I should read through last year's blog about the first day at EMU. I can guarantee that though I may not have said it, I was intimidated and slightly scared. It's definitely bizarre to think that I'm starting to feel like I've got the hang of EMU, and there isn't anything, really, that surprises me. If I redid last year, I would have not take all these science classes right away. I would have taken things that sounded fun and interesting, not efficient, and I would have not declared my major right away, so to not feel like I was going to explode. I would have tried to do a fun work study job, like being a barista at Common Grounds. I would have been more involved in clubs.
So now I'm starting my second year at EMU, slightly more complicated than I want it to be--with a senior status and explaining myself, and living off campus--I'm starting to feel at home here in the basement of my grandparent's house. Although I have not decorated yet, I know that it's somewhere in the days ahead. I have some assignments of reading that I would like to get to, but it's important to realize where I am with things first, I think.
I got distracted in the morning from having contact with people, and left a little late for my walk over to EMU. Luckily, Social Stratification, my first class, was located in the library, and the closest building to my grandparent's house. I arrived while they were taking attendance, so I was not late. I knew a couple people in the room, two who would have been hall mates, and one who I have connections in NY with. The seventy-five minutes sped by, as we were learning about social inequality, learned in by two Youtube clips, and then everyone presenting from their own small group discussions about the things that were a part of the second clip. Then I had my break for lunch. I had packed my lunch, and was afraid that there would be no one to sit with to eat, when I saw a friend from my days of Biology in the same place. I sat, ate, and talked with her while we had our break. That was a blessing. I went to go wash out my dishes, and I saw my aunt, who works in the human resources department. I gave her a hug, and she told me that great grandpa Engle had just passed away this morning. He was ninety-seven.
That was news, but as time had passed earlier this year, there was a sense that it was going to happen soon, and so it wasn't a great surprise.
I located the classroom for my second class of the day, and then attended it. Race and Gender sounds very interesting, and I cannot wait to see where this class goes. We have some fun assignments ahead of us. I sat with Sanj, Rose (who I had met in Jess' apartment), Jamila, and a girl that was in the Social Work line when I was getting the signature for changing my major. The class discussion was very interesting. It was similar to how the first class started also. The teacher wanted to see where we were within the subject. There were several people in the class that were also in my first one of the day.
After that, I located Monica and located her dorm, and we spent time together until dinner time. I ate some of her peanut butter and almonds, so I wasn't hungry right away when I came home for supper. But I had to walk up the hill to get my bike and figure out what I was going to leave at Anna's apartment so I wouldn't be staggering up hills on my bike. I had just gotten my Jazz book of songs, and I brought the texts I needed to do today's homework.
The biking is starting to get easier. I feel like I need to run though, so that I can get in shape that way too, and have training all around. Hopefully Ellie and I can start running after we get our routines going. I might have to move my running time to a different one than hers for some of the week.
As far as classes go, these have to be the most interesting classes I have taken, and we've barely gotten past the syllabi.
It's nice to live with people who don't criticize my every move, and I feel comfortable with. Yay grandparents!
I still need to get a lock for my bike. Crap.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Various Writings of the past few days.
Friday
The trip lasted almost seven and a half hours, and I was very tired and hungry when I finally arrived at my grandparent's house. Bedtime is going to be a lot earlier because of my eight o'clock classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Classes start on Tuesday.
I can't wait to get reconnected with people and start hanging out, and I'll need to figure out how I'm going to do that, considering the cafeteria is the most social place on campus, and I don't have a meal plan. I could get a partial meal plan. I'm not sure how much that costs though.
It's good to see Anna, although she is currently in possession of the room that I will be staying in, and so there isn't any space for anything of mine yet. But we are moving her into her apartment tomorrow. It's when all the new freshman are moving in also, but we won't be on campus.
Saturday
We woke up early (ugh), and then went to the Farmer's Market. Then Anna packed up some more of her stuff, and we went to her new apartment. It's sooo close to campus. I'm kind of peeved that I'm not granted permission to live there, because it's a pretty darn perfect apartment. Although, sharing a room with Anna might get a little bit old. I got a little bit sick of her today. We moved her in to her apartment, and I met Christina her roommate (who seems very similar to Sarah Rody), and helped bring in stuff. Lots of fun. I went down to the quad (the grassy area between all the dorms) and saw a whole bunch of people which was great. I loved it. Bekah and I walked around together doing all sorts of fun things, which means we helped bring in someone's things, and tried to get the shirts that all the people moving people into their dorms were wearing (but we didn't.)
I climbed the hill to Anna's apartment three times today!
I also crashed the Honors Reception. Not all the honors students were invited, which was weird, but there might have been some reasoning which I am not aware of. But I went to it anyway, and nobody got mad, and ended up having some great discussion with some of the freshman and other people that are in the Honors program.
