DreemKitchen 2011 Recap

DreemKitchen 2011 Recap08/30/2011   Watch our DreemTV video of our Kitchen!! Part 1 & Part 2 Ladies and gents, this year’s Rainbow Gathering in Washington State, where we had our first annual DreemKitchen– was amazing! Our goal was to go in with as much food and supplies to make a fully operational kitchen in the backwoods of the national forest, and feed as many people as possible. And feed them we did! With healthy food made with love, and handed out for free.  By going there are an educational non-profit, with a focus on sustainability, we intended to create an environment where people could share and explore such ideas. We also wanted to be organized and focused, in order to really have the opportunity to experiment with community building techniques. Myself, along with the rest of theDreemTeam, feel proud that we accomplished these goals. We arrived at the front gate on June 23rd with four vehicles and 12 people, to unload in a rush to avoid creating traffic. With our personal and kitchen gear piled high and wide, we had no idea where we were going to camp – but knew we’d have to hike al this in before dark. Quickly our team set to work organizing, creating shelter for our equipment, and planning a scouting party. Some of us set off to hike in and find the perfect location and the rest stayed behind to watch the gear and prepare for the hike.  A scout party of about 6 hiked in, passing the “main trail” that marked the path to the “main meadow” and where we knew the majority of people and kitchens would be camping. About a mile or so past this point, the road forked and we followed it downhill – over a snowdrift that spanned the path. Following intuition, Dani pointed to an area through the trees that was still covered in snow as far as we could see. Melinda climbed up over a snow bank several feet high and went through the woods until she came across a clearing. A beautiful, secluded meadow surrounded by great trees!  With a quick pow-wow to make the decision, Shiree, Dani, and Melinda decided, “this is the space”. What a beautiful space it was too! We had no idea how incredible of a space it would turn into. Still early in the Gathering, no one else was in the meadow. As it was still raining, some of the scout crew stayed and began setting up tarps and shelter from the rain while the rest of us headed back to tell the others. Thus the day of hiking in began!  Our crew spent the entire day hauling all sorts of gear and food in, making the last load in right as headlamps were needed. Exhausted yet thrilled with accomplishment, we huddled together for some mashed potatoes and hot drinks. No fresh water yet, no fire, not much shelter to speak of. The next day would begin the process of building a temporary village from…and with…the ground up.  Our original crew of 12 steadily expanded and our little family began to grow each day. A close knit “Pack”, we would meet every morning after breakfast to talk about our previous day’s accomplishments and this day’s goals. We explored the importance of sanitation in the kitchen and latrines, the culture of the Gathering, and made every effort to create a cooperative community in our little meadow.  It was amazing how everyone came together, even those that had never heard of D.r.e.e.m. Reality, to create. The combination of skills and motivation among this core group of individuals accomplishes so much! Everything from tapping a spring for fresh water; building prep areas and counter space from fallen wood; a stove made of earth, wood, and stone; digging trenches for latrines (“Shitters”); painting signs and maps; and so on. Not to mention the constant camp duties of cooking, filtering water, cleaning dishes, collecting and chopping wood, and maintaining camp moral in the biting cold, rain. It rained at different intensities all the way through the building of camp. And so very cold! It could have been very miserable…to tell the truth, it was for several people! The days were filled with hard work and little food, as we attempted to conserve what food we had bought, to last for the whole time. Intending to feed an unknown amount of people, we really skimped for the first week. The nights were very cold, but the love our tribe shared by the “Bliss pit” (fire pit) warmed us all. We shared music and stories, discussions and drum circles, as we huddled around our modest sized Bliss – hoping for sunshine and stars to come soon. It seemed as though any wish we made would come true. You may be familiar that a large desire for us, prior to the Gathering, was to have a Cobb Oven at the Kitchen. After taking part in a wonderful Cobb Building Workshop, we realized how complicated and labor intensive it would be to build an oven. We had decided that building a kitchen would take more than enough effort and that perhaps we would hold off on the oven. By the third or fourth day, a beautiful group of people came to us with the specific desire to build a Cobb Oven and was looking for the right place! Blissville, as they called themselves, and DreemKitchen quickly joined forces and within a few days we had our very own oven! Those folks were so marvelous, hiking in 100 lbs of bricks, sand and wood. They gathered others to work with them, scouting sand and clay – to build a fabulous wood burning, sun-sculpted oven! We had pizzas and bread…oh my, what an unimaginable treat for such a place! By the time July 1st, the “official” starting date of the Gathering, had arrived DreemKitchen was impressively established. And our meadow’s population began to double every day. Finally, the sun had come out as well! We had decided to not worry about our food supply, and instead made as much food as we could – we had to, there were so many people showing up now! With the release of food, more food came. Other campers everyday donated good, nutritional food and our pantry exploded with nourishment. Apples, mangos, vegetables, canned food, rice and grains, chocolate, and more!  