Fall Happenings

Wow, it has been a really long time since I last posted. And a lot has been going on! Mostly I have been writing a million papers. As of today the number of papers I have written in the last month totals 20. I have 4 more to go before I am done with papers this semester! I am definitely done with writing for a while. Next up is 5 exams, and then my last semester of classes will be over!
Which brings me to my next bit of important news: I have an internship. Lots of you may know that it has been a bit of a frustrating process. I have had an internship in principle since last spring, but nothing official had been agreed upon. When I returned to school this semester I learned a bit more about it and was given a contact to set up an interview. After over a month of emailing and trying to get answers I finally got an interview set up a couple of weeks ago and then finalized everything on Friday. So, pending a security check, I will be interning with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) working in Child Protective Services (CPS). What does this mean, you might be asking yourself. Well, CPS is the investigative body of DCF. They investigate abuse suspicions or claims, work in the court system, and work closely with law enforcement. Why did I want to do this you might ask. Well, I really wanted to do one of the more difficult things I thought I could do within child welfare. And this is what I came up with. I really want to know if I can emotionally handle working with children who have been abused and families who abuse their children. It will be a huge learning experience for me. Just in my interview I feel like I learned a lot and I am really excited to start. So, what will I be doing? Mostly I will be shadowing other social workers who work in CPS as they go about their daily things. That will include going to houses to investigate, working with law enforcement to remove kids from homes, working with courts to determine parental rights, and doing interviews with kids for abuse and sexual abuse. I will be working Monday-Thursday, 6-8 hours a day to get 400 hours, starting the last week of January. I am really looking forward to it! And all your prayers are appreciated as I go through it.
In between all this busyness there have actually been some really fun moments as well. And since pictures are worth a thousand words I thought I would share some pictures!
First I got to go home for a very quick trip. I am pretty sure I spent the same amount of time in Canada as I did on airplanes and in airports. I was home for just enough time to eat some delicious turkey and pumpkin pie (it was Canadian Thanksgiving) and see my cousin get married.

Next up came Tabor's annual Sadie Hawkins weekend. Just like the song, the girls as the guys to various events. My roommates and I got very creative one weekend to ask my neighbor to Seniors Night. Our creativity involved a pinata, a note written half in Spanish (courtesy of my Spanish speaking friend, not myself) half in English, and breaking and entering into our neighbor's apartment. The actual event (which somehow I failed to take pictures of) involved us dressing up as senior citizens and going to All Star Sports in Wichita where we played some arcade games, won some prizes, and played some golf. It was a really fun night!

Eating their food while breaking in!

And playing their games!

Last, but not least, a couple of weeks ago my church in Hillsboro held their annual fall festival. One couple has a farm just outside of town and they host the whole church for a night of fun games and fellowship. We went on a hay rack ride around the farm and surrounding areas, taking in the sights of Kansas, then we roasted hot dogs, ate some snacks, and won some prizes. It was a nice break to hang out with friends and make some good memories!

Playing with the IPhone 5's panoramic picture feature

My favorite picture of the night!

More exciting things to come as I get to go home once again in a few weeks for another wedding and then it will be time for Christmas break!

