I realize it has been a while since I have posted, so I thought I would give a brief update.
I'm still trying to finalize my plans with Young Life, which is pretty essential since I cannot purchase my ticket until I know what dates they want me. I'm trying to be super flexible about where, with whom, and in what capacity I serve them, and I'm hoping it will open some amazing doors-- In fact, one of the options I received was to do a fundraising climb of Mount Kilimanjaro! What an adventure that would be! Unfortunately, I don't think it would work out for me because 1) I am not in that sort of shape, and don't think I could muster up the time to train. 2) I have done my fundraising and have my budget, and I don't want to take that spot from someone who would be able to more productively bless Young Life in Africa financially. 3) Packing would be a bit of an issue both because of what I would need to climb and what I will need after.
Anyway, the Young Life details will hopefully pan out within the next week or two and then I will have some more information about that.
My plans for my study abroad are pretty much set, I am waiting hopefully to hear back about some scholarships and am really excited for that part of the trip. My program is through Arcadia University, a private, liberal arts school in Pennsylvania. If I enjoy my experience abroad, I am considering applying there for graduate school. They have a masters program in International Peace and Conflict Resolution studies that sounds pretty up my ally, and would even allow me to return to Arusha for more in-depth studies later on.
For Peace House, I recently had to write a project proposal. They try very hard to put their volunteers to work doing something they are interested in, and while I would be interested in serving them in any capacity I can, I was excited for the opportunity to think creatively. As many of you know, I am very interested in teaching, and in my social justice minor one of the things I love is the emphasis on a popular model of education. This relies on the belief that everyone has something to teach, and everyone has something to learn. We sit in a circle and most of our learning is discussion and community based. It encourages critical, creative thinking and it fosters a sense of community that I have never had in a classroom before. I wrote my proposal on working with a teacher and their curriculum to adapt it to this type of discussion based learning.
In state-side news, the semester is going well. School is keeping busy, but I really enjoy what I am learning, which is always a blessing. I am volunteering a few hours a week at a local charter school that works with a social justice based curriculum, and I really enjoy it. I only wish I had more time to spend in the classroom! I am also a new Admissions Ambassador, which means that twice a month I volunteer to give campus tours! It's a lot of fun and I get to share my enthusiasm for the U with interested high schoolers!
Along with some of the students in my social justice minor, we are working to start a student group for the fall to create a space for our community, discussions and interests, and share them with our campus.
And finally, I recently got a new job, which was a huge answer to prayers, but has added a little bit more stress to things. I am working at ACR Homes, which is a company that runs a bunch of group homes in Minnesota for adults and elderly people with physical and developmental disabilities. I am really excited about this opportunity to do something meaningful and challenging, not to mention my position is very flexible and pays well, but I have felt a little like a fish out of water since many of the people I have been training with are nursing and pre-med students. I have my first training days at a few of the houses coming up this weekend and would appreciate prayers!
I've also begun to wrestle with the questions of what comes after Africa. Most of my plans for my trip are well on their way to being taken care of (though I will still have plenty of things on my to-do list until I leave) and instead many circumstances like class registration and housing applications are making me think about the fall. I will also graduate next May, and a year seems a lot shorter than it used to. I am still fairly uncertain about what comes next. This may sound incredibly cheesy, but as a student of history, one thing I've learned is that time lines aren't really a good way of showing how things happened. Nothing in a course of events is promised or inevitable the way they seem in retrospect. In the middle of them, things often seem chaotic, disjointed and irrational... I also know he next steps will come, and He will make my path straight. He knows the desires of my heart, and has yet to be unfaithful.
Thank you all again for your love and support!
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