strangers

Last march I was in a conference room that was set up for worship with about 70 strangers. I was there because I felt like I had no where else to go because the places where I wanted to stay I had grown out of.

I could no longer stay at Hollins. This was already in contrast, because at one point there was an opportunity to levee early which I considered manly for finances. I never really wanted to levee not in the August of 2008 or in May of 2009. Hollins was my home the people there had become my family we didn’t always agree but what family does. Some times there was sorrow but there was also joy, meals in the dining halls, hours spent sitting on the flour discussing dance and art and dreams. I felt intelligent at Hollins, no I could not spell or do times tables but I could discuses dance theory, theology, ancient art, and I was creating dances. I build a community for my self in my chaplaincy studies class and with the first year christen fellowship. With the dancer I dances along side and created with, the fencing club on epic drives to torments. Hollins was home.

last march I was sitting in a room with 70 strangers at a placement event for the young adult volunteers. I didn’t have any problem with the idea of going abroad. How ever one of the first things that was asked of us was to let go of are current community we where asked to turn off are phones for the week and not visit friends. We where asked to let the 70 strangers in the room be our community. I have to say I hated this idea and to be honest I broke this in several different ways. I went to visit a friend who went to seminary in Kentucky. I also had internet and would send emails home. I didn’t mind the idea of going abroad. How ever the idea of giving up my home my community terrified me. To be honest I tried the hole no contact thing for the first night. I was in tears but only after messaging a good friend and visiting with my friend Mike did I realizes. That it would be ok I was able to cheer up after that. I got to know my roommate Sara who is now in Peru whom I love and is my prayer partner for the year. I remember being able to laugh with people at meals and towards the end of my time worship became powerful and meaningful.

I came home to Hollins sat under my dorm hugging a friend still completely unsure of what was happening I was going to N. Ireland not because it was a life long dream but because I could not stay in the place I loved.

Last Friday I was teaching my dance class at the school.The dance club kids have come so far they worked on making up there own dances in small groups. And are able to inprov with out feeling self-conches and they laughing and smile the whole time. After school I walked up to peter and Alas for dinner before heading down to church for “The east end show” a choir contest for charity that the choir had work so hard to put together to raise money for Ecuador and Alshimors research. I helped the choir with movement for there songs and I danced not in ways I usually do, but I danced with the GB girls and with the SN@G member dressed as potato and I was asked to dance a solo. I was sounded by happy faces people who are my friends who tease me about trying to merry me off so I can get a visa to stay in Belfast. I was laughing and enjoying my self. The last song the choir sang in the show was from the musical Joseph. I was standing in the wing looking up at the people I have grown to love and realised with out knowing it I let my self have a new community one I love and one I feel that I am apart of. I feel the same as I did last march apart of a community I love but have to leave. Luckily I broke the rules, the same friends I wrote to last march I continue to write now. I also have many new friends. I have my Belfast YAV friends some of whom came to watch me dance this past week. And I have my church family. I am afraid of there not being a community next year. I worry that they is not one waiting for me but I look back at the communities I have been apart of and who supports me and I realizes that I have always been taken care of even when I’m afraid because leaving places has not meant leaving people, given the time 70 strangers are no longer strangers