In Ecotopia for the Summer

In Ecotopia for the Summer

(June 9) I’ve come to Ecotopia for the summer to spend time with my friend, Trisha, who moved here two years ago. I must say that the experience so far has been pretty interesting– Trisha lives in Oakland, which is one of the bigger cities here, but it lacks the typical city components that I’m used to. First of all, it’s SUPER quiet for a city. There is no vehicular traffic– I’ve only seen one car since I’ve been here. Most people here walk, ride bikes, or travel via a trolley-like thing. The loudest sounds that I hear are peoples’ voices and music drifting from sidewalk restaurants and stores.

Also, the people here are very warm and welcoming– it feels like everyone is part of one big family. The only downside to this is that everyone that I meet wants to engage in conversation, which does become pretty draining at some point. Trisha tells me that Oakland is a city-state within Ecotopia and that it, along with the other city-states, is a little different from other parts of Ecotopia. Oakland is predominantly Black, and so is the city-state in San Francisco, but there is a city-state called Chinatown that I assume is predominantly Asian.

The cultural vibes here are amazing– similar to the Black communities in the U.S. but on a whole nother level. It makes me so happy to see my people so connected, not only to each other, but also to the Earth. There is poetry and artwork all over building walls that is made with colors derived from earth-based materials. Everyone here recycles and the city as a whole operates much more sustainably than our cities do.

Ooh… Something that I found interesting is that they teach all of the kids Swahili in the schools here!

I really like it here. The pace is pretty slow but I think I could get used to it. I may really get to explore and develop my passions since I won’t have work taking up all of my time. Here everyone is free to live.

I’m excited to find out what the rest of the summer will bring!

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