I saw all kinds of wonderful people. A couple people that I lived with in DC. and got to give wonderful hugs to all.
I walked around barefoot all day. My feet look disgusting. It's great.
My grandparents that living in West Virginia have a foster child named Brandon. He's quiet, but very polite and sweet.
Anna and I went shopping in the afternoon. I was really tired, and realized it when Anna suggested that we go to this store, and then that store, to see if what we needed was there for a better price. Ugh. And she drove in the wrong direction to go to Walmart, but wouldn't listen to me when I told her directions to get to where we wanted to go. We had to call Grandma and Grandpa to figure out how to get there. I then realized that I hadn't eaten since noonish, and was hungry.
We went to Taste of Thai for supper, and enjoyed Pad Thai tofu. Mmmm.
Sunday
We went to Crossroads church today. It's a church that Anna used to attend during the first few years she was in college. At first, I was really pessimistic about it. I didn't want to car pool, and Anna was being really silly and rushing me and being annoying, so I was so annoyed by her. But when we got to the church, I felt really welcome and accepted. Anna and I were to take care of the children during the service--they were doing a healing service. In the church, there has been many financial issues and loss of population in the church, so the pastor had to leave, and so they were having some open discussion about what everyone was feeling. Anna and I spent time with Leah, a six or seven month old, Naomi, a two and a half year old, and Hannah, a fourteen year old with Downs Syndrome. We played with blocks and play dough, and Leah fell asleep in my lap as I was bouncing her. I got to talk to several people that I used to know before we moved to Ohio, and had a delicious meal that was vegan at the potluck afterward. :) Thank goodness for beans and rice. mmmm. After church, I went home and moved in all my stuff. I went to Anna's, had to bike over to the people we carpooled with's house because I left my phone in their car. Then I ran an errand for Anna, and got some tomato paste at Food Lion for her. I biked over to Maplewood and helped Mariah, a girl that is on the hall I would have been on, loft her bed, and then helped Bekah move in her stuff. I saw a few more people before I went home. I biked back up the hill to give Anna her tomato paste, and then biked to my grandparent's house for supper.
We had veggies, hummus, crackers, cantaloupe, and Concord grapes. and then peach cobbler for dessert. It was really good. and now I'm at home watching Heroes, and processing what it means for me to live off campus, and if I like it or not. I know that what it is is where I'm going to be for the next year, and I know that it's a little bit more flexible. But it's hard to see that I'm going to be able to spend time with all the people either. I know I will, but I will be tired. I will find a balance. I know it. I'll get in biking shape, and it will be easier to get where I need to go. . .
Ellie and I are going to run together once classes start. I've met several new people that I didn't get tospend that much time with in the past that are actually Social Work majors and that's great. Some of them are actually on the hall I was going to live with.
I'm looking forward to dumpster diving sometime this week. I have a bunch of friends that are planning on going and I can't wait to do so.
It's really interesting being back on campus again, and having so many opportunities and things that I like and want to do. It's distracting and wonderful.
Monday
Today was a tiring good day, for the most part. I got up this morning, ate breakfast, and made a planner so that I can keep all my dates on track when things start to get hectic. I'll be al set for the next year and a half or so, for the amount of pages that I put in (on accident).
I biked to EMU this morning, and got in the registration line. I did all sorts of registering things, like wearing a name tag and attempting to remember what Anna and I's car's license plate it. I changed my major (finally) officially to social work. Be Gone, Biology! I ate lunch in the caf with some of my friends. I'm debating about how I'm going to be able to spend time with people during the day if I pack my own lunch, because I don't think they allow people who pack their lunch into the caf. If they did, I would do that, and it would be perfect. The other option is to buy a meal plan, and then go to the caf every dat for lunch, or about everyday. I'm not completely sure I can fit it into my budget, but it would certainly be cheaper than spontaneously buying lunch a couple times a week, and it would ensure quality discussion time with friends.
I played piano in Lehman (it's the music building where they also have chapel) for an hour. I'm trying to figure out some piano parts to some of my songs.
I wandered over to Maplewood, and camped out on Bekah and Meg's couch for a little while. I ate some dumpster strawberries and was packing up my stuff when I realized I had no idea where my phone was. So I jumped on my bike, and pedaled barefoot back to Lehman, and it was sitting on the bathroom counter. . . haha.
I didn't really know what to do with myself after that, and so I was going over to Anna's house and passed the EMU garden and I saw my friend Bekah. I decided to stop (I was also rather winded. These hills are intense.) and I sat with her eating some of the garden's grapes, and we watched cars go by for a little while. Then I biked up the little mountain to Anna's house and camped out in her living room for an hour or something, rehydrating, and doing busy work. (they gave us the schedule for the spring semester's classes also, so I was planning out next semester's classes for me)
When Anna got home (she was working out) she started getting dinner ready, and Grandpa and Grandma soon arrived. We had a simple dinner, some spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce, and a version of pico de gallo "salad" that you could put soybeans and mung bean sprouts on. Anna also had this molasses bread that she made, and served Anise candy afterward.
