Wandering, Wondering, Getting Lost & Goose Bumps…
Hi there! My name is Evi. My passion is to share and see things grow! People, plants, wishes, dishes and dreams! Since I’m always longing for new adventures, I tried to be a little bit like a New Yorker this summer through volunteering at Community Access with Evi’s Pop Up Kitchen…
I was working as a community organizer and cook for Pameijer in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. (I strongly believe that empowerment and inclusiveness is something you reach while working together in the kitchen and garden.)
Pameijer support people in their recovery journey to a better quality of life and have recently partnered with Community Access. When Steve Coe visited us, I shared my dream to experience New York – but not just as a tourist. No Lonely Planet guide, but real people with real stories, showing me their city. And that’s how it started…
I got to do for Community Access what I’ve always enjoyed doing in Holland: help people share JOY and have FUN! And I got to ask them the same questions I always like to ask of people in recovery: are you being seen as just a ‘patient,’ in terms of illness and addiction, or are you a fellow citizen, somebody with experience, skills, dreams and talents? What do you need to feel at ‘home’ and part of a community?
Saying goodbye to Holland was hard, and, to begin with, I felt like a little girl in a very big city… Confronted by poverty and so many homeless people… And feeling clumsy sometimes… Stuck with my bike in the subway gate, overwhelmed by all the questions in Starbucks, being slow, getting lost all the time, the HEAT, and of course my Dutch accent… But happily, there was Community Access! A LOT of HOPE and the music of change for a better world.
I ended up working twice a week at Libby House and twice a week at Access House, and on Fridays with the TAP program, cooking with tenants in their kitchens. But how to get to know all these lovely people? I decided to ask them a question: What makes your eyes sparkle? “To be alive and not afraid,” was one of the answers I especially remember.
And, here, so many other happy memories from my time in NYC:
Sharing funny facts (a clove can help against toothache), sewing a community tablecloth, walking the AIDS walk, making smoothie magic, planting morning glories, learning how to make a puppet out of a sock, cooking yummy soul food, the Mental Health Film Festival, listening to the best local radio, strolling along the river, the Good Neighbor Gala, enjoying the breeze, learning America slang and sharing dreams and dishes.
I want to thank everyone for making me feel so at home; it was a very special journey!
And finally, a question to myself. What makes my eyes sparkle? The stories, strength and hope of all the people I had the pleasure of meeting in New York. It gives me goose bumps… Community Access, keep up the good spirit. See you again soon!
