Home > Monday, April 02, 2007

Alpaugh or BUST!

No one ever thought that a four-hour drive from Sacramento to Alpaugh, CA could take 9½ hours, but Green 5 is capable of anything! Who knew Redding, CA wasn’t on the way to Alpaugh, and who knew gas wouldn’t grow on trees just anywhere? But upon arrival in the sparse and barely populated town, we realized that our long journey was worth the wait. We found ourselves living in the “Ameri-Mansion,” a gorgeous three-bedroom, four-car garage residence that stuck out like a sore thumb in the impoverished town that surrounded it.

Our sponsor, Shane, took us directly to a town meeting, where we were introduced to some of the residents who took an interest in the affairs of the community. It was apparent that problems were abundant in the town, and a lot of work needed to be done to get it in good working condition. All of us come from larger cities originally, and it was shocking to hear about some of the problems that this small town faces, above all the fact that the drinking water is contaminated with unsafe levels of arsenic and that neighboring communities are stealing the water for farming.

Over the next couple of days, we met different figures in the community, including the superintendent of both the school and Allensworth State Park, the only California town to be founded and governed by African Americans. We learned about the reasons why our project is so important to the town and how the land has been so abused by agricultural practices.

We also volunteered at a meeting to discuss the devastating citrus freeze that plagued the valley the previous month, putting thousands of migrant workers out of jobs and in need of food and money to survive. Although no one in our group spoke Spanish, and hardly any of the participants spoke English, we were able to sign people in and try to assess what kind of financial assistance they needed. Despite being tired, we were invigorated by the work and by meeting people who were truly excited about organizing and helping out the farmers who work to feed the country.

Our nights have been surprisingly entertaining, seeing how the nightlife in Alpaugh consists of star-gazing and staring into the darkness, imagining that you are seeing different animals in the abyss. We sorted out all of the red skittles to send as a Valentine’s Day gift.

Not to outdo our first day of endlessly driving around California, we spent over an hour looking for a grocery store in a nearby metropolis (compared to Alpaugh), but we found it and were able to eat dinner that night.

Vanessa has been the culprit of many outrageous statements, including “Look, tumbleweeds! Let’s make them tumble!” Jared, when arguing with Chelsea over her driving habits, reminded her that “a good excuse doesn’t flip the van back over.” And Orlando, always health conscious, spoke wisely when informing us that “green beans redeem everything.”

It has been a crazy and tiring first week, but the team is excited to get our hands dirty and really make a difference in a place that has almost been forgotten by the rest of the world.

- The Tribe