Gannon University's Detroit ABST: "Romaine" Calm

March 1^st

Happy March y’all!

Not nearly as much to report on today as we had a pretty relaxed day. At Earthworks, we found that the soil was too wet to work with. If we walked on the wet soil, it could compact it too much and prevent plant growth (fun fact).

Our mission for the day involved lots and lots of writing. Using popsicle sticks, we created little signs for all types of seedlings that they would be giving away, including dino kale, batavia, and bell peppers. Even though this was not the intense work that we had been doing for the past days, it was nice to sit down as a whole group and work together. The songs we sang and the conversations we had were truly unique.

Part of the group took an early break to grab lunch. We talked to some very interesting gentlemen at the soup kitchen today who discussed many, many different topics with us.

At noon, we went to a local church for an Ash Wednesday service. This was a very wonderful experience as another church community invited us into their home. After the service concluded, one of the ushers even came up to us and began asking where we were from (we’re beginning to think that it's extremely obvious that we aren’t Detroiters). She was so incredibly friendly and invested in hearing about our service work at Earthworks. It was just another encounter to show the love that this city has.

Upon returning to the greenhouse, we continued writing and writing, eventually getting to a couple thousand signs for little plants. This lasted until 3 PM, when we loaded things up and headed out.

Our first stop after work was at the Hiedelberg Project, an artsy project a few blocks down from Earthworks. Tyree Guyton, a man who grew up in Detroit became an artist and used a two and a half block radius to exhibit his ideas. Words cannot do this justice, so I will provide pictures below, but just know that it was incredibly intriguing to look at. Abandoned houses were adorned with spray paint, chipped mirrors, and old stuffed animals. Things that would appear to be junk were placed side by side in strange fashions to show Guyton’s thoughts.

After we were done walking, Chris actually came upon Tyree himself in one of the lawns. He invited us into his house and talked to us about his work. Burton is very philosophical and has a specific viewpoint on time. He feels that all we have is the now and that we must grab ahold of it and understand that everything happens for a reason. He chased after his dream to be an artist despite what everyone said, and now the exhibit is nationally recognized.

The next stop we hit was driving down 8 mile, a road made infamous by the film 8 Mile about Eminem’s rise to fame. This street is actually a racial divide between the wealthy and the more impoverished areas of Detroit. Within some houses, you can still see an old concrete wall that stands about waist high and is a physical reminder of the divide between the two areas.

Upon arrival back to our retreat center, we had a relaxing night of Little Ceasars and some coloring during reflection. Our group has grown into a little family and it feels that we are started to feel more at home here in Detroit. I am excited to see our relationship with the community grow even more.