One Family, One Voice, One Heart

People ask my all the time why I chose Tabor. Or they ask me if I am liking it at Tabor and when I say yes ask me why I feel that way. I've always given an answer, something like 'it's a great school' or 'I feel at home there' or whatever. But this week I feel like I've discovered the real reason I love it here at Tabor. It's simple really. It is different then any other school.
When I chose to attend Tabor a year and a half ago it was for purely academic reasons. They had my major and they taught from a different perspective. I didn't know enough about the school to know what else I was getting.
This week has been a hard one for Tabor College. Last weekend a student was involved in an altercation with a rival school. It was very bad. The student was on life support in a hospital, in critical condition. The student was new, he had just transferred here from California to play football. And then he was beaten. And the student body responded in a way that I don't think you would see at many other schools. They got together and they prayed. Many people, myself included, did not know him. The first I had heard of this student was when he was dying. But I prayed for him. I prayed for a miracle. Because at Tabor, it doesn't matter if I knew him or not. What matters is that he is part of our community and when one hurts, we all hurt.
Violence is not a new thing to me. I grew up in a big city, with increasing gang violence, and where murders and deaths are expected. I can't tell you how many times I've heard of a death on the news and then shrugged it off and went on with my life. Because it didn't effect my life. When I picture this same situation happening at SFU I feel the response would have been the same. It would have impacted those who knew him and everyone else would have walked away unchanged.
We didn't get a miracle. The student unfortunately died last night after a week of fighting. He leaves behind parents, a fiancee, and two young kids. There will be fallout from his death. Somewhere there is another kid who now has to live with the knowledge that he killed someone. There are two kids who will grow up not knowing their father. And who knows what will happen at Tabor. We prayed for a miracle and God answered with a "no".
But there is one thing that this week taught me: whatever happens now, the students at Tabor will unite together and will get through it together. We will surround those at Tabor who knew him and we will help them. Because we are a community. We are a place that loves people and helps people.
And that is why Tabor is different. I will not walk away from this unchanged. Violence here is not expected, nor should it be anywhere, and death effects everyone. This death reminds me that life is fragile, that we each have a finite number of days here, to appreciate what I have, to focus on the present. It makes me contemplate my own mortality and what I want to be remembered for. And it makes me thankful that God brought me here, to this community that is Tabor, to a place that lives out God in everything they do.
Tabor showed our true colors this week and will continue to do so in the weeks to come. This is a place where everyone is connected in some way. Where we are "one family, one voice, and one heart" as one student told the media.
This is a news clip made early last week, before Brandon died, and it is the answer to the question of why I like Tabor:
http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Tabor-Students-Offer-Spiritual-Support-For-Injured-Football-Player-Each-Other-170444286.html

Summer

So you might want to know what I did this summer (since I clearly didn't blog) and so now that summer is over (not in Kansas though...over 100 degrees today...good thing for A/C) I thought I would let you all know.

This summer I got the chance to do something I've never done before. I know what some of you are thinking: "didn't she work at a day camp? She does that all the time." Which is true, I did work at a day camp which is something that I have done lots of times. But it is the beginning of the camp that was something new. I worked at a special needs camp. That's right. For two weeks, a staff of 10 university students ran an over night adults special needs camp. Needless to say this was a shocking experience. I am not going to lie: I did not really want to do it. I love kids. I love getting the chance to work with kids for the summer and get paid doing it. But special need adults? This is something I had never done before, had no knowledge of, and to be honest was really worried about it. But it turns out God knows best. It was a great experience.
I realized how many stereotypes I had of adults with special needs and how wrong they were. We had between 40-50 campers both weeks. And all of them were just like us. Sure, some of them had some developmental delays, some of them lacked the social skills, some had no boundaries, and some had zero communication skills. But they are just like us. They have jobs, and they are incredibly proud of their jobs, they want to know people, they want to make friends, they have relationships, they learn, they are just like us except for one thing that in reality that had no choice about. It was amazing. I learned so much - how to communicate clearly, how to deal with certain behaviors (for example, one of my campers would bite her finger whenever she felt overwhelmed or over-stimulated. Which was basically all the time. So I had to learn how to deal with that). By the end of the two weeks I was beyond exhausted, but also felt very fulfilled. It was great to work with a new population, learn new skills, and experience something brand new.
Of course the rest of the summer was also amazing. We had between 10-20 campers a week and they ranged in age from 5-12. They kids were great. There were of course the campers who like to break the rules, the ones with annoying behaviors, and the ones who were slightly aggressive. But they were great. Over the years I have learned to deal with those things and look for the good instead of focusing on the bad. There were just so many really precious moments and it was great to get to know some more kids and learn about their lives. Kids lives seem so much different then when I was a kid. It often makes me sad to see the lack of childhood many of my campers have, but it was great to have them outside constantly and give them a chance to forget about school and their home lives (which are not always ideal). The camp was on the beach (Crescent Beach) which was great. I got to see the ocean every day. Which was especially great considering I live in the land locked state of Kansas the rest of the year.

Of course the summer ended with a three and a half day road trip with three people in my car, three travel suit cases, one big suit case, 4 packs of Shreddies (they don't exist in USA), a big box of coffee crisp (which also don't exist here), and an assortment of bags. All in my Toyota Yaris. It was a good trip - long by the end of it, but good. We did 8-9 hour days and stopped to do some tourist-y things along the way. It felt good to get out of the car and stretch our legs and see some of America we never get to see. The trip ended with a tour of Hillsboro and Tabor for my mom (who has been here once before) and my sister (who has never been here before).
And then summer was over. The very next day school started, the family went home, and homework began. And that is where I am now. While all you Canadians are just thinking about starting school tomorrow, I have already written half a dozen papers and completed my first exam. So summer is over, but not forgotten. And maybe soon I will post some pictures. But first I must eat dinner. And paint my house. And do homework...

