Try to remember, while you may be bubbling with questions, some folks here are not exactly jumping up and down to give you the answers. The visitor program is absolutely necessary, but it means having guests in our "house" for 3/4ths of the year. Some members (like all of the CVPs) are happy to answer questions almost all the time, but we have developed norms to take care of members who don't share this desire:

Ask about Asking - when you see a member you need information from, start by asking, "Is it all right if I ask you a question about ____?" This will give the member a chance to say, "no," if it is a bad time and redirect you to someone else, or perhaps give a better time to chat later.

Don't be afraid to ask - There is no such thing as a stupid question and don't apologize for asking. We recognize that visitors have to ask questions to understand what is going on.

Learn to say, "No" - You will likely get more requests for work than you can handle. Never be afraid to say, "no," to a request, even if you have free time for the period they are requesting about. It will not be held against you in any way. However, the best way to get to know people is to work with them, so say, "yes," as often as comfortable.

Avoid asking questions at the steam table @ ZK.

Why didn't s/he say, "hi," to me?

Imagine this: you have a pleasant evening conversation with someone from the community. You feel like you have connected well with them and maybe even have a new friend. You see them on the path the next day and you smile, say, "hello," and wait for a response. They just breeze by you, not really seeming to recognize you. Did you do something wrong? What is going on here?

No, you did not do anything wrong. You have just been hit by one of the cultural differences between Twin Oaks and the, "outside world." Because we see each other so often, some people don't say, "hello," every time they walk by someone that they know. Another way to look at it is that you would not say, "hi," to everyone in your home when you saw them each day -- and this is our home.

Fun Stuff

Twin Oaks is much more than just labor credits and work. Be sure to try at least some of these:

    Go for a canoe ride on the river
    Walk on the trails through the woods
    Live music at the compost café (nights)
    Swim in the pond or jump in the mud pit
    Do a sweat lodge or sleep in the Teepee
    Bicycling with one of the off-the-farm bikes
    Listen to historic tapes in the Hammocks shop
    Ultimate Frisbee (Monday nights)
    Basketball/volleyball/Ping-Pong/darts
    Movies at the Bijou (Fri, Sat & Sun)
    Saturday Night Poker (look out for Rollie)
    Pottery
    Quaker meeting or Church (Sun)
    Eccumenical Shabbat on Fri at the compost café
    Finding all the tree houses (4)
    Round Singing (esp. in winter)
    Cooperative Games / Group Juggling
    Check out the extensive distributed library
    Contra Dancing in Charlottesville
    See "Today Board" in ZK for upcoming events
    Serious Scrabble
    Anything you can organize or imagine