Archives for September 2016

Journey starts in the garden! First stop is Zagreb. But not before we load up the van.

We are lucky to have these lovely fresh veggies from Sandra’s mom garden. Most popular vegetable garden plants in Croatia are tomatoes, green beans that come in many varieties, onions, carrots, collard greens, Swiss chard, spinach, kale, beets, scallions and peppers. Climate in Zagreb is very similar to New Jersey’s climate with 4 seasons, hot summers and cold winters, but less humid.

Loaded up and going now.

I am secretly hoping to get my turn driving, and I do!
As the day progresses it is getting colder and a heavy rain starts in the early afternoon. Thermometer reading is 12 degrees Celsius (54F), unusually low for August. I am wearing all of the clothes that I packed in layers and I am still cold. August heat that I was worried about will clearly not be an issue during our trip. I hear on the news that other parts of Europe are also experiencing a cold spell.

After a few phone calls and some navigating through the city streets, we arrived at our very first community garden!!

Our host is Vanja, a long time community organizer and a blogger of all things Zagreb related. He is also one of the editors of the web-page Mapiranje Tresnjevke (Tresnjevka Mapping). The page is an example of collaborative exploration of one of Zagreb’s neighborhoods (Tresnjevka) by its own inhabitants and sharing of the information with the world at:
http://www.mapiranjetresnjevke.com/tresnjevka-mapping-croatian-mapiranje-tresnjevke/

To take a look at Vanja’s blog – Unknown Zagreb (in Croatian language only, but with some interesting pictures of the city) – please go to:
http://blog.dnevnik.hr/nepoznatizagreb/2016/07/index.html

Eko Ekipa Precko (Eko Team Precko) is the name of this community garden as well as the community group whose members see themselves as an alternative urban community.

Mex, Sanja, Goran, Vanja

Garden in the early stage

(Image used by Vanja’s permission)

It was great to see all of he things that a community can do when connected. There is an old Croatian saying that comes to mind, “all of the people posses all of the knowledge”. Therefore knowledge will only be complete when all people are connected.

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I will be traveling to Croatia as a recipient of the DeBoer Prize from the Department of Landscape Architecture here at Rutgers, as well as the SEBS Study Abroad Program. My goal is to explore different ways that local communities are dealing with a post war trauma.

Croatian War for Independence ended in August 1995, over 15 years ago but country still faces issues like high unemployment rate, many cases of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), political instability and a negative migration rate (many people are migrating to Western Europe, US, Canada and Australia). I am especially interested in the role that community gardens play in the process of community recovery. My plan is to take a look at community gardens in three distinct areas of Croatia: central part with it’s capital Zagreb, border-line (towns of Sisak and Gospic) and sea-side (Island of Rab and city of Rijeka).

I know that Croatian landscapes will be stunning, but am nervous about documenting everyday lives of everyday people as this requires a bit of invading other people’s privacy; not my favorite thing to do.

While packing for the trip many thoughts are racing through my mind.
I am starting to get nervous about Croatian gardens in August. August is the best harvest time in NJ gardens, while in Croatia I run a chance of looking at a handful of dried up plants and the gardeners away on vacation by the Adriatic sea or visiting family in another town. August is traditionally a vacation month, when most Croatians take off of work and head down to the sea. Large companies close for the “Collective Summer Vacation”. Some of my contacts are now referring me to other people who will replace them while they are on vacation, and some of “other people” are leaving on vacations too.

On the other hand, I have received news of my friend Mex joining me and Sandra (his girlfriend) with his Volkswagen bus, and now we have an “official driver”. Volkswagen will be our transportation and our home for the ten days that it will take us to travel around Croatia in search of community gardens and community binds.

I am looking at my packed suitcase now and  know that I must keep on going and hope for the best.