Henna Sundays and Other Fun Stuff at Green Roof
I’ve been living at Green Roof for two years this month. My friend, Diane, purchased the house in August 2019 and both of us want to see it become a place where creativity, sustainability and diversity are held high. There is an Airbnb upstairs (click to see photos) and a nice living room and dining room downstairs. Both of us have traveled to many countries and have roots and people we love overseas. Diane in Micronesia and me in Brazil. So, we thought celebrating these three facets of our mission through an International lens might be a really fun thing to do in Paducah, Kentucky. Covid hit and we shut down and it took all this time to get things going again…. But, it’s happening and we are looking for people who want to get involved and help shape what happens here.
Henna hand
Henna Sundays
Rachel Biel doing henna at Green Roof
I learned how to do henna in Chicago from an Indian friend. Henna is a paste that stains the skin and it’s used in celebrations all over Asia and Northern Africa. The design lasts for about a week or 10 days and it’s just plain fun! No pain and you get to pick something new every time.
I have started having Henna Sundays at the house and am thoroughly enjoying it! I’m meeting new people, getting out of my covid bubble. I will be doing it all through September:
Henna Sundays
431 South 4th Street
1-6PM
If you are on Facebook and you want to come, please sign up so I have an idea how many people are coming: Click here. You can also see our photo album on this page: Henna Sundays Album
Some photos:
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Donna Beard Veal and Jennifer Hendrix
You want to leave it on as long as possible and can scrape it off before going to bed.
Other Ideas
Movie or Travel Night
I’m thinking that this could be a weekly thing. Wednesday evenings? We have a guest who is either from another country or has travelled to one. They get to pick a movie they think might be interesting to discuss or they can share photos from their travels. We can use zoom to invite out of town guests.
We are testing this out next week! Abdul Wardak of Beads and Rugs will come as a guest. First we will watch Afghan Star and then have a discussion.
Abdul has been importing from Central Asia since the 1980’s and has a showroom in downtown Paducah, 626 Broadway. His shop is one of the best tribal bead stores in the United States and he has exquisite textiles, carpets and so much more! Abdul is an expert on life in Central Asia and is an engaging conversationalist, so this will be fun!
Abdul Wardak at a bead show.
I am looking for other people who would like to be a guest on our movie nights. We can use technology to bring in people from out of town, so we’ll just have to figure out time zones and logistics and make it happen. Leave a comment here if you are interested in sharing your story!
Monthly Pot Lucks
We pick a country and everybody brings something from that region. A fun way for foodies to try out new recipes!
Baiana at a Hippie Fair, 1980, Brazil
I grew up in Brazil and took this photo of a Baiana’s booth at a “hippie fair”. Just looking at those pastries makes my mouth water! Our staples where I grew up were rice and beans, a salad, and if people could afford it, steak or chicken. But, the cuisine is rich and varied, lots to explore!
Interested? I would love to have a couple of people help me plan this. Leave a comment or send me a message if you are interested.
Pen Pals
I work with fair trade groups around the world and thought it might be really fun to get kids from here involved with kids in other countries. Could be adults, too. A couple of the groups it would be fun to connect with are below. Click on the images to visit their websites.
Cross Cultural Collaborative in Ghana
MarketPlace: Handwork of India
MayaMam Weavers in Guatemala
I will contact the groups I know and see if any of them have any suggestions on how to do this. Who writes letters these days? We could do art and send them to the groups or something like that. We can use zoom, too, but language and time zone logistics would have to be sorted out. Please let me know if you would like to work with me on this.
Space
These things can all happen in Green Roof’s living room and dining room. If the movie nights take off and we need more space, we could take a room at the library. But, we’ll see how it goes. It’s exciting to finally see this place come to life!
We can also rent our space to others who want to host events or teach a class.
Green Roof’s Living Room
Green Roof’s Dining Room
That’s it for now! I hope to see you soon at one of Green Roof’s events!
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.
-Mark Twain
