Aaira’s Adventures: A story buried in soil

In each installment of Aaira’s Adventures, Aaira Goswami ’27 captures the fleeting emotions and quiet reflections of life at Stanford, exploring moments of growth and discovery. From joyous experiences as an international student to unraveling the unexpected, join her journey of learning more about life here.

This is going to be intense. Sweating profusely, I looked at the big shovel that was handed to me. Should I really be doing this? Is this okay? I was nervous — I hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night — and now I stood in front of a giant field with a shovel in my hand.

Ugh, how did I end up in this situation? 

For the longest time, I considered myself to be a rather unathletic person (many would agree). I did not like going to gym, I didn’t enjoy camping and I especially would never consider volunteering at a farm. It wasn’t even a thought. Yet, on a bright sunny Wednesday morning, here I was, in front of the O’Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm. The farm was bigger than I expected, with various sections dedicated to different horticulture. I entered the farm and walked up to the main area where all the volunteers had gathered. Some had wide-brimmed hats, others wore sunglasses and they all were wearing thick gloves, holding different tools. 

I felt rather reluctant and all I could think about was how wonderful it would be to be tucked in my bed right now. However, I was handed a shovel and told to remove the weeds near some crops. Several volunteers around me aggressively started stabbing the soil and I followed suit. The shovel was taller than me and heavier than I had expected. Weeding using a shovel was strenuous, but it helped drag out the taproots. I looked around me and saw that everyone else was doing it far more comfortably than me. Allison, who works at the farm, saw me struggling and showed me how to dig weeds easily. It was simple after all; all I had to do was slightly tilt the shovel and apply pressure with my foot to chop the root. I soon started enjoying the process but wished I had brought along my headphones with me. 

My next task was to use a pruner. As I stood under the scorching sun, I started talking to an old man next to me. After finding out I was from India, he began telling me about his experience in India and how he would often volunteer at the farm. 

Our next task was to pluck turnips. I was instantly transported back to being four years old, tucked into my blanket late at night at my grandparents’ house reading the “Enormous Turnip.” This was the first page-turner I had ever experienced. The story was about a turnip so enormous that several people needed to pull in sequence to get it out of the ground. Later, it was turned into turnip soup for all to enjoy. It was a beautiful story about cooperation and teamwork, and being there at the farm made me realize that that was what we were all there for. 

After we had pulled up all the turnips, we took a break by the produce washing station. Looking at the turnips that I plucked being washed, I felt a quiet sense of satisfaction. They would now head straight to the dining halls, meaning I had contributed to someone’s meal, even if in the slightest way possible. 

Will, who works at the farm, gave us all some apple pickles as we waited. He had also prepared some nacho salsa dip made from produce from the farm. It was delicious, and I could taste that it was made from fresh-picked ingredients. Many other volunteers, who come to the Farm on a regular basis, also brought several snacks. Some brought brownies while others brought nuts. The lunch break, though just 20 minutes, ended up being one of my favorite things about volunteering at the farm. 

Anyone can volunteer at O’Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm. They welcome volunteers on Wednesdays and Saturdays. What at first seemed rather daunting and not like me turned out to be a wonderful experience, an unforgettable Stanford memory that I will carry with me forever.

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