Our location, near the path to the main gate, allowed us to be the “backdoor” to the Gathering. This gave us the great privilege to often be the first Kitchen that many people encountered, and our energy was very welcoming and inclusive. Perhaps this is why people felt so moved to contribute and believed the space to have some of the “best vibes”. An interesting shift happened around that time, where the close knit Pack that built this home in a secluded meadow was now greatly outnumbered. Our meadow, our kitchen, was no longer ours. It had taken on a life of it’s own – and it was beautiful. People constantly asked how they could help, and there was always help needed. Chopping food, doing dishes, wood, fire tending, hole digging, water collecting. Before I knew it, there were people running an entire meal that I never met, and it was a struggle to release control. But it was so good. The incredible power of community swept through the place and it became alive.  Interestingly, there was a sense of separation between the original Pack and the rest of the population. Some of them had relocated to the meadow many were just wanderers, going from one kitchen to the next. Some plugged in and helped, some just were passing through and experiencing. The Pack tended to keep to the Kitchen stove fire in the evening as musicians and people of all kinds flooded our Bliss pit. We loved the space we created together, but felt a slight sense of invasion – haha!  Unlike my previous years at Rainbow Gatherings, not part of a Kitchen, I experienced a different side of the culture. The pressure and expectations of a kitchen, as if we were being paid for our labor and needed to provide prompt, perfect service. It was interesting to witness my own energy become more protective of the little bit of space we could claim inside of the Kitchen. Amazing how a handcrafted fence-thing can create a sense of security when you’re feeling crowded. We all learned the importance and health of boundaries to maintain sanity and organization.  July 4th is the major day of celebration at the Rainbow Gathering, and is the highest population. We counted somewhere around 400 people at our morning circle! As with every morning, before breakfast, we would gather in a circle to give thanks and bring the community together as one. It was beautiful. And on the 4th the circle took up half of the meadow (which we had deemed “Magic Marsha”)! It was a truly incredible feeling to have so many people intimately connected, elbows linked, and smiling. The evening of the 4th was almost overwhelmingly busy, as our Bliss Pit rocked with live music into the early morning hours. As we did every evening, we prepared “Zu-zus” for everyone…which is basically something that taste really good. It usually includes chocolate, a highly valuable commodity at the Rainbow Gathering.  By the 6th, the crowds had left and we were decreasing in population as quickly as we had increased prior to the 4th. Just as we had been greeters to many at the beginning, we were able to wish people safe travels and big smiles as they hiked out. More food and supplies being donated all the while. By the 7th, it became clear what clean up needed to be done.  Many people, unfortunately, just abandon their trash and unwanted gear at their sites. Personal fire pits were left exposed and trails beaten by thousands of people walking them. Luckily, there are many people that also remain in the forest until it is clean – aerating ground, burying fire pits, picking up trash, and re-seeding. This is traditionally referred to as “Clean up crew”, and there are few kitchens that stay behind to feed these wonderful people.  DreemKitchen had a dedicated Pack that stayed behind as well. Some of them were there since the beginning, even before we arrived. The kitchen transformed to contain the bare minimum and those that stayed behind were ones that were familiar with “roughing it”. We can’t thank these Dreemers enough for their real efforts to “leave no trace” for the Kitchen as well as everyone else that came and left.  Melinda and Dani left with the majority of the Kitchen gear on July 8th, making the last hike out with 4 large Tupperware and several large packs. Somehow we managed to get all the gear out that came in four vehicles…minus what had been taken by others.  Again, DreemKitchen was such a truly incredible experience. We learned so much about leadership, organization, community, rustic building techniques, and more. Next year is bound to be another magnificent year! To all of the Pack, you know who you are, we love you. Never could we have expected to have such a magical experience, and without you we surely wouldn’t have. Thank you my brothers and sisters, you are all close to my heart and I am so enthusiastic about continuing to create with you. To everyone who contributed to DreemKitchen, whether through physical labor, music, food or financial contribution, and of course love – thank you as well. Together we all manifested something I will cherish the rest of my life.  Until next year!  Weeeeeee LOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEE Yooooooooooooouuuuuuuu! ~Dani PS – to check on the progress of the official report on DreemKitchen, go HERE. This includes all the prepping material, transcriptions of morning meetings, personal accounts, and thoughts about next year’s Kitchen. If you would like to contribute your thoughts and experience, please contact me (Danielle@DreemReality.org) – there will be a Post-Rainbow Questionnaire for all those who want to participate! PSS – Stay tuned for a video slideshow of DreemKitchen to be made as soon as possible!