In the life of a Treekid

So I will be the first to admit that these are not master photography.  It is late, and peaceful, and chilly in the common room. Three of us are here wrapped in blankets, balancing tea cups on our knees, and hoping to get at least a little homework done. I did not want to disturb the calm with the flash of my camera, but I wanted to photograph the postcards on our chalkboard. A sea turtle and double decker bus.  A little reminder that our friends abroad are still thinking of us, and that, despite the distance, they are still present in the house.

You know, I had a moment today. Yeah, one of those moments. It came at the end of what I’ll call a long day. Not necessarily an arduous, difficult one, but a mentally provocative and trying day. I’d arrived back to the Treehouse after attending a lecture that had poked and prodded my thoughts and provoked many questions inside my head. The walk back home left me alone, confronting some thoughts that have pervaded my thinking for a while now: I know very little for certain; Is it not more wise to admit not knowing rather than to insist upon having knowledge?; Can happiness be possible without a firm foundation of things we “know”? These are some of many similar thoughts that have rattled in my conscious and unconscious for some time. They are questions that at this point in my life feel like they need to be answered in order to confront other issues like: what am I going to do with my life? I arrived back at the house and eventually meandered up the stairs and, partially closing the door behind me, into my room. It was there that it, the moment happened. As I weeded even more through my thoughts the notes of someone’s guitar found their way into my ear from down the stairs and everything stopped. I forgot about my concerns, my schedule, time itself seemed to stopped, or more accurately, ceased to exist altogether, and I became acutely aware of my immediate surroundings. If you’ve experienced this, you understand what I mean; it’s hard to explain otherwise. It was a moment, not really of happiness, but of true satisfaction.  It’s certainly not often that these moments occur, but I believe I’ve had my fair share in the Treehouse, surrounded by truly great and exciting persons. The community they shape here, even inadvertently through just being near and being themselves is one I’ve never felt anywhere else. I’m lucky to be here, and to grow here. Thank you, Treekids past, present, and future. 

The Treehouse’s stove that is fueled by corn is finally fixed and up and running again! It provides some much appreciated heat due to the fact that the house remains at approximately 58 degrees during the winter!

Preparing for tonight’s event Meet The Treekids!

I’m Kenze, and I will be moving into the Treehouse for the first time this semester along with Will, Sam, Kimmy, Mackenzie, and Lexie. Every Semester the Treekids make goals, and as I am getting ready to go back to school I’ve been thinking about mine a lot. 

Here they are as they currently stand:

1. Return to being a vegetarian, and eat more local foods
2. Buy only things I need, or things from thrift shops. 
3. Work on remembering to use my reusable shopping bags
4. Remember to turn off and unplug electronics
5. Use less hair products and other beauty products; know what is in products I buy, and when possible make my own instead
6. Volunteer on the College Farm
7. Actually commit to keeping a journal
8. Bake/cook more
9. Figure out more art projects to do with the treehouse’s collection of bottle caps
10. Sing at an open mic

This semester is going to be quite the journey!

-KB

Christmas wrapping treekid style with newspaper and magazines!

Happy holidays from treekids past, present, and future. =)

Anonymous asked: What is the coolest thing about being a Treekid?

In my opinion, it’s the people in the house.  We work hard to make it like a family.  When I’m in the common room, I’m excited to see who walks through the door.  My housemates ask me how my day is and actually care to hear the answer.  We grow and learn from each other, particularly when it comes to environmental things.  It’s really awesome to be in an environment of people who care about the same things you do and will support you and get you to think of issues in different ways.  I look forward to our weekly meetings and times when we’re all together.  It’s definitely a home away from home and a family.  And that’s so wonderful to have at college!

Anonymous asked: IS it true that treekids have no heat?

We do have heat, although we keep it really chilly in the house. Our thermostat says 58 degrees, but it feels a lot colder.  It’s particularly rough after coming back from winter break when you’re so used to your warm house at home.  But we have multiple ways to cope with this:

1. We have a corn stove where we burn waste corn for heat
2. Making blanket forts- seriously it’s 10 degrees warmer in a blanket fort
3. Wear LOTS of layers, hats, socks, gloves, and then blankets and sleeping bags
4. After baking in the oven, we open it and everyone crowds around for warmth
5. We open our blinds during the day.  We have south facing windows so when it’s sunny it’s a ton warmer
6. Snuggling with each other- I’ve laid on top of my roommate for a while because she was cold

So yes, we do have heat, but it is still frigid in the house.  But it brings everyone together =)

What have the treekids been up to these past few weeks you might ask…here is some photo documentation.