Friday, September 16, 2011
NEW BLOG!
Hi friends! I've officially begun a new blog, specifically for my time in the Peace Corps! I leave this coming Tuesday, and I'd love you to follow my posts at To the Ends of the Earth. Thanks!
Friday, June 17, 2011
I'll Race You Home.
I've just returned. Windblown and happy as a lark, I sat down to a lovely late lunch in my breakfast nook after a 3-day excursion to Kansas City. Quality time with 4 of my best friends in the world was topped only by two and a half hours of the most glorious musical experiences of my life - Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs live at the Starlight, under a clear sky and perfect evening air.
I'm windblown because the 3-hour drive down highway 13 absolutely demanded windows down, music up, and hand out the window. June in Missouri is tough to top - until autumn, at least. The cornfields aren't even knee high, and most fields haven't had the hay baled yet. Tall, rich green trees stand clumped and chaotic or proudly lonesome on the hills. It's the type of countryside that makes you want to walk barefoot, get your hands dirty. I didn't have to think twice when I saw a sign for Gordon's Orchard, just south of Osceola, with a giant hand-painted BLUEBERRIES. Absolutely.
My only regret was that I didn't have more cash with me. Along with fresh produce, the roadside stand was selling the entire collection of a retiring local artist - a man in his 90's who has been creating decorative pots and Indian dance rattles for years. With ten dollars and thirty-two cents and no checkbook, I sorted through the giant bins of simple but beautiful craftsmanship and walked away $10.30 poorer, with a pint of ripe blueberries and my second-favorite decorative gourd.
It's always pleasant to roll back into Springfield (aside from the ever-detoured and slow-moving strech of Kansas "Express"way from I-44 to Republic Rd.) I take pride in my home, and as much as I love being out in the world, the Ozarks are always going to be the true center of mine.
THAT BEING SAID - I had an interesting experience yesterday. I'll preface by saying that last night, Lauren and Lindsey and I watched Crash, the first time for all of us. If you haven't seen it, I suggest it. If you have, you know it's about race. Overwhelmingly so. The characters represent it all - prejudice against blacks, Mexicans, Iranians, Chinese - I could go on. It's not an easy movie to stomach. Especially not after the reality check I had at Best Buy a few hours before watching the movie.
I was wandering through the CDs when someone started speaking to me. I turned around to see a well-dressed young black man, a store employee, my age or thereabouts. We chatted a bit, friendly and borderline flirtatious. Soon Lauren joined in our conversation, and I said something that gave away that I wasn't from the area. Best Buy guy asked where I was from. "Springfield," I said, "you know - the Deep South." He politely chuckled, and casually commented something to the effect of "Well my kind isn't welcome down there." Somehow by the grace of the moment, his comment (unaffected in any way by a change of tone) didn't register with me or with Lauren. Soon he was called away by another employee, and we parted on polite and congenial terms.
But WHAT?!! Wait - what did he just say?? "My kind aren't welcome down there?" It's true - Springfield isn't traditionally known for diversity. With over 90% of the population self-identifying as white and less than 4% black, the following minority populations Hispanic/Latino (2.3%) and Asian (1.3%) Springfield is nearly monochrome. The lack of African Americans is generally attributed to a mass exodus of blacks in 1906 following the mob lynching of three black men. The men were prisoners at the jail, two accused of sexual assault and one of murder, though evidence suggests all three were innocent. The lynching was done in the city center on the square, and they were burned after.
Flash forward a century later, and there I am. Getting hit on in Best Buy. And simultaneously being associated with the white people of the past whose hatred transformed Springfield into a city whose Gen-X and Gen-Y children are growing up with no, or at least less, prejudice against a race that we don't even hardly come into contact with. I had one black friend growing up, literally. And she was even the product of a mixed-race marriage.
You can call it all what you want, but at the end of the day, this country isn't going to be healed until forgiveness prevails. And at this rate, it's going to be a long, long road.