I had to go to a meeting for the Sustainable Food Initiative group that I'm joining. Most of my friends are in this group, and the ideas and plans are totally down my alley. I'm excited to get started and spend more time with these people, and in the garden, and bringing the leftovers from the caf to Our Community Place, a sort of soup kitchen place.
I walked home. It was getting a bit dark, and knowing that, I'm going to get my bike some lights, so that I can bike home, and also let Anna drive me next time. It's a bit of a long walk to do at night. It's close to a mile and a half or something.
The trip lasted almost seven and a half hours, and I was very tired and hungry when I finally arrived at my grandparent's house. Bedtime is going to be a lot earlier because of my eight o'clock classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Classes start on Tuesday.
I can't wait to get reconnected with people and start hanging out, and I'll need to figure out how I'm going to do that, considering the cafeteria is the most social place on campus, and I don't have a meal plan. I could get a partial meal plan. I'm not sure how much that costs though.
It's good to see Anna, although she is currently in possession of the room that I will be staying in, and so there isn't any space for anything of mine yet. But we are moving her into her apartment tomorrow. It's when all the new freshman are moving in also, but we won't be on campus.
Saturday
We woke up early (ugh), and then went to the Farmer's Market. Then Anna packed up some more of her stuff, and we went to her new apartment. It's sooo close to campus. I'm kind of peeved that I'm not granted permission to live there, because it's a pretty darn perfect apartment. Although, sharing a room with Anna might get a little bit old. I got a little bit sick of her today. We moved her in to her apartment, and I met Christina her roommate (who seems very similar to Sarah Rody), and helped bring in stuff. Lots of fun. I went down to the quad (the grassy area between all the dorms) and saw a whole bunch of people which was great. I loved it. Bekah and I walked around together doing all sorts of fun things, which means we helped bring in someone's things, and tried to get the shirts that all the people moving people into their dorms were wearing (but we didn't.)
I climbed the hill to Anna's apartment three times today!
I also crashed the Honors Reception. Not all the honors students were invited, which was weird, but there might have been some reasoning which I am not aware of. But I went to it anyway, and nobody got mad, and ended up having some great discussion with some of the freshman and other people that are in the Honors program.
I saw all kinds of wonderful people. A couple people that I lived with in DC. and got to give wonderful hugs to all.
I walked around barefoot all day. My feet look disgusting. It's great.
My grandparents that living in West Virginia have a foster child named Brandon. He's quiet, but very polite and sweet.
Anna and I went shopping in the afternoon. I was really tired, and realized it when Anna suggested that we go to this store, and then that store, to see if what we needed was there for a better price. Ugh. And she drove in the wrong direction to go to Walmart, but wouldn't listen to me when I told her directions to get to where we wanted to go. We had to call Grandma and Grandpa to figure out how to get there. I then realized that I hadn't eaten since noonish, and was hungry.
We went to Taste of Thai for supper, and enjoyed Pad Thai tofu. Mmmm.
Sunday
We went to Crossroads church today. It's a church that Anna used to attend during the first few years she was in college. At first, I was really pessimistic about it. I didn't want to car pool, and Anna was being really silly and rushing me and being annoying, so I was so annoyed by her. But when we got to the church, I felt really welcome and accepted. Anna and I were to take care of the children during the service--they were doing a healing service. In the church, there has been many financial issues and loss of population in the church, so the pastor had to leave, and so they were having some open discussion about what everyone was feeling. Anna and I spent time with Leah, a six or seven month old, Naomi, a two and a half year old, and Hannah, a fourteen year old with Downs Syndrome. We played with blocks and play dough, and Leah fell asleep in my lap as I was bouncing her. I got to talk to several people that I used to know before we moved to Ohio, and had a delicious meal that was vegan at the potluck afterward. :) Thank goodness for beans and rice. mmmm. After church, I went home and moved in all my stuff. I went to Anna's, had to bike over to the people we carpooled with's house because I left my phone in their car. Then I ran an errand for Anna, and got some tomato paste at Food Lion for her. I biked over to Maplewood and helped Mariah, a girl that is on the hall I would have been on, loft her bed, and then helped Bekah move in her stuff. I saw a few more people before I went home. I biked back up the hill to give Anna her tomato paste, and then biked to my grandparent's house for supper.
