Looking back to my last post, it has been over a month since I updated people on whats going on and some of my thoughts!! For me, that is way to long and I am sorry I have not kept everybody up to date since then!! So I guess I will start back in April where I left off.
The end of April was full of excitement, laughter, and hard work. UPC (University Programming Council) was the host and staff of what is now known as Clusterfest on April 29 (for more information and to see what bands played visit theclusterfest.com). The very next evening members of APO (Alpha Phi Omega) gathered to celebrate our year together with good Italian food, great music, and awards. It was weird knowing that that was the last event that seniors would participate in before becoming alumna's.
Finally, its May. May brings senior week, graduation, and the beginning of a new job. Senior week was lots of fun, getting to hang out with the people I have known since freshman and sophomore year, chilling in kiddie pools, and having marathons of movies late into the early morning. It was bittersweet to know that in just a few short days from then we would all be walking across the stage together, beginning the next part of our lives. Finally, it was graduation day. A day filled with smiles, excitement, nervousness, and occasionally some tears (of course, when nobody was looking). Putting on that cap, gown and hood felt so surreal because I remember the chaos of moving in to Mabee our freshman year and being so nervous/scared that I wouldn't know anybody. Thanks to great people who were in my FYS, in our hall, and in Mabee, that feeling soon passed and I am thankful to have gained many great friends!!
After a few weeks at home, it was time to begin my time at Mo-Ranch Conference Center in Hunt, TX. I can say that so far, my time here has been great!! Fantastic house mates, great co-guards, and fun times both in the house and out on the town. The only thing that is a little annoying is having to work till 9 at night when nobody is there!! Hopefully, that will get switched really soon!! That brings us to today!! Whew!! That was a fast month!! :-)
Now, completely switching gears. While reading the scrolling headlines on the Yahoo! homepage, I came across an article about Michael Fassbender. For those of you who don't know, Michael Fassbender was/is Magneto and Erik Lehnsherr from X-Men: First Class. He was born in Germany but raised in Ireland. Your probably asking, why in the world are you telling us this? Well looking on the ever helpful IMDB at Michael's profile, I ran across a quote of his that in a way says what we are trying to do/achieve for our YAV year. He said "We live in this society where nowadays if I want something, I take it, I eat it - it's so easy and readily available. When you take all that away, you actually become more appreciative of the things around you. I don't want to do it again, bu there is a level where it humbles you in a good way." Although this quote is in reference to his movie Hunger, it is true for our society. We take what we want, when we want it and don't think twice. Now during this upcoming year, we are forced to think about what we need, if we really need it, and at what time would be the best time to get it due to us living on a stipend. This will be a good learning experience for us all because upon our return we will hopefully honor, respect, and appreciate what we have.
This brings up a website that I ran across while Stumbling one day. Its called Makes Me Think. Its kind of like another familiar website, which will remain nameless, but it is where people can post life stories that make them and others think about their lives. People have posted stories anywhere from relationships with people who are no longer living, to things that children do and say, to things that happen to them in their daily lives that open their eyes to the world and good around them. I recommend people check out this website, if you have time. It made me think about my life and all the great people, and things I have in my life daily and for the new friends that I meet each and everyday.
Well I think that has caught everything up and expressed my ideas for now. In a few days to a few weeks, I will be updating more and more as time draws closer for my departure for New York for orientation and then for Northern Ireland!! Hope everybody has a great summer!! :-)
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
We walked along the path of life and knowledge together.
It is exactly two weeks till graduation!! Who knew that time would pass so fast in college!! As cliche as it sounds, I remember moving in first day of orientation. Every box, bag and item labeled with my name and room number amidst all the chaos of every other freshman moving in to Mabee. But that was 4 years ago. Now its time for me to pack up everything and move out of my apartment, and off campus in order to start the next journey in my life. I will be off to work as a lifeguard in Mo-Ranch Conference Center beginning in the end of May. For those of you who don't know, Mo-Ranch is a Presbyterian Conference Center which has been around since 1949 and occupy about 500 acres along the Guadalupe River. Mo-Ranch host numerous camps, conferences and retreats for people of all ages. They also offer a wide range of activities which people can take part in, such as swimming, the Mo slide (38 foot tall slide which has been around for six decades), rapids, ropes course, canoeing, and horseback riding.
I have been going to Mo-Ranch for as long as I can remember. I have spent countless hours enjoying the wonderful outdoors with family and friends. I am excited to be on the Mo-Ranch staff this year, not only because I get to spend a whole summer in one of the most beautiful places in Texas but also because I get to give back to the community I once was a part. If you haven't noticed, I am big on giving back to communities in any way that I can, either through service or employment.
I know that both this summer and next year will be a big challenge for me due to the fact that I am beginning a brand new adventure on my own with the support of friends and family.
The verse that I am adding at the end of this post is another one of my favorite bible verses and passages, Psalm 100. It says "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." Not only is this verse appropriate for the Easter season, but also it has a resonance for me. I have learned over the years that without the help of our Lord, friends and family, we would not be able to live the lives we live. For each day that we are able to wake up, we should be happy and jumping for joy because we are able to experience more of God's wonderful creation through the people around us and the wonderful world he has created.
