It's been incredible here. I think I'm just coming down from the 'everything's perfect' phase!
We went on a completely random trip to the Missouri river, where we found a little inlet to camp on! We swam in the really nasty water- one of my roommates still isn't sure if he got some kind of fungus on his face from the river! We hung out and played phase 10 for probably 3 hours
We're involved in a church here where we've already been invited to an awesome concert: sweet honey in the rock, and Mama Mia the musical this weekend (tonight!!) as well as a canoeing trip and had a church retreat yesterday! All are gifts to us as the new MVSers coming in!
It turns out that Mennonites (the denomination of the church, and the volunteer service I'm here with) are pretty much my never realized faith identity! They are into jutice, eradicating poverty, being sustainable, living simply, AND playing games, singing songs (hymns with lots of harmony), having potlucks, and hanging out with people....which is basically a short summary of what I fill my life with!!! Along with their belief in and love for God of course! I've had a good time getting to know the 'culture' of being Mennonite- even though I am not quite one yet! I stumbled into something new and perfect though!
I started work at Associated Youth Services (AYS) last Tuesday, and it is good so far! Not stressful, and great co-workers and atmosphere, but not as much interaction with the kids as I had hoped this far. It's only the beginning. I got to sit in on AYS Academy- an alternative school for the kids who have been long-term suspended or in jail. We only have 2 students so far because the regular school just started. They were very well behaved being only 2 kids surrounded by probably 5 teachers. It's incredible what more personalized school can do for kids. I got to do a house visit to a foster child's home with their case worker- who was incredible. This little girl and the case worker were friends, their conversation was great and healthy and positive and though this girl has about every issue in the world at the age of 11, she seems to be really well supported and has so much hope! It was really inspirational for me in terms of maybe going into social work. 10 points for the social work side of my potential future!
I also got to hang out with one of the girls who is in the drug and alcohol treatment program (ADAPT). Each of the kids in the program are required to have 3 hours of recreational activity a week, so I got to go with the ADAPT counselor to this arcade place where we enjoyed an all you can eat buffet and played games! And it was 'work'! It reminded me of going to Game Works with New Horizons youth in Seattle, and made me feel at home. The youth was sweet, and rough around the edges, but for the most part easy to be with and seemed like she was motivaed to be on her way up in her short life, along with many of her other friends. She is living in an independent living apartment, which is great for someone like her to be able to adjust to and take responsibility for. I hope I get to see her again soon! The being a Psychologist side of my potential future gained 10 points when I hung out with the ADAPT counselor- she was incredible and loves her job. I got to see the addiction treatment curriculum, and the healing conversations you could have with these kids is so incredible. yep. 10 points for the Psych. side for sure. This is going to be a decisive year for me eventually - hopefully!
But mostly, I spend the days reading info on the job and the facets of AYS, in meetings, and working on the health fairs that go around the Kansas City KS school district. They are actually a HUGE deal! Every school takes a whole day to cycle all their kids through this fair hosted by AYS to get dental, optical, and general health screenings, with 30 community exhibitors to promote healthy lifestyle choices to the kids in the Wyandot county; one of the poorest and least healthy in the state of KS. I've been calling to get donations of bottled water, as well as to try and get a massage therapist to do a massage or alignment booth. It's super relaxed and low-pressure for me so far, which is good for me to start with because I'm not usually very smooth at transitioning into new large amounts of responsibility- or responsibility at all really : )
I miss my family and friends! I spend a bit of time praying for them, on the phone with them, and just thinking about them in general...oh home...
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Camp Orientation
Camp Mennoscah
MVSers from all over the US met up for camp/orientation at camp Mennoscah near Witchita, KS. We were lucky and only had to drive 3 hours instead of fly over from San Francisco or New York like other MV's. I love being with my roommates. All four of us girls drove together and talked about life and funny stories to politics and denomenational backgrounds. When I got to camp, I found out that just about everyone doing this program is completely incredible. It's interesting how much in common you have with people who are strangers but are joined by a similar passion to volunteer for a year with the underprivilidged, and love Jesus.
