New Cuyama, CA - March 2023

During my stay in New Cuyama I got to get a closer look at what it is like to live in a rural area. New Cuyama doesn't have all these places to go out to like big cities do, nevertheless, I learned that the population here is happier than in many other places. Even though this is a very small town, it is full of rich history and culture. I was able to learn a lot from Carmen's presentation about the indigenous history and culture. How they connect with the land and use their resources and come together through dancing and singing. It was fascinating learning about and seeing all the amazing artifacts and instruments she brought. Blue Sky Center is one of the assets of New Cuyama that I also enjoyed learning about. It is amazing how they were able to build all these beautiful rooms and use them to raise money for the town by renting them out for weddings and parties. It was also fascinating to see the shirt printing, and the system they have as well as visiting Alex at work and seeing his car projects and how he makes parts for these cars out of wood. On our last day at New Cuyama we got to visit a high school to do an art project with the students where we got to connect with them and learn more about their lifestyle. We also got to visit an organic farm where we learned that two people were able to make an organic farm to provide for the community in their backyard. It is amazing how something so small can turn into something so big.