitely has its challenges.




Within just the first week, I was thrown into the day to day routine of running a farm, successful school programs and a hardworking development office. I shadowed farm chores and tours (including milking the cow, collecting eggs and scooping…poop), followed an education intern during a wilderness tour to see how the lives of children are changed here every day. I also started work in the office, learning the ins and outs of what it takes to run a nonprofit as big as this one. It has been busy, awesome and overwhelming but I am so excited that I have the opportunity to live here for an entire year. Some of the things that I have come to value in my short but full week of being here include:

-Falling asleep to the frogs in our front pond
-Waking up to the rooster and birds a little too early in the morning
-Fresh, cold, raw milk in my coffee
-Going on brisk runs in the morning alongside curious deer who follow me through the trees along the trail
-Wildflowers that grow along our hiking trails that take a keen eye to spot
-Becoming part of the Banana Slug Kissing Club (yes, I kissed a banana slug)
-Seeing new life come to the farm
-The gratifying feeling of harvesting your own greens for a houseful of roommates
-Being in the state of California with the most diverse landscape I’ve ever seen.



And many, many other things…but needless to say, I love it here and I am so grateful that I have this opportunity—no matter how homesick I may get, or how often only-child syndrome kicks in, I am ready to absorb as much I can here and I cant wait to share it all with you.