So today I had my first "official" day of my senior project. To quote my advisor, I now feel "orientated." 

I arrived at Adelante Agricultura's Forest Grove office around 10 am to talk with Anne about my duties and the scope of this internship. We reviewed the history and purpose of the organization, and she described some of the people on the microfinance team, most of whom I would meet later in the day. Adelante Mujeres, the nonprofit of which Adelante Agricultura is a subdivision, works to empower low-income Latino communities. They offer educational programs, including English language and entrepreneurship classes, capital exchanges to help people entering the business world, and political and community leadership opportunities. Adelante Agricultura gives opportunities to Latinos interested in farming and spreads education about sustainable agriculture. They also run the Forest Grove Farmers' Market, which I will visit tomorrow!

We walked over to Adelante Mujeres's main office so I could meet most of the other people in the organization. I was introduced to more people whose names I can remember, but they were all warm and kind and greeted "the intern" with enthusiasm. 

After introductions, Anne and I walked back to Adelante Agricultura to talk more about me and my schedule. My first task will be to complete a map design for the children's garden, which I will have done by next Tuesday. After that, I will need to do some fundraising, find out what materials we need and get them, and recruit volunteers both to help me with the project now and to continue maintaining the garden through the summer, after senior projects have ended. 

Currently, I have a bunch of seedlings lounging in the science building, waiting for the day they can be planted in the soil--this will happen within the next few weeks. My little nursery consists of purple pole beans, sweet corn, popcorn, striped zucchini, buttercup squash, cucumbers, the ugliest melons nature ever designed (if the picture on the seed packet is to be trusted. They looked so lumpy and misshapen that I felt obligated to love them), Purple Cherokee tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, a variety of herbs, and a few flowers. Depending on how well my plants continue to grow, I will probably need to acquire a few more plant starts, especially tomatoes and peppers, because mine are pretty dinky. Anne and Alejandro, her office partner, suggested a climbing bean trellis, which I think is an awesome idea.

Tomorrow I will probably do some reading and sketching, and then I get to go to the farmers' market! I will take pictures of it.