Here it goes...

Hello! I suppose I should begin by saying that I am a second-year Social Work graduate student and have been assigned a blog for one of my classes. And at this point, I am both hesitant and interested in doing so. I've kept a journal for years, and have considered blogging several times, but never quite got there. It's one thing to write all my thoughts and feelings in a book that very likely will never be seen by another person. The vulnerability of putting some of those thoughts and feelings out into the...blogosphere (?) is a whole other ballgame. But here it goes...
I lived in San Francisco for about five years before moving to Humboldt County (yes, THAT Humboldt) for grad school. SF is, well, rad, and I loved living and working there. Most relevant to this blog were my jobs as a health educator working with adult survivors of sexual exploitation, trauma, and substance abuse and as a counselor at an emergency shelter for 18-24-year-olds in the Tenderloin. That job was...intense. And incredible. I ended up there because of a budding interest in transitional-age youth coming out of foster care, and I continue to be primarily interested in the at-risk youth population. Last school year I interned at a local high school, doing one-on-one counseling. This year I am interning at Child Welfare Services in a department focusing on a new collaboration between CWS, the county office of education, and probation in better supporting the education of students in foster care.
Grad school was the impetus for me to move here, but I chose this particular location for a variety of reasons. For one, I desperately needed more "nature" in my daily life. I love the culture, diversity, liberalism, and excitement of SF, but I really felt a lack of open spaces, trees, quiet, and darkness in the city. Over the past few years I have found that nature is what grounds me and makes me feel most connected, and so I just came to a point where I had to make it a priority. Of course there are many sources of nature, and plenty of opportunities in the bay area. But up here, engagement with the surrounding wilderness and environment is part of the community and culture; it feels much more accessible. I also find that eating locally-produced food and home cooking are also more a part of the culture here, which I am learning to love.
But I am rambling...Another reason I moved here is because of the rural/small town aspect. It was an amazing learning experience to do social work in the city. But I felt drawn to learning the ins and outs of doing this work in a rural area, with the very different benefits and challenges from an urban setting. And it has certainly been fascinating. I sometimes long for the diversity of the city, and of the commonplace awareness about gender/race/ethnicity/orientation/class/etc issues. On the other hand, it is really exciting to see things developing in a smaller area, and involvement seems so much more accessible.
Which FINALLY leads me to my actual topic for this week- building community! I am really, really passionate and excited about this idea lately (which is convenient, since the class I have to blog for is "Community Work"). One of the primary things I sought out here in Humboldt was the queer community. Over the past year I've made a handful of queer friends, and have attended any and every queer event that has occurred (there's not a lot). Last Spring I went to a Humboldt Pride board meeting hoping to get more involved. Which is of note, because I never would have thought to do so in SF- I mean, there are already so many people involved, many of whom probably have years of experience, and have been out and proud for years. And, true to the nature of this small town, I left that meeting a board member! Then over the summer, and more so the past few weeks, I've been attending meetings, distributing Pride posters, and recruiting volunteers. So yesterday was the Humboldt Pride Festival (it happens in September up here so that the students are in town). It started with a Drag Show at Auntie Mo's (the only gay bar in town) Friday night. Throughout the night, I was amazed at the various people I know who know other various people I know- one degree of separation! Which has its drawbacks, to be sure, but for the time being, it felt like community to me!
Then yesterday, the big event. A (small) parade through a conservative neighborhood (which came with controversy), and then the festival at the zoo (also controversial). Two of my friends/classmates showed up to volunteer, and ended up getting to lead the parade with the Pride banner! They are allies, and wondered if it was okay to carry the banner, but were warmly welcomed and appreciated for their help and support. We had other friends who randomly joined into the parade, as well as others who cheered on the sidelines. Later at the zoo, a handful of first-year students showed up as well. My cohort classmates and I made a point to reach out to their cohort and welcome them to the program this year, in an effort to build the social work student community.
At one point, after engaging with various friends and acquaintances from the board, from school, from soccer, etc- from long-time queer activists, to allies and friends, I shrieked excitedly at the community I was honored to be a part of. I don't know if it's just because I'm more community-minded up here, or if it really is more possible in a small town, but this experience was unlike anything I've ever known.