We had veggies, hummus, crackers, cantaloupe, and Concord grapes. and then peach cobbler for dessert. It was really good. and now I'm at home watching Heroes, and processing what it means for me to live off campus, and if I like it or not. I know that what it is is where I'm going to be for the next year, and I know that it's a little bit more flexible. But it's hard to see that I'm going to be able to spend time with all the people either. I know I will, but I will be tired. I will find a balance. I know it. I'll get in biking shape, and it will be easier to get where I need to go. . .
Ellie and I are going to run together once classes start. I've met several new people that I didn't get tospend that much time with in the past that are actually Social Work majors and that's great. Some of them are actually on the hall I was going to live with.
I'm looking forward to dumpster diving sometime this week. I have a bunch of friends that are planning on going and I can't wait to do so.
It's really interesting being back on campus again, and having so many opportunities and things that I like and want to do. It's distracting and wonderful.
Monday
Today was a tiring good day, for the most part. I got up this morning, ate breakfast, and made a planner so that I can keep all my dates on track when things start to get hectic. I'll be al set for the next year and a half or so, for the amount of pages that I put in (on accident).
I biked to EMU this morning, and got in the registration line. I did all sorts of registering things, like wearing a name tag and attempting to remember what Anna and I's car's license plate it. I changed my major (finally) officially to social work. Be Gone, Biology! I ate lunch in the caf with some of my friends. I'm debating about how I'm going to be able to spend time with people during the day if I pack my own lunch, because I don't think they allow people who pack their lunch into the caf. If they did, I would do that, and it would be perfect. The other option is to buy a meal plan, and then go to the caf every dat for lunch, or about everyday. I'm not completely sure I can fit it into my budget, but it would certainly be cheaper than spontaneously buying lunch a couple times a week, and it would ensure quality discussion time with friends.
I played piano in Lehman (it's the music building where they also have chapel) for an hour. I'm trying to figure out some piano parts to some of my songs.
I wandered over to Maplewood, and camped out on Bekah and Meg's couch for a little while. I ate some dumpster strawberries and was packing up my stuff when I realized I had no idea where my phone was. So I jumped on my bike, and pedaled barefoot back to Lehman, and it was sitting on the bathroom counter. . . haha.
I didn't really know what to do with myself after that, and so I was going over to Anna's house and passed the EMU garden and I saw my friend Bekah. I decided to stop (I was also rather winded. These hills are intense.) and I sat with her eating some of the garden's grapes, and we watched cars go by for a little while. Then I biked up the little mountain to Anna's house and camped out in her living room for an hour or something, rehydrating, and doing busy work. (they gave us the schedule for the spring semester's classes also, so I was planning out next semester's classes for me)
When Anna got home (she was working out) she started getting dinner ready, and Grandpa and Grandma soon arrived. We had a simple dinner, some spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce, and a version of pico de gallo "salad" that you could put soybeans and mung bean sprouts on. Anna also had this molasses bread that she made, and served Anise candy afterward.
I had to go to a meeting for the Sustainable Food Initiative group that I'm joining. Most of my friends are in this group, and the ideas and plans are totally down my alley. I'm excited to get started and spend more time with these people, and in the garden, and bringing the leftovers from the caf to Our Community Place, a sort of soup kitchen place.
I walked home. It was getting a bit dark, and knowing that, I'm going to get my bike some lights, so that I can bike home, and also let Anna drive me next time. It's a bit of a long walk to do at night. It's close to a mile and a half or something.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Starting the Second Round
The second round of school. Year number two, I suppose you could say, but there's always a complicated answer to that question. Thus, this is the second round of EMU. Almost a second start, I would say, because of the fact that there is a whole new major in mind, with beautiful opportunities and options. I can't wait! There are upsides and downsides to each new circumstance.
I have chosen Social Work as the major for me. There are so many opportunities and a variety of awesome options right out of college, and I'm so excited for them! The downside, of course, is that the extra science classes I took last fall are now electives, unless I pursue some sort of science minor. I was thinking about still doing a music minor, but I still want to graduate early (oh the competitive heart of mine). So at this point, I'm just focusing on social work, and I'm hoping to take some fun classes like Rock climbing, and drawing or painting at some point, because I deserve to let that art out of my soul. For this semester, I have my watercolor paints (and I FINALLY have a blue!!!) and my sketch pad, so I should be all set, when it comes to things that I need for art outage. Of course there is a piano here, and I'm hoping that living her longer term will produce some sweet inspiration from those keys.
it has been recommended that I recycle some of my songs. Or work them out, so that they aren't all rough drafts, which they are. Many times, the piano part changes with each round of playing, mostly because I improvise the chords and that's just what I do. Some of the songs, though deserve their own unique piano part. I think I can do that. And then I can record.
