Moral of the story? Buy a nice pair of boots BEFORE you come to Waynesburg in the first place, because once you're here its almost too late. You won't regret that decision.
So, I suppose the best thing to talk about is what I will be doing for the next three days, and if you remember from my earlier posts, that would be the Faith and International Development Conference at Calvin College. When I went last year, the main focus was sustainable development - that is, ensuring the welfare of the people in a country by ensuring the welfare of the environment.
It was a nice theme and a great conference, but I am lot more excited about this year because it deals much closer to what I am studying here at Waynesburg - dynamic partnerships. We will be going to workshops to discuss forming partnerships with other countries that are mutually-beneficial rather than just beneficial to the United States as many partnerships like that seem to be. The main focus will be on forming these relationships between the two poles of the world - the north and the south. Although there is not a real line between the two hemispheres economically, the truth is that more developed countries exist above the equator, while more developing (or 'third world') countries exist below it.
Considering I want to use my International Studies degree that I am working on here at Waynesburg to work in politics that deal with helping other countries that are developing or in turmoil, I am really excited about the conference this year - more so than I was last year. I hope to pick up some new information, and maybe get some ideas about what I can do specifically in my future after I graduate from Waynesburg.
Oh, and it helps that my last International Relations exam dealt with the split between the North and the South both politically and economically, so I feel like this conference will be a nice continuation of my current favorite class this semester. Very convenient, really.
The one thing I am dreading about the trip, though? Grand Rapids' notorious 'lake effect snow' that we had to deal with last year. Good thing I bought boots. Really - you really, really want to bring boots to Waynesburg with you. You never know when you might suddenly end up in Michigan.
On that note of helping people globally, yesterday's chapel session was a 'Witness to Mission' Tuesday - always one of my favorites for the year. On these days, the chapel service is devoted to hearing reports from students that went on the various mission trips from Waynesburg both domestically and abroad. Waynesburg has an unbelievable amount of mission trips available, and though some people may be swayed away at first by the price - believe me, they are really affordable, and worth every single penny. Waynesburg even has a missions scholarship that you can win from writing a few essays about why you are going on the trip, and that can help considerably in funding one of the best decisions you will ever make.
If you cannot tell at this point, I am speaking from personal experience. Listening yesterday to the stories and seeing the pictures from Jamaica and Mexico, I was taken back to my own missions experience last May with Waynesburg to Argentina. It was the university's first trip to South America, and was successful enough that they are going again this year. I had never been out of the country further than Canada before, and never been on a mission trip before. Argentina was unbelievably eye-opening, both for my expanding my world view by experiencing and falling in love with another culture, as well as challenging my faith in God to all new levels as I bonded with the people there, especially the children at Sunrise Children's Home where we worked.
If you remember nothing else that I say in all my blogs about what you should do at Waynesburg, remember this - go on at least one mission trip, whether it is domestic or international. Those kids were honestly nothing less than angels in disguise. I have never had an experience like that before, and doubt I ever will again. It was definitely the best experience of my life thus far, and I feel like a grew a lot both as a Christian and as a citizen of the world rather than just the United States - important in today's world, which continues to get smaller and smaller as globalization expands more and more.
Am I rambling about things from my classes this semester? Why, yes I am! What can I say, I am in love with my major! I just can't hold it in sometimes.
Well, now that I had a very pleasant rant, I think it is about time to draw this entry to a close. In my next one, I am excited to share all of my experiences from Calvin, as well as pictures of a *hopefully* snow-FREE Michigan trip. We roll out tomorrow at 7:00 AM - eight hour ride in the school van packed with my friends, here I come!
Better yet - Michigan, here we come! I hope Calvin College is ready for the invasion of Waynesburg University once again!
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