I'm windblown because the 3-hour drive down highway 13 absolutely demanded windows down, music up, and hand out the window. June in Missouri is tough to top - until autumn, at least. The cornfields aren't even knee high, and most fields haven't had the hay baled yet. Tall, rich green trees stand clumped and chaotic or proudly lonesome on the hills. It's the type of countryside that makes you want to walk barefoot, get your hands dirty. I didn't have to think twice when I saw a sign for Gordon's Orchard, just south of Osceola, with a giant hand-painted BLUEBERRIES. Absolutely.
My only regret was that I didn't have more cash with me. Along with fresh produce, the roadside stand was selling the entire collection of a retiring local artist - a man in his 90's who has been creating decorative pots and Indian dance rattles for years. With ten dollars and thirty-two cents and no checkbook, I sorted through the giant bins of simple but beautiful craftsmanship and walked away $10.30 poorer, with a pint of ripe blueberries and my second-favorite decorative gourd.
It's always pleasant to roll back into Springfield (aside from the ever-detoured and slow-moving strech of Kansas "Express"way from I-44 to Republic Rd.) I take pride in my home, and as much as I love being out in the world, the Ozarks are always going to be the true center of mine.
THAT BEING SAID - I had an interesting experience yesterday. I'll preface by saying that last night, Lauren and Lindsey and I watched Crash, the first time for all of us. If you haven't seen it, I suggest it. If you have, you know it's about race. Overwhelmingly so. The characters represent it all - prejudice against blacks, Mexicans, Iranians, Chinese - I could go on. It's not an easy movie to stomach. Especially not after the reality check I had at Best Buy a few hours before watching the movie.
I was wandering through the CDs when someone started speaking to me. I turned around to see a well-dressed young black man, a store employee, my age or thereabouts. We chatted a bit, friendly and borderline flirtatious. Soon Lauren joined in our conversation, and I said something that gave away that I wasn't from the area. Best Buy guy asked where I was from. "Springfield," I said, "you know - the Deep South." He politely chuckled, and casually commented something to the effect of "Well my kind isn't welcome down there." Somehow by the grace of the moment, his comment (unaffected in any way by a change of tone) didn't register with me or with Lauren. Soon he was called away by another employee, and we parted on polite and congenial terms.
But WHAT?!! Wait - what did he just say?? "My kind aren't welcome down there?" It's true - Springfield isn't traditionally known for diversity. With over 90% of the population self-identifying as white and less than 4% black, the following minority populations Hispanic/Latino (2.3%) and Asian (1.3%) Springfield is nearly monochrome. The lack of African Americans is generally attributed to a mass exodus of blacks in 1906 following the mob lynching of three black men. The men were prisoners at the jail, two accused of sexual assault and one of murder, though evidence suggests all three were innocent. The lynching was done in the city center on the square, and they were burned after.
Flash forward a century later, and there I am. Getting hit on in Best Buy. And simultaneously being associated with the white people of the past whose hatred transformed Springfield into a city whose Gen-X and Gen-Y children are growing up with no, or at least less, prejudice against a race that we don't even hardly come into contact with. I had one black friend growing up, literally. And she was even the product of a mixed-race marriage.
You can call it all what you want, but at the end of the day, this country isn't going to be healed until forgiveness prevails. And at this rate, it's going to be a long, long road.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Guess what?
I'm officially joining the Peace Corps.
I leave for Cameroon in September.
Whoa.
In other news, I've become re-obsessed with Enter The Worship Cirlce. Look it up. Amazing music.
I leave for Cameroon in September.
Whoa.
In other news, I've become re-obsessed with Enter The Worship Cirlce. Look it up. Amazing music.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The spiritual and the social
First of all, I should say that since the Rapture is reportedly supposed to occur today, if I don't live to see May 22, 2011, I hereby entitle the first person to read this blog to all of my stuff. Except the red composition notebook in my closet - that can just be burned. Please.
In my previous post I promised an explanation regarding my year's worth of spiritual and social sentiments. We'll go for highlights:
1. I love my family. Way much.
2. I spent the whole academic year feeling like I had to choose between investing myself intellectually in school OR investing myself in people. I hate that, and I really didn't mean to abandon anyone.