I just finished up two weeks of glorious loveliness with Zach. He got to come to my house a couple days earlier than planned last week, and then stayed with my family all the way through Thursday, when we left to go to his house, and now I am in Harrisonburg. We did so many things. We went walking and running with my mother, father, and Rocket. We made Engle cookie bars (made into bars by Zach. I was content with cookies), and pizza Hazlett style--on the big wooden cutting board, with a serve yourself attitude. We made bread together, and many smoothies. We spent hours cutting up green beans, blanching these and also tomatoes, which we peeled, and picante sauce. We improvised from my mother's original recipe of chili. And all that was just in the kitchen! Well, that was mostly what we did, besides going to Sarah's house and picking raspberries with her for a little while. We spent a lot of time watching movies that we hadn't seen before that were quite interesting-- The Hudsucker Proxy, Signs, The Sixth Sense, Donnie Darko, and also some that one of us had already seen--Dumber and Dumber. That was very important.
What I enjoyed most about our time together were the conversations that we were able to have. We talked about important things that haven't been able to be discussed for a year, and we started getting to know one another again. We had a few arguments, several ending with me screaming on the floor. . . because he grabbed my foot, pinned it in between his arm and side, and was tickling it without remorse. A couple times my knee popped out of place. . . and then right back in, because I was kicking frantically. We all learn our limits one way or another.
Zach started challenging me mentally with these logic puzzles (he calls them "red herrings") where he would say a sentence, which could be the last sentence of a story, and then I would have to figure out why it happened. These drove me up the wall, but for Zach, we wouldn't do anything else until I figured it out. He looked up Red Herring games on the internet, and found this one that was really challenging that we couldn't get past level eleven on. . .
Zach also went to the zoo with Mom and me, and then met Kristen and her family (she was moving into her apartment in Toledo while we were there).
We drove to his home in Millersburg after I had an epic eye appointment with Dr. Darnell. We went to the Dandelion Seed Company, what you could call a showing of the arts, when we got there. It was a lot of fun, though I was tired from driving, and needed to eat some protein. I enjoyed the music and readings that were shared by everyone there, and realized how nice it would be if there was something like that for me to be a part of here so that I could regularly get feedback for my music.
Now it's time to go to sleep, or move into my room, or something. My eyes are tired, and so is my body. Driving seven and a half hours in one day by yourself can do that to you.
I have chosen Social Work as the major for me. There are so many opportunities and a variety of awesome options right out of college, and I'm so excited for them! The downside, of course, is that the extra science classes I took last fall are now electives, unless I pursue some sort of science minor. I was thinking about still doing a music minor, but I still want to graduate early (oh the competitive heart of mine). So at this point, I'm just focusing on social work, and I'm hoping to take some fun classes like Rock climbing, and drawing or painting at some point, because I deserve to let that art out of my soul. For this semester, I have my watercolor paints (and I FINALLY have a blue!!!) and my sketch pad, so I should be all set, when it comes to things that I need for art outage. Of course there is a piano here, and I'm hoping that living her longer term will produce some sweet inspiration from those keys.
it has been recommended that I recycle some of my songs. Or work them out, so that they aren't all rough drafts, which they are. Many times, the piano part changes with each round of playing, mostly because I improvise the chords and that's just what I do. Some of the songs, though deserve their own unique piano part. I think I can do that. And then I can record.
I just finished up two weeks of glorious loveliness with Zach. He got to come to my house a couple days earlier than planned last week, and then stayed with my family all the way through Thursday, when we left to go to his house, and now I am in Harrisonburg. We did so many things. We went walking and running with my mother, father, and Rocket. We made Engle cookie bars (made into bars by Zach. I was content with cookies), and pizza Hazlett style--on the big wooden cutting board, with a serve yourself attitude. We made bread together, and many smoothies. We spent hours cutting up green beans, blanching these and also tomatoes, which we peeled, and picante sauce. We improvised from my mother's original recipe of chili. And all that was just in the kitchen! Well, that was mostly what we did, besides going to Sarah's house and picking raspberries with her for a little while. We spent a lot of time watching movies that we hadn't seen before that were quite interesting-- The Hudsucker Proxy, Signs, The Sixth Sense, Donnie Darko, and also some that one of us had already seen--Dumber and Dumber. That was very important.
What I enjoyed most about our time together were the conversations that we were able to have. We talked about important things that haven't been able to be discussed for a year, and we started getting to know one another again. We had a few arguments, several ending with me screaming on the floor. . . because he grabbed my foot, pinned it in between his arm and side, and was tickling it without remorse. A couple times my knee popped out of place. . . and then right back in, because I was kicking frantically. We all learn our limits one way or another.
Zach started challenging me mentally with these logic puzzles (he calls them "red herrings") where he would say a sentence, which could be the last sentence of a story, and then I would have to figure out why it happened. These drove me up the wall, but for Zach, we wouldn't do anything else until I figured it out. He looked up Red Herring games on the internet, and found this one that was really challenging that we couldn't get past level eleven on. . .
