Resuming Life in CZ

By Eric Oelker, Current CZ Resident

When 60 of us returned in Fall 2007 after being gone for almost nine months, we were expecting to return to the CZ we had known prior to the retrofit.  The house, however, had changed radically.  Though it featured many new amenities, many characteristics of the house that had accumulated over the years had been wiped clean by the necessary construction.  The space was new again, and upon moving in, this 'newness' seemed daunting to returning members who were used to living in an environment that had developed years of character and style.  We had changed as well.  Our social lives had diverged from one another's during the nine months that the house had been closed.  Many returning members had to confront their expectations of resuming life in CZ as it was in the past.

            While rejuvenating and reinventing a house's culture first seemed daunting, returning members worked alongside the new members to create a community that reflected all of its current residents. The first few months were particularly challenging for the managers of the house in restocking house supplies and furniture, dealing with depleted house finances, and reinvigorating the social community through resuming old traditions as well as creating new ones. By the end of Fall semester, the hard work of every member to reinvigorate the house was evident.  The house started to feel like home again and new social ties had formed.  Around that time, board granted CZ $15,000 to use for improving our common spaces.  Since then, the house has used this money to remodel the back courtyard to its lush green glory.   Members have been coming together to build picnic tables, planter boxes, and a large trellis.  The garden in our backyard and on our roof has begun to grow back, and this change in our physical landscape reflects the blossoming of our social landscape as well.