WHAT A MONTH!!! I’m sure if someone had told me how fast-paced and demanding fall semester is I think I would still be in a daze. Partly because the words “Fall Semester” do not mean anything. In Zimbabwe where your main seasons are Summer (Jan through April), winter (May-July) and the rainy-season (Late September-early January), fall hardly exists past the month of August. Secondly, the school year runs completely differently. We have three “Terms” each broken up evenly with three months of school then one month of holiday, starting from January running till December. So “Fall Semester has been a completely new experience, with completely new holidays too such as Halloween.
Many people ask, “ How do you deal with being so far from home? You can’t just drive across the ocean but it’s almost been a full year since you went back.” All true. And many International kids will tell you it’s hard knowing you have a home somewhere else but you cannot go home at the drop of the hat. So fine, you can’t completely control the situation, but you can control your outlook and how you will react. I choose to soak up all the opportunities and immerse myself in the new culture around me. What’s the point in making yourself miserable hoping for the past when the present holds so many memories? The things that made home familiar were the sights, sounds, foods and comforts. So why not engage the new sights, sounds and foods and make new memories. Sooner than you think the unknown will become familiar and you will call it home J Besides, I know I can’t carry my family around with me, but God is all around and in all things- a joke, a hug, a sunrise. The very fact that I am here, wherever that may be, shows his crazy love for me. He makes me feel all right.
Jumping into activities is the best thing you can ever do! But can you take on too much or be intimidated? YES! But it’s all worth it. So in the Greek tragedy, “Antigone”, I played this creepy prophet Teiresius (Tie- ree- see- us) Trust it to be a Black girl, with a British accent playing a man. It doesn’t get any weirder than that. But just in time for Halloween, which rocked! Candy bonus and an excuse to dress up J. As for making this place feel more like home, the Vocal Arts Ensemble held a Lullaby night with songs form around the world. I got to share some authentic stuff from Zimbabwe and it was a great time! You see, people are always so concerned that due to borderlines, cultural and linguistic lines we are too different and disconnected. The truth though is that we are more alike than we know. I mean my music styles may be different, but music is music. I feel as much hunger, loneliness and excitement and joy as the North Dakotans around me or the kids from Montana. I think it’s a matter of being willing to jump in. Are you willing to take the first step?
You have nothing to lose if you try. You have everything to lose if you never do. (Plus a bag of questions and regrets to carry around and that would just be whack.)
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