This past weekend Luther was treated to a concert and church service performed by the Harlem Gospel Choir. This choir is made up of some very talented singers and musicians from multiple Black Churches in Harlem. I wasn't able to attend the concert on Saturday night due to our out-of-town track meet, but I luckily was able to hear them perform in church this morning.
I really wasn't planning on going to church this morning and I had no idea that the Harlem Choir was performing, but then a friend stopped by on her way and so I tagged along. When we entered the CFL I couldn't believe how many people were there! On a normal Sunday there would easily be about 1/6 of the people that filled the seats today. The Harlem Gospel Choir got people of all ages from the community out of their seats, dancing and clapping to their up-beat music. I loved seeing these elderly men in their suits clapping over their heads and having a grand time. This was such a big deal that even a news station had their camera-man taping the service, although I don't think the tape can do justice to the actual experience.
It was very neat to see the CFL rocking with joy for the Lord. I loved hearing the Choir's own versions of Amazing Grace, O Holy Day When Jesus Walked, and When the Saints Go Marching In. The drummer and the soloists were phenomenal and they looked like they were loving every minute of praising the Lord. It was such an interactive worship service compared to the normal service, and I know that many of us would welcome back the Harlem Gospel Choir any Sunday.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Singles' Awareness Day
"Singles' Awareness Day"- I heard this phrase for the first time Friday night in the lockerroom before practice as some of the girls were commiserating that Saturday would be Valentine's Day (apparently also known as S.A.D.). I laughed out loud when I heard this. Who needs a significant other to have a good Valentine's Day? Especially when you've got a whole team supporting and caring for you?!
Coming into college I thought that, of course, I would immediately meet some guy that I would fall deeply in love with and we would get along just wonderfully. Isn't getting into a serious relationship one of the goals of going to college? Well, things haven't turned out quite like that. Being part of the cross country team I did immediately meet lots of guys, and guys with some of my same interests nonetheless, but I haven't had a boyfriend yet. Those things take time.
I would say that about half of my friends are currently in a relationship and the other half are single just like me. I would imagine that this is probably true for a lot of campus. Just from walking around campus you'll notice how many groups of friends are walking, talking, and laughing. I think that Luther is a very friendly place, with respectful, fun students. If you're looking for a relationship, opportunities definitely exist to get in one. But if you're content just having good friends and remaining single, you won't feel pressured into finding a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Like I said, being on the cross country and track teams bring me lots of love. We had a Valentine's Day meet yesterday and not only were there loads of teammates cheering me on, I received many hugs and even chocolates that made me feel just as loved as anybody. No reason to be sad about being single on Valentine's when you've got this team!
Coming into college I thought that, of course, I would immediately meet some guy that I would fall deeply in love with and we would get along just wonderfully. Isn't getting into a serious relationship one of the goals of going to college? Well, things haven't turned out quite like that. Being part of the cross country team I did immediately meet lots of guys, and guys with some of my same interests nonetheless, but I haven't had a boyfriend yet. Those things take time.
I would say that about half of my friends are currently in a relationship and the other half are single just like me. I would imagine that this is probably true for a lot of campus. Just from walking around campus you'll notice how many groups of friends are walking, talking, and laughing. I think that Luther is a very friendly place, with respectful, fun students. If you're looking for a relationship, opportunities definitely exist to get in one. But if you're content just having good friends and remaining single, you won't feel pressured into finding a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Like I said, being on the cross country and track teams bring me lots of love. We had a Valentine's Day meet yesterday and not only were there loads of teammates cheering me on, I received many hugs and even chocolates that made me feel just as loved as anybody. No reason to be sad about being single on Valentine's when you've got this team!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Bridging Two Worlds
Amazing how my daily life can seem so different after spending a month in another country. Perhaps I have just gained a new perspective on things, but I truly feel like my life in the United States is quite different from my daily life in Ecuador. I'll try to explain:
In Ecuador time is not valued in the same way that it is here. Lives are not run on a strict schedule. Yes, there were starting and ending times for schools, but in what I encountered, that was about it. My family ate meals just whenever everyone would arrive home. If someone was expected and hadn't yet arrived, then we waited for them. No one had places to rush off to, except for me when I had to be back at school at 3 and we weren't sitting down to lunch until 2! I felt almost rude and definitely out of place scarfing down my food so that I could dash off while everyone else was still sitting at the table enjoying their meal.
On our last evening in our host city 'Ecuadorian time' was very apparent. All host parents and Luther students were invited to a "going away" dinner that was at 7:45 based on the invitation. I know that my parents and I didn't even leave home until 7:50! I was getting a little worried, but then when we arrived at the dinner people were just chatting and at least 3 other families came in after us. The dinner didn't actually get started until at least 8:15, but no one seemed too bothered by this at all (except for us students who came in late with embarrassed looks on our faces).
Now returning to such a rigid and hectic class/practice/work schedule, I am definitely missing the calmness and flexibility of Ecuador!
One other aspect that I miss is the closeness and kindness of Ecuadorians! I felt so much care and respect from my host family (below picture) despite only being there for 3 weeks! It came from the custom of kissing everyone on the cheek whenever coming or leaving the house, even if you didn't know them. And it also came from spending so many evenings together just hanging out in front of the tv and talking! I saw my 27-yr old host brother sitting on his mom's bed one afternoon just talking about life, and I thought that was really neat and that it would be a rare sight in the U.S.
