How I ended up at SPI

In the peacebuilding field, EMU's SPI is just the coolest thing ever. Seriously! You have people coming from over 50 countries, instructors also from all over the world and you collaborate on subject relating to the promotion of world peace? Now that's just awesome.

I knew about Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI) long before I knew about EMU's undergrad peace studies program. This summer SPI is launching it's fourteenth annual summer courses. These four ten-day sessions are actually a branch of EMU's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) and most people therefore know about CJP through SPI and CJP's world famous conflict transformation master program

But this is just incredibly boring facts. It's much better to actually live it. I can't say this for certain as SPI isn't officially beginning until Monday but I'm stoked! I'm working on staff here at SPI until mid-June when sessions end, I job I was totally excited to get because it means I can interact with people from all over the world again. I have an office job coordinating housing and I have a people job as a "camp counselor" in the faculty dorm. SPI has three permanent staff and I'm one of seven temporary summer/student staff who work mainly as community assistants (RA/camp counselor/order keeper) in the participent dormartory on campus. I get the best job/jobs because it means I get to do what I'm good at (organizing) and do what I'm good at (interacting with global nomads).

I may hate it. Actually I can't possible hate it because, well, I get to work with fabulous people for one thing. Right now, we're kind of worried about swine flu (um hum, H1N1 virus) but we're going right on ahead and enjoying life abundantly. (Masks are in the kitchen cupboard.)