Beginning of the End

Well, here I am. Finally. Four years after graduating high school the end is in sight. I have begun my final year of college! That's right, come May I will be a college graduate with two Bachelor Degrees under my belt looking for a real job (okay, and maybe also preparing to get a Masters...eventually). Needless to say, this is an exciting time. This summer was the last time I would work a summer camp job (and boy will I miss camps). This weekend was the last time I would move back to Tabor College (off campus, but in Hillsboro). Today was the last first day of classes. This semester will be my final one with classes as my final semester will be spent doing an internship. So many lasts happening right now, it is bittersweet. But I am very excited for the last step in my undergrad years and excited to see what God has in store for me when I am finished in less than a year.
So far, it has been a wonderful ride. I absolutely love social work. Every day I learn something new that makes me more passionate. I have discovered the joys of continued education and find I actually enjoy going to classes now to learn more, become more educated, to make informed opinions, and hopefully to make a difference in lives when I'm done. Today in one of my classes we watched a video about homelessness and child abuse statistics in the US, and I realized that I will not be powerless against these things. With my education, with the passions I have, I can make a difference. It feels good.
And of course things are different again this year. I had a different job this summer (but then kind of the same) working at a day camp at Crescent Beach. Needless to say it was a difficult job :P It was a good end to the summer job market. I learned a lot - about myself and about kids - and I had a lot of fun doing it. I have a different house now. My roommate bought a house! I think this makes the fourth place I've lived since going to school here. This one is still a work in project and I have a lot of painting in my future. Also new this year is that I have a car! My mom, sister, and I all piled into my tiny Toyota Yaris (which has much more room then it would appear) and drove the 3,000 KM from Surrey, BC to Hillsboro, KS. I will write more about that soon and post some pictures. My job changed a bit - now I just have 1 (shocking!) working reception in admissions. Which I now need to get to. So I will sign off and post again soon!

Pottery Creations

As you may or may not know I have been taking a pottery class this semester. I made a whole bunch of things, some which I liked and some which I did not. I am not the most creative person in the world, but I did come up with some good ideas. My favorite part of pottery was definitely using the wheel. It was really hard at first and I did not have the strength to do it all by myself, but I did manage to throw some good cylinders and bowls and it became really fun when I knew what to do. Anyways here are some pictures of the things I really liked:

My candles...my favorite creation by far

One of the bowls done on the wheel...this one is my favorite

Another thrown bowl

A box that I made

Another one of my favorite projects, also thrown and I have no idea what it is called

The top view

My coffee mug for all the coffee I drink

And another one of the bowls I threw on the wheel

Tornadoes

I am sure many of you have heard in the news about the excess of tornadoes in the Mid-West just a couple of weeks ago. If not, then you missed a lot. In a single day there were over 90 tornadoes confirmed on the ground. It made for a very exciting, and somewhat terrifying, day. I had always stated that I wanted to see a tornado. Not close to me or anything like that (I don't have a death wish), just in the distance. Well that day changed my mind. Before I freak you all out, don't worry we did not get hit by a tornado. Just nearly got hit. Here is how the story went: all week the news was talking about this horrible storm that would hit Kansas on Friday or Saturday. Tornado watches (meaning conditions are favorable for a tornado) were issued well in advance. But nothing happened in Hillsboro. It seemed like nothing would come out of all the buildup. So my two roommates went to a grad thing and I stayed home in our house with no basement believing nothing bad would happen and the hype was for nothing. Jokingly as my roommates were leaving one said "if the sirens go off, go in the pantry and close the door".  (the pantry is the middle room of our house and has no windows, thus is the safest place to be should a tornado occur). I just laughed and went back to watching TV. And then the sirens went off. I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life. One siren is right by our house and so it was so loud and in a moment of panic I had no idea what to do. I was alone and the sirens were going off. *side note, when the sirens go off you have no idea where a tornado is. The tornado could be 20 minutes away or it could be just a mile away.* I did remember enough to go hide in the pantry and close the door all the while calling Whitney who was at this grad thing. She did not answer because she was busy sprinting across the street to her parent's house which does have a basement. Eventually, she called me back and told me to drive to her parents house as fast as I could and to do it now. Again, in my state of panic she had to tell me several times before it got through my head. But I got in her car and drove as fast as I could to her parent's house where we hid in the basement while the sirens went off for 40 minutes. In the end, the tornado came our direction, went back into the sky over Hillsboro, and dropped back down just outside of town. In the middle of it all I texted Whitney and said "I lied. I don't want to see a tornado". That was just too much for me.