We were trained for half-days in conflict management for our "units" aka- communal houses, the finance workings of Mennonite Mission Network, the Americore paperwork, cross-cultural differences, adaptation for our diverse neighborhoods, and a full day was devoted to anti-racism training. It was all really important, and was mostly just discussions and reading articles or stories. We made timelines since the beginning of the US to today of negative racial movements (segregated schools, hate crimes, slavery, etc.) and the positive forces working against them (underground railroad, Rosa Parks, Emancipation proclamation, jazz, etc.). We even read about the Mennonite's decision to stay out of the civil rights movement and how they are not involved enough today in desegregating in many places and ways. I realized I know SO little about the history of the US and its influences on anti-racism today. One of the most interesting articles we read and discussed was called "I am not your diversity". It discussed how patronizing it is to go the other direction- simply want people of different ethnicities at our churches, speaking at conferences, or entering our communities only to increase 'diversity' for a self-serving relief of guilt, or a cheap and lazy way of increasing stats or yet again reinstating the power of the majority. If someone is asked to speak at an event to 'increase diversity' this is still going only skin deep, and is in no way a compliment to the individual! We are to make a point of learning and adapting to cultures, understanding people, working out relationships, finding their beauty and facing our own stereotypes and prejudices. It changed my thinking before coming back to a very multi-cultured neighborhood and job (which I still haven't started yet, not until after labor day).
Other than the training, we played a lot of games basically! Soccer, ultimate frizbee, volleyball, ping-pong, and group games like 4 on a couch, and screaming ninjas (if you don't know what it is- find out! It's great!), and played card games all evening! There was a pool to swim in everyday with a diving board to flip and jump off of. If you know me at all, you know that it was my kind of camp!! On the last night of camp, us girls (there were probably 25 of us) had a great little bonding time together with some empowering convo : ) In the meantime the guys didn't know what to do with themselves so they set us up an outdoor dance party. This lasted quite a few hours of wonderfulness under lightning and the stars! We were all sweaty and drained by the time the threat of a big storm came on the news. We had a bonfire with smores and it trickled some rain- that was it for my first midwest storm! Apparently it missed us.
MVSers from all over the US met up for camp/orientation at camp Mennoscah near Witchita, KS. We were lucky and only had to drive 3 hours instead of fly over from San Francisco or New York like other MV's. I love being with my roommates. All four of us girls drove together and talked about life and funny stories to politics and denomenational backgrounds. When I got to camp, I found out that just about everyone doing this program is completely incredible. It's interesting how much in common you have with people who are strangers but are joined by a similar passion to volunteer for a year with the underprivilidged, and love Jesus.
We were trained for half-days in conflict management for our "units" aka- communal houses, the finance workings of Mennonite Mission Network, the Americore paperwork, cross-cultural differences, adaptation for our diverse neighborhoods, and a full day was devoted to anti-racism training. It was all really important, and was mostly just discussions and reading articles or stories. We made timelines since the beginning of the US to today of negative racial movements (segregated schools, hate crimes, slavery, etc.) and the positive forces working against them (underground railroad, Rosa Parks, Emancipation proclamation, jazz, etc.). We even read about the Mennonite's decision to stay out of the civil rights movement and how they are not involved enough today in desegregating in many places and ways. I realized I know SO little about the history of the US and its influences on anti-racism today. One of the most interesting articles we read and discussed was called "I am not your diversity". It discussed how patronizing it is to go the other direction- simply want people of different ethnicities at our churches, speaking at conferences, or entering our communities only to increase 'diversity' for a self-serving relief of guilt, or a cheap and lazy way of increasing stats or yet again reinstating the power of the majority. If someone is asked to speak at an event to 'increase diversity' this is still going only skin deep, and is in no way a compliment to the individual! We are to make a point of learning and adapting to cultures, understanding people, working out relationships, finding their beauty and facing our own stereotypes and prejudices. It changed my thinking before coming back to a very multi-cultured neighborhood and job (which I still haven't started yet, not until after labor day).
