I had to head over the Union Station to the Education building to get my fingerprints, so I rode the Metro there, and then walked in what I thought was the right direction. It was but on the way, this guy stopped me. I saw his shirt beforehand and I knew what he was doing. It was a Greenpeace shirt, and he was recruiting people to join. He caught me when he said, "Are you an environmentalist?" Which is true. So I replied, "yes," and figured that fingerprinting could be stalled for a little while. He told me a story of how seven guys had a mission, and went to Alaska and somehow they caused nuclear testing to be illegal in America. I talked to him for about five minutes, and learned that his name was Aaron. I told him that as much as I'd like to support GreenPeace, I was a college student and didn't have any money.
"Which college do you attend?"
"Eastern Mennonite University, which you have never heard of (my unconscious disclaimer)"
"Well, actually, do you know of a Mennonite community in Indiana?"
"Yea, Goshen. Are you from Goshen?"
"Elkhart."
"Cool." etc etc and so on and so forth.
It was great to meet someone that had Mennonite connections. I asked him directions to the building of which I was headed and he pointed me in the right direction.
I walked into 825 North Capitol St, and had to sign in and go through a metel detector, rode the elevator to the ninth floor, as per directions, went to the desk and told the lady what I was doing there. She told me to sit down and that "she'd be out in a moment."
So I waited, and people walked through. All were dressed in their best, in heels that couldn't be comfortable to walk in, with their shirts tucked in, and their hair up. Soon a woman in her late twenties came out had I handed her my application.
She started scanning over it, making sure it was all filled out, and then she stopped mid line, and asked me, "You are working for Colman McCarthy? How often do you get to see him?"
"Everyday."
"That is so amazing. I used to work at the Washington Center for Interns, and I read some of his books and never gave them back. I should write him a check for them."
She proceeded to finish checking my application, and said,"When you get your letter of approval, I might send some money for the books that I have of his."
I thought that Colman probably couldn't care less about the money, just that the knowledge was getting out, but I didn't say so.
I walked back to the Metro, went home and ate food. Then I proceeded to put "Pulp Fiction" into the VCR because I didn't want to watch soap operas... EPIC FAIL. Because I have never seen "Pulp Fiction" before. So we turned it off after about an hour of me leaving it on and playing Tetris at the same time, and also cleaning my room and packing.
To get to EMU, we all decided that we would leave and ride the metro to the western most part and then Lindsay's dad would come and pick us up. So that's what we did. I had to leave at 4:30, and then I rode the metro all the way to Vienna, and read Deborah Good's "Long After I'm Gone" the entire way. When I got to Vienna, I found a corner, sat down, and waited for Lindsay and Jess to get there. Jess arrived first, and we shared the remnants of her supper and my sandwich. We shared an apple and a sandwich. We looked kind of like travelers on a low budget. That is, until Lindsay arrived. With bags of catered food from her work. Our ride to EMU was uneventful. We knew the snow was coming, but we had no fear. It didn't arrive until Friday morning.
We got to EMU. I scanned myself (there was a card involved) into Maplewood, and decided to peek in the lounge to see who was there. I saw Paul, and decided to stop in and say hi. Which turned into ten minutes of interrogation by Ben and Jon, who were also there. But it was great none the less. Ben helped me carry my bags to Bekah's room, and then I went searching for people to greet. I went to 2nd Maplewood next, and saw Austin, Taylor, and Tyler (with Gibbles Potato Chips) and talked a little bit, and went on my way.
I made it over to Elmwood and wandered down my old hall and wondered who was in my room. I saw Esther was in Pittsburgh, which made me sad, because I wanted to see her, but then I walked down Elmwood North and came upon Autumn's nineteenth birthday party. I saw Monica, Deanna, Autumn, Grace, Bodner, Jacob, and Seth. It was great to see them, and hug them, but after that, there wasn't much to say. It seems that time and maturity are what separate us now. I still connect with Bodner and Monica, but now I'm a bystander of a group of friends. I'm okay with it. I walked down to Ellie's room, and got her really excited and made her quit homework for a moment. We got to talk and that was really great.
