Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Words I Wish We Used

[Jenny Guy (jenstermeister]

I like the term common house, but when describing it to people unfamiliar
with cohousing, I  often call it the clubhouse.

I have a lot more trouble with the word Cohousing. I can't count the number
of people I've talked with who think cohousing means sharing a house,
having roommates. That's where I really feel the difference between
cohousing insiders and the uninitiated, and where I have to define the term.

Jenny Guy
Kingfisher Cohousing, Oakland Calif.

On Mon, Sep 7, 2015 at 7:00 AM, Ruth J Hirsch <heidinys [at] earthlink.net>
wrote:

>
> Hi,
>
> Yes,  I refer to our CommonHouse as our Community Center to other local
> folks.  Folks know what a community center is.
> It works.
>
> Ruth hirsch
> Cantines Island
> Saugerties
> Approaching twenty years;  one building lot available.
>
>
>
> Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2015 17:40:48 -0700
> From: Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah <welcome [at] olympus.net>
> To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
> Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Words I Wish We Used
>
>
> I too find "common house" a term which is misleading to the uninitiated.
> It's not a house which multiple families live in, a la commune. It's not
> even a house. When referring to it, to visitors for example, I refer to it
> as our "community hall". That takes care of the common ownership, and
> "hall" makes people think of a meeting hall, a dining hall, a parish hall,
> a place for big events, a place more public than a private home. Which
> pretty much covers the territory.
>
> Maraiah Lynn Nadeau
> RoseWind Cohousing, long-built, in Port Townsend WA
> (where we are finally getting some rain)
> PS:  I have an intermittent e-mail glitch.  If you write and do not hear
> back from me shortly, please call me or please re-send.  Thank you,  Ruth
>
>