Me in my tornado shelter the next day

 

 

In other news...I only have a couple more weeks of school left! I am really looking forward to being done and returning to Canada (it has been a while since I've been home). I have a couple more papers to write and some exams, but not too much is left! Also in other news...my roommate bought a house! So strange...Whitney decided to buy a house because houses are cheap in Hillsboro and it is a good idea to pay into equity instead of paying into rent. So when I return in August I will have another new address and some more pictures for you to see of another place to live. It is safe to say that I have had more addresses in Kansas then I have in my entire life in Canada. Well that is all that has been happening around here! Three more weeks of school and exams and then I will be home! :)

Spring Fling

It has been an exciting couple of weeks here in Hillsboro, KS which should explain why I have not blogged in a long time!
Let's start with Spring Break. Whitney and I spent the week in Dallas, TX doing a variety of tourist type things. We stayed in a hotel down town Dallas for the first couple of nights, which was really cool. The hotel was really modern and colorful. While downtown, we checked out the sights. First we went to the JFK museum and the Grassy Knoll area. It was really cool, especially because we never learn much about it in school in Canada. So I learned a lot and it was really eerie but interesting. And then we were standing by the Grassy Knoll and got a conspiracy tour by a conspiracy theorist. It was really funny, but really interesting. The whole story is on my facebook album if you want to learn more. We also went to to an Aquarium, Thanksgiving Square (which has a really cool stain glass ceiling in the chapel), and Dallas history museum. Then we had to leave down town and we stayed the rest of the week outside of the city, where we relaxed, went shopping, got manicures, saw Hunger Games. We also went to a Stars vs. Canucks game...which was so much fun! We won, which was awesome and played great. And then we spent our last day at Six Flags going on crazy thriller rides, standing in long lines, and getting a wee bit sunburned. Then, as all vacations must come to an end, we had to return home. But it was a great vacation and a great time off from school doing new things.
And then a few weeks later came my birthday. I knew Whitney was planning something (she told me it was going to be a surprise) but I could not for the life of me figure out what she was planning. I ask a million questions and got a million different answers. But I found nothing out and had to wait until the Friday before my birthday before I could find anything out. So you can imagine my surprise when I go to work and work for about 15 minutes and then get called into the reception area and then I round the corner and BAMM there are my parents. In Hillsboro, KS. When they are supposed to be in Surrey, BC. It was so crazy. Everyone in the office knew, which was really funny and I was surprised everyone could keep a secret from me. Especially Whitney. But it was so great! They cooked me my favorite birthday meal, got to see the town I live in the majority of the year (they had never been to Hillsboro before). We went and saw the Salt Museum, which is a museum 650 feet under ground. We went out for dinner and hung out a lot. And then alas, they also had to go home. But it was a fantastic weekend and it was so great to have them here and get to see them again after so long. Thanks for coming out mom and dad! (I hope you are reading this).
This past weekend was Easter, as I am sure you all know. I spent some time with Whitney's family, relaxing, doing lots of homework, and relaxing. So yes, it has been a really fun couple of weeks here. And in just over a month, I shall return to Surrey for the summer, hopefully employed. So if you here of any job opportunities...let me know!

Storm Chasing

So, contrary to the title of this blog, I have not in fact done any storm chasing (you can breathe easy again). However, as perhaps the news has told you, there has been some tornado activity. For us, it happened last Tuesday. The weather has said there would be a thunder storm, which only materialized in the evening. I was on my way to class when I asked Whitney if this was tornado weather (I can never tell) and she said possibly. Then a tornado watch was issued - which means conditions may possibly create a tornado. While in class, that changed to a tornado warning which means funnels have been spotted in the area. I later learned that at night warnings are issued more easily because it is more difficult to see funnels. Shortly after the warning, people were told to go to storm shelters. Tabor events were cancelled (including basketball games and dorm events). My class was in a storm shelter so we kept on making things (it was pottery class) while the winds raged on and hail came and thunder and lighting was constant. And then it all ended. No sirens went off, no tornado touched down in our area. And the excitement was over.
Though the storm excitement was over, some more fun things happened. The day after the tornado drama, my social work policy class went on a field trip to Topeka, the capital city of Kansas. It was National Social Work day in Kansas, so there was a conference in one of the universities in Topeka. It included several social works who spoke on different things - such as health care reform, large scale advocacy, and social policy changes. As well as a member of the republican and democrat policies - they were significantly less interested and basically just told us to write letters to our representatives and vote. In the afternoon, our class got the chance to talk to a Kansas Senator who is the senate majority leader here in Kansas which was really exciting. He gave us 45 minutes to just ask a bunch of questions about how policies are changing, how it may impact us, and what we should do to help our communities/clients deal with the inevitable cuts in social programs. It was a great experience and great to have a senator take so much time with us.

