The gardening club at EF Academy New York

I knew I made the right decision to join the Gardening Club for term one’s club offerings. Through the Gardening Club, we developed not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally. We had so much work to do before we could start planting in the gardens again after the summer holidays. The soil was not in the best condition to nurture new plants and flowers. We planned out carefully what we wanted to grow and the necessary steps to take in order to achieve our goals. Due to the limited amount of time before winter, we did our best to rake the soil and quickly decorate the garden to prepare for Halloween and exams. Afterwards, we studied the techniques to grow tomatoes and other vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, and more.

At EF Academy New York, we have over 100 clubs and activities to choose from and for me, the Gardening Club was the one that best fit the bill. Clubs are important because they allow you to connect with peers you may not have otherwise known. You also can develop a passion or at least pick up a new hobby and for a club like gardening, it’s a nice way to take a break from your studies and be outdoors.

Our ultimate goal was to use the garden as a method of healing ourselves from stress, to open up our minds to nature, and to learn how to be caring. Working in the garden required a lot of physical strength, so it was the ideal “gym” for us to go to every Monday, or really whenever we felt the desire to go work in the garden. The garden gives students an opportunity to work together and connect with each other. It was such a great experience during this semester and the Gardening Club stills has many future projects planned out. Remember to drop by and check out the garden when you are feeling under the weather, or even when you are elated. It really boosts your emotions and enhances your learning efficiency!

Written by Vu Tien (Jake) Hai, former student at EF Academy New York