How to Experience "Summer Obsessions"

The article below is titled "Summer Obsessions" and was written for Third Way Cafe as part of my summer internship. Maybe it could cross over to my own dear blog.

"My summer has been filled to overflowing in Washington, DC, and marked by several highlights. For a section of the summer, my biggest obsession was undoubtedly football … I mean soccer … I mean World Cup. I love everything about World Cup. I love—for better or for worse—that Africa finally hosted one of the biggest tournaments in the world. I love the hype, the excitement, the crazy fans, the spectacular stories, the drama of red cards, the killer penalty shots, and the joy of players and fans when their dreams come to fruition. World Cup was glorious. World Cup had the world falling before their television sets.

"And then there’s my other obsession. My summer has also been filled with politics and advocacy, interning at the MCC Washington Office. I’ve been engrossed in understanding the world of politics, working groups, Hill visits and research on multiple domestic issues. I love the fast pace, the dedication and passion of the faith-based community, the collaboration of faith-based and church advocacy groups, the constant flow of coffee and unquestionably the people I’ve had the pleasure of working with at the office.

"My two summer obsessions bring to light many of my Mennonite values. Soccer is often called “the beautiful game.” It‘s beautiful to watch the teamwork and collaboration involved and the higher the stakes, the more collaboration and community is formed.

"It’s difficult to call advocacy beautiful like soccer. In general, politics offend my Mennonite sensitivities, which constantly crave collaboration. Yet advocacy brings other Mennonite values to fruition—justice and peace for all—requiring me to value it. Advocacy—like soccer—doesn’t ever end. There’s always more work, more training, and more advocating. Watching people working with constant and undying dedication to justice puts me to shame. I’ve witnessed collaboration and compromise watching churches and faith-based groups work together, which gives me hope that civility exists in the political world.

"My inner Mennonite is acutely aware that both advocacy and soccer can divide people. Yet, at the end of the World Cup final (and all 13 yellow cards) I’m still friends with Spanish fans even if I was passionately cheering on Holland. At the end of the day, in advocacy, we can all agree that we’re trying to make the world a better place even if we differ on the execution of that goal. I love the exuberant outcome at the end of a soccer game and I love the common interests and values we can find in advocacy.

"Perhaps World Cup can teach us acceptance, forgiveness, and how to let a game be a game. Perhaps advocacy can teach us patience, perseverance, compromise, acting out our faith. There are so many lessons to be found in ordinary and extraordinary places, even in our summer obsessions."

How I met Amazing People at College

Now that I'm on the other end of college, I've spent some recent time reflecting on the experience. I invested three years of my life--virtually 24/7--into a piece of paper and an education. I got a mixed bag of returns. The culture shock returning to the States was horrifying. My peacebuilding education was phenomenal. Yet much of what stands out now are amazing people I met who changed my life for the better, who saw the best in met, and who inspired me.

Gloria: Gloria was my academic advisor in the Applied Soci department, and is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. She saw my interests and helped my with classes and projects which fostered these. I wouldn't be in peacebuilding if it wasn't for Gloria, and I wouldn't have graduated if it hasn't been for Gloria or feel understood at EMU.

Terry: Terry is the strangest prof known to man. We'd write down his outrageous comments in our notebooks, such as "terrorism is like porno, you know it when you see it." But Terry understands social movements and international development and he shared his massive practical and academic knowledge in all five classes I took with him. I would not love Mennonite community development if it wasn't for Terry.

Nancy: I never had a class with Nancy but I'm sure I would have loved it. Nancy was my mentor for a peace speech I did and she helped me develop my thoughts into a solid piece. But Nancy is memorable because she's traveled around the world. She's strong, intelligent and humble, even after her promotion as dean of EMU. I aspire to be like Nancy one day.

Sarah: Sarah saved EMU for me. She's the sweetest, thoughtful, sincere, and utterly humble Mennonite farm girl from Idaho turned peacebuilder. She transferred in mid-year, mid-semester like me and listened to me process through all my culture shock. Sarah inspires me to love building peace as much as she does, and that local food and farming is ultimately superior.

