A few words from Wickatunk.

 

So- I offered to write the blog for our community therefore, I’ve been looking for inspiration everywhere.  One of my fellow GSVs wrote her blog, which I found quite enjoyable to read, in a Starbucks… so here I am in Starbucks.  Other fellow GSVs have included quotes or ideas from readings they’ve done… so I brought one of my recent reads (almost finished) Awareness by Anthony De Mello… I thought maybe the book could provide some sort of inspiration for some profound thought…hm… I could listen to one of my favorite Pandora stations… but then I thought the music might cloud my mind with lyrics and melodies which would lead me to think of fond memories which could again cloud my thoughts of the ‘profound’ words I’m hoping to share with you all…

My year of service has been one of both good and bad, which means, amazing.  I wish I could explain to you in words or even melody how memorable and special this year as been but I can’t…although, I’m still here trying. 

Groundhogs- these cute little animals run around the Collier property and pop their heads up to say hello and then they either pop back into their holes in the ground or waddle across the field.  They are adorable and although the Sisters may have paid money last year to have them removed (not killed) from the property I find that their presence brings a lot of joy to my life.

Stink Bugs- now, I wouldn’t want to jinx anything since we haven’t had any major outbreaks of stink bugs in a while… but, these little ugly, no good, annoying, pesty, creatures have impacted this year in a lot of ways giving us something to think about and “hate on” always.  I can’t help but mention them here.

Health Class- I was not born to teach health, I knew that in the 6^th grade when I couldn’t stop laughing and blushing at anything spoken about in health class, yet somehow, this year I ended teaching health to freshmen girls.  If they actually learned anything, I’ll never know but it was an experience to remember.

Gym Class- I’ll just get this out right now… I’m afraid of the ball.  Yes, I did used to play soccer… but that doesn’t matter.  I did get hit in the face with the ball once… really hard.  It hurt and I left the gym to go cry about how embarrassed I was… and then I continued crying because I was so embarrassed about crying in the first place.  I went back to gym the next day though and life went on.

Music Class- I could tell from the first Sunday in Wickatunk that the music teacher was one musically inclined guy.  The way he played the hymns was exceptionally beautiful.  Then I attended my first music class, he played the guitar, bass, piano, and drums and could hear the song once and be able to play it on any instrument.  Then I got to hear the students’ play and sing- that’s when I learned the beauty of perfection in imperfections.  The students in the choir class loved to sing and that’s all that mattered.  It didn’t matter if they couldn’t read music, couldn’t match pitch or if they even had perfect pitch.  For the most part they thoroughly enjoyed each other’s presence, and enjoyed any opportunity to learn a new song and sing it. They seemed to be fearless trying any song they liked and I admired that so much.  They are so brave. 

Staff- the staff at Collier are such beautiful people.  From the start they were all so warm and welcoming.  I remember the first time I met our supervisor at Orientation.  I was getting teary-eyed at the fact that he gave me a real hug the first time we ever met.  That was only the start.  This year’s Collier staff have experienced what I would consider great hardship dealing with huge budget cut backs, which resulted in the loss of jobs and many jobs being cut to part-time.  They dealt with this matter so very professionally and were so respectful to each other and the students not letting it get to them that next year was going to be different.  They always extended a listening ear or a hand to help when things were rough.  They are simply amazing.

Students- challenging as they were, you can’t help but love the students.  They keep life exciting.  Each and every student has his/her own story, own unique personality, and own way of being.  To get to learn from them, work with them, play in gym with them, teach them, listen to them, have them listen to you, eat pizza with them, go on field trips with them, have them get mad at you, you get mad at them, build relationships, give hugs good-bye… what more could a person ask for?  These students are unique and beautiful and yes, sometimes very frustrating to be around but aren’t we all?  That’s another way I saw the beauty of perfection in imperfection.

Flash Mob- not flash dance, mob flash or dance mob, yes, we did two (technically three) flash mobs this year.  One in a faculty meeting, one at a secret Santa gathering and one at the underclassmen end of the year assembly.  You’ll see a video attached below.  What could bring one more joy then putting a dance together (props to my housemate Diana, the choreographer), teaching it to the staff, having rehearsals with the staff after school in the gym, devising a plan with the principal as to when to cue the music, seeing the principal all giddy during the assembly in anticipation for the flash mob, seeing the staff worried about getting the dance moves at the right time and then delivering this amazing flash mob to students who had their cell phones out in seconds, were clapping, trying to dance and then being pulled back to their seat by fellow classmates, students with their hats over their heads in embarrassment for the staff, and seeing the smiles as they go out to the bus.  Being in such solidarity with the staff to bring something fun to the students… that’s what life is all about, right?




(Please excuse the sound not matching up with the dancing- it did match up during the the real thing!!) :-)

Community- in the beginning things were kind of tough, I couldn’t figure out why the fact that my housemate chews her gum loudly bothered me to the point of being angry-and then I’d get more angry because it was bothering me so much.  I got over it though and I learned to love my community.  It took a moment of out-of-control laughter for me to realize things are good, they don’t have to be perfect for them to be perfect- ah yes, another point of seeing the beauty of perfection in imperfections.  My community is amazing- we have many laughs and sure, we avoid one another at times- it’s expected.  Like our Executive Director once said, “conflict is a lot like goose poop” you can’t avoid it, and like one of the Sister’s said to us at our community retreat, you can’t avoid the dirty dishrag, because sometimes, a lot of times, it’s the little things that get to you.  My community is composed of such beautiful people who are so loving and rewarding to be around.  Then you throw in there the three other communities in NYC and the three communities abroad.  I couldn’t be more proud of the people I volunteer with and have been able to befriend.  Every time I am with them I feel so happy and lucky.

The year is quickly coming to an end and it makes me so sad thinking about that.  Although I am off to grad school in the fall I can’t help but think about…”what if I stayed another year” or “what if I had waited and applied for a job near by?” “What if?”  I suppose it’s part of life, making decisions, moving places, meeting new people, but saying good-bye is sad and it sucks.  Being a Good Shepherd Volunteer has been one heck of an amazing experience and I am so excited for the next year’s volunteers and those to come later!  They’re in for a real treat.   

So- the Starbucks may have turned out to just be a place that happened to provide a tasty iced chai tea latte, and the Anthony De Mello book make have just sat in my lap this entire time and the fact that I still had Starbucks music pouring into my ears kind of ruined the idea of not listening to music… these are my thoughts, far from profound but true to the heart.  Thanks for reading.

Diane~

Wickatunk, NJ (yes, it does exist!)