Zach also went to the zoo with Mom and me, and then met Kristen and her family (she was moving into her apartment in Toledo while we were there).
We drove to his home in Millersburg after I had an epic eye appointment with Dr. Darnell. We went to the Dandelion Seed Company, what you could call a showing of the arts, when we got there. It was a lot of fun, though I was tired from driving, and needed to eat some protein. I enjoyed the music and readings that were shared by everyone there, and realized how nice it would be if there was something like that for me to be a part of here so that I could regularly get feedback for my music.
Now it's time to go to sleep, or move into my room, or something. My eyes are tired, and so is my body. Driving seven and a half hours in one day by yourself can do that to you.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Finishing Flushing. Or just beginning
Here I am at the end of my three months already. And more and more, I realize that life is life, and everything changes. High school is now a distant memory or something I used to do and someone I used to be. My music has changed, my heart has changed. My motivations are for different ears to hear. I go through stages of being the listener and being the talker, and I'm learning how to love the talkers I know, and learn to listen to them, even when it gets really painful. This trip has challenged me. It's challenged me to decide when I can give, and when I should limit myself because I'm too exhausted to function. I've felt stretched and pulled like silly putty, and then crammed back into a container. To a point on this trip, I've felt used. I've served and planned a program that was an idea that was not my own, not my original plan. But in the ways I have felt this way, I also know that there is so much I've benefited from every second of being here. Ever second, I have benefited, and to a point, being used is a feeling that everyone feels all the time. But if we love each other, we look past the feeling of being used, and see that we are giving of ourselves to help others, even if they don't see it right away, or if they don't appreciate it. In that way, I don't view this trip with me as a puppet. I am a human, with no comparison to a puppet. God gives me the nudges I need to keep going when I need to keep going, and rest when I need to rest. He leads me to speak when something needs to be said, and when to shut my mouth.
Though I'm not in the same place I was at the beginning of my summer break, I still feel the same way about my Major choice, and I am excited to begin taking the multitude of classes that is the Social Work Major starting August 31st. Though at the beginning of the summer I was planning on living in the dorm with a wonderful roommate, I know that God is working in me, and the fact that I'll be living with my grandparents this semester. Even though I know that these friendships that I've built while I was here were very shortlived, I know that the connectiions I've made with people are going to stay connected, because we have an Awesome Common Ground of God, and we have know Him together--that is enough for me. I know that I was only in a piece of some people's lives--I was there on church, I was at the summer program, I was the white neighbor who lived upstairs, but I collided the worlds for some. I want the world of Flushing to collide with the rest of my life. I want to bring my little sister here and get her some Bubble Tea. I want to take Anna running through Kissena Park. I want to introduce my dad to Mark and my mom to Judy.
And I said I would come back. And I plan to, someday. We will see where God leads my feet and my heart.
Though I'm not in the same place I was at the beginning of my summer break, I still feel the same way about my Major choice, and I am excited to begin taking the multitude of classes that is the Social Work Major starting August 31st. Though at the beginning of the summer I was planning on living in the dorm with a wonderful roommate, I know that God is working in me, and the fact that I'll be living with my grandparents this semester. Even though I know that these friendships that I've built while I was here were very shortlived, I know that the connectiions I've made with people are going to stay connected, because we have an Awesome Common Ground of God, and we have know Him together--that is enough for me. I know that I was only in a piece of some people's lives--I was there on church, I was at the summer program, I was the white neighbor who lived upstairs, but I collided the worlds for some. I want the world of Flushing to collide with the rest of my life. I want to bring my little sister here and get her some Bubble Tea. I want to take Anna running through Kissena Park. I want to introduce my dad to Mark and my mom to Judy.
And I said I would come back. And I plan to, someday. We will see where God leads my feet and my heart.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Fifth Week of the Summer Program
This week went by quick. Not as quick as we all wanted it to, but it went by. There was a continuous feeling of exhaustion that pushed us all to keep going--keeping staying awake until the day was done, and we could go home and sleep and eat.
On Tuesday we had a visitor from the Department of Health. She came really early in the day for the lunch service, so I decided to let her feel a little more welcome than to just sit in the kitchen awkwardly for three hours, and had her make paper mache with the kids. We passed that inspection with flying colors. Joyce was a cool inspector anyway.
On Wednesday, we went to the Astoria pool instead of Camp Deerpark. We brought eight kids, a pile-up of volunteers, and went to the park nearby while most of the kids swam. It was a good time. I didn't get in the pool, but enjoyed the park with the sprinkler that was close to where we sat our things down. Besides Dequisha getting hives from the infamous peaches that come in the free school lunches, it was an uneventful, fun time, ending at the Lemon Ice King, for Italian Ice. After work, I went with Vanessa to get her ear pierced--she got a Rook. It looked really painful.. The piercist had to bend the needle because her ear was so small, and when he pushed the bent part of the needle through, she grabbed my hand. Ouch!
