Andrea: Found it in my Research

I thought this was interesting. It seems pertinent to recent Ubu-discussion since so many of us have been working hard to make Bluffton a safe place for everyone.

Andrea: Snow

I've heard people say that bad things come in threes. Lately I say that bad things come like snow; in abundance at random and mostly unpredictable times.

Snow means you miss out on 8 hours of internship time; Snow means snow days for happy children and student teachers (like Erin.)

Snow means that group therapy is cancelled after you've already driven 30 minutes with a near stranger to get there for a class assignment; Snow means you talk for an hour with someone you may not have otherwise talked to for an hour.

Snow means traffic is slow and the roads and sidewalks are a mess; Snow means friends and neighbors work together to dig out each others cars.

Snow means that unsuspecting families get sad phone calls; Snow means unsuspecting friends get happy phone calls because there's a little extra time.

Snow means it takes longer to walk to class; Snow gives me something pretty to look at while I walk to class.

Snow makes Astronomy lab colder and longer; Snow means there's hot chocolate waiting for me when I get back (thanks, Christine)

Maybe being in Heaven now doesn't mean that there's never snow, it just means that there is beauty juxtaposed to sadness. Maybe Heaven is not the absence of bad things, but the presence of friendship to go with it.

Andrea: LOST

So- I would like to echo Karla about how this community is extremely supportive when you're feeling overwhelmed. This week I have been feeling so exhausted with life: it breaks my heart to imagine saying goodbye to my grandma anytime soon. And nothing about being a senior in college is particularly reassuring. Between internship hunting, wedding plans, and regular college stuff I've been a stressed out mess this week.

Last night, however, was different. Christine introduced me to salvation from stress... in the form of seasons 3-5 of LOST. we spent the whole night sewing crafts and watching LOST. Eventually our party grew to include Judah, Jason, and Ben Siebert. Then, our marathon continued, but got even better because Devon and Kristen got home from their date and had ginger beer and cherry soda... and they made cookies!

The moral of the story is that no matter how sad you are, or unfair you think life is: you are still living days and minutes of your life. You get to pick how you want to spend them... and last night I wanted to spend them watching LOST until my brain turned into mush with my good friends.

thanks, guys.

Andrea: Earthquake in Haiti

I'm sure by now most everyone has heard about the earthquake in Haiti last night. If you haven't here's a link to clue you in a little:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/13/haiti.earthquake/index.html

This is a place that is very close to my heart; I have seen Port-au-Prince and it's urban terrain with homes built nearly on top of each other. A 7.0 earthquake would damage any city, but the structural damage incurred by a city with so many buildings made of scrap metal, and held together by other insecure materials is nothing short of devastating. Please be in prayer for my friends who live there and have given their lives to loving and serving the Haitian people.

I'm so thankful for the fundraiser we were able to have for the Haiti Water Project- hopefully that money will be able to help them continue their mission in the midst of this horrible disaster. I'm currently searching for ways that we can help out, and please know that I'll be inviting you all to join in the effort as soon as I formulate a practical plan of action.

Thank you for all your support of me and this country I love so much- I'm so glad I have you guys.

Photos!!! (from Peace and Justice Christmas)

Andrea: Take a Wild Guess

Sunday was the Peace and Justice Christmas art auction, and it was absolutely wonderful! If you'd like to read more about that, go to: http://www.haitiwaterproject.com/have-a-peace-and-justice-christmas/

I don't want to simply reiterate what I said for the Haiti Water Project blog, but I would like to point out several ways our community worked together really well.

1) Christine and Jennifer were absolute heroes of navigating Marbeck stuff. When we got there I realized we needed easels for the art and I had no clue where to access them, they totally handled that mini crisis! They both did so much running around at the beginning; Christine made like 5 zillion last minute copies of things for me!
2) Jason Frey arranged and decorated the Gallery and it looked so nice! He and Shawn really helped me with getting everything set up on tables. The whole tone of the event was better because of their personal touches- you guys did a great job!
3) Kristen and Devon were my strategy rockstars: I was so frustrated with some of the auctioning logistics (christmas tree vs. ornaments!! ahh- spaz!) Maybe they didn't even notice they were doing it, but they were speaking SO enthusiastically at the event about the art, and explaining different ornaments to people; they were excited about the art and that got other people excited about it too.
4) Erin Weaver: you. rock. She was my insider informant for the music department: she got an add put in the Messiah bulletin. That was her idea in the first place, and it wouldn't have happened without her.
5) Judahchris- I don't know if you know this, but Judah actually made a table for the auction! Jennifer's brother bid on it ;) Seriously though, Judah's mobile attracted so many people's attention to the Gallery.
6) Ethan got like half of his friends over here to help make ornaments on Friday night- that was absolutely fantastic. It meant so much to me that people I barely knew came over here to help with the event!
7) Karla doesn't know this, but she's actually the one who inspired the layout of the bid sheets. She told me a while ago (when she was planning the CUP dinner) that having a nice sign up sheet made everything seem more put together... and she was so right! Several people commented on our snowflake forms. thanks for the idea, Karla!

