I began my project centered around the idea of foodways. As a reminder, foodways examine the intersections of food and culture. Mainly how factors like region, politics, migration, etc. affect the development of cuisine. By going to different places and looking at them through this lens I would gain insights I wouldn’t normally have at home.

Food is everywhere: the one thing we all have in common. It has served as a connecter, yet also a point of conflict. I didn’t just want to just conceptualize food, but rather to gain experience working within food systems that mirrored what I would like to be doing in the future. I am very passionate about finding ways to improve our food systems in terms of quality, environmental impact, and accessibility. I worked on numerous eco-projects of varying scales. This was very beneficial to me as I got to see how things are being implemented, what seems to work best, and how these projects can come to fruition in very different places.

Foodways are all about relationships. I went into this project emphasizing that my focus was on learning how cuisine evolves in the context of cultural developments. Every time I learned a new recipe or about a typical food, I would also learn about the place and the people, which gave me a closer look at the cultural dynamics. I realized throughout my journey that I didn’t just care about food systems but more about understanding the relationships between people, their communities, and their plates.

With the nature of this solo-led program, much of your time is spent learning not just about your ‘project’, but about what it is like to live abroad alone for so long. I have learned so much about myself this year – it feels simultaneously like the longest yet shortest year of my life. I have had the opportunity to really push myself out of my comfort zone, learn about what I love, and surround myself with people of all different backgrounds. I have learned so much concerning myself, my beliefs, and how I see the world. I sometimes felt incredible amounts of pressure, my common concerns were feeling like I was not fulfilling my purpose, not learning enough, or not appreciating every moment. I eventually found that stress was as bad as those worries I had. It would take me out of the moment and keep me from enjoying everything. This was my biggest struggle throughout, but as time has gone on those feelings have faded and I now feel very satisfied with the time I had. I could not be more thankful or have more gratitude for something as incredible as this experience. I wish that everyone could have this opportunity. I have discovered new passions and had the freedom and motivation to try so many new things. My writing has improved (I hope), I started practicing poetry, had time to work on my art, read sixteen books, learned to knit, and learned a little guitar. I have lived with nine different hosts and slept in who knows how many different beds. The places I have worked on have ranged from a family backyard to eco-villages, to industrial farms. I’ve seen so many beautiful landscapes living on the coast, in the desert, and in the mountains.

One question I have been asked a lot recently is, what is the “best experience you have had”, or the “best place you have been to” – I am always at a loss to answer. Every place had its ups and downs, yet offered me something completely new every time. I loved every place for a different reason and find it impossible to compare them. I have also learned how heavily my opinion or experience depends on who I meet rather than the actual place. Before I left, my project was supposed to only focus on Spain and Morocco. My plans changed as I was traveling, and I ended up spending three months in the UK. With this, I realized that it is not so much about the place you go. There is intrigue everywhere. Cuisine can be a lens into any place and reveal so much, whether the area is known for its cuisine or not. This does not mean that every place was the same, every country has a different culture and different factors that affect the way it developed. It also depended on what stage of the project I was in and what I was most focused on at the time. In Spain I was focused on adjusting and learning a language, in the UK I put most of my efforts into learning about farming, and in Morocco, I learned a lot about religion and community, and I was able to make the most comparisons since it was the last place I went.

The longer I spent on my trip, the more I felt concerned with the people’s stories, their lives, and my relationships with them. I found myself less concerned with sustainable practices and more about the people who lived there and what I could learn from them. I have spent so much of my life wanting to get away from people and spend time in ‘nature’. I’ve realized this year that I don’t actually want to get away, I’ve become fixed on learning about our relationships, our cultures, our interactions with each other, and with the earth. The blog post titled “Finding Unity: Tradition and Cultural Practices” is when I first realized what makes me so passionate about these topics. Understanding relationships is the common factor in all my interests. What connects people? Cuisine, religion, art, or language? What effects do these connectors have? How can we use this knowledge?

This year I tried my hand at so many new things. I think it was very valuable being able to see farming and permaculture on so many scales. I feel like I have a lot of new insights and I am encouraged that it may be possible for me to create something like an eco-village. The most impactful place I was in terms of work was Old Leckie farm in Scotland. I go to revisit them at the end of my trip which was just a dream! That was the place I felt I got to know a completely new system and tried the most new things. Before I went there, I had kind of felt I was in a winter rut, I was experiencing some homesickness and seasonal blues so working in such an intense place really gave me purpose.

It is inspiring to see how much people are trying to make a difference. From all backgrounds and ages, I have seen an immense amount of effort and care going into wanting to set us up for a better future and nurture our connection to the planet. I lived with a couple in their 70’s who were working so hard to create a permaculture farm; not really for themselves, but for future generations. It is incredible to have people doing that work, even if they may not get to see their full impact. Although there are so many paths we can take and often setbacks, I truly think we are reaching a point where things may start to look up. There are many niches for people to fit into and ways in which we can close the gap between unsustainable projects and hyper eco-projects.

Have I answered any of my own questions? I am not sure yet, I think things still must settle and marinate in my brain. I think that I have to be in situations where I can use my knowledge for it to finally sink in and I’ll know, “I learned this back then and it’s helping me now…”. I think that my passions are beginning to go beyond food, but at the center of it all is nature: not defined as “untouched land” or just plants and wildlife – but human culture, our role on this earth, and how everything is interconnected.

I have had many lonely nights, and many nights surrounded by others. I have felt so many emotions, not different from when I am home, but everything has seemed to have more weight this year. The people I have met have been unimaginably influential to me, even in small ways. Little conversations have stuck with me, I have made what I hope are lifelong friends, and hope to have had a positive impact where I went. I feel awake and like I am fully experiencing things – I hope to carry that feeling with me when I return. I can’t wait to see what is next and what will come after this wonderful year. Thank you for reading all my thoughts this past year, and huge thanks again to Fairhaven college for giving me this opportunity, I hope I fulfilled your wishes for me.

and to sign off, some animal friends from this year…