Me at the Kansas Capitol Building

To cap off the week, the weather became fantastic and seeing as spring is beginning, we did some gardening! If you remember from my previous post with house pictures in it, we have two garden beds on either side of our front porch. We discovered that each of them are lined with peonies which should bloom in May. We also found some flowers called Naked Ladies growing in our backyard and transplanted them to the front. and we planted some daises along that house in the back of the garden bed. We have not tackled the back yard yet, but we did discover that we have a blueberry tree! Needless to say, we are very excited for all the possible things we can do with blueberries...and I was naturally saddened by the fact that they will bloom while I am back in Canada.
Anyways, it was a very exciting week here in Kansas. And in two weeks it will be spring break! Definitely looking forward to it! Spring break plans are coming together...I tell you all in a little bit!

And it begins again...

Well, it has been awhile. Mostly because nothing too exciting has happened over here but I will tell you all about it anyways.
I finished interterm about two weeks ago. For those of you who don't remember, interterm is when you take one class for 2-3 weeks every day. I took helping relationships (which is part of my major) which was really fun. It was a very hands on class as we learned and practiced important skills that we will need to know if we go into that field. We did a lot of role playing - pretending to have conflicts with each other while another person mediated that conflict. It was a great class!
Once interterm was done, I had a week and a half off until the spring semester started. I did not do a whole lot during the break - just relaxed, read, and worked. I started a new job (again). This is a day job in admissions, answering the phone and doing paper work. I also still do student calling, but this way I get some more hours. So far I really enjoy the job - it has been fun and the office camaraderie is great.
On Tuesday spring semester started. I have now had every class once. I am taking 4 classes - biology, social work practice, social work policy, and ceramics (yes pottery). It should be really busy semester. The two social work classes are upper level classes so they are very involved. Biology is, well, biology and is probably my least favorite subject of all possible subjects, but it was required for my major so I had to take it. We will see how it goes...and then there is ceramics, which will be my nice get away and relax class. the only bad thing about it is that it is a night class. So twice a week I have to go to class at night which is no fun.
So that is my life. Now two random side notes:
(1) I started another blog. This one is with my roommates. We have decided to try out some new recipes and write about in on a blog (sounds familiar eh?). So if you are interested check it out...perhaps you can learn something knew too :) here is a link: http://www.mennonitegirls.blogspot.com/
(2) Ever heard of groupon? If not you should sign up here: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu11372181. We bought a groupon to get some professional pictures done. It was $25 for a one hour session and all the photos on a disc. We had a lot of fun and we love the pictures. All photo credit goes to Shotwell photography (http://www.shotwellphotos.com/)...here are a bunch:

One Year

Wow, can you believe it has been a whole year? It was around a year ago today that I arrived in Kansas and I cannot believe how much has happened since then or how much I have learned and experienced. I went to Nashville and learned how to rebuild houses, I have taken 10 classes over two semesters which included everything from health concepts to english to social work and this semester even some biology (eek!) and ceramics (yes, like pottery). I have worked several jobs, and will be starting another new one this semester so I can get some more hours.
Well, enough reminiscing...you can just look through my previous posts for more of that. What have I been up to since my last post? Well, I finished my finals, packed, and flew home for my three week Christmas break. It was so great to be off school and to be able to be lazy and enjoy time with friends and family. I spent some of my break driving my grandfather around, which was fun and kept me busy for a bit. And then there was a lot of nothing. Or everything. Hanging out with friends I hadn't seen in months, reading lots of books, hanging out with my family (at least when they didn't have other things to do...apparently not everyone gets Christmas breaks...) and of course enjoying many Christmas dinners. At the end of it all I realized in just over a month I had six turkey dinners (3 at American thanksgiving, three at Christmas). That is a lot of turkey! Good thing it is so delicious. But alas, Christmas break had to come to an end and earlier this week I made my way back to Kansas, perhaps flying for the last time as I am hoping to drive my car down next August when I come back. January is its own semester here at Tabor (called interterm) and I have just one class every morning from 8:30-11:30. It is going to get very busy soon as it is only a two week class, but it has been very interesting. And only three semesters left! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that your New Years are going well!