We had a leaving ceremony tonight. It’s not anything new, we have one every week for the volunteers that are leaving. Along with the reality that the people who were here when you arrived won’t be here when you go is the reality that everyone here now has been here a shorter length of time in comparison to you. You become the “senior vollie.” You don’t so much realize you’ve become the senior person until someone says “you need to show me that before you go.” And you realize that someone is aware you will depart. As senior you are expected to know how to solve all problems such as cooking rice for 60 in fewer than 10 minutes, or how to thaw frozen bread quickly without using the microwave.
During our Saturday tea break which only staff attends, no guests are on the island, we sit in the refectory (dining hall). It is a quick break because there is so much to get done, but the senior kitchen vollie is expected to prepare a special for tea – like banana fritters or toffee, banana and cookie crumbles. The ultimate insult would be to serve plan old cookies. (I am thinking smores.)
This week I become the senior kitchen vollie. And most of all it means that all the people who have taught me so much in the past five weeks have returned to whatever was their “real” life. One was headed to a new life as a cook on a yacht. One was headed to cooking school. One was headed to a protest rally against injustice to others. One returns to college to continue her education. What is means is that I have to know that those I will leave are prepared to be the senior vollie.
This is a thin place.
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