We’re excited to bring the second part of our interview with Amelia, a student who joined us in 2019 and who transitioned from our program at the beginning of winter break. Amelia was an active and crucial member of our Foxfield Flowers crew, where she feels that she truly found her calling. She also formed lifelong friendships while here at Beaver Farm, and she shares a bit about all of this and some advice for students new to Camphill below.
Sam: Can you tell me a little about the pre-vocational crews you were in and what you worked on while you were there?
Amelia: I didn’t know that I would really enjoy Foxfield Flowers as much as I do. Well, in the beginning, I felt like it was a lot of work when I first started, and then as I got through the first entire season of Foxfield, when it came to the second season, I really appreciated some of the things we did. When I first came, I really didn’t like weeding, but now when I’ve had to do weeding, I’m not bothered by it so much anymore. I thought I would like washing trays, but after doing the repetitive motion so many times, I realized it was making me feel more obsessed, and that was making me feel anxious. I didn’t think that I was going to like the planting and the transplanting, but after doing it a couple of times, I really enjoyed that. Even though some seeds are really tiny, you need to take the time and focus and make sure that you get the correct number of seeds in the cell tray.
Sam: What about friendships? Were you able to make any friends here at Beaver Farm? Did you have any social interactions that were difficult?
Amelia: Haley and I became very good friends very fast, and Maxine, Sasha, Ellie, Sarah, and Asa. It was a little easier to make friends here, and that’s because even if it’s hard to make friends with someone the regular way, you can just kind of make friends by having fun or being silly together, and you have that connection, and you get to know the person that way.
Living with someone who I didn’t get along with was hard, but really good because I learned how to stand up for myself instead of always running to an adult to fix my issues for me.
Sam: I know you have some really exciting plans for when you leave Beaver Farm. Do you want to share any of them with us?
Amelia: When I leave Beaver Farm, I’m going to go to Leander house in Great Barrington, which is 8 minutes from my mom’s house. I’ll have some help, and some support some of the time, but then I get to have my independence in the areas where I am able. I’m going to get a job, and I’m going to take a singer-songwriter class. I’m working on creating and building my Etsy store, where I’ll sell things that I create, like stickers and phone wallpaper or different crafts that I make in my free time. I want to get a job that is working with flowers since that is something I didn’t think I’d ever like, but now I found I really like it.
Sam: Well, you’ll always be a part of Beaver Farm. Is there anything you are going to take with you?
Amelia: I’m going to miss all of the people I live with the most and the people I work with. And all of the animals too. I’ve always been an animal lover since I was little, so I will miss seeing them every day. I really think being at Beaver Farm has helped me a lot, and I feel like I’m ready to go through the steps of getting a job or applying for a job and having an interview.
Some of my favorite memories were last year my house went to Blue Marsh, and even though we all got a really bad sunburn, we still had a lot of fun and swam and ate good food, and it was just a lot of fun. I also really enjoyed going to the trampoline park on Friday outreach.
Sam: Do you have any advice for someone coming to Beaver Farm? Maybe someone who didn’t get to go to Beaver Run and who is new to being a part of Camphill?
Amelia: I would say that when you first come, it’s not going to be easy, and it might be hard, but as you get used to being here and used to everyone you see every day, that over time it will get easier and you will really enjoy being at Beaver Farm and not want to leave.