A beautiful and sunny day in San Francisco, which however didn't start until 11.30am for me as I for once was able to sleep in and seized the opportunity. This led to me feeling incredibly happy and content for the rest of the day - oh, the power of sleep!

 

Let's move on. So, after my long and beautiful sleep in, I met the other RA's, Susan and Katie (our supervisors) in the lobby of the Residence Hall and we made our way along the busy and rather sketchy Market Street until we reached UN Plaza. UN Plaza is an open space in the middle of the Financial district of San Francisco and is generally is a popular spot for homeless people and various seemingly unemployed to spend their time at. However, every Wednesday and Sunday each week it opens up for farmers from all over California to come and sell their fruits and vegetables.

 

According to the guy who gave us an introdution to the history and purpose of this farmer's market, it is placed in this very location solely for the purpose of providing the "food desert" of the Financial district with a sustainable and healthy source of food. And it is true that there are barely any supermarkets, restaurants and cafes in this area. The market has made a reputation of keeping its prices down in favor of the many poor living off government aid in this particular area, and at the end of the day the farmers usually sell off their remaining items in so called "dollar bags", and if there is still food left it is donated to the many soup kitchens around the city and provides food for the homeless population. 

 

We were taken there as an introdution to what we are going to show our residents when they arrive next week, and since the market is so incredibly close to us, it is a very convenient and sustainable place to do our grocery shopping. I really liked the concept of the market as it provides a chance for small business farmers to sell their crops, as well as gives the poorer part of the San Francisco population an alternative to Burger King and fast food. In this increasingly hostile and ignorant world, it was beautiful to see this strive for humanity and sustainability in the middle of a bustling and rushing city. 

 

The rest of the day the other RA's and I spent on the 4th floor of our Residence Hall decorating and building furniture as well as cleaning out dusty and misused rooms. It's actually looking pretty decent after today, and I'm sure it will look even better after tomorrow. I will try to take some pictures when it's done, and I will also try to upload the pictures I took today at the market! 

 

Puss och kram, skumbanan!