Friday was more of less the worse day of the week. The kids walked to P.S. 20 for a hot lunch, and played at Bowne park. I stayed back at the church because there were parents that always come early, and it's good for someone to be there when we are doing the program. I cleaned up the rooms after crafts and dodgeball, and everyone started coming back, and soon everyone was back, until the doorbell rang, and Vanessa went to see who it was--Gregory, one of the kids in the program. We were all in a bit of a state of shock when he said he was left at the park and walked home by himself. After that came the heavy heavy discussion between leadership about how to tell his dad--the only dad that had been riding us the entire time, and seemed to be wanting more out of what we were doing. When Dan did tell his dad, we knew that Gregory wasn't coming back. The whole issue is really full of tension, so I'm just going to leave it at that.
The rest of the day was fine, but after that stress load we were all frustrated--with the program, and with each other when we left.
The work that we do in this program has two sections: the work that you do, and the work that you are. The work we do is the preparation, the crafts, the food, the clean-up--things we see and do, and the work we are is the attitude which we come in the door with, and the relationships we build with the kids. I think both at equally important.
Friday evening, I was blessed with a sit-down dinner with someone who wasn't affiliated with my work, and I could just talk about it and not worry about offending anyone. We went to the Happy Buddha, and ate vegan entrees and desserts. Judy got the chocolate cake, the soy ice cream, and a smoothie to go for us to share after the wonderful dinner. We took the bus to a Nail place in Bayside, and she bought me a manicure-pedicure, which was completely wonderful and awesome. And so relaxing. Now, my nails are teal, and my toes are neon yellow.
On Saturday, I went to the food pantry for the last time. I hadn't had a chance to go since before the program started, and it was fun, and fine, and I prayed for one of the ladies before I left. Sylvia and her friend Charla came into town--she called me in the afternoon and asked me how I was and what I was doing for the weekend, and at first I said I was fine, but then I said, "Actually, I'm in a foul mood because I miss Zach, and I'm watching Sleepless in Seattle, and I'd love it if you came and visited me," and she did! They came Saturday night, spent the night, set off the alarm while I was in the shower, and scared the crap out of the neighbors. We got a great laugh out of that one. They came to church with me in the morning. I went to the Perri's for dinner Saturday night, and Hannah made a Tofu "Cheese"cake, with chocolate, rum, and cinnamin. It was good.
On Sunday, I shared about my time in New York and what I had learned--what challenged me, and also shared a song. I was going to play one of my newer ones that I had written while I was in New York, but during worship, God nudged me in a different direction, and I played a song Marie and I wrote together--"true love", and said for people to listen to it, as God's love. That went really well. Then there were all these goodbyes. Goodbye is always hard, especially when I don't know when I'm coming back. I had this idea to work at Camp Deerpark, but in all honesty, I don't know where God is leading me, and what kind of a job I'll have. And I very well might spend next summer in Ohio, with people that I love there. Though saying goodbye was happening, I also had some interesting discussions with people. I went into the bathroom, and a woman that I had spoken with the first Sunday I was there, about being a vegan, said, "I've met some more Christian vegans." and then we discussed that for a little while. It made me giggle--that we were having the discussion in the bathroom.
I prepacked all my things, to see if they would fit, and then I sent my guitar with Sylvia because I knew that I didn't want to have to pay extra to take another thing under the Greyhound bus when I would have to take it, so I sent it with her, and I'll see her in September or October.
We went to Manhattan Sunday evening. The weather was perfect. We walked from Penn Station to this wonderful elevated walkway that actually had field grass and wildflowers on the edges--it was like a field in the middle of a city. So bizarre, but so wonderful at the same time. We went to Cocoa V, and they had artisan chocolates like Stella Leona's, but vegan, and I got a bunch that we tried, with great interest, Starbucks later. We then walked to the Crepe place, called Motek, that had 8 cent crepes, because it was their opening night, but Hannah and Christa got in line too late. The plus was, that across the street, there was a Vegan bakery and I went in, bought some vegan lasagna, and came out and when we as a group finally sat down, at Starbucks, add some dollar pizza, dollar falafel, some dolma, and voila! we had a great time! I had a soy chai tea latte. mmmmmmm. Then we took the subway home, the bus from there, and went to sleep at midnight. But it was perfect.
On Tuesday we had a visitor from the Department of Health. She came really early in the day for the lunch service, so I decided to let her feel a little more welcome than to just sit in the kitchen awkwardly for three hours, and had her make paper mache with the kids. We passed that inspection with flying colors. Joyce was a cool inspector anyway.
