Moving In

Newcomers to our community have made the School for International Training (SIT) campus their first home here. While this is a beautiful spot which I was happy to call my work home for many years, it is not ideal. SIT is in the middle of the woods where public transportation of any kind has traditionally been rare (although improving through the MOOVER organization). The dormitories are old and were never anything fancy, even when first built. The winters are cold and icy and so getting down the hill for groceries at Hannafords or Aldis is a dangerous trek. And the nights are long and dark so it’s hard to see folks as they make their way up and down the hill. A kind local neighbor made reflective vests available.

Still, to visit the campus is to witness community in action. Instead of being barren, as SIT was after most of the on-campus programming was moved to virtual, is is a vibrant place. Children running around and playing with bikes and scooters, teasing, fighting, laughing in a full melange of cultures and ages. People gathering at the laundry site, chatting. Women chopping vegetables together in the dorm kitchens and holding each other’s babies. It is a full-on supportive community full of life and help for one another.

Then, the time comes to move off of the hill into their homes somewhere in town which is something everyone yearns for. But, there is a sense of loss as their new home might not have the support of friendly, understanding neighbors that is present at the SIT campus. Of course, just like the students who came through SIT over the years, no one can stay there forever. And, it’s a loss that I know many of our new neighbors feel.

This post was written by Marti Anderson in September 2024.