Other than the training, we played a lot of games basically! Soccer, ultimate frizbee, volleyball, ping-pong, and group games like 4 on a couch, and screaming ninjas (if you don't know what it is- find out! It's great!), and played card games all evening! There was a pool to swim in everyday with a diving board to flip and jump off of. If you know me at all, you know that it was my kind of camp!! On the last night of camp, us girls (there were probably 25 of us) had a great little bonding time together with some empowering convo : ) In the meantime the guys didn't know what to do with themselves so they set us up an outdoor dance party. This lasted quite a few hours of wonderfulness under lightning and the stars! We were all sweaty and drained by the time the threat of a big storm came on the news. We had a bonfire with smores and it trickled some rain- that was it for my first midwest storm! Apparently it missed us.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
the beginning!
Welp, here I am in Kansas City, MO!
Arriving!
After semi-tearfilled goodbyes to Michelle and my parents, I left from the Portland airport to Dallas, TX, then to the KC airport. I got to sit by some beautiful families with kids who were all into each other and were so cute! It made it easier to leave my family being able to play with a baby and talk to little kids again. As soon as I arrived, two of my housemates Levi and Tina were there to greet me, yelling down the empty halls of the airport "are you monica?!" We hugged and were excited to have met up without any contact info or pictures!
Our whole house had arrived in KC within two hours! We got a preliminary tour of downtown, and after all the not-impressive things I heard about it, I was shocked with how truly cool it is! It had big city things like neighborhoods with all different feels, lots of coffee shops, cool restraunts, and a big beautiful library, but not too much traffic or crowded streets that are common in large cities!
Emily and I were exploding when we made the turn down our street to see our house because we had been imagining what it would be like for so long! I was expecting something pretty old, small and run down in the middle of a lower-end neighborhood, but the place is beautiful! I'll post pictures. It's a classic KC neighborhood with long, skinny houses- ours is a white colonial style house on the corner that was once the parish for our church on the opposite side of the block. It's a small stone and stained galss yet fairly liberal, post-modern Menonite church called Rainbow Mennonite.
That first night, our roommates already had dinner made, so we ate some delicious sweet potato fries and curry chicken with homemade bread made by our area director Tonia. We all get along well and are all very different people, but share a desire to serve, change some aches in the world, and live simply and joyfully! We have some good plans from house parties to camping adventures. This weekend, we're hiking around Lexington until we find a river to camp around. It's incredible to not have anything to hold me back from going out and having a new adventure!
We also had a week of Orientation I'll fill you in on next posting!
Arriving!
After semi-tearfilled goodbyes to Michelle and my parents, I left from the Portland airport to Dallas, TX, then to the KC airport. I got to sit by some beautiful families with kids who were all into each other and were so cute! It made it easier to leave my family being able to play with a baby and talk to little kids again. As soon as I arrived, two of my housemates Levi and Tina were there to greet me, yelling down the empty halls of the airport "are you monica?!" We hugged and were excited to have met up without any contact info or pictures!
Our whole house had arrived in KC within two hours! We got a preliminary tour of downtown, and after all the not-impressive things I heard about it, I was shocked with how truly cool it is! It had big city things like neighborhoods with all different feels, lots of coffee shops, cool restraunts, and a big beautiful library, but not too much traffic or crowded streets that are common in large cities!
Emily and I were exploding when we made the turn down our street to see our house because we had been imagining what it would be like for so long! I was expecting something pretty old, small and run down in the middle of a lower-end neighborhood, but the place is beautiful! I'll post pictures. It's a classic KC neighborhood with long, skinny houses- ours is a white colonial style house on the corner that was once the parish for our church on the opposite side of the block. It's a small stone and stained galss yet fairly liberal, post-modern Menonite church called Rainbow Mennonite.
That first night, our roommates already had dinner made, so we ate some delicious sweet potato fries and curry chicken with homemade bread made by our area director Tonia. We all get along well and are all very different people, but share a desire to serve, change some aches in the world, and live simply and joyfully! We have some good plans from house parties to camping adventures. This weekend, we're hiking around Lexington until we find a river to camp around. It's incredible to not have anything to hold me back from going out and having a new adventure!
We also had a week of Orientation I'll fill you in on next posting!
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