Lorraine: Lorraine also save my sanity. The aunt of church members in New York, Lorraine adopted me and saved my soul from disparity. Lorraine took me to church and then back to her home in the Virginia countryside where she would use her professional chef skills for a beautiful lunch. I stayed with her on holidays and I made her home my home. I love Lorraine immensely.

Kaylee: Kaylee was my sounding wall. A non-Mennonite transfer peacebuilding student, we bonded in "History and Philosophy of Nonviolence" and have been inseparable ever since. Together we figured out EMU, and together we survived happily. She became a fixture in my life. Along with Sarah, we constructed the transfer trio, a force of kindness and silent thoughtfulness.

Jakob: I would have never composted before I met Jakob. But when you live in the same house with EMU's composting point-man, well, at the end of the semester I started taking out the compost myself. Jakob helped me rethink sustainability beyond a fad to a lifestyle...and I took back my comments about people from Goshen Indiana.

Mark: Mark was a photography major with three or four minors. I didn't think we'd be friends because our vast political differences but my co-ed house led to some interesting friendships. I learned that respect and civility can cross many differences and lead to good discussions, and that photography is indeed a beautiful art.

Kari: My dear Kari was an art major. All through the spring semester, I watched her paint her senior show in her bedroom, three massively large pieces. Kari's energy is infectious and her joy for art is contagious. I watched that senior show come together and Kari's journey with it, and I saw myself and my own life story. And then we have such a beautiful friendship.

Jon: Jon shouldn't be at the end of this list. Some people think finding a significant other is a mandate of uni attendance. I don't think so, but meeting a precise and thoughtful bio-chem major who appreciates my TCK-ness, makes me very happy. And I can say he's inspired me to appreciate different types of music.

The list could go on...as I write, more people come to mind who have blessed my life and the people I will miss as I venture into the future. And then the benefits of uni instantly seem so much higher.

How I'm going back to Asia

I’ve picked on people who graduated college and had jobs waiting for them. Basically, I’m grossly envious. I told myself, "the world just doesn't work like that anymore. I'm a new generation that graduates unmarried, unattached and unemployed." Yeah...well that was funny of me...but the point stands. I won't have that diploma till August...but I'm employed...and I'm dating...and I can't stop laughing because apparently it's true that God does have a sense of humor.

I was drowning in so much work second semester senior year I had no time whatsoever to thoughts of "post-college life." So I decided to simply graduate (or walk rather) and figure it out later. I’ve spent the summer in DC working for Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office on domestic policy issues. I needed a practicum to fully get that diploma which will be mine in August. I looked around DC and decided that politics and advocacy are just too brutal for my taste. I dislike what divides people, I dislike bashing politicians we don't like and dislike the inaction in general.

MCC was my first choice for future jobs for many reasons; they’re a small grassroots organization, they work at the community level, they’re well respected (even adored) in the peacebuilding world, and they’re faith-based ie. Menno-based. I was more then happy when they expressed interest in my application for a position in Phnom Penh Cambodia. I didn’t think it would actually go through, but it did, rather quickly, and they offered it to me. It’s a three-year voluntary service worker position working with a local non-governmental organization working with families and family systems to promote peace and nonviolence; mediation, facilitation, trauma healing, international development, and qualitative research…all things I adore and one day, I'll maybe even be an expert.

So...NY with family and friends until mid-October when I’ll be down in Akron PA for orientation and I’ll be in Phnom Penh just in time for my 22 birthday early November. Gosh, I am young.

Perhaps I’m most amazed because I get to do exactly what I want to be doing; peacebuilding from the bottom up overseas with funny food, foreign cultures and Menno values (not to mention complete legitimacy in the Mennonite world...which is kind of important...don't ask me why). It’s the right time and I’m increasingly confident it’s the right place. I continue to be absolutely amazed how everything is completely falling into place…and when that happens, you just know good plans, wonderful lessons, and beautiful faces are in store. I'm still processing the knowledge that I won't see so many beautiful people I cherish which is a difficult adjustment. Yet my plan is to return for grad school at the end of my term. And three years...it's not that long when I consider how upon my return I'll still qualify for my parents health insurance coverage under the new health care reform. I am pretty young.