Janelle had told me that there was a volleyball game of hers in the Commons, so I headed over there to see her. Along with Ryan, James, and Jenna. It was good to see more familiar faces. I didn't stay long, as I'd left my phone in Bekah's room, and after texting her from Janelle's phone, I headed back over to Maplewood, and located Bekah and Jamila. It was great. Bekah almost took me out. I was afraid she was going to. We went over to Cedarwood and had tea and bread with Allie and talked about love and things, and then we went over to Taylor and Austin's room and I met Doran, someone who transferred to EMU and was from Freeman Academy, and knew who Abi was.
Bekah and I stayed up until midnight talking about DC and what it was really doing for me, and about her life, where she's going from here (CHAD) and what's next for her and Tyler.
Friday morning brought moments of putzing followed by extreme efficiency in getting ready (this is usually what happens every morning.)--I decided to go to breakfast with Bekah. And then saw Common Grounds, checked my phone and decided that I would go to Common Grounds to meet with Laura then. And we did. I got a Tomato Basil and Coffee. First it was House Roast, then French Vanilla, then Decaf (a wise decision). We talked through DC, Zach, my major, and it was great to hear what she thought about all those things. One of the things I appreciated hearing the most was about my major and what she thought about the idea of me being a teacher versus me being a Liberal Arts Major. Laura said that although I might be a great teacher, she thought I'd enjoy teaching high schoolers, for relating to them, but that I shouldn't necessarily consider obtaining a major just to use my scholarship up, and that I might instead be well in getting my degree and finding a job that uses my people relationship skills. And this I agreed with.
Although they cancelled Honors weekend before we left for EMU, around lunch time, they replanned some spontaneous events and Meg and I had to plan to present our Personal Impact Projects. So there were about ten Honors prospective students, and all of their parents, and we winged it.
I had forgotten about my car crash picture. And I threw in a final slide about "Gleaning" (as Colman calls it) which is another word for Dumpster Diving. It was pretty funny. I was all over the place. Judy said it was better the second time.
We played games with the "prospys" as some would call them (ahem. Evan) and then we had supper and the evening contained volleyball and soccer for me. I was angry. I'm not exactly sure about what, and later realized I just didn't quite feel at home like I used to, and it was getting to me.
This was kind of my thought process.-- It's sometimes hard to be in places where I don't feel at home. I feel uncomfortable, and although I'm surrounded by friends, there's an aspect--a piece missing, and it's not quite right. I'm certain it would be different if I was traveling through, if I was welcomed to a bed and treated like a member of the family. That's how I am comfortable--I like to be related to. (and not just in the sense of family)
So yesterday, it was hard to be at EMU but not have a place where I could go to chill, or go to bed.
I slept on Bekah's floor Thursday night, that which is not carpeted. I made it through the night, although neither sleeping on my stomach, back, or sides were ultimately comfortable. But I have to learn to make do sometime. I guess it's really humbling for me to live somewhere where I don't have everything I need, and I have to depend on their mercy to get into the cafeteria (there was going to be great options, as the Honors program was going to have some sort of food all weekend. But then that was cancelled, so I've had to feed from everyone's Den money. Not my favorite way to go.--
I moved down to Leah's room for the next night. I wanted to be able to sleep in a bed, and she had one open. Saturday morning I woke up with sore muscles from soccer, and hunger. I solved my problems with a bagel, of the few that had made their way into my coat with a couple apples. I ate lunch in the caf with people--I got to meet Silas, Emily and Joshua's newest addition to the Elmwood dream team, and then I went back to the dorm. At some point, I ended up in Crystal's room, and we just started talking. I was processing the whole idea about how I didn't really feel at home and she said that she'd felt that way before, and that EMU didn't really feel like a home for her. We watched the movie, "The Gods Must Be Crazy" with Leah and a jar of peanuts which we located in the kitchen. It was a great movie, which I remember watching when I was really little, but it was hilarious to watch a second time.
We made tea, and I decided that she would be a great roommate and we decided to do that.
That evening, I watched the second half of the second and the third Bourne movie with a whole bunch of people in the Maplewood second lounge. It was a great movie, and the connections to vampires I cannot decide how they came about, but they were there. It was always about, "Why does he still have that blood on his hand?" "Well, it's because he's a vampire." Hilarious.
