Where else would it be considered not unusual for your roommate to be icing down a typhoid vaccine in a Starbucks cup or your ultimate Frisbee team determined by whether you are serving in the Global North and the Global South? (And where else would the Global South consistently buck historical trends by dominating the North?) Where else do you refer to expecting the unexpected as the “mushrooms in your basement”?
This past week (17 August-25 August) I was at orientation for YAGM at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC). We stayed at dorms of the University of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood, about a twenty-minute walk from the shores of Lake Michigan. The rhythm my days here began with devotions and Bible study in the morning, followed by workshops and presentations in the afternoon. We dug into accompaniment theology (link), what it means to walk in solidarity with and be for present for the people we’ll be serving. We discussed
answering the Christian call to work for justice in the context of globalization. But we also dealt with some of the more mundane details like flights, insurance, the YAGM handbook, security, etc. I spent my free time in the evenings playing ultimate Frisbee, hanging out in the dorms, and exploring the Hyde Park neighborhood. Although I was at first really anxious to “go and do something!” upon arrival in Chicago, this week has helped prepare me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the upcoming year—although there’s only so much you can prepare for an experience like the one I’m about to embark on.
I was blessed to meet so many engaging people this week and to renew the acquaintances I
made at the DIP (Discernment-Interview-Placement) event in Wisconsin in April. We come from diverse backgrounds, but we all share a passion for justice. Among the YAGM’s sense of camaraderie quickly developed from a shared sense of, “If we were all crazy enough to show up, we must all be in this together, right?” The friendships I have made in this week will be so important for the coming year, because who else is really going to understand why your roommate was icing down a typhoid vaccine in a Starbucks cup? Who else am I going to be able to e-mail about my own “mushrooms in the basement”? This week has taught me about the importance about engaging in your own local context for support. But fear not, that’s definitely not going to keep me from being in touch with everyone back home!
For the next two week I’ll be going through in-country orientation with the other South Africa YAGM’s, first in Johannesburg and then in Pietermaritzburg.
This past week (17 August-25 August) I was at orientation for YAGM at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC). We stayed at dorms of the University of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood, about a twenty-minute walk from the shores of Lake Michigan. The rhythm my days here began with devotions and Bible study in the morning, followed by workshops and presentations in the afternoon. We dug into accompaniment theology (link), what it means to walk in solidarity with and be for present for the people we’ll be serving. We discussed
answering the Christian call to work for justice in the context of globalization. But we also dealt with some of the more mundane details like flights, insurance, the YAGM handbook, security, etc. I spent my free time in the evenings playing ultimate Frisbee, hanging out in the dorms, and exploring the Hyde Park neighborhood. Although I was at first really anxious to “go and do something!” upon arrival in Chicago, this week has helped prepare me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the upcoming year—although there’s only so much you can prepare for an experience like the one I’m about to embark on.I was blessed to meet so many engaging people this week and to renew the acquaintances I
made at the DIP (Discernment-Interview-Placement) event in Wisconsin in April. We come from diverse backgrounds, but we all share a passion for justice. Among the YAGM’s sense of camaraderie quickly developed from a shared sense of, “If we were all crazy enough to show up, we must all be in this together, right?” The friendships I have made in this week will be so important for the coming year, because who else is really going to understand why your roommate was icing down a typhoid vaccine in a Starbucks cup? Who else am I going to be able to e-mail about my own “mushrooms in the basement”? This week has taught me about the importance about engaging in your own local context for support. But fear not, that’s definitely not going to keep me from being in touch with everyone back home!For the next two week I’ll be going through in-country orientation with the other South Africa YAGM’s, first in Johannesburg and then in Pietermaritzburg.
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