june twelve, 2005

Greetings, friendly folk. I apologize for the months and months of silence from this end. Now that I’m home and have adjusted to a regular summer schedule, I have some time to write…
I returned to St. Olaf in January. It’s been much, much better this time around. My first few weeks there wouldn’t have suggested it would be so, as they were filled with disappointments at school, illnesses in the family, and the like, but everything settled into place. I can tell I’m in a much better place now than I was a year and a half ago, and it shows.
My friends at school have been dears. I moved in with Bridget (my first-year roommate) and Sara Egeland (egg). The three of us got along quite well, mostly because we all stay up later than we should and can fall asleep with lights and music on. We’re probably the least respectful roommates ever, but we couldn’t have gotten along better. We laughed at each other a great deal. Egg and I got to be good friends–she was taking a class called the American Presidency, and I decided I needed to learn more about the presidents, too, so she and I spent a great deal of time together reading and quizzing each other on dates in office, political party, etc. As it happens, Chester Allen Arthur was quite a fellow. He owned over eighty pairs of pants, and he changed them twelve times a day. This is what I remember. Great, huh??
Egeland also convinced her two disbelieving roommates (that’d be us, Bridget) to let her hatch ducks in our room this spring (but don’t tell). She ordered them off E-Bay, and she turned them several times a day. I didn’t become involved until two of them actually hatched…we never seriously expected them to, but they did. Our room was awfully busy those next few days. Our popularity, however, was short-lived. The ducks left for good in less than a week (they went to a friend’s house).
I spent my interim reading about Buddhism, and the class reinforced my interest in studying spirituality cross-culturally. I took Islam in the spring, and I’ll take Judaism in the fall. I’m particularly interested in Judaism because of its rich history. This historical theme has become increasingly influential as I look towards career options. Between my Latin American Studies class at Hamline and my Arab World class with Professor Peterson this spring, the former taught from a political perspective and the latter from a sociological perspective, I’ve developed a sense of urgency–I need to learn about the historical patterns that have shaped our world. I’ve become rather preoccupied with the question of how to live…I have an understanding of the kind of person I want to be and the kind of life I want to lead, but the decisions I make on a daily basis, rather than my idealistic goals, will forever be the primary means by which my character is developed. In order to realign the two, I believe I need to have a sufficient understanding of the present–and I can only get there by examining the patterns of history.
This fascination with the past (and the present–and the future–okay, maybe time in general) has led to yet another change of course. I am now a religion and social studies education major. Because the education major requires quite a few courses, I had to see the department head about adjusting my schedule. Once we had the schedule worked out, I told him that I had some reservations about teaching–namely my fear of public speaking and my tendency to be mistaken for a twelve year old. When he asked me what it is about teaching that appeals to me, I told him that I see teaching as an opportunity to keep learning and learning, every minute of every day. I thirst for knowledge, and that’s why I’m attracted to the school environment. He told me THAT is the reason to teach, and that my reservations were not reasons to keep me from learning and instilling the desire to learn in the minds of others.
On Wednesday, I leave for a theology conference in St. Louis, MO. I applied for the program in February–it’s called the Undergraduate Fellows Program, and it’s designed to introduce 70 or so college students to the field of ministry. Theologians from all over the country will lecture and lead workshops, and representatives from several seminaries will describe their programs. Because I was accepted to the program, I’ll also receive a grant, which I plan to use to travel to Rome in January to study church history.
In addition to the trip to St. Louis, I’m hoping to squeeze in a weekend camping trip with a friend from high school. I’m also taking a train trip to Vancouver with my family in August–even Ben agreed to come, if only because of the mode of transportation. He grew up with the Boxcar Children, after all. Most of my time at home is spent working. I spent the first week of the summer working on Current Jam, a spring choral concert at Edina High School. I was asked to come back as the video director–a job I did in high school for free!! There are five or so camera operators, and I tell them what to shoot and then decide which shot to put up on the video walls. I was nervous about it, because I’ve been away from it for some time, but I had a lot of fun. Now that the show is over, I’m back at the yarn barn 20-30 hours a week, and I spend the rest of the time nannying for an Edina family my Nebraskan boyfriend’s mother set me up with (go figure). The situation is ideal–I’m lucky I found such flexible positions.
Though there’s so much more to tell, I have a full day of work ahead of me, and so my trip to Beijing and my quirky stories will have to be told in person. I’d love to see you all this summer…evenings are generally pretty good (which reminds me, I’m still ready and willing to provide child care for those who’d appreciate a night off), and I’d love to catch up.
Take care, all.
love anna