Then Late Night in the Commons rolled around, and someone broke out the four square. There was free pizza involved in the event, and so there was a line involved. I got in line right behind Robert, who I met the first day I was at EMU, at the Perkins Loan Meeting, and after he let one person butt into line with him, all of them came. And his excuse? "It's because I'm a minority, they all come to me."Haha Robert, very funny. But he's a nice guy. Can't avoid those. That's probably why he brought so many people to him in line.
I had a slice of cheese pizza and then I played volleyball with Nils, Ingrid, Jess, Danny (who was an Honors Prospective Student), and Taylor. It was fun. I felt accomplished, although I did not appreciate Nils' remark about me being a better volleyball player than my sister.
I was going to go to bed early, but Ellie and I got to talk, and that was great for her and for me. I needed to talk to her. We were going to go running, but plans changed. Next time I come down, we're going to go. Then I was really going to go to bed, and Jamie comes and visits (she actually ends up spending the night (but this happens often)), and tells me about her life and the interesting not-so-good parts as well.
I go to sleep while Jamie and Leah start to get slap happy.
On Sunday, I woke up to the vibrating of my phone with a text from Bekah "Church". They were having their house church, in maplewood lounge, and so I decided to go, and came in my pajamas. We sang great songs and discussed scripture and it was great. Then we all went to lunch together, and it was a happy day. I really enjoyed the service--the music especially. It's been awhile since I've been a part of worship music that I liked.
Because of the snowiness outside and the knowledge that DC was failing with cleaning it up, Jess, Linds and I all decided to leave on Monday because we all knew we wouldn't have work. So I go to go to Janelle's Superbowl party. But not before Bekah got her hair cut, and I cut the last row across the back (which I have never done before). And not before I straightened Joel and Bekah's hair and colored pictures. And not before I played some epic games of Rook with Joel (different Joel), Josh, and Brook. And then played a prank on Edwin which involved Joel hitting him with a broom, Brook "hiding" under the cushions in the couch, and his notes (for making graphs for fun!) were hidden in a cereal box and the oven. We gave him SO many hints, but he just couldn't get that "You should make cookies, Edwin." or "Whose cereal is that, Edwin? You should use it in the cookies you make. No, I don't know how to preheat the oven, Edwin, can you show me?"
I love playing Rook.
The Superbowl Party was epic. Although I accidently consumed a chip dip with bacon in it (woe is me!), there were great commercials to make fun of. (I now expect a screaming chicken to appear in almost every commercial on television, and for it to be for Denny's), and also plays to make fun of (the ref did a dance when the two-point-conversion happened. He looked like he belonged in the sixties for a second. He was that enthusiastic.) And of course, the horrid halftime show--The Who. The drummer was legitimate, but he couldn't remove the pucker from his lips, or the facial expression in general. It was quite a show from his face point. And the bassist was close to having a wardrobe malfunction as his shirt rode up, and we could see flesh, and the occasional belly button. The lead vocalist, well, his scarf matched his glasses. And he reminded Jamila of Phillip...
We made some crude comments, wondering what the players would look like, with their thick necks, without their uniforms on... oh Jamila. I think I said something funny at some point, although I cannot define it.
I went to bed before twelve. I think.
On Monday, I turned in my Learning Disciples Intentional Community housing form, with Crystal, and then I went to lunch and said goodbye to people. But not Jamila, which made me sad. I didn't see her before she left. I was all ready to go at twelve and I walked to the Physical Plant Parking lot, and I called Lindsay and it turns out she had changed the time to one and forgotten to tell me, so I just went back to Maplewood and wrote a song. Then I went back out at one, and waited by the entrance underneath the physical plant and journaled, sitting on my stuff, waiting for them to arrive.
We finally left around 1:30, and got back to DC around 4:30. The roads in DC were and are still horrible.
I was brainstorming again, with my mom, about my Liberal Arts Major, adn looking into a couple different things I could concentrate in. I was thinking Psychology, Social Work, and Bible and Religion.
I had to unclog a toilet.
I finished my internship poster.
But only after looking through an entire week of newpapers and a couple magazines for a picture of a bicycle, and not finding one, I had to find a magazine downstairs to actually find a picture. But it was worth it. I now have a rather comical, but informative poster about what I do every morning at those high schools.
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