3. I totally get how some people are both Hindu and Christian.
4. I hate what religion can become if you let it.
5. I love what religion can become if you let it.
For a period of time this year, I became very critical, and spent several weeks this winter feeling like I was at the edge of a philosophical precipice. I prayed to step backwards, away from the danger, back to the comfort of doctrine and home. Every time I tried to step backwards, I just shuffled along the edge, never moving back to safetly, but rather learning how to trust my footing. I'm in the process of learning that faith isn't safety - it's knowing that life here is only one step away from the edge, ever on the verge of falling or flying. And it's from here that I have the clearest view of both the valley and the mountain.
In summary, God is good.
On an entirely different note, I graduated. And now I want to learn more. Lots more. If anyone has any experience with painting, playing music, photography, driving a standard transmission, speaking Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, or German, you have an interested pupil with a decent start on most of these (except painting, that one is totally new.)
In my previous post I promised an explanation regarding my year's worth of spiritual and social sentiments. We'll go for highlights:
1. I love my family. Way much.
2. I spent the whole academic year feeling like I had to choose between investing myself intellectually in school OR investing myself in people. I hate that, and I really didn't mean to abandon anyone.
3. I totally get how some people are both Hindu and Christian.
4. I hate what religion can become if you let it.
5. I love what religion can become if you let it.
For a period of time this year, I became very critical, and spent several weeks this winter feeling like I was at the edge of a philosophical precipice. I prayed to step backwards, away from the danger, back to the comfort of doctrine and home. Every time I tried to step backwards, I just shuffled along the edge, never moving back to safetly, but rather learning how to trust my footing. I'm in the process of learning that faith isn't safety - it's knowing that life here is only one step away from the edge, ever on the verge of falling or flying. And it's from here that I have the clearest view of both the valley and the mountain.
In summary, God is good.
On an entirely different note, I graduated. And now I want to learn more. Lots more. If anyone has any experience with painting, playing music, photography, driving a standard transmission, speaking Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, or German, you have an interested pupil with a decent start on most of these (except painting, that one is totally new.)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
New Beginnings.
Welcome back.
It's been forever, sorry I neglected you, blah, blah, blah... We'll pretend I've caught you up to speed. The only essentials you need to know are that since my last blog, I've had a satisfying senior year, full of that structure and intellectual stimulation I asked for, but sadly lacking in the spiritual and social realms...
No, that's not fair. It's been good, really - it just hasn't always FELT good. My year living at home has been comfortable, steady, and calm. Basically, the opposite of the previous 8 months. At this point, I'm 23 days away from graduation and still waiting to hear from the Peace Corps' Placement Office. I'm two research papers, an exit interview, and a week of finals away from "freedom," a terrifying brand of that supposed virtue that, as all recent college graduates know, thrusts you past the point of no return into the world of responsibility. I'm not complaining though... just anxious to hear back from the organization I've been working to get into since October.
I promise to have more interesting things to say soon. I'll expound on the whole "spiritual and social realms" thing. I just needed one transition post, and now I'll be starting the whole project anew.
It's been forever, sorry I neglected you, blah, blah, blah... We'll pretend I've caught you up to speed. The only essentials you need to know are that since my last blog, I've had a satisfying senior year, full of that structure and intellectual stimulation I asked for, but sadly lacking in the spiritual and social realms...
No, that's not fair. It's been good, really - it just hasn't always FELT good. My year living at home has been comfortable, steady, and calm. Basically, the opposite of the previous 8 months. At this point, I'm 23 days away from graduation and still waiting to hear from the Peace Corps' Placement Office. I'm two research papers, an exit interview, and a week of finals away from "freedom," a terrifying brand of that supposed virtue that, as all recent college graduates know, thrusts you past the point of no return into the world of responsibility. I'm not complaining though... just anxious to hear back from the organization I've been working to get into since October.
I promise to have more interesting things to say soon. I'll expound on the whole "spiritual and social realms" thing. I just needed one transition post, and now I'll be starting the whole project anew.
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