On Wednesday, we went to the Astoria pool instead of Camp Deerpark. We brought eight kids, a pile-up of volunteers, and went to the park nearby while most of the kids swam. It was a good time. I didn't get in the pool, but enjoyed the park with the sprinkler that was close to where we sat our things down. Besides Dequisha getting hives from the infamous peaches that come in the free school lunches, it was an uneventful, fun time, ending at the Lemon Ice King, for Italian Ice. After work, I went with Vanessa to get her ear pierced--she got a Rook. It looked really painful.. The piercist had to bend the needle because her ear was so small, and when he pushed the bent part of the needle through, she grabbed my hand. Ouch!
Friday was more of less the worse day of the week. The kids walked to P.S. 20 for a hot lunch, and played at Bowne park. I stayed back at the church because there were parents that always come early, and it's good for someone to be there when we are doing the program. I cleaned up the rooms after crafts and dodgeball, and everyone started coming back, and soon everyone was back, until the doorbell rang, and Vanessa went to see who it was--Gregory, one of the kids in the program. We were all in a bit of a state of shock when he said he was left at the park and walked home by himself. After that came the heavy heavy discussion between leadership about how to tell his dad--the only dad that had been riding us the entire time, and seemed to be wanting more out of what we were doing. When Dan did tell his dad, we knew that Gregory wasn't coming back. The whole issue is really full of tension, so I'm just going to leave it at that.
The rest of the day was fine, but after that stress load we were all frustrated--with the program, and with each other when we left.
The work that we do in this program has two sections: the work that you do, and the work that you are. The work we do is the preparation, the crafts, the food, the clean-up--things we see and do, and the work we are is the attitude which we come in the door with, and the relationships we build with the kids. I think both at equally important.
Friday evening, I was blessed with a sit-down dinner with someone who wasn't affiliated with my work, and I could just talk about it and not worry about offending anyone. We went to the Happy Buddha, and ate vegan entrees and desserts. Judy got the chocolate cake, the soy ice cream, and a smoothie to go for us to share after the wonderful dinner. We took the bus to a Nail place in Bayside, and she bought me a manicure-pedicure, which was completely wonderful and awesome. And so relaxing. Now, my nails are teal, and my toes are neon yellow.
On Saturday, I went to the food pantry for the last time. I hadn't had a chance to go since before the program started, and it was fun, and fine, and I prayed for one of the ladies before I left. Sylvia and her friend Charla came into town--she called me in the afternoon and asked me how I was and what I was doing for the weekend, and at first I said I was fine, but then I said, "Actually, I'm in a foul mood because I miss Zach, and I'm watching Sleepless in Seattle, and I'd love it if you came and visited me," and she did! They came Saturday night, spent the night, set off the alarm while I was in the shower, and scared the crap out of the neighbors. We got a great laugh out of that one. They came to church with me in the morning. I went to the Perri's for dinner Saturday night, and Hannah made a Tofu "Cheese"cake, with chocolate, rum, and cinnamin. It was good.
On Sunday, I shared about my time in New York and what I had learned--what challenged me, and also shared a song. I was going to play one of my newer ones that I had written while I was in New York, but during worship, God nudged me in a different direction, and I played a song Marie and I wrote together--"true love", and said for people to listen to it, as God's love. That went really well. Then there were all these goodbyes. Goodbye is always hard, especially when I don't know when I'm coming back. I had this idea to work at Camp Deerpark, but in all honesty, I don't know where God is leading me, and what kind of a job I'll have. And I very well might spend next summer in Ohio, with people that I love there. Though saying goodbye was happening, I also had some interesting discussions with people. I went into the bathroom, and a woman that I had spoken with the first Sunday I was there, about being a vegan, said, "I've met some more Christian vegans." and then we discussed that for a little while. It made me giggle--that we were having the discussion in the bathroom.
I prepacked all my things, to see if they would fit, and then I sent my guitar with Sylvia because I knew that I didn't want to have to pay extra to take another thing under the Greyhound bus when I would have to take it, so I sent it with her, and I'll see her in September or October.
We went to Manhattan Sunday evening. The weather was perfect. We walked from Penn Station to this wonderful elevated walkway that actually had field grass and wildflowers on the edges--it was like a field in the middle of a city. So bizarre, but so wonderful at the same time. We went to Cocoa V, and they had artisan chocolates like Stella Leona's, but vegan, and I got a bunch that we tried, with great interest, Starbucks later. We then walked to the Crepe place, called Motek, that had 8 cent crepes, because it was their opening night, but Hannah and Christa got in line too late. The plus was, that across the street, there was a Vegan bakery and I went in, bought some vegan lasagna, and came out and when we as a group finally sat down, at Starbucks, add some dollar pizza, dollar falafel, some dolma, and voila! we had a great time! I had a soy chai tea latte. mmmmmmm. Then we took the subway home, the bus from there, and went to sleep at midnight. But it was perfect.
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