So there you have it: Ubuntu in action. You guys have no idea how much your support and encouragement means to me. This event would NEVER have happened without you guys keeping me sane. I don't know if I've ever been prouder of our community. you guys rock, and i"m so thankful I live with you.

Also, Judah said that he wants to plan one every month, so... who wants to plan our "Peace and Justice January" event?!

Andrea: blogging duty

I was so relieved when I saw that it was my week to be on blogging duty. I know what you're thinking, and no! It's not because I don't love cleaning the toilets and showers...

This week is so crazy for me. I have Capstone homework out the wazoo, all kinds of odds and ends of things for other classes, and the Peace and Justice Christmas auction (among other things) is this weekend. I've been feeling really nervous about the PJC auction because it got here quicker than I was expecting and now all the little details (that I'm SO good at anyway *roll my eyes*) need tied together. bla. I'm so thankful for all the Ubuntu support though- last night we had such a fun craft time and we made some really fun ornaments. I'm hoping tonight goes just as well.

In other news: I would love to have a hot cup of tea to hold in my frigid corpse-like hands right now. Unfortunately, at this moment, every single mug is dirty because everyone's week is just as busy as mine. I can't decide if I should take a break from homework long enough to wash all the dishes or not. Does it make me un-ubuntu if I wash only 1 mug? ...probably: ugh, the things we do for our addictions, aye? Dishes, here I come!!

Andrea: Feels Like Home

Two weeks ago I was in New York City for the MCC-UN student seminar. I learned so much, but the whole time I was there I was feeling homesick for my Canton-family and also my Ubuntu-family. New York is such a cool place, but its easy to feel very small there- I started thinking about what an awkward transition time this phase of life is. It's getting harder and harder to clearly identify where "home" is.

After a very very long drive back to Bluffton I dragged my 1000 lbs suitcase up three flights of stairs and wrestled it into my room. I slept in the next morning so no one was here when I woke up. I made myself some breakfast and was amazed at how quite Riley Court is when its completely empty. After a half hour or so I heard some people coming in the door downstairs so I poked my head into the hallway from the kitchen and said "hey guys, I'm back." And my heart smiled as I listened to my Ubu-family run up the stairs yelling "Andie's home!!!!" Between giant bear hugs I realized that my friends were right- Even if this is only home for a little while, its still home. And it was good to be back.

Andrea: Things that fill my heart with joy

Thursday night was the second of two nights in a row I was up until 2 am doing homework... don't worry mom, I made sure to rest up this weekend to make up for it! Week 6 was just as busy as week 5 and it was only a half week. Needless to say, I like everyone else in the house, was a nervous wreck most of the week.

Thursday night I was sitting in the kitchen working on a paper, and Judah said "Hey Andie, do you want to share some bit sized carrot wedges?" I replied "Sure, at my house we call them carrot sticks." And he said "That's the word!" I laughed until I cried... if you don't know Judah, you should fix that.

This little moment, followed by the Office wedding with half of my housemates reminded me of why I mustered every ounce of self discipline to leave Pittsburgh and come back to school. Thanks guys.

Andrea: Realizations

I came in this semester with 6 credit hours looming over my head from unfinished summer classes and something new and shiny on my left hand. I was feeling so ambitious about how fun it would be to live with 3 other blushing brides-to-be; doing homework together, planning our weddings, and having giggly girly pajama parties with chick flicks and chocolate. ... then I started 15 more credit hours when classes started ...and I started my job at Bluffton Presbyterian church... and I started getting emails about "Acting on Aids," "Spiritual Life Week Planning Committee," "PEACE Club," and "Social Work Club" (to name a few) ...and we started having "family" meals and meetings to discuss our responsibilities as part of Ubuntu... and somewhere in the middle of all that I had a terrifying realization: I CAN'T DO EVERTHING.

I was homesick for the summer I spent in Pittsburgh with Kyle, and on the brink of an identity crisis over the loss of my posse of girlfriends who graduated last May. After several late nights sobbing and snotting all over several of my housemates (thanks, guys :) ) I realized something new about myself: I HATE CHANGE.

I always thought I was adventurous; that I could handle anything- I just spent a month in Africa for crying out loud... why am I having an emotional breakdown over being in Bluffton?! I agreed to learn simplicity and community this year... and I think I'm learning those things already. Your schedule is not exempt from a simple lifestyle- it's okay to say "no" sometimes. Community is an everchanging thing- you don't get to hang on to all of your same friends all of the time. You CAN grow separately without growing apart (Teresa told me that.) I love the people I live with now, and even though I miss Erica, Kyle, Teresa and my other friends from before, I would be stealing from myself if I didn't allow myself to grow into the community that's inviting me in right now.

So there you have it. I can't do everything, I hate change, and I love this community.