I have been going to Mo-Ranch for as long as I can remember. I have spent countless hours enjoying the wonderful outdoors with family and friends. I am excited to be on the Mo-Ranch staff this year, not only because I get to spend a whole summer in one of the most beautiful places in Texas but also because I get to give back to the community I once was a part. If you haven't noticed, I am big on giving back to communities in any way that I can, either through service or employment.
I know that both this summer and next year will be a big challenge for me due to the fact that I am beginning a brand new adventure on my own with the support of friends and family.
The verse that I am adding at the end of this post is another one of my favorite bible verses and passages, Psalm 100. It says "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." Not only is this verse appropriate for the Easter season, but also it has a resonance for me. I have learned over the years that without the help of our Lord, friends and family, we would not be able to live the lives we live. For each day that we are able to wake up, we should be happy and jumping for joy because we are able to experience more of God's wonderful creation through the people around us and the wonderful world he has created.
Monday, March 21, 2011
On to Belfast, Northern Ireland
The past few days, weeks and months of my life have been crazy but filled with love and fun. September 2010, I began to think about where I wanted my life to go once I graduated in May. I was positive that I didn't want to go to grad school so fast, especially after spending about 17 years in school. So, I began to explore other options. I knew that I wanted to continue doing service in some capacity but wasn't quite sure how to do that. I also knew that I wanted to have a great adventure and see the world, but again, wasn't quite sure how to do that either without breaking the bank. So I began to try an think of ways that I could do both and remembered my friends who have served or are currently serving in the YAV, or Young Adult Volunteer Program. I thought, "This program is perfect!! I get to continuing doing service while going on an adventure, making new friends and experiencing new cultures and lifestyles along the way. So I applied.
Fast forward to December/January. At this point, I had informational phone calls with 4 different national sites and one informing me about the International sites. Now it was time to make a decision about where to apply. Do I want to only do national, only do international, or a mix of both? What group of people do I want to work with while there? Do I want to live alone or in an intentional Christian community? I finally came to the conclusion to interview with both and let God decide where he wants me to serve. Now came the hard part. I knew which international sites I wanted to interview with, Northern Ireland and India, but was unsure which sites I interview with for the national sites. So I talked to my mom and did some research of my own and decided that Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA, were the best fits. Now all that was left were the official interviews with the national sites via a phone call and international at the placement event in Louisville, Kentucky
Well, its now time for the placement event after having 6 days at home to hang out with the family, pack, and complete chores. My weekend began with a 3am wake up, and 6:50am flight to Louisville to begin one of biggest moments of decision making of my life. Meeting new people and renewing friendships with old, made the weekend so much better especially since these people knew exactly what I was going through and was experiencing the same things.
Soon it was Friday afternoon and the beginning of interviews and continued through Saturday afternoon. At this point, the stress level went through the roof for everybody. Waiting for the placement forms to come back with our offer for placement for the 2011-2012 YAV year. Receiving that paper was the biggest mix of emotions I have ever felt. Happiness, anxiety, scared, nervous, are just a few of the many emotions that were going on prior to opening that letter. While opening the letter, I experienced a sense of calm as if God was saying "I have a plan and that you shouldn't be scared. It will all turn out great". As time passed on, the excitement grew as well as the sudden burst of energy which at first manifested itself by making my teeth chatter even though I wasn't cold.
All in all, this a new adventure to be filled with laughter, love, understanding, exploration, learning, and questioning, both of my own life and the new culture I will be experiencing. Now 1 Timothy 4:12, is all the more appropriate.
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity".
Change is happening every moment of everyday. We just have to experience and live it to the fullest.
Fast forward to December/January. At this point, I had informational phone calls with 4 different national sites and one informing me about the International sites. Now it was time to make a decision about where to apply. Do I want to only do national, only do international, or a mix of both? What group of people do I want to work with while there? Do I want to live alone or in an intentional Christian community? I finally came to the conclusion to interview with both and let God decide where he wants me to serve. Now came the hard part. I knew which international sites I wanted to interview with, Northern Ireland and India, but was unsure which sites I interview with for the national sites. So I talked to my mom and did some research of my own and decided that Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA, were the best fits. Now all that was left were the official interviews with the national sites via a phone call and international at the placement event in Louisville, Kentucky
Well, its now time for the placement event after having 6 days at home to hang out with the family, pack, and complete chores. My weekend began with a 3am wake up, and 6:50am flight to Louisville to begin one of biggest moments of decision making of my life. Meeting new people and renewing friendships with old, made the weekend so much better especially since these people knew exactly what I was going through and was experiencing the same things.
Soon it was Friday afternoon and the beginning of interviews and continued through Saturday afternoon. At this point, the stress level went through the roof for everybody. Waiting for the placement forms to come back with our offer for placement for the 2011-2012 YAV year. Receiving that paper was the biggest mix of emotions I have ever felt. Happiness, anxiety, scared, nervous, are just a few of the many emotions that were going on prior to opening that letter. While opening the letter, I experienced a sense of calm as if God was saying "I have a plan and that you shouldn't be scared. It will all turn out great". As time passed on, the excitement grew as well as the sudden burst of energy which at first manifested itself by making my teeth chatter even though I wasn't cold.
All in all, this a new adventure to be filled with laughter, love, understanding, exploration, learning, and questioning, both of my own life and the new culture I will be experiencing. Now 1 Timothy 4:12, is all the more appropriate.
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity".
Change is happening every moment of everyday. We just have to experience and live it to the fullest.
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