So cool!! Is your crop in a greenhouse or outdoors? I’m guessing you live somewhere tropical enough to not need a greenhouse for these. Any pest issues? How can you tell when to harvest them? I have a decent track record with orchids indoors, so I’m intrigued.
cleanandsunny
joined 2 years ago
One of my college roommates must have written this…
Hokusai, eat your heart out
Welcome! I should have linked the wiki but here you go: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism
Edward Said’s Orientalism is a real slog to read, but definitely the foundational academic work on this, if your interest is piqued.
In a word: orientalism. This art movement was predicated on the exoticism and “othering” of subject matter and the bystanders serve as a proxy for the audience of the art itself.
There are two ways to build community - one is doing it from scratch, and one is finding a community and joining it. So, start with what’s easy. Are there existing communities of people you could join, based on your interests? (For example: churches, book clubs, bands, athletic groups, etc?) Since you’re a plant nerd like me, check out nonprofits that need volunteers for gardening or landscaping. Check Meetup, check local event calendars, ask your friends what they’re up to, and invite yourself along.
Building community from scratch takes time, but it can be done. It starts with introducing yourself to your neighbors. Does anyone pass by when you’re in the garden? Maybe the same person walking their dog every day? Stop and say hi to them. Learn their names. Ask for their contact info. The more time you spend outside, the more you are going to see neighbors you can “bump into.”
Once you have their contact info, email or text them when you need something, or there is a cool event. You can be cliche; ask for a cup of sugar and make small talk. Or bring cookies to that reclusive neighbor you’re never met. Here are some emails I’ve gotten from my neighbors this week: a pizza school fundraiser; a car was broken into; beach pictures from a past neighbor who moved to Oregon in 2023; someone has extra plant starts; a new restaurant just opened.
You also have to be the person that introduces your neighbors to each other - “have you met X yet?” or “do you know who lives over at 123?” Invite them over. Have a neighborhood happy hour, outside, in the street - other neighbors will come out and you can meet them too, get their contact info, and make sure they get added to the list for the next one.
I live on an extraordinary block with amazing neighbors - we watch each others’ pets, water each others’ plants, have regular outdoor happy hours, have an annual block party, go out to bars/shows/meals with each other, have craft nights, etc. They are now some of my closest friends! But it took years (and COVID stir-craziness) to get to this point. It isn’t a fast process, but now we have a real, solid community. We are ages 37-77 and I think at least 3 of them have my house keys, lol.
I hope this helps! Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. A LOT of people are craving connection right now so even when it feels clunky, it’s working.
- Ireland and Italy offer citizenship by descent, but it is a long process
- The Netherlands and the US have a treaty called DAFT that allows you to start a business in NL
- France offers a self employment visa
- Check skill shortage lists for countries of interest - almost all European countries need skilled trades, truck drivers, etc. that wouldn’t require a degree
- Study abroad; it’s possible you could apply and receive funding for a degree since many countries have free education + work study arrangements for your living expenses
- Teach English abroad
- Look at international NGOs, you could possibly get hired as an admin/etc. without a degree but that might be a stretch
We have similar taste and you need to listen to Kalush (and Kalush Orchestra) - Ukrainian hip hop! The “Orchestra” group has more folk influences but all of it is just banger after banger. I don’t understand a word of Ukrainian but I love these guys.
Or push him into the train and laugh about it…
It’s all infuriating! And we keep paying these goons more and more of our tax dollars - new hires are up to $150k I think - and they can’t even be bothered to show up when a crime is happening! Or follow laws themselves?! Make it make sense. They’ve been on a silent strike since 2020 but the mayor and city council keep throwing our money at them.
Don’t you love how SPD will release video immediately if it’s good PR? It’s nice they found time to help this guy between murdering pedestrians (and then laughing about it), sexually harassing their own cops, and mocking the teenagers they shoot and kill.
(Sources if anyone wants them:)
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/14/us/seattle-police-officer-phone-comments-woman-killed/index.html
Ah yes, cats and farming, of course they would race around your vines!
Thank you for sating my immense curiosity with such a detailed response! Canada’s greenhouse game is unbeatable so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare. And wishing you lots of luck with your harvest and hydro setup!