But this semester was different! I was a HECUA student now! And I had an awesome internship! I was no longer dreading going to class - in fact I was excited. Our first week of class we spent time foraging wild plums, canoeing amongst wild rice on the Mississippi, eating fresh fruits and vegies from stems, vines, trees, and bushes. We followed cows to new pastures (literally) and heard stories around a bonfire.
Spent a good deal of time in Southwest Minnesota, walking vast fields of monocropped soybeans, canoeing the Minnesota River, and meeting some inspiring organic farmers.
I took part in 350 on 10/10/10 - an international day of climate movement and recognition. I woke up early and participated in a mass bike ride through St. Paul and Minneapolis to raise awareness of the event and talked to a whole handful of people about action around climate change and water justice.
Meanwhile, back in class, we discussed environmental justice and indigenous rights. As a class, we jumped in the vans and headed to White Earth Reservation where we met with activists from Honor the Earth.
After a long day of eye-opening discussion we spent the night playing hide&seek in a total-northwoods ski lodge.
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| Epic hiding spot in the elevator (Photo nabbed from Kayla Wolfe via Facebook). |
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| Meeting with White Earth DNR. |
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| Had class in a Wind Turbine! (Photo taken by Kevin Karner) |
We crossed the great windy plains, dotted with wind turbines and spent the night in a former school for the blind in South Dakota. We woke up early to make it to Earthrise Farm (above) and Moonstone Farm outside of Montevideo. Due to such a huge class size, a handful of us spent the night on the farm of a man who KILLED A BEAR WITH AN AXE and stalked and killed a deer with a knife. No big deal, or anything.
After one nerve-racking final presentation, HECUA was done.
But the snow was just beginning to pile up.
And just like that... I was ready to get in the car and go again!
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