Well, I am sad to say that some how three months have passed between my last post and this one. Its crazy how fast time will fly by!! I think a little catching up is totally necessary!! :-)
Lets begin at the beginning:
My last post was back in June just as my summer in Mo-Ranch as a lifeguard was taking off. For those who don't know quite what I did all summer, I worked at the waterfront guarding the big Mo slide, the swimming area, trying to keep the canoe check out and life jacket-wearing straight, guarded the rope swing, and the rapids, all the while taking several days throughout the summer to work on the ropes course. Let me tell you, no matter where you work, either it be down at the waterfront or up at the ropes course, Texas weather is absolutely insane. I think it rained two days out of the whole summer which is not good since we spent most, if not all of the summer in a stage 4 drought and drying up rivers. I did have fun though working with some crazy fun people, going to some friends shows (The Reefs) and chilling with the most awesome housemates I could have asked for.
Soon my time in Mo-Ranch drew to a close. Although I was sad to leave my friends and the atmosphere of the Caleb Fletcher house, I was ready to head home and get started on the next part of my life journey. I had about a week at home to pack, say goodbye to family, and get my entire life together to move to Belfast, Northern Ireland for a year. Its crazy what you have to do in those few short days to be ready for the year ahead!! Soon it was commissioning Sunday, the day before I was to leave for Stony Point, New York for a week of orientation before Belfast. Commissioning Sunday was full of love, support, advice, and hugs from the congregation that I grew up and have loved for 22 years. I will miss them each and everyday but know that they are supporting me no matter what through this entire year!! You rock First Presbyterian Church Temple, Texas!!
On to orientation week at Stony Point. This week was information overload week!! Now don't get me wrong...all the information was great but there was so much of it in such a small amount of time. It was crazy!! We learned everything from culture shock to self care to house living, everything in between and beyond!! Amidst all the information, small groups and YAV-to-YAV bonding (ie free time) played a large part in our processing all the information, connecting with other YAVs and just all in all, having a grand ole time. Lots of games were played, laughs, fears, concerns, uncertainties were shared, but most of all, we grew closer as the 70 YAVs apart of the 2011-2012 year of service. At the end of that week, Hurricane Irene decided that she wanted to be a part of the YAV group too so she came to visit for a few days. Apart from some rain, wind, a few rooms being flooded, and some cancelled flights, nothing too bad happened. We were very fortunate to have received what we did. Soon it was time to leave for the airport for our 9:25pm flight to Belfast. After a few bittersweet goodbyes and "see you laters", we boarded our bus to begin the biggest part of our journey...our time in Belfast.
That brings us to a week ago on Tuesday at 9am. Getting off the plane, full of excitement and nervousness about our passports, we entered the beautiful country of Northern Ireland in the city of Belfast. It wasn't until later on in the day that the jet lag really hit us. I think falling asleep on a couch will waiting for money to be exchanged is a sign that beating jet lag in a few short days is a tough business. Soon the week progressed on while we visited each others sites, learning a little bit about the church or organization and what that particular YAV will be doing there throughout the year. It was all very interesting and it will be cool to see how each person not only develops in their position but what the organization and position are after this year. Soon it was Sunday, and our first day with our respective churches. Mine is the East Belfast Mission.
The East Belfast Mission is currently worshiping in a community center while their new building and organization center is being built. I will explain more about why they knocked down their church building to build a bigger building at a later time when I know more about it than what can be told in a one hour session. Back to Sunday worship...it was a great service and I met a lot of different people. Now if I can only keep the names straight...oh well...I have a few weeks to get those down, right?!
The final two days of orientation in Belfast have been full of useful and interesting information accompanied with a walk to a mountain/hill that overlooked Belfast. The view from up there is absolutely amazing and is a must see if anybody ever comes to Ireland. I'll post pictures at a later date.
That finally brings us to today...Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Tomorrow, Wednesday, I begin my placement at the East Belfast Mission. Although I do not know exactly what I will be doing for the next year, I do know that I am there for a reason and will learn so much and teach so much throughout the year. Whew!! That was a long time in a few short paragraphs!! Needless to say, I have learned a lot. Everything from certain words, to how to work the shower, to making sure that we use the correct terms and understanding those terms when talking about certain issues. I know I will learn a lot more over the course of the year but I also know that I will teach the people around me.
I want to thank each and every person who has supported me throughout my life and especially during this time. I can not say enough how much it means to be to know that I have such a great support network of people who love and care for me and who are excited to see what is going to happen in my life, not only this year, but each day forward. So thank you again for all of your love and support!! Love each and everyone!!
To close out this extremely long post and explain why I chose a Dr. Seuss line for my title. Today, while spending the last day of orientation for Belfast at two fellow YAVs house, we read the Butter Battle Book. For those who don't know, The Butter Battle Book is a book about these two different sets of people who eat their toast with butter differently, one butter side up and one butter side down. Each side comes up with a bigger and more sophisticated weapon to make the other side more like them. Finally, the book ends abruptly with a stand off between the two groups of people. But how does this tie into the book Oh the Places You Will Go book, you ask? Well, for me, coming to this place is a brand new adventure full of wonder and amazement but also worries and concerns. There is no journey in our lives that we take where we are fully certain about what we are going to do, how we are going to do it and what the desired outcome will be. It is all left up to a higher power, whether that be God, fate, or both. We can only hope for a good outcome where we will learn something from this experience but also teach something in this experience.
I begin this journey with hope and joy to be doing something new and interesting in my life. At the same time, I have the common fears and concerns as each and every other person has in their lives...will I do okay? Will they like me? What happens if I mess up? The good thing I learned through orientation is that its okay to fail and that there is nothing wrong with that. So I must take each day, one at a time, and enjoy and fully live in each and every moment.
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." -Dr. Seuss
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