As soon as I returned to my home in Cedar Rapids, IA, I immeditately noticed that difference in how families interact and show affection here in the U.S. versus in Ecuador. At home I usually don't kiss or even hug my parents upon entering/leaving my house, but rather a quick 'hi' or 'bye' will suffice. I did spend quite a bit of time talking with my parents when I returned, filling them in on my great experiences, but I also spent so much more time alone doing my own thing while my parents did whatever they needed to do. In the U.S. I've realized how independent we are, worrying about our own schedules and obligations so much that sometimes we sacrifice time with the people we really care about.
Thus far it's been very eye-opening to see the direct contrasts of our culture and Ecuador's culture. But some of the Ecuadorian customs aren't all that I'm missing, what about the 70 degree weather?!
In Ecuador time is not valued in the same way that it is here. Lives are not run on a strict schedule. Yes, there were starting and ending times for schools, but in what I encountered, that was about it. My family ate meals just whenever everyone would arrive home. If someone was expected and hadn't yet arrived, then we waited for them. No one had places to rush off to, except for me when I had to be back at school at 3 and we weren't sitting down to lunch until 2! I felt almost rude and definitely out of place scarfing down my food so that I could dash off while everyone else was still sitting at the table enjoying their meal.
On our last evening in our host city 'Ecuadorian time' was very apparent. All host parents and Luther students were invited to a "going away" dinner that was at 7:45 based on the invitation. I know that my parents and I didn't even leave home until 7:50! I was getting a little worried, but then when we arrived at the dinner people were just chatting and at least 3 other families came in after us. The dinner didn't actually get started until at least 8:15, but no one seemed too bothered by this at all (except for us students who came in late with embarrassed looks on our faces).
Now returning to such a rigid and hectic class/practice/work schedule, I am definitely missing the calmness and flexibility of Ecuador!
One other aspect that I miss is the closeness and kindness of Ecuadorians! I felt so much care and respect from my host family (below picture) despite only being there for 3 weeks! It came from the custom of kissing everyone on the cheek whenever coming or leaving the house, even if you didn't know them. And it also came from spending so many evenings together just hanging out in front of the tv and talking! I saw my 27-yr old host brother sitting on his mom's bed one afternoon just talking about life, and I thought that was really neat and that it would be a rare sight in the U.S.
As soon as I returned to my home in Cedar Rapids, IA, I immeditately noticed that difference in how families interact and show affection here in the U.S. versus in Ecuador. At home I usually don't kiss or even hug my parents upon entering/leaving my house, but rather a quick 'hi' or 'bye' will suffice. I did spend quite a bit of time talking with my parents when I returned, filling them in on my great experiences, but I also spent so much more time alone doing my own thing while my parents did whatever they needed to do. In the U.S. I've realized how independent we are, worrying about our own schedules and obligations so much that sometimes we sacrifice time with the people we really care about.Thus far it's been very eye-opening to see the direct contrasts of our culture and Ecuador's culture. But some of the Ecuadorian customs aren't all that I'm missing, what about the 70 degree weather?!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Welcome Back- Now Jump Right In
I have now been back in the United States for almost 2 weeks, readjusting to the very cool Iowa weather and the pace of daily life. The first couple of days were not super easy, as I was trying to get my mind thinking in English again and my body set back to Central time (Ecuador was on Eastern time so when I would get up at 6:15 in Ecuador, that would equate to 5:15 in Iowa- not something I was excited to do). When our flight first arrived in Miami and we went through Customs, it was so weird how the official at the desk said 'Welcome Back' in English and I automatically wanted to respond with 'Gracias'. At that point my brain was literally mixing English and Spanish, but now that I've been hearing only English for awhile, my brain has decided to push Spanish to the back burner.
I arrived back to Luther this past Tuesday afternoon, and it was like coming back from summer break! It was so wonderful seeing all of my friends that I hadn't seen for almost 2 months, plus moving back to my dorm-sweet-dorm. It was super nice to see everyone's welcoming smiles and get many hugs. But that joy was dampened a little by the fact that three of my profs emailed out homework that we were supposed to have complete for the first day of class! I was not thrilled about that, seeing as I didn't even have my books yet.
Yesterday, then, was the first day of classes for the spring semester and let me tell you that my professors did not hold back at all. In all of my classes we pretty much just jumped right in to the material that we'll be plowing through together. I think that I will like most of my classes this term (Educational Psychology, Educational Methods, Botany, and O. Chem), but my schedule will take a while to get used to. Last fall I had 8 AM classes every day, but this term I don't start class until 11 on MWF and 12:45 on T/TH! We'll see how that goes, but I have no doubt that I'll be able to find some way to fill up my mornings.
It's great to be back at Luther and with all of my friends, now I just have to get my mind out of Ecuador time and expectations. Time to jump back into the crazy, fun, busy life of a college student!
I arrived back to Luther this past Tuesday afternoon, and it was like coming back from summer break! It was so wonderful seeing all of my friends that I hadn't seen for almost 2 months, plus moving back to my dorm-sweet-dorm. It was super nice to see everyone's welcoming smiles and get many hugs. But that joy was dampened a little by the fact that three of my profs emailed out homework that we were supposed to have complete for the first day of class! I was not thrilled about that, seeing as I didn't even have my books yet.
Yesterday, then, was the first day of classes for the spring semester and let me tell you that my professors did not hold back at all. In all of my classes we pretty much just jumped right in to the material that we'll be plowing through together. I think that I will like most of my classes this term (Educational Psychology, Educational Methods, Botany, and O. Chem), but my schedule will take a while to get used to. Last fall I had 8 AM classes every day, but this term I don't start class until 11 on MWF and 12:45 on T/TH! We'll see how that goes, but I have no doubt that I'll be able to find some way to fill up my mornings.
It's great to be back at Luther and with all of my friends, now I just have to get my mind out of Ecuador time and expectations. Time to jump back into the crazy, fun, busy life of a college student!
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